Contemplating to buy a iPhone, is it the right choice for me?

Objector · Dec 28, 2012

Dear Macrumors readers and posters,

I am doubting whether the iPhone (5) is a good match for me and I'd like to get your opinion before I decide to pay that much for a phone.

At the moment I'm still using my 2,5 year old HTC Desire which is running on a custom Android Rom. It's too old to run the newest Android Software, so I definitely don't have all the bells and whistles.

To be honest my Android phone is my last product that is not from Apple, as I have a iMac, MBP, iPad and iTouch. And I can imagine that syncing in one ecosystem is much more user friendly.

I'm looking at the iPhone because I'm really impressed with my iPad and have already invested in some apps. I am a guitarist for example and it's really awesome that I can connect a guitar to my iPad and play through it for when I don't have my amps with me.

If I'd buy an iPhone I could finally get rid of my old 8GB iPod touch, which has way to little storage for my music. I am someone that always listens to music when I can, so it would be really nice to have my phone and music player in one convenient device.

Some things that are holding me back:

- The price:

I would have to pay 799 for a 32gb version. I think even my 64gb New Ipad was less.

- The software:

The apps for Apple are mostly better in my experience than what you find on the Android Store. But to be honest I think I might be bored with iOS6 very, very quickly on a phone. I used to try different roms on my HTC Desire and give it some new visual flavors now and then. I must be honest and admit that the last half year the phone hasn't been updated and I should really setup widgets and stuff again. I was looking at the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the features look awesome in comparison to iOS6. But if the Android tradition continues the phone gets infrequent updates for one year and than you'll have to flash a new rom or buy a new phone if you want the latest software. Whilst Apple keeps supporting their devices for a longer time.

The widget that I'd miss the most is an overview of my appointments with their color code on one of my homescreens. I think this isn't even possible with a jailbroken iPhone? If I'd buy the iPhone I can set up reminders across all my devices, so maybe I'd have less of an urge to always have an overview of my appointments for the next two weeks?

What do you think? Is the iPhone a good choice for me?

Leonard1818 · Dec 28, 2012

yes -- DO IT and don't look back.

matttye · Dec 28, 2012

If you get bored of phones easily you'll get bored of the iPhone.

You can tinker a lot more with Android than with the iPhone.

I much prefer the iPhone as a tool.

Mrbobb · Dec 28, 2012

yinz · Dec 28, 2012

In my honest opinion, I think the iPhone works best if you have an environment for it, if you want hassle free, and if you want less frustration with finding the correct apps.

Androids would fit the needs of those who like to keep their phone and other devices separate, for people who like to tweek things and for people who like hugemongous screens...

CharlieBrandt09 · Dec 28, 2012

I came back from android about a year ago. I liked tinkering, but the ease of use of ios was more appealing to me.

If you have all those other ios devices, and a Mac, I think the ip5 is a no brainier.

Don't let the loss of one widget hold you back. Having your calendars automatically sync to all your devices is worth more.

Beenblacklisted · Dec 28, 2012

I had i phone since first gen( i work in wholesale cell phone business), and i recently had to switch to captivate glide, because iphones keyboard is godawful, been on android for 1month, and its a huge difference, i love my new phone never looking back, i dont own any mac products, and never will, i need customization windows and android provides, my old iphone is my music player, sits at home near speaker player. although if your a musician money is definitely an issue, if iphone is not a necessity dont go for it, you are getting phone calls, and texts, id say keep the purchase in your future, im a big music fan too , much success, in your future!!

Objector · Dec 28, 2012

Leonard1818 said:
yes -- DO IT and don't look back.

Thanks for the comment, but based on what do you make that statement?

matttye said:
If you get bored of phones easily you'll get bored of the iPhone.

You can tinker a lot more with Android than with the iPhone.

I much prefer the iPhone as a tool.

