Iphone 3G "outdated"

[TopHatPlus]

So i have a Iphone 3G, i have had it about 2.5 years and i was not willing to spend $400 to upgrade tot he Iphone 4 although i was insanely impressed with every aspect of it. I am most likely going to upgrade my phone at the next refresh being i am not in a huge hurry, but my phone is definitely starting to show its age, the battery does not last me very long at all, maybe 1.5 days at best and its SUPER laggy, i have found that every update for performance boosts on it have made it slower and stuff just takes forever to load... all and all i am very happy with the phone, i have dropped in over 6 feet into a concrete bowl (not intentionally) and beaten the crap out of it and use it several hours a days for music and what not so its held its own but i am pumped for a new one =D

So the new 4.3 is coming out and it has some cool stuff but not for the 3G so does that mean i will no longer get updates? so i am basically just waiting for the refresh and making due? i shot a email off to apple to see what they had to say but i was wondering what you guys (girls if applicable) think?

 

[Reach9]

So i have a Iphone 3G, i have had it about 2.5 years and i was not willing to spend $400 to upgrade tot he Iphone 4 although i was insanely impressed with every aspect of it. I am most likely going to upgrade my phone at the next refresh being i am not in a huge hurry, but my phone is definitely starting to show its age, the battery does not last me very long at all, maybe 1.5 days at best and its SUPER laggy, i have found that every update for performance boosts on it have made it slower and stuff just takes forever to load... all and all i am very happy with the phone, i have dropped in over 6 feet into a concrete bowl (not intentionally) and beaten the crap out of it and use it several hours a days for music and what not so its held its own but i am pumped for a new one =D

So the new 4.3 is coming out and it has some cool stuff but not for the 3G so does that mean i will no longer get updates? so i am basically just waiting for the refresh and making due? i shot a email off to apple to see what they had to say but i was wondering what you guys (girls if applicable) think?

I'm in the same boat as you. I've had my iPhone 3G since the first day it came out.
I was applicable for an upgrade to the iPhone 4 when it came out, but i really wasn't impressed by it. Moreover, my iPhone 3G was fast enough with iOS 3.1.3, and then i did the stupid mistake of upgrading to iOS 4.0 and my iPhone 3G was never the same (it's manageable now).
So i'll also be getting the iPhone 5 once it's released.

To answer your question, yes. iOS 4.2.1 was the last upgrade for the iPhone 3G, so better start finding some use for your phone because in about 3 months we'll be getting the new one.

 

[Applejuiced]

Yes, pretty much you right.
There will no longer be any software updates for the iphone 3G, its hardware cant keep up anyway. Either use it for as long as it lasts you or look towards an iphone 4 or wait for the next one in 3+ months.

 

[sushi]

I would say that with smart phones around 2 years is the time to consider an upgrade.

Before I got a smart phone, I had a phone that lasted 7 years. And it still worked great for what it did which was making and receiving phone calls.

IMHO, smart phones are different because it's the other added features, if you will, that are important.

So to answer your iPhone 3G question, I would say that it's time for an upgrade when the next iPhone is released. Of course, if you don't want to wait until summer, you can always get the iPhone 4G now.

 

[Reach9]

I would say that with smart phones around 2 years is the time to consider an upgrade.

Before I got a smart phone, I had a phone that lasted 7 years. And it still worked great for what it did which was making and receiving phone calls.

IMHO, smart phones are different because it's the other added features, if you will, that are important.

So to answer your iPhone 3G question, I would say that it's time for an upgrade when the next iPhone is released. Of course, if you don't want to wait until summer, you can always get the iPhone 4G now.

2 years is time for an upgrade? I agree but I also think it depends on the specs of the phone and how the future OS uses the specs.
The iPhone 3G is closer to the Original iPhone, spec-wise.
I think a Dual Core A5 processor for the iPhone 5 should be able to last more than 2 years of upgrades, so further than iOS 7. Unless the future softwares are major processor suckers.

 

[wordoflife]

Even though your phone is pretty much unsupported now, its still a very versatile and useful phone ... even after 2.5 years.

Not bad, no?

 

[TopHatPlus]

Thanks for the feed back everyone, i was kind of foolish when i purchased my iphone because i did not do my research and 3 weeks after i singed my life away on the contract the 3 Gs came out... i was satisfied though, its held up well and still works!! haha so i will probably wait for the next gen and see what craziness apples unleashes on us =D

 

[Eric374]

You do realize that your 1.5 days of battery life would make every owner of an Android phone jealous, right? My wife has an Incredible with the 3500mah battery in it and it's lucky to make it 24 hours, and she isn't using any widgets.

