# Any possibility to buy an iPhone without plan?



## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

Hi,

May sounds silly, but with the last update of the iPod Touch, I'm certainly not going to replace my first gen iTouch now. 

But all the features of the iPhone 3GS are what I would like, except that I do not which to have any cell plan or data plan. So the question is simple:

Is it possible to buy an iPhone 3GS without any plan? just the bare bone hardware and activate it only with wireless?

Or to the worst, I would be ready to give a pay as you go cell service, but nothing more than that. 

Thanks for your comments!


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

You can certainly do exactly as you describe with a 2G (aka "original") iPhone, since I'm doing it.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

chas_m said:


> You can certainly do exactly as you describe with a 2G (aka "original") iPhone, since I'm doing it.


I'm really talking about getting a 3GS, not a 3G or an original iPhone. I want those features in my hands!!


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

its possiable to buy it from http://www.rogers.com/web/content/i...ess_iPhone3GS_0709_Eng-_-iPhone3GS_LowerBadge Just buy the iphone it self which will cost at least $800.00


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## panzergruppe (Nov 16, 2007)

Contract may be still required after buy the iPhone at cost $800, but you can cancel it later.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

$699 and $799 for 16 and 32GB models, you have to go month to month but you can cancel it right away.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

dona83 said:


> $699 and $799 for 16 and 32GB models, you have to go month to month but you can cancel it right away.


Thanks, that is not really explained on their sites, so you have to guest!

Considering a 32 Gig iPod touch without the camera and GPS is 329$, that makes the 16 Gig a bit pricey, but at least you get the best you can get in mobile devices. But it is really a premium price...:greedy:

The 3GS is also noted as out of stock now on Roger's site. No luck there either! :-(

Thanks for the information.


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## wayne247 (Sep 24, 2009)

Yes, it *IS* possible.

A friend of mine did it less than a month ago.

However, the tricky part in that statement, and with Rogers' rules for subsidizing, isn't the data plan at all, it's your monthly bill value. If that amount is above a certain threshold, you're allowed to buy a new iPhone at promo price. 

The 'data plan required' we all hear is actually a 'add 25$ to your account so you get above the threshold required for subsidies'.

So if you have a ridiculous monthly plan, then you can get a new phone without data. Otherwise you need to add enough options (such as data) to reach a price where you're allowed the subsidy.

Or if you're already a Rogers customer, you can reach the Customer Relations department by threatening to quit and go with a competitor. They will give you much better deals than regular sales representatives. It can go really, really low. So low that you might consider back data plan.

Just sayin'

Your mileage will vary. (Because they also base the percentage of rebates on the statistical probability you have to stay with them for many years, at a certain monthly average revenue calculated over several years.)

The trick is to know the tricks.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

But here Wayne, you're talking about taking a contract for many years, which I'm not willing do to. If I can subsidy a part of the amount, I will appreciate for sure, but not up to the point of taking a contract for a year or so. With or wothout data plan.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Caveat Emptor, but at least the seller is in Canada ...

NEW ROGERS APPLE IPHONE 3GS 3G S 16GB 16 GB BLACK TOUCH on eBay.ca (item 280400769863 end time 25-Sep-09 18:26:28 EDT)


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## hbp (Apr 18, 2007)

Recently got 4 iPhones (3GS 16GB) on voice plans (added $25 500mb data).

Then cancelled all the data plans for $100 cancellation fee each.

Phone costs were $199 + $100 + tax (activation was waived, and the first month data was refunded because I cancelled the day we got the phones--> had to speak to customer relations for this)

So, yes, you can get the phone without the data. I would love to have data, simply can't afford it. iPhone is mainly used in wifi zones anyway. Make sure you tell them to block data when you cancel it as well (also install a fake APN, unlockit.co.nz)

Edit: I misread your post, I thought you were OK with taking a 3yr voice, just didn't want the data. Why would you want a phone without voice?


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## bob99 (Aug 16, 2007)

You can definitely buy the 3GS with no contract from the Apple Store, a friend of mine has bought at least 10 for clients who want to use them unlocked. I'm pretty sure they're in the $800-ish range, but it can definitely be done.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

hbp said:


> Edit: I misread your post, I thought you were OK with taking a 3yr voice, just didn't want the data. Why would you want a phone without voice?


