buying an iphone

[macboarder]

Ok, so I know that everyone on here is an iphone expert, so i wanted to hear all of your opinions on this. Should i wait for the second generation of iphone to come out, or should i go ahead and purchase the existing model now?

also, i am already with att, so technically, if i didnt want to have the EDGE network, and pay the extra $20 a month, would there be any other additional charges?
(i probobly will stick with the EDGE, but i was just wondering about that)

thanks!

 

[emotion]

Ok, so I know that everyone on here is an iphone expert, so i wanted to hear all of your opinions on this. Should i wait for the second generation of iphone to come out, or should i go ahead and purchase the existing model now?

I suspect the update in the new year will be just a storage update (16GB). V2 of the iPhone is likely to be firmware 2.0 on the existing hardware imo.

3G will come next year, I still guess at autumn though recent rumours suggest the middle of the year.

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

Unfortunately - in the US at least - Edge is part of the package you "must" purchase. (they wouldn't activate with any other plan)

I was hoping to use just the phone, and depend on WIFI for other things when it was available. Not an option for me.

Having owned the iphone since launch - I can safely say, it's NOT the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's "ok" at what it does - but really does not excel at any one thing. To me, it's sub-par as a phone - at least to the way I use phones... Lack of buttons make it a somewhat cumbersome ipod (I don't want to stare at the screen just to skip a couple songs) Limited display size gives you a limited video and web-browsing experience. And it's "pretty" and slippery as (#*$, which day to day, can be a PITA.

So - chew on these things a bit. It's Shiny and pretty - yes - but imagine 6 months from now - when you don't want to have to baby it all the time...

 

[emotion]

I agree that the iPhone is, as it stands, slightly rough around the edges but I love mine and wouldn't be without it now (despite the high costs of running it in the UK). I'm very glad I got one when they came out and didn't wait. It's much better than I expected it to be. I consider it more of a handheld computer than a phone or PDA though.

I fully expect firmware 2.x to fix a lot of the problems come the spring.

 

[macboarder]

thanks for your responses so far, they make some good arguments, also, i was wondering, if i was to buy an iphone, lets say, off of craigslist, and it was unlocked, would there be any way for me to re-lock it, and then be eligible for insurance?

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

I don't think ATT offers insurance for the iphone.

If you have homeowners or renters insurance - you can get a personal articles policy and insure under that. (those tend to be far cheaper and have stronger coverage than most provider-based insurance options)

 

[macboarder]

actually, i was talking about apple, because i read that they can tell if the phone is unlocked, and then you can purchase an "applecare" plan for it.

 

[mets1125]

actually, i was talking about apple, because i read that they can tell if the phone is unlocked, and then you can purchase an "applecare" plan for it.

Once the iphone is unlocked it voids the warranty. So do not purchase applecare. I personally wouldntpurchase the phone unlocked because if it doesnt work you most likely lost $400+. Since you have ATT you might as well buy new either from or ATT.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I simply do not see the point in waiting for 3g. If 8gb storage isn't enough for you then perhaps waiting until early March might be of benefit to you. With a 60gb video I never saw myself with more than 30 gb of songs and that was when I was being silly and just piling music onto it because I could. When I started being more selective I barely reached 4gb. My nano (4gb) has 2 gb of songs. Therefore my 8gb iPhone made sense. The storage suited my needs today, the phone itself suited my wants, and the lack of 3g was never considered because I could personally care less.

So in other words, does the current line suit your needs? If yes then buy now. No sense in waiting.

 

[sparrow11]

Depends what you want from it...

I've had a lot of "Smartphones". I purchased an Ericsson R380 (main memory 1.2MB) with a big screen and a WAP (what was that) browser. I persisted with it for 18 months.

I tried with a few others as the tech got better. The last one was a Sony Ericsson Z710i - the one with the design fault; dust would get behind the screen day-after-day. How long have Ericsson been making mobile phones? SInce last week it seems.

The iPhone is the first "proper" SmartPhone, and it isn't even really marketed as one. This though is the first "advanced" phone I've had whereby I actually use all the features on a daily, well no, hourly basis.

Let's be clear though why that is; I'm extremely long-sighted - to read a newspaper I need glasses. Trying to even see the tiny buttons on a routine phone without glasses on is hopeless. The iPhone is the first phone I've had that lets dial out and even read SMS's without glasses on. Not much of selling point though "the phone for near-blind-at-short-range old gits!"

Nonetheless the iPhone stomps over the opposition, and this is Apples first go - what will the 4th or 5th Apple mobile phone be like?

It has its flaws - the lack of cut-'n-paste is just plain daft - typing in a new URL is enraging when you get it wrong - as the prompt doesn't always appear in the centre of a string - leading to the mis-typed URL being wiped entirely...er...er...the cameras not too good (not that I've used any camera on a phone much)...er, no PictBridge support yet (then again I don't use the camera much)...er, needs a few more "killer" apps such as a genuine non-hacked SSHD (but they will come)...er. Well actually I'm stretching it a bit.

Hopefully other manufacturers will take note of the interface, though even the LG so-called "iPhone killer" is still button-orgy-bound.

I'm not too worried about updates and future mods; even in its present form the phone out-performs anything I've had in the past. In the end any future phone purchase will have to satisfy the iPhones criteria;

* Big screen (for blind gits)
* Intuitive interface. It isn't really possible to improve on the iPhones
concept. Other manufacturers seem to think that adding more complexity=more value, when the opposite proved true; everything quick and easy to get to, with no unnecessary clutter or process to slow you down (except for no cut and paste!)
* Visual Voicemail - the phones best feature - why did Motorola, Ericsson and Nokia never implement this?
* iPod or equivalent built-in (I can actually watch episodes of BSG season 3 on this thing without squinting!)

In the end it seems Apple looked at every other phone, figured-out their basic flaws and designed and built a product based on avoiding those failings without stretching too much to introducing new technology. Yep my iPhone will be out-of-date and obsolete in 18 months time, replaced by iPhone Mark 2, though Mark 2, if it does come with 3G will no doubt suffer reduced battery time to compromise some of the new features.

By then my model will be a "classic." No manufacturer will be able to catch up on iPhone because they will always be tempted to add a new feature, bolt-on a bit more complexity...add that little more aggravation.

Why with a few button clicks, pull the virtual slider over, breathe on the screen, say "yes" when prompted to confirm, click the ALT-CTrl-Del buttons in unison...think of the things you'll be able to do with the next Moto/Nokia/SE/Phillips/LG?

Oh yes your LG/Prada/SE/Nokia thingymachig can do this, that and everything else...but will it ever do it with the sheer panache, the utter ease of an iPhone?

The others will get back into their pissing competition pretty soon, adding numerous black buttons on a black shiny case that turns black when you press them, and they will miss the whole essence of the iPhone - because only Apple can make the 5% of things you really need so 100% accessible.

And one day my iPhone Mark 1 will be retired, when I give in and purchase, say an iPhone Mark VII (or XV or XXII.) I will put this Mark 1 in my desk drawer. I'll take it out again after ten years and with a wry smile and fond memory recollect it to have been the first time science fiction really became reality in your hand.

In time over years even the iPhone will become over-burdened with features, the icons will get smaller as more gets packed onto the menu. A few "features" you'll never ever use will get added, then a few more, and a few more.

For now though this little bit of technology just laughs...nope, wrong term...cackles at the opposition. Which is what I do when someone in the office whips out latest non-Apple phone, with a teeny-weeny screen and a big instruction PDF.

I can't recommend an iPhone enough.