Is the Iphone 3Gs out of date?

First off, when was it confirmed that the iPhone was coming to Verizon?

Goldinboy17 said:

First off, when was it confirmed that the iPhone was coming to Verizon?

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It isn't.... Just a big rumor that looks more and more to be true, that is all. I don't think that the OP was saying it was, just planning for the future.

Not reading a wall of text, next time use some paragraphs

wpotere said:

It isn't.... Just a big rumor that looks more and more to be true, that is all. I don't think that the OP was saying it was, just planning for the future.

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People have been saying Verizon will get the iPhone for 3+ years. Maybe in 2012 when the world ends, lol

for the next big iOS release that will get released w/ the new iPhone of next year, the 3GS will have only limited new features like what happened w/ the 3G this year...

lsvtecjohn3 said:

Not reading a wall of text, next time use some paragraphs

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lol I wish there was a better jpg, but this will have to do

Right. I'll try to be the helpful one here. First and foremost. Welcome to MacRumors. I hope you own a fireproof suit. You'll become very used to the way things are done around here.

cootersgarage6 said:

I am 14 and love apple, it's clearly the best.

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cootersgarage6 said:

I don't know why, but I am now constantly conscious of how out of date my things are. I always think about it.

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Kid, there many other things to be conscious about. You're going to be happiest if you dont constantly worry about how "out of date" your things are because, simply, they aren't out of date. An iPhone 3G works great as a phone now and it can be argued that it may make better phone calls now than the current iPhone 4. The current 3GS (as much as people will like to have you believe) is NOT out of date. Its barely 2 years old. Is there better hardware? Maybe. Sure, there's different hardware, but not necessarily better. Most notably, there are no prox sensor problems with a 3GS, nor is there an antenna problem.

Think about it as different models with different price points. Not that one is necessarily out of date over the other. Different needs for different niches. A Toyota Corolla isnt "out of date" compared to a Toyota Camry because it has less or different features.

Moreover, the fact that Apple is still manufacturing the iPhone 3GS and that it is still for sale should attest to the fact that it is not currently "out of date".

Leave it up to apple to tell you that perfectly functioning hardware is "out of date".

cootersgarage6 said:

So, I have Verizon with my grandparents, and I don't have any internet or anything on my phone, and won't be allowed to So, right now I'm just going to put my pay as you go sim in the Iphone.

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You can't. Unless you buy an unlocked iPhone (which are not available in the United States). You must have an unlocked phone to use any sort of SIM card that is not tied to an AT&T contract. That means, a pay as you go, a t-Mobile, Vodafone, etc. SIM card will not work in any phone you buy from an authorized dealer (Apple or ATT corporate store) in the United States.

But, dont cry, kid, there is some hope. Jailbreaking. You may jailbreak a phone in order to unlock the baseband on the phone so you can use a PAYG or another carrier. However, the fact that you think a 3GS is out of date is a slightly self-defeating statement. Despite being "out of date", it is as of right now, the only iPhone on OS 4 hardware that you have any chance of possibly unlocking, assuming of course youre lucky enough to acquire a 3GS with an older firmware on it, which is practically nil, if youre buying a phone from an Apple Store. iPhone 4 basebands as of the current writing cannot be unlocked. (They might soon though, so stay tuned). That iPhone 3GS isnt looking so out of date anymore, huh?

cootersgarage6 said:

But I am thinking that once I get it like in a week, once the verizon one comes out, they will stop making them.

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The iPhone V has not been confirmed yet. So don't buy in reliance of the fact that it may or it will come out. That is called gambling.

cootersgarage6 said:

and that mine will be out of date then... so will it become slow and everything or how many into date years does it have of being able to handle new software? Thanks!

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As of right now, there is only one iPhone that has reached end of life (EOL) updates; the very first one, genesis, which was released in June of 2007. That is at least 3 years. Arguably, all of the other phones can support and operate on the most current firmware update (4.2.1). Even the "out of date" 3GS.

Software updates and releases, we know as of now, will have a span of three years before EOL...and by then, you're going to want a new phone anyways.

Hope this helps, kid. Welcome to MacForums.

To the OP, Don't be so materialistic. You're 14, making sure every electronic device you own is from Apple should be the least of your concerns.

Don't be so brand oriented, there's more to life than just name brands and consuming.

Go read a novel or take a walk before the weather gets too cold. Enjoy the other things in life other than whether or not your soon to be iphone will be out of date.

Also, no, the 3GS isn't out of date. I can't word it any better than crazytiger86.

