This was posted 11 years 4 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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iPhone 3GS 8G $99 at Officeworks (Elizabeth St Store in MEL City)

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iPhone 3GS 8G $99 at Officeworks (Elizabeth St Store in MEL City)
Go to Deal
kechenl on 27/12/2013 - 12:27 officeworks.com.au (8184 clicks)
Last edited 28/12/2013 - 13:16

update 28/12/2013
according to the comments below,
Elizabth St store doesn't have stock any longer, you might want to ring your local store to check.

FYI:

  1. according to the SN of my device, it was produced in the 38th week of year 2011, which is not too bad. battery lasts 1day for me at normal use.

  2. I believe this phone is covered by 2 years' warranty from the purchase date (http://www.cultofmac.com/220083/apple-extends-australian-war…)

  3. For the ones who bought the same device, suggest you to backup SHSH first so that you can downgrade the firmware later if you want.
    I didn't backup SHSH, so now I can't downgrade from 6.13 back to 4.3.3(the original firmware came with the device)

on Tuesday, happened to see this deal on the counter in officeworks store on Elizabeth St store.
Bought one.
It's said to be locked to vodafone, but I unlocked it via below link for free:

https://unlock.vodafone.com.au/voila/handsetunlock/self-serv…

Brand New.Came with a Vodafone prepaid sim card(free).
Upgrade it to IOS 6.13 via itune.
8G storage space might not be enough for nowadays, but good price to have it as a backup phone.

Paid with ING card, so actual price was down to $94.05

When I bought it, they had a few stock left.
Had issue with my computer, just fixed it today, sorry for sharing it late,
but I would suggest you to ring them first to check if they have stock now.
(no url online, in store only i think)

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closed Comments

  • ca6leguy on 27/12/2013 - 12:29
    +3

    Last time I checked, it's not April Fools yet. Who still uses this phone?

    • jv on 27/12/2013 - 12:31
      +9

      me.

  • jv on 27/12/2013 - 12:30
    +28

    IPHONE 3GS 8G $99

    Is that twice as fast as 4G ???

    • chid on 27/12/2013 - 12:31

      8GB

    • muncan on 27/12/2013 - 12:39
      +30

      twice as fast as the iPhone 4 (with iOS7)

  • erroorfree on 27/12/2013 - 12:33
    +19

    3GS for $99. geez. it should be $9 now

    • Steptoe on 27/12/2013 - 12:43

      Buy now before the Nerd collectors jump in.

    • fchis on 27/12/2013 - 12:45
      +6

      The price will go up. Antique Apple Products will increase value over time. It's insane i know.

      • muncan on 27/12/2013 - 12:54
        +10

        Keep the box sealed or you're wasting your time.

      • cashless on 27/12/2013 - 23:08
        +3

        You're not kidding
        I just checked completed listings for 1st gen iPhones over on eBay.
        $100+ for a collectors item.
        Scarily there were 10 bids! Who are these guys?
        Might have to look at auctioning that bottom drawer in the office

        • kiitos on 28/12/2013 - 08:32
          +3

          Ooh - is your drawer solid wood? Or wood-grain melamine? Has it ever been opened?

        • mr_vino89 on 28/12/2013 - 11:19

          If it's wood then it must be antique… you will be making a fortune son!

  • jaydawg on 27/12/2013 - 12:37

    What colour was it?
    Did they have any of them in white?

  • ozboy on 27/12/2013 - 12:42
    +2

    Its not in officeworks website, i guess this special is only for that particular officeworks?

    3GS is good to keep as a backup phone.

    • deal88 on 27/12/2013 - 18:13
      +3

      Good back up if you have a sim adaptor. Remember Apple has changed to the nano sim, this would be the original sim size.

  • Fobsessive on 27/12/2013 - 13:09

    Good that it comes with a prepaid SIM card because that's the only thing worth getting in this offer so you're still making a $97 net loss.

    • skinny on 27/12/2013 - 13:23
      +4

      But it is a VodaFail sim!

      • Goldberg666 on 27/12/2013 - 13:42
        +3

        He told you how to unlock in the post?

        • ProspectiveDarkness on 27/12/2013 - 15:11
          +2

          Fobsessive is saying that the SIM makes this a worthwhile deal, which skinny disagrees with because the SIM is for Vodaphone. Nothing to do with the locking of the phone itself.

