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I don't care about the iPhone 5. Why care about a contract phone?
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So what? You have to spend your money on something--and some choose to spend it on contract phones. That's why choice is such a great thing.
What dumb phone does gps, apps, games, advance calendar, memo, hd video recording, plays movies in great quality, detailed contacts list, play music. Do you consider the iPod touch to be like a dumb phone?
Yes and no. It's an A-GPS, meaning it is assisted by data to improve performance. It will still work without data though, just slower.
The default Map app (Google Maps) however requires data connectivity as maps are only streamed. If you want your maps to be stored locally and accessible while offline, you need to buy a GPS app which stores maps.
So technically, you could get away with an app like TomTom ($60) and deal with worse performance (it takes a while to find GPS signal and isn't as precise), but then you also wouldn't have access to stuff like business search, public transit directions, compass/gyroscope support and such. It's also generally a pain to just lookup something quickly like you would do in Google Maps. Every time you have to input the whole address one step at a time (State, City, Street, Number).
At that point it may be smarter to simply buy a cheap 100$ dedicated GPS than buy a navigation app. But then again I doubt OP considered spending money at all, he probably only uses a terrible free ad-supported app.
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Clearly OP has different usages than most people. He wants to use his iPhone as an iPod touch + dumbphone replacement rather than as an actual smartphone. That's ok, but he doesn't have to force his usage to other people just so he can feel good about not anticipating the next iPhone.
Actually when i had an iphone 3GS i used navigon a lot. Despite not having a data connection locking to a gps satellite was quick and easy. I use data on my current phone, but there was a time I didn't with the 3GS and 4. I enjoyed the phone just as much, except for not getting updates from apps etc. I didn't need to update Facebook or twitter or email, so it met my needs at the time.
If you do not have data, how do you skype a lot, considering you rarely need wifi? My wife buys the 1000 minute cards every six months or so too, but we have never tried using data on her phone.
Like you, I can't stand the thought of being locked into a 2 year contract.
It seems if you want the latest and greatest, buy the iPhone unlocked from Apple and then buy the $30 plan at T-Mobile (100 minutes and all you can eat data and texts). Or pay a little more if you want more minutes. The very latest iPhone may not be available on opening day but it always shows up for sale unlocked from Apple eventually.
Math Time...
Say if I wanted a new phone every year... what would it cost me?
New iPhone = $649.99 + 8.6% Tax = $705.88
Service $30 x 12 = $360
Sell my iPhone after a year... Assume it's in great shape and I get $400
Another new iPhone = $649.99 + 8.6% Tax = 705.88 - $400 = 305.88
Service $30 x 12 = $360
Total 2 year cost: $1731.76
If I went AT&T...
New phone = $199.99 + 8.6% Tax = $217.19
Service (minimal plan with my corporate discount) = ~$75 x 24 = $1800
Total 2 year cost = $2017.19 plus I only get a new phone every 2 years.
James
... because I don't have a mobile outlet hovering behind me at all times?
Are you being serious?
I have the same mindset as the OP. Minimalistic.
I HATE contracts. The less mendatory payments you have to have each month the more at peace you are.
Too bad the US is so far behind Europe, everyone in the US is just entangled in contracts.
Here, you can get a pay as you go simcard, put €20, and for 30 days you get unlimited Internet, free texts to any network, free calls to others on the same carrier and free weekend calls everywhere, that €20 stays on your balance. After those 30 days, you can buy an Internet add-on pack for €5 that gives you 500MB of data and talk with your friends through Viber, Skype, etc...
I know people who get contracts then constantly complain how they cannot afford it, etc... I buy phones outright, unlocked, if I cannot buy the phone that means I cannot afford it, simple as that, no contracts, no leasing, no monthly payment nonsense.
I'm on 3GS and frankly, I don't see a point in upgrading to either 4 or 4S, they offer absolutely nothing new to me over the 3GS, I buy a phone purely based on requirements rather than just for the sake of upgrading.
Most likely won't upgrade to the next iPhone either, unless it has a great camera that at least beats the Nokia N8. Camera is the only thing that can probably get me to upgrade.
I HATE contracts. The less mendatory payments you have to have each month the more at peace you are.
Too bad the US is so far behind Europe, everyone in the US is just entangled in contracts.