Just enjoy your phone, kid.

I was reflecting on the current generation of video game consoles and noticed the Xbox 360 is 5-years old and still no announcement for its successor. Just another refresh with the Slim. About 10 year life cycles will be more common in home consoles. People still buy the PS2! Back then, hardware would be released every five years or so. No longer the case in this era. The closer we get to perfection, the smaller the jumps from one generation to the next. Where I think the major leaps and future of gaming will be is with portables. Eventually, handhelds will match home consoles the way consoles eventually surpassed the arcade machines.

I believe cell phones will eventually get to that point too where the evolutionary jump wouldn't be so major. Just improve battery life and give us console-style gaming. We will have phones that may eventually give us 5 solid years which by then eliminate the need to upgrade every 2 years because it would be so minimal by that point.

I think it depends on your definition of out of date.
Is it the latest one available? No.
Is apple still releasing firmware updates for it? Yes.
Does it still work? Yes.
Are the people who bought it new still on their original contract? Yes.

My opinion is that the 2G is out of date since it fails all those criteria. I think the 3G will get there once the next iPhone comes out. As for the 3GS, no I don't think it is out of date at all.

daveyjones said:

I think it depends on your definition of out of date.
Is it the latest one available? No.
Is apple still releasing firmware updates for it? Yes.
Does it still work? Yes.
Are the people who bought it new still on their original contract? Yes.

My opinion is that the 2G is out of date since it fails all those criteria. I think the 3G will get there once the next iPhone comes out. As for the 3GS, no I don't think it is out of date at all.

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pssst, the iphone 2G still works I dont think it failed all your criteria

None of the iPhones are out of date if your most important function is making phone calls. If you value the apps more than the phone function, go to the App Store, take a look at the apps that you use the most, and see what the required version of iOS is for those apps. If your phone can run that version of iOS without any problems, then you're good to go. If not, then it's probably time to consider upgrading. Many people like having the latest & greatest of everything, but very rarely do they NEED the upgrade.

PsstGreek said:

People have been saying Verizon will get the iPhone for 3+ years. Maybe in 2012 when the world ends, lol

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LOL, this is true, but there is more evidence to support it including pages from Verizon's site that seem to support it (now removed). Also, the contract with AT&T ends soon. Sure, it is all speculation, but so was the iPhone4 leak and iPad on Verizon both of which turned out to be true!

One thing of note: If you buy the current hardware each year, you can then sell it at the end of the year for nearly enough, if not enough,to buy the current hardware the next year. I sold my 3GS and could have bought two iPhone 4s (new contracts of course) for what I got for it. You have a better chance of getting more money reselling if you are on the most current hardware all the time.

But who knows how that may change with a Verizon iPhone, should it ever actually happen.

wpotere said:

Also, the contract with AT&T ends soon.

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People have been saying this forever...

jmann said:

People have been saying this forever...

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Pretty much common knowledge that it ends year 2010.

wpotere said:

Pretty much common knowledge that it ends year 2010.

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I remember when it was pretty much common knowledge that it ended in '08.

bwrairen said:

I remember when it was pretty much common knowledge that it ended in '08.

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It did, I remember reading an article that Apple and AT&T extended for 2 years. Could that happen again? Sure... But if I was Apple and I wanted to compete head to head with Droid, it would be time to move to other carriers.

From 2004 to 2007, we saw a major leap forward between the RAZR/flip phones vs iPhone. From 2007 to 2010, we saw another leap forward with all touchscreen phones.

At some point, those leaps will not be big enough anymore to upgrade. It is like DVDs. People are content with it and aren't rushing to replace their collection with Blu-ray. The jump from 2012 to 2015 with phones won't be as major. A 1-2 second difference of opening up websites won't be that huge to us. My iPhone 4 can last me 3-5 solid years if I wanted to. I don't need to quench my thirst with the latest and greatest. I am content with what I have now. If you compare the Xbox 360 vs PS3 games graphically, the difference are not noticeable through the naked eye. I'm excited by the horsepower of the Nintendo 3DS because I feel the graphics capability are good enough to last us many years and updating it again won't be huge at such a small screen. We get to the point of just splitting hairs. Getting closer to perfection means very little room for improvement.

cootersgarage6 said:

I am now constantly conscious of how out of date my things are. I always think about it...

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I am dumber for having read this...

iFool said:

I am dumber for having read this...

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LOL, best post so far

The iPhone isn't coming to Verizon kid