 

[Sedrick]

So i have a Iphone 3G, i have had it about 2.5 years and i was not willing to spend $400 to upgrade tot he Iphone 4 although i was insanely impressed with every aspect of it....

After 2.5 years, where do you get that it will cost you $400 for an upgrade? It's going for $199 on a new contract. Come June it will be even cheaper. Not sure what you want.

 

[TopHatPlus]

After 2.5 years, where do you get that it will cost you $400 for an upgrade? It's going for $199 on a new contract. Come June it will be even cheaper. Not sure what you want.

i was looking at upgrading last fall when the iphone 4 was released, it was $400 with rogers for an upgrade, and a new 16 GB Iphone 4 to sign up was $169 + contract. This was around august-september last year


Androids are that bad? haha i have no issues with the charging, but more is always better =D

 

[rjohnstone]

You do realize that your 1.5 days of battery life would make every owner of an Android phone jealous, right? My wife has an Incredible with the 3500mah battery in it and it's lucky to make it 24 hours, and she isn't using any widgets.

There's either something terribly wrong with her phone or she's rocking the web non-stop all day long with Wifi and Bluetooth enabled.

I have an Atrix with the stock 1930 mAH battery. I'm running several widgets and my normal internet, email, phone call usage and get 2 full days out of it.

 

[No ice please]

There's either something terribly wrong with her phone or she's rocking the web non-stop all day long with Wifi and Bluetooth enabled.

I have an Atrix with the stock 1930 mAH battery. I'm running several widgets and my normal internet, email, phone call usage and get 2 full days out of it.

She most likely just has a ton of procceses running in the background, since Android's task managing isn't the best and niether is iOS.

 

[rjohnstone]

She most likely just has a ton of procceses running in the background, since Android's task managing isn't the best and niether is iOS.

True.
I have my Task Manager configured to auto-end a lot of apps when the screen sleeps.
Nearly doubled my battery life with this handy feature.

 

[tbobmccoy]

I still have an original iPhone in my family and honestly, it still works just fine. I'm starting to see that for most things a typical person uses an iPhone for, the upgrade timeline is really too short.

 

[Eric374]

She most likely just has a ton of procceses running in the background, since Android's task managing isn't the best and niether is iOS.

True.
I have my Task Manager configured to auto-end a lot of apps when the screen sleeps.
Nearly doubled my battery life with this handy feature.

Funny thing is, no she doesn't. The task killer is set just like rjohnstone has. I had the same problem with my Eris which is one of the reasons I now have an iPhone, and I don't have that problem anymore. We've shut hers down to the point that all she has running is the phone, messages, and facebook, and it still doesn't last much more than a day. I've been trying to get her to let me root it but she won't let me. I'm sure that rooting it would help but meh.

 

[Leet Apple]

my iPhone 3G has lasted me for 2 years now and its been great and on the last day of my warranty i had gotten a new one...so this one has been with me since June 26 2010 and will hopefully live to see the iPhone 5

 

[rwilliams]

2 years is time for an upgrade? I agree but I also think it depends on the specs of the phone and how the future OS uses the specs.
The iPhone 3G is closer to the Original iPhone, spec-wise.
I think a Dual Core A5 processor for the iPhone 5 should be able to last more than 2 years of upgrades, so further than iOS 7. Unless the future softwares are major processor suckers.

I would imagine that even the iPhone 4 will be just fine through iOS 6. It's going to take a lot to make this thing slow and unresponsive.

 

[kre62]

I can't believe people have put up with the 3G for this long. It's just a bad product. I ditched mine the second the 3GS came out.

But you 3G users do realize that you can still put 3.1.3 on your phones right? I just did it for a friend who was on 4.2.1 and it made a huge difference. His phone is way faster. You'll have to set it up as a new iPhone, but all you'll lose are your text messages and user data (Angry Birds will reset, you'll have to beat those levels again). But its well worth it for a functional phone.

 

[Leet Apple]

I can't believe people have put up with the 3G for this long. It's just a bad product. I ditched mine the second the 3GS came out.

But you 3G users do realize that you can still put 3.1.3 on your phones right? I just did it for a friend who was on 4.2.1 and it made a huge difference. His phone is way faster. You'll have to set it up as a new iPhone, but all you'll lose are your text messages and user data (Angry Birds will reset, you'll have to beat those levels again). But its well worth it for a functional phone.

