The Tech Bench

So you love your iPhone 3G and want to have the latest and greatest new iPhone.

How much will it cost to upgrade?

According to AT&T, the cost to upgrade your iPhone 3G to a iPhone 3G S is $599 for the 16GB or $699 for the 32GB. Yikes!

When the iPhone 3G first came out, AT&T allowed previous iPhone owners the chance to upgrade with the new-subscriber (subsidized) pricing if they signed a new 2 year contract.

According to the fine print on Apple’s site:

“For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB).”

Will Apple or AT&T change this policy when the phones are released? What about first gen iPhone owners? Will they or someone else offer a trade-in incentive to upgrade?

Between this and the news that AT&T won’t be supporting tethering and MMS on launch, I’m looking forward to Verizon carrying the iPhone.

UPDATED: It looks likes AT&T is offering an early iPhone upgrade discount ($399 for the 16GB or $499 for the 32GB plus an $18 upgrade fee) with a new 2-year commitment for current 3G owners.

From the Apple Store Online

2009 15" MacBook Pro

At the WWDC 2009 Keynote, Apple announced a new 15″ MacBook Pro.

The new 15″ starts at $1699 and comes in 3 pre-configured models:

1) $1699 – 2.53GHz, 4GB RAM, 250GB HD and NVIDIA 9400M

2) $1999 – 2.66GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD and NVIDIA 9400M + 9600M GT

3) $2299 – 2.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD and NVIDIA 9400M + 9600M GT

All models now come with an SD card slot (very useful for working with digital cameras) and a new 7 hour, non-removable lithium polymer battery (same  setup as the new 17″.) The battery is rated for 5 years of life and 1,000 recharges.

The new 15″ MBP can take up to 8GB of 1066MHz DDR3 RAM and you can get a 256GB SSD as a build to order option.

New LED displays have 60% more color gamut (more colors) than the previous model.

The form factor looks identical to the previous generation except Apple trades the ExpressCard slot for a SD slot.

The new 15″ MacBook Pros are shipping today from Apple. We’ll post repair pricing and upgrade options when they become available. Images courtesy of Apple.

[ Apple Store ]