        • muncan on 27/12/2013 - 15:18

          http://i.imgur.com/agJIP.gif

      • jimbobaus on 27/12/2013 - 15:19
        +8

        And as a Vodafone user i disagree with the old Vodafail comment… their network is pretty damn good now
        Drove to Beechworth on Xmas day not once did i not have coverage

        • fantombloo on 27/12/2013 - 18:43
          +10

          Pity my place is not between where you live and Beechworth.

  • step_andy on 27/12/2013 - 13:33

    Good as an iPod?

    • Rookie117 on 27/12/2013 - 14:25
      +7

      I'd say no, only 8GB, heavy, bulky & slow

      • Hirokuro on 27/12/2013 - 21:56
        +1

        It won't be slow unless you upgrade the firmware.

      • mr_vino89 on 28/12/2013 - 11:20
        +2

        but its 3GS.. S = SPEED… SPEED = FAST! SPEEEEED!

    • WalterPPK on 27/12/2013 - 21:50

      Not bad. The screen is a lower res than newer devices, and it only has 8GB which isn't much by today's standards, but "as an iPod" I'd say sure, why not?

    • Rookie117 on 27/12/2013 - 14:27
      +21

      Well considering that you are the first person in this thread to mention anything Android, I'd say that you are a fail

    • muzzamo on 27/12/2013 - 14:48

      It would be terrible for someone wanting the Apple platform - it won't run IOS7 so pretty soon you wont be able to run any apps on it.

  • chillipaste on 27/12/2013 - 14:36
    +2

    serious question - for an oldie - isn't this a great price for a phone with a simple UI?

    alternatives?

    • nmachine on 27/12/2013 - 14:52
      +11

      If you are used to using apple phones then it's not bad…I would still question it's battery life and the speed of the phone. Also be aware that it will not get any software updates and will be quite laggy on ios7. I would get the nokia 520 for maybe $20 more. Its simple but has a bigger screen with better quality, better battery life, and a slot to add a memory card if you want extra storage for music. The large bright squares of the interface make it easier to navigate to. As always I would advise you to try a friends phone or play around in a shop to see if you can accomplish everyday tasks on a phone before committing to it.
      Dumbphone alternative is Nokia 101, lasts for weeks, would still work if a tank ran it over. http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Technology/Pho…

      • John Dough on 27/12/2013 - 15:41
        +1

        Yep I have one of these 101's and its great, battery recharged once a week and voice call quality is IMO better than most 'smartphones'.

        It's kind of a weird pairing but I have this phone on 'just' prepaid and spend bugger all, and to compliment I have a 128gb ipad air (on telstra 4g yearly plan)to do all the things that my phone can't…. seems to work well for me.

    • scrimshaw on 27/12/2013 - 15:09
      +17

      for an oldie - isn't this a great price for a phone with a simple UI?

      If you want simple UI, a Nokia 520 is what you'll want. Nokia 520 is faster too — it has twice the amount of RAM, has SD card expansion, a better camera and more powerful CPU.

      • Rookie117 on 27/12/2013 - 15:25
        +5

        Agreed, I'd go with a cheap Nokia Windows Phone. Much better hardware & very intuitive software.

        • afseale on 28/12/2013 - 04:18
          -6

          LOL

    • mr_vino89 on 28/12/2013 - 11:21
      +1

      Nokia 3310 ;)

  • Ronnnie on 27/12/2013 - 15:37
    +4

    Edit: A 4 year plus old phone for $99 what a bargain!

  • dailygringo on 27/12/2013 - 16:44

    I got mum one today from officeworks Preston Vic; Elizabeth st city and fitzroy were sold out. Dad has my old iphone 4, had it long enough that he can be tech support for mum, without introducing a new UI - thanks for posting OP

  • giggles on 27/12/2013 - 18:15
    +1

    Apple still trying to bleed fanbois with dead products that barely run the new OS? LoL!

    • Cyphar on 27/12/2013 - 21:05
      +4

      Apple stopped producing these ages ago. Officeworks would just be clearing out very old stock

  • Murdrum on 27/12/2013 - 21:22

    Officeworks Hobart have stock of these :)

  • davedrastic on 27/12/2013 - 21:24
    -1

    Wow. This shows the power of Apple.