A couple of years ago I chose Android for that specific reason and to be honest I don't know whether I still need that kind of customization. I like to freedom, but it comes with a cost.

yinz said:
In my honest opinion, I think the iPhone works best if you have an environment for it, if you want hassle free, and if you want less frustration with finding the correct apps.

Androids would fit the needs of those who like to keep their phone and other devices separate, for people who like to tweek things and for people who like hugemongous screens...

Thanks for the comment! I definitely have the environment for the iPhone. A couple of years ago I went Mac and it had so many advantages over Windows for my personal use.

On the other had I always like to tweak things. I'm really a DIY kind of guy that always enjoys making things or modding stuff to get something unique. I'm not sure whether I also need that in a phone.

CharlieBrandt09 said:
I came back from android about a year ago. I liked tinkering, but the ease of use of ios was more appealing to me.

If you have all those other ios devices, and a Mac, I think the ip5 is a no brainier.

Don't let the loss of one widget hold you back. Having your calendars automatically sync to all your devices is worth more.

Thanks man! That's the main selling point for me: total integration of all my devices.

Beenblacklisted said:
I had i phone since first gen( i work in wholesale cell phone business), and i recently had to switch to captivate glide, because iphones keyboard is godawful, been on android for 1month, and its a huge difference, i love my new phone never looking back, i dont own any mac products, and never will, i need customization windows and android provides, my old iphone is my music player, sits at home near speaker player. although if your a musician money is definitely an issue, if iphone is not a necessity dont go for it, you are getting phone calls, and texts, id say keep the purchase in your future, im a big music fan too , much success, in your future!!

Thanks for the elaborate comment! I can imagine that if you don't have other Apple products the iPhone can be a little less remarkable in your environment. I've been watching some videos of the latest Android versions and it's really lightyears ahead of iOS in terms of flexibility.

I'm not a professional musician if you're wondering. Just a student that has always been into music and likes recording/making music. But this hobby made me doing student jobs since I was 15 to finance the instruments/gear I wantend.

jer04 · Dec 28, 2012

i hv both S3 and iphone 5. seriously, i wouldn't give up iphone 5 for S3. but again, it's a personal peference. if you r like me, prefer something just works seamlessly, iphone is for you. if you r into flashing custom rom n etc, go for S3.

since you mentioned those 'advanced' features on S3, i personally found they were not that useful, especially the eye movement detection thingy doesn't work at all/well under low light condition, which makes the nice feature worthless to me. plus, u lose them as soon as you flash most custom roms on your phone (except one or two roms if i recall).

Objector · Dec 28, 2012

jer04 said:
i hv both S3 and iphone 5. seriously, i wouldn't give up iphone 5 for S3. but again, it's a personal peference. if you r like me, prefer something just works seamlessly, iphone is for you. if you r into flashing custom rom n etc, go for S3.

since you mentioned those 'advanced' features on S3, i personally found they were not that useful, especially the eye movement detection thingy doesn't work at all/well under low light condition, which makes the nice feature worthless to me. plus, u lose them as soon as you flash most custom roms on your phone (except one or two roms if i recall).

Thanks man, glad to read that you prefer the iPhone of both. I really don't feel like rooting and flashing again.

Maybe I'll just wait a little longer for the 5s, so I have more time to think. I've seen iPhones bend, chipped and scratched on this forum. And as the phone is always going into and out of my front pocket, I think it won't be long before mine gets bend aswel.

Apple should've used stainless steel like the 4 and maybe even a bigger battery. Giving some wait to such a sleek design gives a very robust feel.

jrasero · Dec 28, 2012

I'd say go for it. It seems you are pretty locked in with Apple products. You defiantly can get rid of the iPod now. I came from a Galaxy Nexus and while Jelly Bean is better than iOS 6 I still find the construction of Apple to be better. Also the apps for Apple are hands down better. It sucks waiting for apps on Android or getting second tier apps.

