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Many iPhoneinCanada.ca readers have commented on this blog and in the iPhoneinCanada.ca Forums (yes, that’s right they are now BACK! Click here to register for the forums!!) that select Rogers Wireless locations are accepting deposits for iPhone 3G pre-orders. Deposits have varied in range from $50-100 with the guarantee that you will get your iPhone 3G the day of the launch!
Fellow reader Rob emailed the following:
“You may be interested to know that at least one Rogers Wireless dealer in Edmonton is accepting a $50.00 deposit for any of the three iPhone models (8GB Black, 16GB Black & 16GB White). This deposit supposedly guarantees you your selected model within 3 -4 days of launch. I paid this deposit today for a 16GB White iPhone. I was also told that if I had not been eligible for a hardware upgrade, then I would not have been able to pay the deposit because they werenot certain if they would also be selling the iPhone outright without subsidy. They also mentioned that they had been expecting information on the wireless
plans for iPhone yesterday (Wednesday) and were surprised that they hadn’t been given this information yet. They said they were getting about 30 or so inquiries per day, but only one or two deposits per day because most people were waiting to hear about the plans.”
So if you’re eager to jump onto the iPhone 3G train, go down to your local Rogers Wireless inquire within. This Everything Rogers/Fido iPhone 3G thread mentions that these “pre orders” are up to the discretion of store managers, authorized by the big honchos back East.
Summary of an Exciting Week of iPhone 3G News!
Let’s recap what’s happened this week! After hearing all the juicy details about the iPhone 3G from the 2008 WWDC from Steve Jobs and Co., we have learned that Rogers Wireless and Fido will be selling the iPhone 3G.
In terms of pricing, Rogers has released that iPhone 3G units will be selling for $199 for the 8GB and $299 for the 16GB models, on a 3 year contract term. Fido just recently confirmed these same numbers too (not surprisingly!).
As for specific voice and data plans, if Rogers emulates AT&T in the USA, expect to pay $39/month for voice and $30 for 3G data. That equals roughly $70/month for your lovely iPhone 3G, plus taxes and the ever-so-lovely System Access Fee. Over three years, your iPhone at AT&T rates will cost you…(in BC at least)…
$199 (8GB) x 1.13 (GST/PST in BC) = $224.87
Voice/Data: $70 + 6.95 SAF + 1.13% = $86.95
$86.95 x 36 months = $3130.20 + $224.87 = $3355.07
So hypothetically speaking, an 8GB iPhone 3G from Rogers or Fido, based on AT&T USA’s pricing would work out to almost $3400CDN after 3 years, or about $94/month. What can you buy with $3400? Given that fuel and cost of living is on the rise, some people might not have have the luxury of spending almost $100/month on a cellphone! I know that is not a lot of money to some of you guys, but it is a substantial amount to pay for the iPhone 3G. Is it worth it? Only you can decide!
Keep in mind that Apple released the iPhone 3G roughly one year after the launch of the first generation iPhone. How many new generations will be released over the term of a 3 year contract? We don’t have the answer to that question, but it’s something to consider.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the new iPhone 3G and would gladly pay full price for it (like I did with my current 8GB iPhone), but I am not a big fan of 3 year contracts that companies are using to lock us into their pricey plans. With new wireless competition on the horizon, I would be hesitant to sign away for 3 years right now. Food for thought! 🙂
Could this ad be foreshadowing your future iPhone 3G monthly bill? LOL
Winner of the Case-Mate Leather Case and Holster Contest
Remember my contest for the free Case-Mate case/holster? I couldn’t decide the winner from the comments so I had my friend Greg from BCMblog.com decide for me. Out of all the comments the one that stuck the most was…
Why do I need this Case-Mate signature Leather Case?
Quite simple actually.
I need a very nice and secluded place to store my iPhone (my silly co-workers will think its a blackberry under my shirt, hehehehe) so that when I am being briefed on the new iPhone plans/release dates for Rogers, I can secretly slide it out of the case and post the secret infos on iphoneincanada.ca/forums!!!
Congrats to X1Zero for his interesting comment! You are a winner! 
You know the drill, email me your info!
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