    Even I got micro excited for a low cost for extremely outdated tech.

    I saw a $199 5" Android at K-Mart the other week. A no name brand - maybe Audiosonic. But the specs were decent and I think it ran Jelly Bean.

    $199. Not even on special. Standard price and fully unlocked.

    • stickyfingers on 27/12/2013 - 21:51
      -5

      You know that's a crap deal right?

    • WalterPPK on 27/12/2013 - 21:53
      -6

      Sad thing is, the iPhone would probably still be better quality and more pleasing to use … and at half the price.

      • scrimshaw on 28/12/2013 - 07:08
        +6

        From a technical standpoint, the iPhone 3gs with it's outdated specifications would make you want to throw it against a wall because of how slow it would be after you have updated the operating system.

        A phone running 256MB of RAM and with only a 600mhz processor would not be 'pleasing to use' in this day and age.

        • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2013 - 08:37
          -2

          Custom architecture means the processing power means nothing. Why dont you compare a iphone 5 to a note 3 and understand why on half the power its twice as quick

        • cannedhams on 28/12/2013 - 09:34
          +1

          Processing power means nothing! Take that fandroids!

        • muncan on 28/12/2013 - 11:49
          -2

          It's akin to running 32bit apps on a 64bit device…

        • Agret on 28/12/2013 - 19:38

          Why? How many apps use more than 4GB ram?

        • muncan on 28/12/2013 - 22:21
          -1

          64-bit phones have more processing power than 32-bit phones. Unless you're loading 32-bit apps, in which case they'll consume more memory. I was trying to make a link to having a higher powered Android device and using shitty apps being similar to… ah, nevermind I've moved on.

        • scrimshaw on 28/12/2013 - 23:15
          +1

          64-bit phones have more processing power than 32-bit phones.

          Not quite correct. The bus width of the processor is not directly related to the speed of the system. Doubling the bus width simply allows the CPU to be capable of addressing more memory and therefore have a larger pool of virtual address space. 64 bit processors are also capable of counting larger numbers (2^64), which is much much higher than a 32 bit CPU. However, this doesn't directly correlate to processing performance.

          I'm gonna do a little copy-pasta from Reddit, which explains it in a much simpler way:

          the new Apple A7 64-bit chip isn't faster because they went 64-bit. It's faster because they added more general-purpose registers — which means you can do more stuff in-cpu without having to get data from RAM, which slows down stuff by orders of magnitude.

          Also read http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/fea…

        • muncan on 29/12/2013 - 00:43

          Didn't say they had better performance, just there was more processing power. More lanes for your automobiles. But if you're automobiles aren't suited to the new lanes then they're just going to get in the way of the otherwise more capable autos. Anyway, moving right along…

  • bargrin on 27/12/2013 - 21:32

    What is stock code on recipet will see if they got in WA

  • stickyfingers on 27/12/2013 - 21:54

    Not worth $99 IMO.
    Support is over for it, even if you use the backwards thing on apps you're still getting an older version that probably doesn't work anymore or is full of bugs.
    Slow software, tiny capacity so it's useless even as an iPod.
    The list goes on.

    If you're wanting this for a backup phone because you want internet, get some cheap Android phone, decent deals come up on here all the time. At lest they still have support.

    • stickyfingers on 28/12/2013 - 16:29
      +1

      Bahh, my neg got revoked for my other comment. Should have thought that one through.

  • Bugatti on 27/12/2013 - 22:03

    Can you please post the receipt?

  • tc4101 on 27/12/2013 - 22:15

    Do many of the current apps work with ios6? Consider getting it for my little nice as a present

    • Rookie117 on 27/12/2013 - 23:01
      +5

      That's nice

    • netsurfer on 27/12/2013 - 23:05
      +2

      I have my old iPhone 4 still running iOS 6.1.2. Most apps still work.
      However, games… I think iPhone 3GS is too slow for most current gen games.

      Nowadays, any phone that's not dual core and have at least 800x480 resolution is not worth getting at all. Even Apple now sell iPod Touch with dual core CPU. There is no good deal on iPod Touch 5th gen 16GB at the moment ($170 or less would be worth considering).

