Is it worth buying an iphone?

[gardnerv]

Hey guys, i recently bought a 16gb iphone from the apple store, its coming on march 5th. I was wondering if you think it is worth it to switch to ATT ( i am currently on verizon). I have a couple questions to ask.

1. I have heard that the internet speed is terrible. I live in R.I. and does anyone know if there is data here? mostly i want to use it while in class.

2. If i receive it on march 5th and i ordered it today, will i be able to return it for the full 5 hundred dollars?

3. I can see on the apple website that all 3 plans have unlimited data, is that true? i can get unlimited data anywere in the country? ( i travel a lot )

Thanks a lot guys!

 

[sr5878]

Hey guys, i recently bought a 16gb iphone from the apple store, its coming on march 5th. I was wondering if you think it is worth it to switch to ATT ( i am currently on verizon). I have a couple questions to ask.

1. I have heard that the internet speed is terrible. I live in R.I. and does anyone know if there is data here? mostly i want to use it while in class.

2. If i receive it on march 5th and i ordered it today, will i be able to return it for the full 5 hundred dollars?

3. I can see on the apple website that all 3 plans have unlimited data, is that true? i can get unlimited data anywere in the country? ( i travel a lot )

Thanks a lot guys!

1: define terrible. check at&t's website for coverage areas... almost the whole northeast has data coverage.

2: yes, if unopened.

3: yes.

why didn't you do your homework before buying a five hundred dollar phone?

 

[bubba316]

Take it back and wait for 3G unless the school has wi-fi. EDGE is not usable as far as I'm concerned. Although if they have wi-fi you could just get an iPod Touch and keep your excellent Verizon service.

 

[powerbook911]

The phone will blow your socks off.

However, if you can't afford it, return it. Don't open the package (the iphone wrap you can open the outer shipping box) and you get every penny back. If you open it, they'll charge you $50 to take it back (unless you used amex and they'd refund the $50).

It's a great phone though. Edge isn't that bad. It's very useful still even with edge, for maps and some ocassional surfing. I use it almost everyday edge and safari, to look up something on wikipedia, and I use the maps everyday to look up phone numbers. You never have to pay 411 again.

However, if you decide to keep it, do yourself a favor!!! Run down to your local AT&T and open an account before you activate the iphone. Get a free phone from them to use as a backup or to sell, and then plug the iphone into itunes and replace the free/cheap phone. At the store just sign up for the $39.99 voice plan, and then when you change to activate the iphone on itunes it will just add the $20 unlimited data to it. This is really the way to go, and I've done it for everyone in my family. Why not get a free phone too?

 

[echeck]

why didn't you do your homework before buying a five hundred dollar phone

I agree, a $500 phone shouldn't be an impulse buy.

I got an iPhone today and I'm using it right now to type this message, it's excellent! I'm in love already!

I would keep it' but I'm definitely bias.

 

[TheQuestion]

Hey guys, i recently bought a 16gb iphone from the apple store, its coming on march 5th. I was wondering if you think it is worth it to switch to ATT ( i am currently on verizon). I have a couple questions to ask.

1. I have heard that the internet speed is terrible. I live in R.I. and does anyone know if there is data here? mostly i want to use it while in class.

2. If i receive it on march 5th and i ordered it today, will i be able to return it for the full 5 hundred dollars?

3. I can see on the apple website that all 3 plans have unlimited data, is that true? i can get unlimited data anywere in the country? ( i travel a lot )

Thanks a lot guys!

1. Edge is a mystery. I'm not an engineer or anything, but sometimes it seems I'll have 5 bars of service and Edge takes 30 seconds to load the Google mobile page. Sometimes I'll have 2 bars of service and in 30 seconds it loads the whole CNN page. No rhyme or reason. I try to stick to mobile pages, and I'm quite pleased with what it does it that arena.

2. Already stated, yes.

3. Also already stated, yes.

Despite some slow Edge experiences, I cannot imagine having any other phone after having owned mine for 3 months now. It is that amazing. Know further software development is just around the corner makes me even happier.

 

[gardnerv]

It wasn't an impulse buy. I thought i did my homework but then i saw all the reviews on this sight. I did have an ipod touch since release and sold an 8 gig for 300. I dont know if i can wait until the 3g phone comes out. Maybe you can replace the radio in the phone or something. Thanks for helpin me out,

 

[AppleFan360]

You will love the iPhone. Yes, the Edge network is slow but very usable. Serious web surfing is pretty much reserved for my iMac and Macbook but when I need to look up something real quick on Amazon or something, it's a great tool to have (Amazon has an awesome iPhone interface by the way).

If you want to wait for the 3G version, you can but you might be waiting a while. Also, there is no guarantee how well the 3G version will work. It uses a lot of battery power. The the battery life on the current iPhone is great and usually last me a couple days on one charge. We also don't know the price tag on the 3G phone. It could be quite expensive.

The total cost of your plan should be $59.99 (plus tax) and that includes data. I use my iPhone daily for checking e-mail, traffic conditions, weather etc. Very handy thing to have around and well worth the money in my opinion.