Things that I don't like about the iPhone 5:

Quality control. I went through 3 iPhones until I finally got an iPhone without dents, scratches, or discoloration. With that said maybe QC is getting better but I would recommend the white iPhone since scratches are less noticeable on it and IMO I have seen less defects on the white version, but the black and slate IMO just looks better

Size: Yes the phone screen is larger at 4" and the body is thinner and lighter but coming from a Galaxy Nexus the iPhone is tiny. I used to love reading Pulse feeds every morning on the train with my Galaxy on it's big screen but now I squint with my iPhone 5. Also, a lot of apps and content have not been updated to fit the 4" screen so some apps and content will have black bars.

IMO the Apple maps and Mail still suck. Right away I downloaded Gmail and Google Maps Apps. Google Maps is awesome and Gmail is so much better than iOS email client.

iOS is boring compared to Jelly Bean. While iOS apps hands down take all, Android Jelly Bean can be customized more and allows access to apps and settings better. iOS is more stable than Android and is more efficient but they have been borrowing so many features from Android as of late.

The iPhone 5 is the best iPhone yet and it still has that "it" factor. There are a lot of good-great Android phones but my big stink about Android is fragmentation and skins. I hate vendors custom skins and really only enjoyed pure vanilla Android. Some companies like Samsung do an alright job but I still find they put a lot of gimmicky or nonsense stuff in their software.

With that said if you don't go with the iPhone 5 I would wait for the next iteration of Androids to come out, or if you can't wait I would go with

Nexus 4
Galaxy S III
HTC One X+
Droid DNA
Note II

2013 will bring 1080P screens, Quad cores, and 5+" srcreens to Android. I would go iPhone 5 if you think a 4" screen will be good enough and you like iOS otherwise hold off and go GSIV or etc.

sk24iam · Dec 28, 2012

I say go with the iphone, you can always jailbreak it if you get bored with it.

SomeDudeAsking · Dec 28, 2012

sk24iam said:
I say go with the iphone, you can always jailbreak it if you get bored with it.

No you can't. The jailbreak scene is dead. There is no jailbreak for the iPhone 5 and many of the devs have stopped hacking iDevices.

Axious · Dec 28, 2012

sk24iam said:
I say go with the iphone, you can always jailbreak it if you get bored with it.

Problem is IOS 6. Apple fans are waiting for jailbrake almost like android phones waiting for their latest Android updates

Rocko1 · Dec 28, 2012

If you want a phone that bends easily, comes scratched then yeah, get one!

Cody3133 · Dec 28, 2012

Get an android because if you have a ipad you can do everything with that what you could with a iphone so why have two of the same thing? And also its good to be diverse why be locked in to one system and be stuck with it? Just my thoughts.

matttye · Dec 28, 2012

Rocko1 said:
If you want a phone that bends easily, comes scratched then yeah, get one!

Mine isn't bent or scratched and it's about three months old.

NEXT

rutledjw · Dec 28, 2012

The iPhone, and the entire Apple product like IMHO, is moving (moved?) in the direction of being appliances. They don't cater to the tinkerers, hackers, etc that love to fool with stuff. For those folks, it can be frustrating because tasks that really shouldn't be difficult - Apple has made so.

Most of the examples are along the laptops (inability to upgrade RAM, the HDD, etc), but I think it's still relevant here simply because Apple wants to control the overall experience to such a degree that I *think* you may be frustrated.

I'm basing that off the comment that the first thing you'd do is jailbreak the device. I may be reading too much into that.

matttye said:
If you get bored of phones easily you'll get bored of the iPhone.

You can tinker a lot more with Android than with the iPhone.

I much prefer the iPhone as a tool.

Agreed.

From A Buick 8 · Dec 28, 2012

matttye said:
Mine isn't bent or scratched and it's about three months old.

NEXT

Mine as well (except for the 3 month old part) plus more then 98% of all iPhone 5's.

Do not make you decision based of the scare tactics of the few who had issues.

Also there will be a JB for the iPhone 5 , so if you feel the need to tweak you will have plenty opportunity to do so.