I do not want the phone, I want an iPod Touch with the features of the iPhone 3GS. Not the model that Apple released a few weeks ago that are crap to me...


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

bob99 said:


> You can definitely buy the 3GS with no contract from the Apple Store, a friend of mine has bought at least 10 for clients who want to use them unlocked. I'm pretty sure they're in the $800-ish range, but it can definitely be done.


You mean the on street Apple Store, right? Because from the online one, that does not look to be possible.


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## johnnydee (Feb 10, 2004)

hbp said:


> Recently got 4 iPhones (3GS 16GB) on voice plans (added $25 500mb data).
> 
> Then cancelled all the data plans for $100 cancellation fee each.
> 
> ...


I just wondered who offers that because both Rogers and Fido want $20 per month till the end of contract for the data plan cancelation fee as per the web site!


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

meall said:


> I do not want the phone, I want an iPod Touch with the features of the iPhone 3GS. Not the model that Apple released a few weeks ago that are crap to me...


Apple just updated the iPod Touch with the 3GS' processor and so forth, but if you can point out the specific features you're wanting maybe it will satisfy those needs.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Just so everyone knows on new activations from July 19 2009, Data ECF is now $10/mo to a max of $200, minimum $100. Voice ECF has been reduced to $10/mo to a max of $300, minimum $100.


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## panzergruppe (Nov 16, 2007)

bob99 said:


> You can definitely buy the 3GS with no contract from the Apple Store, a friend of mine has bought at least 10 for clients who want to use them unlocked. I'm pretty sure they're in the $800-ish range, but it can definitely be done.


Not sure. At least last time I tried to buy a 3GS from Eaton store, they said I MUST had a *contract* with Roger/fido before buy one for $800, even it's device-only.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

chas_m said:


> Apple just updated the iPod Touch with the 3GS' processor and so forth, but if you can point out the specific features you're wanting maybe it will satisfy those needs.


Where is the camera? and what about the GPS? Not to notice that there is still no integrated microphone. That is enough for me to consider the last iPod Touch a failure.


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## DrewNL (May 23, 2005)

SoyMac said:


> Caveat Emptor, but at least the seller is in Canada ...
> 
> NEW ROGERS APPLE IPHONE 3GS 3G S 16GB 16 GB BLACK TOUCH on eBay.ca (item 280400769863 end time 25-Sep-09 18:26:28 EDT)


This is quite and interesting example from eBay. Caveat Emptor indeed.

This eBay seller seems to be an amateur. They cannot charge sales tax unless they have a registered tax ID which they must be able to provide to you. Also, who on eBay charges a programming fee? If I wanted to go to a dealer, I'd have gone to a dealer!


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## wayne247 (Sep 24, 2009)

meall said:


> But here Wayne, you're talking about taking a contract for many years, which I'm not willing do to. If I can subsidy a part of the amount, I will appreciate for sure, but not up to the point of taking a contract for a year or so. With or wothout data plan.


Oh! Sorry, I read your original post too quickly and didn't catch that last phrase.

Well than as others have pointed out, it's either full price new (800$ range) or aftermarket (ebay, but try kijiji and craigslist too)

I think thats perhaps your best bet is to wait until the hardware engineers resolve the size issues of the camera component with the ipod touch size. Eventually we'll have an ipod touch with camera that is on par with the 3GS, but without the phone. This will probably end up in a price range that is suitable for your use.


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## johnnydee (Feb 10, 2004)

wayne247 said:


> I think thats perhaps your best bet is to wait until the hardware engineers resolve the size issues of the camera component with the ipod touch size. Eventually we'll have an ipod touch with camera that is on par with the 3GS, but without the phone. This will probably end up in a price range that is suitable for your use.


I don't think that size is the issue it's more to do with one stealing sales of the other!
They have a camera in the nano which is a much smaller form factor than the ipod touch!

John


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

johnnydee said:


> I don't think that size is the issue it's more to do with one stealing sales of the other!
> They have a camera in the nano which is a much smaller form factor than the ipod touch!


That's because it's NOT a camera.

