My wife and I are planning to get iPhones. Currently, you can get a 3GS iphone for $50 with 2 year contract. However, after asking around today, several people told me to wait a month or so for the release of the new 5G iPhones, because:
The new 5G phone would lower the price of the 3GS even further, and
Maybe the 4G phone would fall into my price range.
My thoughts:
How much cheaper can it get from $50? If it went down to $40, that wouldn’t justify waiting 1-2 months.
I don’t need the features (2 cameras) of the 4G phone. In fact, I don’t intend to use the 3/4/5G network, ever. I need the iPhone to make calls and access my email through wifi when I can’t use my laptop/computer, but when I do have access to wifi.
I have a 3GS and other than the pretty pretty screen there’s nothing tempting me to upgrading. If all you’re going to do is call and occasionally check email it’s still more phone than you need.
I would wait, I currently have the 3GS and have been given an opportunity to upgrade to the 4G, but hearing rumors of the 5G I’m content to wait until this summer.
I have a 3GS and I love it, but once you’ve seen a retina display, you can never go back. Whether you want to wait for the iPhone 5 (which should be here in June or July) or get the iPhone 4 then as the cheaper option is another consideration. Go to the store and hold both iPhones side by side - the difference is astonishing!
I don’t understand this part, really. There’s a proprietary data plan you have to buy into to use an iPhone, so even if you only use it with wifi, you’re paying to use data over the cellular network anyway. It sounds like you’re being frugal about dollars, when the plan you have to buy with an iPhone costs $80 and upwards per month.
If you can get a used phone or a Touch from Amazon or Ebay or something, you can use that with wifi, and keep your current phone that’s probably got a much less expensive cellular plan if you’re not already paying for data.
I’m pretty sure you can’t get an iPhone unless you get a data plan, too. If I’m wrong, then maybe that would be an OK way to go with the contract renewal price.
I would suggest that if the iPhone 3GS fits your needs now and for the next two years, then go ahead and get it. The iPhone 5 (or whatever they decide to call the next generation of iPhone) won’t come out until this summer, and it will probably be a slight upgrade over the iPhone 4, not a major revision like the move from 3GS to 4 was. My guess would be that this summer they will discontinue the 3GS altogether, and I doubt they will discount the iPhone 4 the way they are currently discounting the 3GS.
The cheapest data plan adds about $10/month (which is essentially the “cost” of using an iPhone.) If the iphone is $50, this is about 13 months of service compared to a $200 itouch. My coworker uses an unlocked iphone with the wifi at work, but an unlocked iphone costs $500.
I also need to replace my cellphone.
So my decision went like this:
I need a new phone, and my old two year contract just finished, so can get a good upgrade deal with a new contract.
I also need to access my email, so I might as well get a smart phone.
The iphone clones are pretty crappy, OS-wise, compared to the iphone.
Since the iphone 3gs is $50, I might as well get that.
Originally, I was going to go with a myTouch or something from t-mobile, but the $50 deal pretty much sealed it.
That makes sense. I have a 3GS, and my contract’s up in June. I’m happy enough with its speed and functionality that I plan to hang on to it until the next generation blows me away enough to bother switching (I figure another year). I think you would be plenty happy with a 3GS for your needs, for the next couple years.
I am not sure what your friends are talking about. iPhones, traditionally, don’t come out until the summer time. I have heard nothing stating that things are going to be different this year. The only thing coming out next month is the iPhone for Verizon. This is the iPhone4. The fact that it is coming out on Verizon is probably why AT&T lowered the 3G(s) prices. I do not think the prices for the 3G(s) are going down in a month.
There is speculation that next month the new iPads will be announced. That won’t drive down 3gs prices. But, it might be were the people got that idea.
If you think you are going to be happy with a 3G(s) get it now. You won’t find new ones cheaper than 50 dollars. What will probably happen when new phones come out this summer is iPhone4s will go down to 100 bucks, and 3G(s) will be taken off the market.
Personally, I found the speed of the iPhone4 to be a huge selling point. Then again, if you are only going to use it for email that speed might not be worth the extra 150 dollars. But, I do think you should go to the store and fiddle with the phones before you get it. You might find that you like the iPhone4 better. Or, you might find that you don’t enjoy the phone experience that the iPhone offers at all and go back to a dumb phone.
All I can say is that I agree with those who are pointing out the great improvements in the iPhone 4. The screen is just so much better. Unless you are really strapped for cash, just go for a 4. If you are strapped for cash, why are you buying a device that will raise your phone bill by $20 a month?
As I mentioned earlier, t-mobile lowered their price rates by $10, so if I get the cheapest data plan and phone plan, I will pay the exact same amount as before, so plan cost is not a consideration.
You won’t pay less than $50 for an iPhone. If that’s the selling point, then go for it. I DID find my 8gb 1st gen was chronically low on storage…it’s not a lot of space if you have any amount of music.
Having used the 4 a little, I didn’t see much difference in speed, but the improvements in screen and -camera- are pretty impressive.
I went from the first gen to, effectively, the third gen, I dunno if I’ll make the jump to the fifth gen, or just get an iPad.
I have an iPhone 3GS. I’d go with a 3GS if you can get it for $50. You do need a data plan if you intend to have a line of service. I pay $39.99 for 450 anytime minutes a month and $15 for a 200 megabyte per month limit for a total of about $65 a month. If you mostly intend to use wi-fi, you won’t use that much, but you’re still required to buy a data plan.
Of course, if you can get by without phone service, you can use strictly wi-fi and it won’t cost you anything per month.
I’m using a Jailbroken (It’s legal! Yay!) first generation iPhone. I love it. I don’t have a data plan. Apparently I could get a data plan, but I don’t have to!
But if you buy a new iPhone, you probably have to get the data plan anyway. I suppose you could buy a used one and jailbreak that.
For what you want, you might be content with an iPod Touch. I was content with that until hubby upgraded his phone to 3GS, thus leaving me with his old 1st generation iPhone. The lesson: find someone who is ditching older phones and leech off them!
Small warning on buying a 3GS used. Hubby’s battery is shit. I think my battery works better than his and its two years older.
