iPhone 3GS Life Cycle?

[LucasG]

I live in Costa Rica currently, and it's kinda expensive to get your hands on a factory unlocked iPhone, even those unlocked through software (which I never will, jailbreaking to unlock my phone and having to use crappy outdated versions of iOS is not on my dev list). So I was wondering... I might be able to get my hands on an iPhone 3GS 32GB factory unlocked for $690 (yes, it is expensive, but there isn't much else here), what's the life expectancy left for the iPhone 3GS and future iOS updates? Will it be at least 2 more years? I was hoping on buying an iPhone 3GS and then in the future, maybe the next iPhone revision upgrading it.

Any comments? Please be nice.

Thanks!

 

[Intell]

The iPhone 3Gs will be able to run iOS 3, 4, and 5. It is not likely that it will be able to run version 6.

 

[tonyunreal]

If you mean warranty, iPhone 3GS is perfectly fine for another 2 years. In fact, I just signed myself a 2-year contract for an 8gb iPhone 3GS, it cost me $810 up-front(and another $69 for Applecare), but no additional fee later.

However don't expect future iOS versions to be working fine on it, a year from now you would be in the situation where current iPhone 3G users are in, AKA "no new features for you and the performance will suck bad".

4.2 GM runs flawlessly on my iPhone 3GS btw, contrary to the sluggish 4.0.1 and 4.1, battery life seems to be improved a lot too.

 

[LucasG]

If you mean warranty, iPhone 3GS is perfectly fine for another 2 years. In fact, I just signed myself a 2-year contract for an 8gb iPhone 3GS, it cost me $810 up-front(and another $69 for Applecare), but no additional fee later.

However don't expect future iOS versions to be working fine on it, a year from now you would be in the situation where current iPhone 3G users are in, AKA "no new features for you and the performance will suck bad".

4.2 GM runs flawlessly on my iPhone 3GS btw, contrary to the sluggish 4.0.1 and 4.1, battery life seems to be improved a lot too.

Awesome, as soon as I sell my HTC Google Nexus One I might just go ahead and buy the iPhone 3GS locally instead of trying to do all the crazy plan of bringing an iPhone 4 from Canada.