It's a video camera. Big difference.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

DrewNL said:


> This is quite and interesting example from eBay. Caveat Emptor indeed.
> 
> This eBay seller seems to be an amateur. They cannot charge sales tax unless they have a registered tax ID which they must be able to provide to you. Also, who on eBay charges a programming fee? If I wanted to go to a dealer, I'd have gone to a dealer!


The link now say: this listing has been removed... Not a good sign!


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

wayne247 said:


> I think thats perhaps your best bet is to wait until the hardware engineers resolve the size issues of the camera component with the ipod touch size. Eventually we'll have an ipod touch with camera that is on par with the 3GS, but without the phone. This will probably end up in a price range that is suitable for your use.


You know, I never asked Apple to make the iPod touch thin, I just want the plain iPhone, without the phone part. If it needs to be thicker, so be it! 

Anyway, the first iPod I bought was an iPod photo 40 gig (4G). That cannot be thicker than this!


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

chas_m said:


> That's because it's NOT a camera.
> 
> It's a video camera. Big difference.


You're right. The video camera is thinner than a photo/video camera.


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## wayne247 (Sep 24, 2009)

meall said:


> Is it possible to buy an iPhone 3GS without any plan? just the bare bone hardware and activate it only with wireless?
> 
> Or to the worst, I would be ready to give a pay as you go cell service, but nothing more than that.


There's 3 iphone 3GS on ebay right now (2 of them new), you might want to go bid on those and try to grab one in the 700$ or so, if you're lucky. Check the completed listings to get an idea of current market price.


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## johnnydee (Feb 10, 2004)

chas_m said:


> That's because it's NOT a camera.
> 
> It's a video camera. Big difference.


So are you saying the camera in the iphone is not a video camera?
Just a photo camera that takes videos?


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

johnnydee said:


> So are you saying the camera in the iphone is not a video camera?
> Just a photo camera that takes videos?


No, the fact is that a video camera is thinner than a photo camera. Read this:

Steve Jobs on Amazon and Ice Cream - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

Especially that part:



> I also asked him why the Nano can record video, but can’t snap still photos. That reason, he said, is technical: the sensors you need to record video are extremely thin these days—thin enough to fit into the wafer-thin Nano. But the ones with enough resolution for stills, especially with autofocus (like the sensor in the iPhone), are much too thick to cram into a player that’s only 0.2 inches thick.


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## haber (Sep 29, 2009)

Meall, I know exactly where you're coming from. I found this thread searching for the same type of information. I want an iPod Touch with a camera, a GPS, a microphone and internal speaker. I *don't* want a $60/month phone plan. 

It seems like every time I check the App Store, there's another cool app that's useless to iPod Touch owners.


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## wayne247 (Sep 24, 2009)

haber said:


> I want an iPod Touch with a camera, a GPS, a microphone and internal speaker. I *don't* want a $60/month phone plan.


So basically, you want an iphone 3GS but you don't want to pay for it?

I think you want the coolest toy, at the price of the second coolest toy. So perhaps your complaint is more for price point?

What I mean is, it's possible to buy an iphone and not connect it to a cellular phone company through various ways, at various prices. The general consensus is, however, that "This phone is expensive", but then, the problem isn't that it doesn't exist, it's that it's too expensive.

Like a Ferrari for example


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## haber (Sep 29, 2009)

wayne247 said:


> So basically, you want an iphone 3GS


Where in my message did I say I needed a phone on it?




wayne247 said:


> I think you want the coolest toy, at the price of the second coolest toy. So perhaps your complaint is more for price point?


Where in my message did I say I expected to pay the same price as the Touch? The used iPhone market shows a premium to the Touch. The brand new, no contract market shows a *big* premium to the Touch.

It's not so much the price I have a problem with. I realize the extra features should be worth extra $$$ to me. What I don't know is whether I can take a used non-activated iPhone and hook it up to my iTunes account without some sort of warning going out that Rogers or Fido isn't getting their piece of the pie for that particular phone.


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## wayne247 (Sep 24, 2009)

Haber,

Indeed, you did not say you needed a phone. It's, well, a free extra! Like my car that has more doors than I need, but I paid for them anyway. Nah bad example. But the essence remains; the device that packs all the features you want exists, and is available to you in exchange for dollars. The amount of them might be high, which would then be a price problem, not a "Apple won't make the device I want to buy" problem.