      Thing is, right now, there isn't a good / worth recommending Android phone @ $99 or below. Telstra Frontier 4G ($95) has a bad screen and for some reason is laggy. Huawei G526 (also 4G ready) was $99, but Huawei stuffed up the partitioning, leaving just 1GB user usable phone storage.

      • Ronnnie on 28/12/2013 - 02:23

        The frontier lagging can be fixed by using a different launcher. I have a frontier as a backup phone/tether, and I don't have any lag. Also it recently received an update ota, so perhaps that helped. The biggest downside to frontier is it being stuck on ics, that being said it works, can even handle many new games reasonably well and is cheap.

    • TimApple on 28/12/2013 - 03:59

      They have a new feature in the App Store now that allows you to download previous versions of the app that runs on iOS 6. But this wouldn't work with newly released iOS 7 only apps. Most of the mainstream apps (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TripView, Angry Birds, etc) will work as always.

  • bryans on 27/12/2013 - 23:03
    +3

    Great as a cheap GPS tracking device hidden in your car…

    • netsurfer on 27/12/2013 - 23:09

      Honestly, you are better off getting a dedicated GPS for less than $99. A dedicated GPS unit will come with a car mount and a car charger.

    • shawn_low on 27/12/2013 - 23:10
      +2

      That runs out of battery every day and needs to be pulled out to be charged lol.

  • acersaurus on 28/12/2013 - 00:06
    +2

    I paid $950 for one of these in 2009, if only I had have known that I only had to wait 4 years to get an 88% discount.

    I have since switched to Android. I doubt this would compare for speed to $99 android phones. Its the Susan Boyle of iPhones now.

    • jelko on 28/12/2013 - 00:09
      +5

      Fat, slow and ugly?

    • cannedhams on 28/12/2013 - 15:14

      Blimey. 950 smackers for a single core phone. No wonder their profits are so good.

  • Choc0 on 28/12/2013 - 00:13
    -4

    iWannabes will pay over $100 for these on eBay.

  • g2420hd on 28/12/2013 - 05:26
    +1

    can't believe this is being so well received

  • Hoju on 28/12/2013 - 07:11

    Anyone spot one in Sydney city / north area?

  • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2013 - 07:20

    You guys are ridiculous. This is the same speed as an iphone 4 and both my parents have one of these and they are completely happy. There is nothing wrong with these phones. Id love one as a backup and ofcourse to download baby monkey, riding backwards on a pig baby monkey

    • Hoju on 28/12/2013 - 07:41
      -1

      Couldn't agree more. Can't believe how many comments on here are whining about the phone. Obviously people don't have an idea of the true market value of the phone as a use one of these sells for about the same price on eBay.

      When my 4s was automatically upgraded to ios7 it was slow and looked like a duplo toy so I bought a 3GS to use for a while. Loved everything about it except the screen resolution, otherwise a great phone.
      Just sent a used one to my mum in the UK as hers broke, and she loves it - "iPod, camera and phone in one, how do they do it?!!!"

      • cryptos on 28/12/2013 - 08:22

        That's the genius of Jobs, he interpreted technology into an intuitive UI old and young could use and combined hardware and software. The only Google product that has me raising an eyebrow is the Google glasses, when a company owns it end to end it could be beautiful

    • netsurfer on 28/12/2013 - 09:21
      +3
      • iPhone 3GS is not as fast as iPhone 4. iPhone 4 is definitely faster.
      • It might have been still okay to purchase iPhone 3GS at the beginning of the year, but at the end of the year, it is different now.
      • The eBay selling price for a iPhone 3GS 8GB is around $70 (true, second hand but that's how much people are willing to get it for nowadays).
      • I am considering giving my old iPhone 4 to my parents, but I am concerned it is too slow.
      • Dual core Android phones can be purchased at this price range (below $100).
    • hangdog on 28/12/2013 - 10:56
      +2

      Agreed, except the 4 is faster than a 3GS. Unless the 4 is running iOS7. :)
      The 3GS was a top of the line phone 3-1/2 years ago. Build quality of typical $99 burners doesn't compare. A 3GS is still more pleasing to use. It's not as if the 3GS had no apps available for it while it was in production. Speaking as a former owner of the 3GS and an assortment of Android burners.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2013 - 08:13
    +1

    It looks like there is none in sydney. All the stores I ring just say they never stocked them

  • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2013 - 10:25

    Serious question, for very basic use (where a feature phone would suffice) with at least a 4" touchscreen, can you get can Android or Windows Phone for less than $100? Optus network.