Here, you can get a pay as you go simcard, put €20, and for 30 days you get unlimited Internet, free texts to any network, free calls to others on the same carrier and free weekend calls everywhere, that €20 stays on your balance. After those 30 days, you can buy an Internet add-on pack for €5 that gives you 500MB of data and talk with your friends through Viber, Skype, etc...
I know people who get contracts then constantly complain how they cannot afford it, etc... I buy phones outright, unlocked, if I cannot buy the phone that means I cannot afford it, simple as that, no contracts, no leasing, no monthly payment nonsense.
I'm on 3GS and frankly, I don't see a point in upgrading to either 4 or 4S, they offer absolutely nothing new to me over the 3GS, I buy a phone purely based on requirements rather than just for the sake of upgrading.
Most likely won't upgrade to the next iPhone either, unless it has a great camera that at least beats the Nokia N8. Camera is the only thing that can probably get me to upgrade.
If we just wanted 3G speeds and that was all that was available it would make sense for everyone here (US) to use a cheap, contract free carrier like straight talk. The issue is we all want 4G LTE and the only providers are the big 4, which makes contracts make sense since it saves you money on the phone.
I don't understand the title of this thread...
Why is the "iPhone 5" necessarily a contract phone?
I'm no fan of contracts; I bought my 4s sim-free direct from apple on release day. Sure it was a bigger initial outlay but I'll be saving money over what I'd otherwise be paying over the length of a contract.
When I'm in the mood for another phone, I'll do the same again. Some people simply can't afford to buy a phone outright so take out a contract which essentially spreads the cost. I wouldn't criticise anyone for it - I think most of us have been there at some time...
Why is the "iPhone 5" necessarily a contract phone?
I'm no fan of contracts; I bought my 4s sim-free direct from apple on release day. Sure it was a bigger initial outlay but I'll be saving money over what I'd otherwise be paying over the length of a contract.
When I'm in the mood for another phone, I'll do the same again. Some people simply can't afford to buy a phone outright so take out a contract which essentially spreads the cost. I wouldn't criticise anyone for it - I think most of us have been there at some time...
Do you really use the data plan a lot? Do you really need that data plan? What do you use it for?
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I use Skype on Wifi
Another example: I can use my 3GS as a simple GPS without buing a GPS app. All I do is go into Maps and follow the path I'm going to travel and the map data gets stored in its cache.
I could probably buy the iPhone 5 -- if I could sell the 3GS for a good price. But there isn't a strong reason to and if it ends up costing $700 then I'll wait a couple years.
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Wow the OP used to buy a new car every three years. And now is being frugal with his smartphone purchases. What kind of transformation is that? But I gotta say good for the OP. I've cut back some when the economy started to go down hill
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I think a lot of people wouldn't mind having an iPhone without a data plan. I thought about it a couple of times but ofcourse AT&T doesn't allow you to(plus I'm on contract with them so can't switch. I've found my cellular data usage going up and up over the last few years. Where a few years ago I was barely cracking the 200mb mark and now I'm consistently using over 1.2gb a month. So I don't think the wifi only thing would work for me anymore
Not an accurate analogy. Except for maybe the computer, all of your example aren't purchased every two years because there is no significant performance difference and/or those are significant more expensive items. There is little to no benefit to replacing my TV, fridge, sound system, home phone every two year so of course im not going to replace it. However, the feature/performance difference between phones just being released now and those from 2 years ago is VERY significant. Use the OP's 3GS and a new iPhone 4s and you know as well as I do that they aren't comparable.
And yes, in the US many people purchase new cars every two years via leasing because we want the latest and greatest.
This. I think the majority of people here and other sites like it are pure tech freaks or we wouldnt be here.
You obviously weren't stressing its processing capabilities if that fixed it. it was just a matter of allowing things to run faster and load more stuff at any given time. This can sometimes be an issue with newer OS revisions and applications requiring more resources to run at the same pace. One doesn't address the same stuff as the other.
Some of the national carriers do have better prepaid rates. You don't get subsidized phones, but they are an option. Personally I wish subsidies would go away there. I'd rather buy my phone outright and spend less on the plan. Note how much less people pay in some countries.
My close friend pays nearly $200 a month just for his phone plan. ($2,400 a year) Well... It's apart of his business. He's making six figures because he's able to do everything from his phone. He's on the phone all day long... Probably uses 5000+ minutes a month. Just because YOU may think something is too expensive and unnecessary, others have different views and needs.
You don't need the new iPhone because you hardly even use yours. You hardly talk, and you don't even have data... So of course you would not need the new iPhone.