Tunnelrunner · Dec 28, 2012

Very hard to answer this question, OP, since we're all so different so I can only speak for myself: I love both iOS and Android and have always had a hard time deciding between the two because of their respective pros and cons - so much so that I have a Galaxy Note 2 and iPhone 5, which I use interchangeably (ie: via my Verizon online account, I deactivate the Note 2 and use the iPhone 5 as my "phone" one day and visa versa on another day - depending on whether I'm in an "Android mood" or an "iOS mood).

I think my Note 2 has all the cutting edge features that push the limits of tech (and yes...seeing my weather, Calendar, and Alarm widgets all on one page is pretty cool) but somehow I always find myself drifting back to my iPhone 5; it's still easier, more simple, and faster for me to use. Take that for what it's worth. If I get bored one day, am feeling daring and want to mix it up a little, I go with Android. On other days when I just need to get things done fast and easy with no fuss, I prefer iOS.

So even for me, I really could never choose just one. I think if you don't mind spending some extra cash, get both devices and change it up when you feel like it - the best of both Android and iOS worlds.

SomeDudeAsking · Dec 28, 2012

From A Buick 8 said:
Mine as well (except for the 3 month old part) plus more then 98% of all iPhone 5's.

Do not make you decision based of the scare tactics of the few who had issues.

Also there will be a JB for the iPhone 5 , so if you feel the need to tweak you will have plenty opportunity to do so.

Was the last jailbreak hoax not enough? The jailbreak scene is dead. There is no jailbreak for the iPhone 5 and may never be.

From A Buick 8 · Dec 28, 2012

SomeDudeAsking said:
Was the last jailbreak hoax not enough? The jailbreak scene is dead. There is no jailbreak for the iPhone 5 and may never be.

I guess we will agree to disagree. Really the JB hoax, did anyone actually fall for that.

meistervu · Dec 28, 2012

Is there a significant difference?

I don't have an Android phone. I used PalmOS for many years, iOS since the iPhone 3G. I tried WebOS for a few weeks.

At this stage, both iOS and Android are mature. For a typical user, what difference does the actual user experience using one versus the other? Are we splitting hair at this point?

From A Buick 8 · Dec 28, 2012

meistervu said:
I don't have an Android phone. I used PalmOS for many years, iOS since the iPhone 3G. I tried WebOS for a few weeks.

At this stage, both iOS and Android are mature. For a typical user, what difference does the actual user experience using one versus the other? Are we splitting hair at this point?

1 big difference is the apple ecosystem, I know having an iMac, ATV, iMac, iPods and the like. They all play together so well. Another is the app store, there are just a lot more quality apps available for iOS.

chrisrosemusic1 · Dec 28, 2012

I constantly change my mind on what I 'want' from my phone - after a few years with Mac and OSX/iOS I continually feel the need to jump ship. In fact, in June I went and got another contract out with an S3. 2 months later and the iPhone 5 was announced and I was just drawn to the design. Sold the S3, put that money towards the 5 and awaited delivery...

Yes I had 2 with scratches and marks on to begin with but I went and got a white instead which was fine.

However, another 2 months later and I find myself browsing Android once more. There are so many choices, designs, manufacturers etc but I still have this niggle that I'll regret selling the 5.

So alas, I am now stuck with 2 phone contracts and 1 phone cos I can't decide.

Such is life - the grass is always greener

Everything is good to begin with, just depends what you will find more useful in the long run. I think now I'm kinda stuck within Apple's lustful ecosystem purely because I feel dependent on it..

Contemplating to buy a iPhone, is it the right choice for me?

macrumors member

macrumors 68020

macrumors 601

macrumors 603

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 6502

macrumors 6502

macrumors member

macrumors regular

macrumors member

macrumors regular

macrumors regular

macrumors 65816

macrumors member

macrumors 68020

macrumors member

macrumors 601

macrumors member

macrumors 68040

macrumors regular

macrumors 65816

macrumors 68040

macrumors 65816

macrumors 68040

macrumors 6502a

Our Staff