invisibleSHIELD case for iPad“At this point, a new iPhone announcement in June isn’t really a surprise. It’s more of a tradition — and this year, it looks like AT&T is getting ready a bit early,” Greg Kumparak reports for MobileCrunch. “Early this morning, we received a report from a reader:”

Not sure if anyone [..] has noticed this same thing, but my Upgrade Eligibility date on my AT&T account switched from 11/21 to 6/21 in the last day or so. I bought a 3GS on launch day last year, and my upgrade date read 11/21 since then. A few other folks in my office have noticed the same changes happening to their accounts as well.

“Upgrade eligibility jumping from November 21st to June 21st, eh? You know what happens in June? …We’ve since confirmed that this isn’t an isolated incident, but it’s definitely not showing up for everyone,” Kumparak reports. “AT&T could be rolling this out across their database slowly. Another possibility: they may not have intended for anyone to see this yet, and just borked the query for a handful of people. AT&T offered up early upgrade paths for long-time iPhone owners with both the 3G and the 3GS.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Note: As you might guess, we purchased our iPhone 3GS models in the same manner as with our iPhone 3G and original iPhones: Very early on Day One. Currently our AT&T upgrade eligibility details for our iPhone 3GS models all state:

You can take advantage of our full retail pricing for an iPhone at participating retail sales locations. Additional discounts may be available on 11/20/2010. More Details: Equipment discounts are available from time to time based on a number of factors: service tenure, spending levels, payment history, usage practices, and other factors. You can take advantage of our no commitment pricing at a participating retail sales location. You may qualify for a full discount on a standard iPhone upgrade on 11/20/2010.

Of course, AT&T probably has us tagged: “Marks. Never Upgrade Eligibility. Will Pay Full Price No Matter What” since we’ve gotten every new iPhone with the first hour of their release. They may not know how to erect a 3G cell tower, but we’re positive they’ve got the billing system down pat.