Apple announces iPhone 5S & 5C

[Snowboarder_Bo]

@Eyebrows_0f_Doom

re: entering passwords when downloading apps, sometimes it asks me for it and sometimes it doesn’t. I have certainly gone more than 15 minutes between downloading apps and it still doesn’t always ask for the password. It just seems random.

This is about how my experience has been for at least the past year or so.

[Munch]

@Snowboarder_Bo

[sigh]

Okay, why is it odd?

Pure gut reaction. It got me through that firefight in Detroit, it’ll serve me during the Great Fingerscan Uprising of 2015. Have faith, we’ll get through this together.

[Eyebrows_0f_Doom]

@Colophon

Edit: Eyebrows, I know it doesn’t require a password for updating apps you have already downloaded. Is that what you’re thinking of maybe?

I was just about to say maybe that was why, so I tested it by updating one of my apps, and it asked for my password. So I really have no idea now.

[MannyL]

I am buying the 5s on Verizon and will pay full retail unless the teeming masses have a better option for me.

First I have the iPhone 5 64GM model. I paid full retail so I have no contract issues. I will want the 5S for the faster CPU and 64 Bit OS down the line.

So I have two givens.

1. My iPhone 5 is worth $330 from one site NOW. If I wait the value will go down as it agents
2. The 5S will not go down in price for a while

So by waiting I will in my opinion lose value.
In July I used 10.7 GB of Data. This month I used 9.4 GB with 5 days left on my plan.

I currently have UNLIMITED data on my phone. If I upgrade I will lost the unlimited data .
I’m paying $29.99 for my unlimited data, $30.00 for the addition of the hotspot feature on the unlimited data and I have a $20.00 Discount on the data plan. So really it’s $9.99 for unlimited data.

[AaronX]

@Amateur_Barbarian

Clearly. What you need to do is shop past the front window or first page of your phone provider, and compare the offerings of all providers in your area.

You will find that there are service options far cheaper than the top-line, let-us-give-you-a-phone offerings. So it’s not a matter of paying the same monthly rate; it’s a matter of paying less and having the freedom to change plans and providers any time you feel like it. You can also shop for the phone from the cheapest provider on eBay or the net, saving more money on everything except This Week’s Hottest Model. Or even there, sometimes.

Ah, so-called BYO or SIM only plans. There’s no such thing in Singapore. The only advantage of not getting a phone is you can cancel at any time.

[Amateur_Barbarian]

@AaronX

Ah, so-called BYO or SIM only plans. There’s no such thing in Singapore.

I believe there are other options as well, but I am speaking of US services.

A “location” option for all users, including guests, would be very useful here.

[iamthewalrus_3]

@Amateur_Barbarian

You’re paying your provider $70-100 or more per month, or $1,700 to $2,000 over the life of the contract, for a service that is essentially costless to them. In return for you locking yourself into this payment total, they are paying a steeply discounted price on the phone for you, amounting to perhaps 1/5 of your payments to them, or more likely, 1/10.

They are NOT doing you any favor; if you buy your phone outright you can get cheaper, shorter-term (down to month-by-month) service contracts and save hundreds to $1,000 or more on your two years of cell phonage. You just can’t walk out of the store for $0-100 out of pocket.

The problem is that the cheaper month-to-month service providers generally don’t support the new data standards.

I can buy a 5S without subsidy and use it on Tmobile or Virgin Mobile for $40/month or so, saving quite a lot. But they don’t have LTE service in my area, and their 3G is a bit spotty too.

Or I can let Verizon pay for the phone, give them $80-100/month, (and save $20/mo on the phone), for a net of $60-80. I’d gladly be off contract and pay less for month to month with a network that actually works, but Verizon does not offer that.

[Amateur_Barbarian]

There’s always a reason to pay top dollar, isn’t there?

[mske]

@JRDelirious

Well, as it stands it’s time for me to upgrade as I’m still on a 3GS and it will not get iOS 7 – All along I intended to wait until the iOS upgrade was no longer supported to upgrade the hardware – gave me over a year of use beyond the contract.

I too have a 3GS (off contract now, obviously) on AT&T. I was looking forward to the announcement and see what was going to be new, but it is a lot of “meh” for me.

HTC One might be in my future…

[Tom_Tildrum]

@AaronX

The only advantage of not getting a phone is you can cancel at any time.

I should hope you could cancel at any time if you didn’t get a phone.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

This review appeared on the AP today.

He says he’ll review iOS7 separately; I’ll link to that when I see it.

The capsule version is that the 5S is worth the extra $100 for the fingerprint sensor alone. He also has good things to say about the camera.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

I just downloaded iOS7 and I already don’t like it; everything looks like a fucking cartoon.