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Afraid of Commitment? AT&T to Offer Contract-Free iPhone

Afraid of Commitment? AT&T to Offer Contract-Free iPhone
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Though iPhone buyers in European countries like France have long had the option to pick up iPhones at a premium without a contract, buyers in the U.S. haven’t had any choice other than to plunk down for a two-year service agreement in order to get a piece of rarified Apple gear. That could soon change, though, as recently leaked reports suggest AT&T will begin selling iPhones with a contract by the end of this month.

A leaked document obtained by Boy Genius Report suggests that 8GB iPhones will sell for $599 without contract, and 16GB models for $699. There are some strings attached, though: buyers will need an active line on AT&T in order to make the purchase, and AT&T will only sell one iPhone per line (though the document explicitly spells out to AT&T employees that no record is made in the system of a contract-free iPhone purchase, so buyers could presumably visit multiple stores for multiple iPhones). In addition, the offer will only be open to existing AT&T customers who don’t already qualify for the subsidized upgrade price.

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According to the papers, titled “iPhone 3G Pricing Enhancements,” the new rules will go into effect on March 26.

Nick Mokey
As Digital Trends’ Editor in Chief, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team covering every gadget under the sun, along with…
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