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Contract Free iPhone 3G: Comparison Shop

Validating Rumors

Beginning March 26, 2009, you can expect to see the iPhone 3G sold without a contract and still locked to everyone’s least favorite carrier, AT&T.

The contract-less iPhone 3G will be available at a $400 premium over the subsidized iPhone 3G, which requires a two year commitment to AT&T ($199/$299). The new pricing model puts the 8GB iPhone 3G at $599 and the 16GB at $699.

Not surprisingly, it is still cheaper to buy an already unlocked iPhone 3G on Craigslist or eBay.

Before rushing into AT&T next week, think about the real value of an overpriced and soon to be outdated, locked iPhone 3G.

Prospective Purchases:
For the same price as a contract-free iPhone 3G from AT&T you can get:

Two MSI Wind netbooks (only because you install Mac OS)

200 tall soy hot chocolates from Starbucks

5 Harry Potter Hardcover Boxsets (Books 1-7)

1 Playstation 3 and Xbox 360

1 Wii and Wii Bundled with Wii Fit

3 Flip Video minoHDs or 6 Flip Video Ultra

4 Nintendo DSi’s

40 Snuggies (with 40 bonus book lights)

2 Amazon Kindle 2s

600+ iPhone Apps

215 slices of Famous Rays pizza (on 11th and 6th)

2 round trip tickets to somewhere in the U.S.

6 Broadway Musicals (12 if you use TKTS in Times Square)

15 trips to JFK Airport from anywhere in Manhattan

At least 75 total items featured on Dealnews.com

1 Labra-doodle

AT&T’s motives behind offering the iPhone 3G without a contract may center around their attempt to liquidate* the current iPhone 3G model, at a premium, before the new model is released, which as many predict, will be in June.

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*AT&T’s stated motives for contract-free pricing are: to cater to customers who would like to purchase a gift, add a line or are ineligible for an upgrade.