    • Trobed on 28/12/2013 - 12:46
      +1

      Nokia Lumia 520 can be had for ~120 which has been recommended in this thread as a better alternative, and there are plenty of <$100 android phones to be had, but that would require some research as you can get some functional cheap ones and some horrible messes of a phone.

  • netsurfer on 28/12/2013 - 12:43

    This post should be marked as expired. The store does not have it in stock anymore.

  • muncan on 28/12/2013 - 13:08

    Don't forget to grab a bumper for this phone

  • Empiresearth on 28/12/2013 - 17:58

    i bought 2 from camberfield they had 2 left i said i will take 2 of them i took it, well for me its good for $100 for kids or old people or extra one its better than other phones, thanks for the post..

  • Ronnnie on 28/12/2013 - 18:34

    Can a 3gs even play newer games? I'd imagine this thing would even struggle on the new angry birds games. I can't really seeing it being as good as the many better alternatives at similar prices, especially for kids..

    • Empiresearth on 28/12/2013 - 18:38

      newest yes i used to give my kids with games it was good and even for youtube for kids plenty of things i love it but first thing where u will get it, if u get anywhere i will buy 2 more for giving gifts.

      • Ronnnie on 28/12/2013 - 18:42
        +1

        According to quick google search won't even play games like plant vs zombies. I can't see how anyone can think this is a good kids phone vs alternates that can play the latest 3d games and also have gyroscope.

        • Empiresearth on 28/12/2013 - 18:45

          oh u mean for 3d sort of games, then i dont know but for kids and even for me youtube or basic games for kids is good.

        • netsurfer on 28/12/2013 - 20:04
          +1

          Plants vs Zombies 1 probably will still work.
          Plants vs Zombies 2, however, will require at least iPhone 4. The reason is probably that it is no point doing low res graphics version to cater for now a small market.

          Angry Birds, Candy Crush and common puzzle games probably will still work.

        • Ronnnie on 28/12/2013 - 20:07

          Well I get lag on my ipad air with the latest angry bird game, and apple have come a long way in 4 years. Supposedly if you update this phone to the latest ios, it becomes slow and laggy. If its anything like an ipod touch 4, then it certainly will be a pos.

        • netsurfer on 28/12/2013 - 20:17
          +2

          iOS 7 - honestly, I dislike it a lot. The smoothness of iOS 6 was lost. The useless iOS 7 animation / transistion effect is annoying (other than slowing things down).

          iOS 6.1.3 on iPhone 3GS… according to searches on Google, it will run fine for a week and then people start to feel it gets slower and laggy on iPhone 3GS.

          56 + votes on a device that's more than 4 years old, which most OW stores don't stock it anymore…. can only happen on an Apple device. Your children and parents deserve a better phone.

        • Empiresearth on 28/12/2013 - 20:32

          is it i just updated to 6.1.3 and to the fact it wasnt locked i just connected to itunes and i did backup thats it and its working with all sims i dont know its really locked, but iam afraid if its really ios 6.1.3 will give problems after a week then i m in trouble.

        • Ronnnie on 28/12/2013 - 20:41

          So let me see, if I have $99 you say the best choice is a slow laggy iphone that won't allow me to play the latest games instead of choosing a phone from a competitor around the same price that can play modern 3d games, might have 4g, can have a lag free os experience, and bigger screen.. You must be an apple fanboi, because only an ignorant fool would choose this phone over a better modern one.

        • neonlight on 28/12/2013 - 23:12

          I have 3GS and 4 both still running iOS 5, because native maps is not Google and I hate Apple maps. I don't want animations or lag on iOS 6/7

          Also is the fastest iOS on both iOS versions

  • netsurfer on 28/12/2013 - 20:07

    You cannot backup 4.3.3 SHSH now (way too late now). The only SHSH you could back up is 6.1.3. You probably want 6.1.3 anyway because a lot of apps will no longer support 4.3.3 - you can only download the latest version of the apps normally.

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