Verizon allows users to upgrade early for new iPhone release

By Mike Flacy September 15, 2014

iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus — Image used with permission by copyright holder

We noticed earlier this morning on the Verizon site, the mobile service provider has shifted up the upgrade window for anyone with a contract end date prior to November 15, 2014. While not limited to iPhone 6 upgrades, Verizon specifically opened up the opportunity for more users to preorder all models of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Of course, anyone that’s interested in taking advantage of the upgrade will be required to commit to a new two-year contract, choose any smartphone that’s currently offered by the carrier as well as pay a $30 upgrade fee to activate the new smartphone.

Interestingly, this seems to be a specific tactic to lock a Verizon customer into an upgrade to one the new iPhone 6 models without actually delivering the smartphone by the September 19 release date. At the time of this article’s publication, only three models of the iPhone 6 models (Gold 64GB, Gold 128GB and Silver 128GB) will be available to users at the end of the week. The remaining iPhone 6 models have delivery dates that extend into mid to late October. Additionally, the iPhone 6 Plus models are backordered to an even greater degree with delivery dates that extend into early November.

While this promotion won’t help any Apple users that upgraded to the iPhone 5S last year, it could help users that upgraded to the iPhone 5 late during 2012 due to high demand of that smartphone. It’s also likely that Verizon is offering this promotion to customers since some competitors are offering to pay early termination fees in order to encourage consumers to switch to a new carrier.

At this time, neither AT&T or Sprint have attempted to match this promotion in order to encourage more iPhone 6 preorders. Of course, both companies are also seeing significant supply issues for the larger of the two iPhone 6 models. According to dates listed on each company site, the 16GB model of the iPhone 6 Plus Space Gray is backordered to mid to late November on AT&T’s site and backordered approximately four to six weeks on Sprint’s site.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributing Editor

By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…

Mobile

Best iPhone 14 deals: Unlocked and refurbished

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro's camera module

Some of the best Apple deals and best iPhone deals come from the iPhone 14 lineup. While it has been around a couple of years now, the iPhone 14 is still only one generation old as iPhone releases go. This means it still has a lot to offer, including much of what can be found in the newer iPhone 15, but it will often see some impressive price drops. Many of the best iPhone 14 deals we’re seeing right now are on refurbished models, but both new and refurbished models are out there, and each makes for some of the best phone deals going on at the moment. You’ll find all of the information you need to save on an iPhone 14 below, but if you’d like to land yourself the latest and greatest you should also check out the current iPhone 15 deals, Samsung Galaxy S24 deals, and Google Pixel 8 deals.
Apple iPhone 14 -- from $491, was $699

With the Apple iPhone 14 you’re getting what is still one of the most popular smartphones on the market. This is the iPhone 14 model that’s meant for everyone. It holds back a few features you can only get on the Pro model, but it still has an impressive 6.1-inch display, an impressive camera, and dozens of ways to personalize your iOS experience with widgets and fonts. The phone can reach up to 26 hours of battery life on a single charge, and it’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip. Face ID, emergency SOS via satellite, and super fast 5G cellular connectivity round out the top features of the Apple iPhone 14.
Buy Refurbished at Amazon — from $491

Mobile

Here’s how iOS 18 could change the way you use your iPhone

The lock screen on the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

It seems the long-overdue Siri overhaul will finally arrive at WWDC in just over a week from now, and the digital assistant will embrace AI trickery in all its forms. According to Bloomberg, Apple’s planned upgrades for Siri will deeply integrate with on-device functions at the OS level and with the installed apps, too.

“The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time,” the report says. The most notable capability is that Siri will only require voice prompts to interact with apps, thanks to a major change in the AI architecture powering it and putting large language models in command, just the way Gemini or ChatGPT draw their own skills from such models.

Mobile

iOS 18 may give Siri the upgrade we’ve been waiting for

Hey Siri

Apple isn’t immune from the AI craze sweeping the rest of the industry. Following the likes of Google with Gemini Nano, Apple is set to roll out AI upgrades to the iPhone with iOS 18. Code-named “Project Graymatter,” the iOS 18 update will bring a variety of AI-powered enhancements to the iPhone and Siri in particular.

According to AppleInsider, the features are being tested in advance of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and one of the biggest is called “Graymatter Catch Up.” The feature is tied to Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, which will now allow users to request and receive an AI overview of the most recent notifications.