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How long do you keep an iPhone?

Ih8reno

Ih8reno

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 10, 2012
1,383
207
Hi guys,


Looking through the forum it seems most people like the newest and fastest but I am curious as to how long your actually stick with your purchases. Some of the iPhones biggest appeal to me is the fact that software updates are almost a guarantee for 2-3 years thereby future proofing your iPhone. So the question I pose to you all is "how long do you keep your iPhone?"
 
I kept my 2 years since I'm out of contract and I typically only upgrade when I can purchase the phone subsidized so that's once every 2 years.
 
Ih8reno said:
Hi guys,


Looking through the forum it seems most people like the newest and fastest but I am curious as to how long your actually stick with your purchases. Some of the iPhones biggest appeal to me is the fact that software updates are almost a guarantee for 2-3 years thereby future proofing your iPhone. So the question I pose to you all is "how long do you keep your iPhone?"
Click to expand...

I had my 3G for 2 years and upgraded to the iPhone 4. Had no interest in upgrading to the 4S. After 2.5 years, am debating whether to buy the iPhone5 or try and nurse my 4 through another year (or pay to get it refurbished).
 
I don't do contracts and will be swapping back and fourth I am sure between other LTE phones . Just waiting on a nano sim adapter that will save me trips to the Verizon store
 
This is my first iPhone but I plan to keep it for 2 years. I'm not much of a must have newest person.
 
Bought a 3G during the first week of launch. Kept it until launch day for the 4, when I waited in line for 4+ hours to pick up my reservation at an Apple Store. Now I'm getting a 5, but it's being shipped this time.

As for my wife, she lost her launch week 3G. She smashed the screen on the refurb replacement. I replaced that with a $49 3GS, which has survived up to this point. She'll be getting my nearly-mint 4 as an upgrade on Friday.
 
Had the original iPhone for 2 years, upgraded to a 3GS, kept that 1 year. Upgraded to the 4 and kept that 2 years. We'll see what the 5 brings, but I kept one upgrade open on my account. ;)
 
Feed Me said:
Aiming for two years minimum.
I don't do phone contracts, and I've no idea why anyone would choose to get one... but yeah. Two years.
Click to expand...

Because, you get the phone at a discount. If you break out of the contract for some reason, then the cost is still less than if you had bought the phone full price.
 
had 1st iPhone till 3G came out then got 3GS then waited till white 4 came out, never got 4S and now getting white 5
 
Bought out my 3GS contract which cost me over £200 to get a 4. Kept my 4 for two years and now buying the iPhone 5 so that I don't have to stick with contracts.

Bottom line: I'll upgrade when necessary. When necessary occurs, is dependent upon Apple's innovation and my own resistance!
 
I have the iPhone 4 and I bought it on release day, so I've had it just over two years. I've enjoyed my iPhone 4, but it just doesn't seem snappy any longer and I wonder if IOS updates and new versions of apps require more power than my iPhone 4 can provide.
 
Typically two years. I'm not on contract or anything and buy my phones at retail price because it's cheaper, but that is just roughly how long it takes to want something new. Also it helps I started doing that with the 3G so with the current release cycle that means I want something new just as something new is released (as opposed to the -S releases.)
 
I've had an iPhone 3G and an iPhone 4, and now I'm waiting for my iPhone 5. So pretty much a 2 year cycle. By the end of 2 years, the battery definitely doesn't keep a charge like it once could, and, for me, it makes as much sense to get a new phone and invest in money to refurbish the current one.

Also agree with a previous poster that feels the older phone doesn't quite keep up with some of the newer software.

And, let's face it, it's fun to have some new technology, and I want the convenience/novelty of Siri.
 
I do contracts every 2 years which so far falls with every major release 3G, 4 now 5, I don't see no point paying a hefty full price of 1000 australian dollars for a iPhone or changing it every year to keep up with apples bandwagon.
 
The key (if you're trying to reduce unnecessary expense and jealousy) is to get on the major release cycle. I started with the iPhone 3G and had no reason to get the 3Gs. I then bought then iPhone 4 and had no reason to get the iPhone 4S. I can be almost certain that after getting the 5 I won't need the next iteration. If you enter on one of the minor release cycles (3Gs or 4Gs) the grass will be significantly greener in a short time.
 
I bought the iPhone 3G the day it came out, and then 2 years later the iPhone 4 the day it came out. Now that it's been close to 2.5 years I am planning on getting the iPhone 5 the day it comes out, or at least sometime during the first week or two. My work schedule this time around may be forcing me to wait since I am working 37 hours the entire first weekend (first 3 days) the phone is out - and I don't even work for Apple or any of it's carriers. Monday will be my first opportunity to get to a store and try to buy one if there are any left in stock. On the 21st I get off work from Thursday's shift at 5am, but have to be back at 2pm, so that doesn't leave a lot of time to wait in line at Apple, get the phone and sleep all in time to be back at work. Although the idea of stopping for breakfast and then going to Apple right after getting off work at 5am has been thought upon.

I keep the phones for the full contract period so I skipped the "S" phones. For the iPhone 5 I will be keeping that one at least 2 years until either the iPhone 6 (skipping the iPhone 5S) or the iPhone 7 (if they just name the next one 6 instead).
 
Ih8reno said:
Hi guys,


Looking through the forum it seems most people like the newest and fastest but I am curious as to how long your actually stick with your purchases. Some of the iPhones biggest appeal to me is the fact that software updates are almost a guarantee for 2-3 years thereby future proofing your iPhone. So the question I pose to you all is "how long do you keep your iPhone?"
Click to expand...

My wife and I have an iPhone each, with our two year contracts staggered one year apart. I always get the new one, she gets my one year old phone, and we sell the two year old phone to pay for the new one. I understand the price I pay is subsidized by the carrier (AT&T in our case), but it still amuses me that I can sell a piece of technology two years later for more than I paid for it (and it's not as though I pay AT&T a penny more monthly for that subsidized phone).
 
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