To whom it may concern at AT&T:
Today, I preordered the new iPhone 3G S but I am far from stoked about my decision to commit yet another two years to your lackluster corporation. Let me be clear, the only reason I have stuck around is due to the fact that you give me a killer company discount by using you as my carrier and I get good coverage at home. Now let us get down to the core of this rant by asking you a couple questions:
First, why must you alienate your current subscriber base by not offering current iPhone 3G owners the ability to upgrade at the subsidized price of $200 for the 16gb version or $300 for the 32gb version? While I understand you are in the business to make money, I feel you have seriously dropped the ball on this opportunity. Generally speaking, phone sales do not pad your bottom line as much as subscriber contracts and upgrades such as text/data plans. If it was my decision, I would have developed a plan that says if the customer has been an iPhone 3G owner for at least 12 months, they will qualify for the iPhone 3G S at subsidized pricing under the condition that said customer extends their service contract for an additional two years. For the customer’s who need to have the latest and greatest, this keeps them happy and also keeps you happy by locking down your subscribers. I am sure you do not need me to tell you that your exclusive relationship with Apple in the USA to carry the iPhone ends in 2010. If Apple launches yet another device on say the Verizon network after your exclusive contract, what makes you think your current customers will not jump ship because you could not make this seemingly trivial decision?
And second, if Apple was able to rebuild their firmware and device to have the ability to offer tethering and MMS, why could you have not gotten your act together in time? I am appalled that I am going to receive my new iPhone 3G S only to run into a brick wall. Due to your ill timing of “network upgrades,” I will not be able to receive MMS messages or tether data. Saying that you will have these options available sometime this summer is quite honestly not good enough. I am sure you were aware of Apple’s plans to include such options in advance to the 2009 WWDC, so why could you have not had your “network upgrades” completed before the launch on Friday?
You have seriously disappointed me and have done nothing to build my loyalty towards your corporation. In fact, you have done quite the opposite. And to show such lack of trust, once another promising phone such as the HTC Diamond 2/Touch Pro2 comes out, I will unlock my new iPhone 3G S and sell it off on eBay so I can buy superior (in my opinion of course) device.
Thanks for nothing. I bid you adieu.
