re: AT&T's Next to Shorten Wait for Device UpgradesIf this takes off then there could be a larger used/refurb inventory. It may be good news even for users who hunt for deals.
re: AT&T's Next to Shorten Wait for Device UpgradesVerge article is on point. AT&T's next is basically more expensive plan than regular $199 two year plan. Their Monthly rate plans are already ridiculously high, and are not getting any lower with Next. It only gets higher as your monthly plan now gets to be even more inflated by monthly installments fees...
re: AT&T's Next to Shorten Wait for Device UpgradesI'm out of the target market for changing devices on a whim because of a new feature, so maybe I'm speaking for a subset of users when I say that not getting any kind of discount on a new phone totally changes the appeal for new devices. Paying $32 a month for a year or more is very different from paying $200 up front and if the service isn't discounted to account for the end of the subsidy, this looks like a raw deal.
re: AT&T's Next to Shorten Wait for Device UpgradesThe Verge had another take on AT&T Next...when you consider that the plans don't discount the service (which is already more expensive because it includes a "subsidy" fee), they are really a rip off. Pretty deceptive. http://www.theverge.com/2013/7...
re: AT&T's Next to Shorten Wait for Device UpgradesTo be fair, I got the invite to AT&T's "see what's next in wireless" on Tuesday, and T-Mobile announced JUMP on Wednesday. So, it's hard to say who came first on the upgrade cycle changes, but T-Mobile getting rid of subsidies definitely was the impetus for this move by AT&T.
re: AT&T's Next to Shorten Wait for Device UpgradesSo you mean essentially only doing BYOD to their networks? Maybe that's the next step they'll follow T-Mobile on. Exclusives are still so common here though, as Nokia explained last week. I wonder how much a BYOD environment would hurt their partnerships and deals with handset makers.
re: AT&T's Next to Shorten Wait for Device UpgradesWell, it appears to suggest that T-Mobile CEO Legere was right and the big 2 are rattled by the T-Mobile JUMP plan doesn't it?
There's definitely a desire among a certain sector of my friends to upgrade whenever they want, not just every 2 years.
re: AT&T's Next to Shorten Wait for Device UpgradesI don't get why they are still trying to be involved in the phone selection itself now that they are in effect becoming financing companies for mobile devices on their networks, akin to the way car manufacturers have leasing/financing arms. Why won't they simply open the market wide for brands and off brands of mobile devices and create a subsidy market? it will free up the market for devices and open up new ones for a new breed of connected devices.
re: AT&T's Next to Shorten Wait for Device UpgradesApparently Verizon may be the next to unveil a new upgrade plan. Both it and AT&T extended their upgrade cycle on subsidized devices to 24 months in the Spring, but looks like they're willing to experiment more with unsubsidized handsets.
DroidLife has the rumor story about Verizon's new plans, VZ Edge, expected to come out next month: http://www.droid-life.com/2013...
Shameless.
There's definitely a desire among a certain sector of my friends to upgrade whenever they want, not just every 2 years.
DroidLife has the rumor story about Verizon's new plans, VZ Edge, expected to come out next month: http://www.droid-life.com/2013...