micwrigh Posted November 26, 2008 Posted November 26, 2008 1. T-Mobile, AT&T offer Black Friday discounts By Phil Goldstein Comment | Forward In the midst of widespread economic unrest, some of the carriers are launching Black Friday deals and products to try to lure in customers. T-Mobile USA announced today that for the weekend of Nov. 28 to Nov. 30 it will offer the Motorola ZN5 for free after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract. AT&T Mobility will offer two of its quick messaging phones, the Pantech Matrix and the Samsung Propel, on a buy-one-get-one-free basis after a mail-in rebate. The phones normally sell for $79.99 after a mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract. Alltel is also launching a phone on Black Friday, the Motorola Hint, a vertical slider phone with a QWERTY keyboard. The phone is selling for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract. "Black Friday has traditionally been a big day for retailers," said analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis in an interview with FierceWireless. "And we tend to forget that carriers are retailers." What they are selling these days, and this season especially, he added, is convergence devices. "Some people are buying advanced cell phones in lieu of other gadgets," he said, so it is not surprising that the carriers are offering discounts similar to what a retailer such as Best Buy would do on Black Friday. Greengart said T-Mobile was making a strategic move in highlighting the ZN5, which, with five-megapixel camera, is one of the top camera phones on the market, and something the other carriers cannot really compete with. He also said the AT&T decision was smart because quick-messaging phones are a growing market segment.
BellaVita Posted November 26, 2008 Posted November 26, 2008 they should aim towards the customers who want to upgrade their phone without extending their contracts. I bet alot of customers would appreciate some discounts and would upgrade their phone every 6 months.
Marcster Posted November 26, 2008 Posted November 26, 2008 they should aim towards the customers who want to upgrade their phone without extending their contracts. I bet alot of customers would appreciate some discounts and would upgrade their phone every 6 months.You aren't likely to ever see a discount on a no-commitment price, in most cases, the phone company loses money on the sale of the phone knowing that they'll make the money back in continued service fees over the life of the contract. You can upgrade your phone every week if you want. Just pay the no-commitment price. And every 6 months? I know we live in a throw-away society, but that would quadruple the amount of phones to recycle (vs. getting a new phone every two years).
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