Will This Help or Harm The Future Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone?

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When it comes to the future of the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone, nobody really knows what to expect. While Cupertino is set to release the next generation of this popular smartphone in the near future, whether or not it is a big hit with consumers is yet to be seen (learn when production will start).

Apple Inc. (AAPL)While Apple is doing its own thing, the company is always willing to get some help from the outside. This time around, it appears that a recent change by AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) could provide Cupertino with a boost.

WRAL Tech Wire recently published this piece: AT&T’s new wireless plan: No down payment, yearly hardware updates

As you know, this is a big change to the way AT&T has done business in the past. While you may not believe this will have any direct impact on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), as we dig into the finer details of the story you will find that nothing could be further from the truth.

“Called “Next,” the program follows similar offerings from T-Mobile with a variety of lower-cost options, including no fees for activation and upgrades as well as no financing charge.”

With this plan, customers have the ability to update every year to the latest devices with no financing fee, no upgrade fee, no activation fee, and no down payment. In other words, customers are able to get their hands on the latest and greatest iPhone on a yearly basis.

In the same piece, Ralph de la Vega, chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility added the following:

“With AT&T Next, customers can get the newest smartphone or tablet every year with no down payment. That’s hard to beat, and it’s an incredible value for customers who want the latest and greatest every year.”

As far as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) customers are concerned, getting the best of the best is always something these people are looking forward to. With this new plan in place, AT&T customers will be in position to constantly upgrade their technology in hopes of getting their hands on the next big thing.

Here is one last tidbit from the piece, talking directly about the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and how it would fit into an installment payment plan:

“An Apple Inc. iPhone with 68 gigabytes of storage, which costs $849 without a two- year contract, would be about $42 a month for the first 12 months.”

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