I Reverted back to 3.1.3 an hour after using iOS 4

 

[Reach9]

I can't believe people have put up with the 3G for this long. It's just a bad product. I ditched mine the second the 3GS came out.

But you 3G users do realize that you can still put 3.1.3 on your phones right? I just did it for a friend who was on 4.2.1 and it made a huge difference. His phone is way faster. You'll have to set it up as a new iPhone, but all you'll lose are your text messages and user data (Angry Birds will reset, you'll have to beat those levels again). But its well worth it for a functional phone.

yes i tried that method and went back to 3.1.3, but i missed the local notifications and folders, so i came back to 4.2.1 and jailbroke it and used FakeClockUp to speed up my phone, and now it runs almost like it would in 3.1.3, it's usable until the iPhone 5 comes out.

 

[bklyn bruiser]

If ya haven't upgraded yet... Just wait a few more months for the "5". But Yes, the 3G has run it's course. I have had every iPhone since the original. And when I upgraded, I passed the other down to the wife or kids. At this point my 1.5 year old is using the 3G as an iPhone Touch. Loaded up with children learning games and apps for his age. Keeps him busy in car and doctors visits. . He loves it. So don't feel like your being crapped on. The 3G is still very useful for other things.

 

[AndrewR23]

I can't believe people have put up with the 3G for this long. It's just a bad product. I ditched mine the second the 3GS came out.

But you 3G users do realize that you can still put 3.1.3 on your phones right? I just did it for a friend who was on 4.2.1 and it made a huge difference. His phone is way faster. You'll have to set it up as a new iPhone, but all you'll lose are your text messages and user data (Angry Birds will reset, you'll have to beat those levels again). But its well worth it for a functional phone.

Wait, how do i put 3.1.3 on it ??? My 3G is running 4.2 or something. All I do is set up as a new phone and bam? its back to 3.1.3?

 

[kre62]

Wait, how do i put 3.1.3 on it ??? My 3G is running 4.2 or something. All I do is set up as a new phone and bam? its back to 3.1.3?

*One note, make sure you are syncing your contacts, notes, etc before doing this.

First, download 3.1.3 from here:

http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=750

Make sure you get the one for the 3G, not 3GS.

Then, download this program, tinyumbrella (just in case you get an error at the end of the restore):

http://thefirmwareumbrella.blogspot.com/

Now, with your phone connected, open iTunes. Hold Shift (if on Windows, Option if on mac) and click on "Restore". A dialog box will open, find and select the 3.1.3 software. The restore will now take place. Set up as a new iPhone when asked.

If you get an error at the end like "1013" or whatever, and iTunes saying the phone could not be restored, its just because of the baseband, but the software made it on no problem. Just open the TinyUmbrella program, select your phone, and click "Exit Recovery" The phone will restart and iTunes will pick it up as normal and you can set it up as a new iPhone from there. After that, just sync all your apps and contacts, etc, back to the phone and good to go.

 

[AndrewR23]

*One note, make sure you are syncing your contacts, notes, etc before doing this.

First, download 3.1.3 from here:

http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=750

Make sure you get the one for the 3G, not 3GS.

Then, download this program, tinyumbrella (just in case you get an error at the end of the restore):

http://thefirmwareumbrella.blogspot.com/

Now, with your phone connected, open iTunes. Hold Shift (if on Windows, Option if on mac) and click on "Restore". A dialog box will open, find and select the 3.1.3 software. The restore will now take place. Set up as a new iPhone when asked.

If you get an error at the end like "1013" or whatever, and iTunes saying the phone could not be restored, its just because of the baseband, but the software made it on no problem. Just open the TinyUmbrella program, select your phone, and click "Exit Recovery" The phone will restart and iTunes will pick it up as normal and you can set it up as a new iPhone from there. After that, just sync all your apps and contacts, etc, back to the phone and good to go.

okay so after the restore is done, i just use my last backup to put all my stuff back on?

 

[kre62]

okay so after the restore is done, i just use my last backup to put all my stuff back on?

.........No

You have to set it up as a new iPhone. You can not use your last backup. This has been pointed out. So you need to sync your contacts, etc, to the computer first, as well as make sure all your apps are backed up (right click the iphone in itunes and select "Transfer Purchases").

Once this is done, you will set it up as a new iPhone. Your contacts, apps, music, etc will all be synced back to the phone, but you will lose your text messages, user data, and any settings changes you made since stock. You will have to reenter your email account info.

You may also want to grab your pictures off the camera roll, if you dont have them synced already. You will lose those too. So just back them up on your hard drive.

All this is very worth it for a usable phone.