As for the activation question, that's a quite valid point you have. Personaly, I would simply jailbreak the used device if the activation doesn't go through, but I suspect it would. Activation is with Apple, cellphone (with the SIM card) is the carrier. 

Hmm this brings me a question I didn't foresee: What will an iPhone with no SIMcard do? Annoying nags? Just no phone service? Locked device?

I've had phones that woud turn into paperweights without a simcard present, even though it was capable of many other non-phone things.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

I agree with that last comment. Say, I would be willing to pay 100$ more for the GPS and camera, maybe even 200$ more. And even tho this would be available only on the 64 Gb, which is a capacity that is way over my need. This would make the device 629$, but I'd still pay for it. 

Be thicker too? I do not mind!


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

the most i was willing to pay for an ipod touch was 500.00$ but since theres not even a camera its not worth it


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

daniels said:


> the most i was willing to pay for an ipod touch was 500.00$ but since theres not even a camera its not worth it


Let's say that I compared this to the price of the 64 gig, but if Apple was releasing a 32 gig with the same feature, it would be around 500$ if my pricing are right...


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

yes but that wont happen till atleast a year if they did it now it would cut into the iphone 3G S sales. Apple probably will do something that we will amaze us all with the iphone then put a camera into the ipod touch


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

I won't bet on this. The first gen iPod Touch was updated 6 months after introduction with a new size (I think it was a 32 gig) and new software (Mail and so on have been added). So I'm still hoping that after Christmas there could be hope there...


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

i can't wait any longer so im just going to buy the new 32GB ipod touch with voice controll next month on the 15th. If there will be a new ipod touch with a camera it will be released next month on the 14th along with the new macbook, mac mini and imac.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

daniels said:


> i can't wait any longer so im just going to buy the new 32GB ipod touch with voice controll next month on the 15th. If there will be a new ipod touch with a camera it will be released next month on the 14th along with the new macbook, mac mini and imac.


I which you're right!


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

Its is possiable to buy it one of my friends in toronto just bought an iphone 3G S with not data plan!!! He is on a 3 year contract getting 50mins air time and 50 text messages per month for only $15.00. But he payed 200$ for not getting a data plan on top of the iphones cost. So i'm going to the fido store tomorrow to see if they will sell me an iphone 3G S without a contract


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

daniels said:


> So i'm going to the fido store tomorrow to see if they will sell me an iphone 3G S without a contract


Keep me inform!


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

I will, I'm so going to kick my self if they dont do this because a year ago a fido store was selling me the iphone 3G with a 3 year contract for $14.00 with tax's included which included 30mins of air time and then at the last minute i decided not to buy it. But now I regret not getting it, hopefully if the fido store i'm going to tomorrow will sell it. I dont want to get a huge bill for data so what should i get blocked so there will be absolotuly no data coming or going from my iphone unless i connect it to a wifi network?


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

Ok so i went to the fido store and the guy told me fido and rogers does not do that anymore because of so much demand of the iphone's they also will no longer be selling the iphone 3G S without the 3 year term for $700.00 they only way you can buy it from all fido stores and Rogers store is sighing the 3 year contract with a data plan and voice plan. So bottem line you cannont get any iphone without a data plan. But he said in future fido and rogers will sell it without the data plan when the demand for the iphone will die which may take up to an year. So now what should i do? Buy an iphone 3G 8GB that this lady is selling me with no contract for 320$ or get an ipod touch?


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

It makes senses considering that they say on the Roger's site that the 3GS is out of stock for now. This is really the killing gadget!!!

So I guest I won't buy an iPhone without any plan anytime soon, unless I find a seller on eBay or another selling web site.


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

yes I would also do that but if im on a contract and a new iphone comes out in 6 months and i just bought the iphone 3G S for $700.00 its a huge lost but with a contract i will be paying like 200$ to update to the new iphone.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

daniels said:


> yes I would also do that but if im on a contract and a new iphone comes out in 6 months and i just bought the iphone 3G S for $700.00 its a huge lost but with a contract i will be paying like 200$ to update to the new iphone.


Not sure. If you have a contract, I thing the upgrade price is still very high if you want to upgrade after just 6-12 months. May depend also on the plan you have with it.


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