The iPhone 3G will be available at 8 a.m. July 11, and eligible customers will be able to get the 8-GB model for $199 and the 16-GB model for $299. AT&T said these prices require a two-year contract and are available to new AT&T customers, current subscribers eligible for an upgrade, and existing iPhone users who purchased before July 11.
Current AT&T subscribers who want to buy the device but aren't eligible for an upgrade will have to pay $399 and $499 for the different models. These users will have to get a new two-year service contract as well.
As previously announced, iPhone 3G users will have to sign up for a $30 unlimited data plan, compared with $20 under the original iPhone's plan. Business users wanting to connect to Exchange servers for e-mail and calendar options will have to pay $45 a month.
The cheapest voice and data bundle starts at $69.99 for 450 anytime minutes and 5,000 night and weekend minutes. For $20 more, users get 900 daytime minutes with unlimited night and weekend minutes.
The $109.99 plan includes 1,350 anytime minutes with nights and weekends free, and an unlimited talk plan is priced at $129 a month.
Unlike the original iPhone, text messaging will not be included in the unlimited data plan. Customers can sign up for a $20-a-month unlimited text plan, a $15 plan for 1,500 messages, or a $5 plan for 200 messages.
At an unannounced time after the launch, the handsets will be available without a contract for $599 and $699 for the two models. These unsubsidized prices are close to what analysts predicted AT&T was paying per handset.
U.S. consumers are getting a relative bargain compared with their neighbors in Canada. Rogers Wireless recently announced its iPhone 3G pricing options; those require a three-year contract, and the highest data plan tops out at 2 GB a month.
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