 

[sr5878]

It wasn't an impulse buy.

what do reviews have to do with data coverage, returns, and data plans?


i called at&t, even as an existing customer, at least 10 times to make sure i knew absolutely everything about the phone and plans. granted, it was right when they were about to allow business customers to use the phone so i kept calling to see which rep would finally spill the beans but you see my point.

as far as edge goes, i do want 3g or national wifi. i can live with edge. it has only failed me once or twice, one of which because i was on a call and couldn't help my girlfriend get directions while she was lost. all i did was hang up, get the map, and call her back.

until 3g comes out (and i could have, but refused to wait) edge is better than nothing, so when it fails i just remember that a month ago i didn't even have edge at all and i still managed to survive 19 years without it.

 

[ert3]

Take it back and wait for 3G unless the school has wi-fi. EDGE is not usable as far as I'm concerned. Although if they have wi-fi you could just get an iPod Touch and keep your excellent Verizon service.

Really.

Have you used a 3G phone, have you even used an iPhone?

Have you used the verizon 3G network like the AT&T 3G network.

I have tried all three and I like my iPhone better (YES I TRIED THE VOYAGER BEFORE YOU ASK).

 

[LordOmega]

I plan on buying an Iphone as well and whole heartedly think you should keep yours once you get it. The only reason I havent bought one is that I'm waiting to see how soon apple plans to release the 3g version and if that might result in a price drop/ discontinuation of the 8gb. Also I'd like to see which way they go with the SDK as well.

P.S. This is my first post on here! YAY ME!!

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

I plan on buying an Iphone as well and whole heartedly think you should keep yours once you get it. The only reason I havent bought one is that I'm waiting to see how soon apple plans to release the 3g version and if that might result in a price drop/ discontinuation of the 8gb. Also I'd like to see which way they go with the SDK as well.

P.S. This is my first post on here! YAY ME!!

Welcome!

I'm guessing there'll be a price drop, but until they release the 32 gig model I doubt they'll quit production on the 8 gig. In my opinion (and I'm sure a good percentage of everybody else here will agree), waiting is for the birds. The EDGE network is definitely sufficient for the amount of web surfing an average person is going to do on a phone. As for the amount of storage, I have about 10 gigs of music in my library and there's a good portion that I rarely listen to. So the eight gigs is sufficient for me as well. I also rarely use the iPod on my phone since the only time I really listen to my music is while driving and I have my iPod in my car.

I'm not saying this makes it sufficient for you in any sense. But hopefully it'll help change your mind and you'll thank me when you get and start enjoying your iPhone sooner!

 

[flyfish29]

P.S. This is my first post on here! YAY ME!!

Welcome to MacRumors!

I am thinking of getting an iPhone, but not sure how my coverage will be in southern NH. (I will have to start a thread to see if anyone has one in southern NH I guess.) There is quite a bit of coverage here on the map, but much is "out of network" I think and I don't want to pay roaming charges for either the data or phone time.

 

[NiceArthur32]

thanks

thank you very much for your guys' input...

my verizon contract just ended...

now i'm gonna make my way to the apple store and get me a 16 gig iphone..

i was gonna hold out to see if a 3g model came out in june...

but "waiting is for the birds"...

so, i should go to an ATT store and get a free phone then sell it? and i could sell my verizon phone too! and make some money to go to my "Vaja" case for my new iphone...

you guys rock!

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Don't forget to stop in and tell us how you like it!

 

[gardnerv]

I think after i get the iphone i will wait to see if anything new comes out for a while. AAAA, i cant stop looking at my fedex tracking page!

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Wow.... You've got a lot more patience than I do. I can't order things online. Last time I did that was with my GPS and I ended up going out to Best Buy and buying another one before I got the one I ordered and then returning the one I got in the mail.

 

[miTunes75]

Does Cingular/ATT allow you to upgrade your phone to an iPhone when the contract is due for renewal? Of course there would be some money out of pocket for that...but hopefully not a full $399?

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Does Cingular/ATT allow you to upgrade your phone to an iPhone when the contract is due for renewal? Of course there would be some money out of pocket for that...but hopefully not a full $399?

That's a negative. iPhone plans are a completely different kind of plan and therefore require a completely new contract. And I believe the $400 price tag is something imposed by Apple rather than AT&T and is therefore unchangable. They offer no discounts even on a brand new contract.

 

[miTunes75]

I'm wondering if it's worth it for me. Currently my blue ipod mini (1st gen) is shot. The battery is GONE! It has to be powered up to play. Menu freezes more often than not. I know it's time for a new ipod b/c it's 3 years old. Poor thing is used ALL the time. My phone...sux. It drops calls like crazy with all bars. When you dial, sometimes it will just dial and not go anywhere which will require me to shut it off and turn it back on again in order to dial.

The iphone is attractive but is it worth all the xtra stuff? It would be nice to get to my work email via webmail at all times...I'm always getting an email in regards to something. We're taking a vacation in november (1st one ever) and it would be nice to have the gps thing goin w/google maps. It would be cool that I would be able to buy a song when I want it besides waiting to get home to do it.

I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to get the iphone or get an "upgrade" phone when contract ends in April and get an ipod classic.

Suggestions?

 

[Kwill]

Hey guys, i recently bought a 16gb iphone from the apple store, its coming on march 5th. I was wondering if you think it is worth it to switch to ATT ( i am currently on verizon). I have a couple questions to ask.

1. I have heard that the internet speed is terrible...

2. Will i be able to return it for the full 5 hundred dollars?

3. I can get unlimited data anywere in the country? ( i travel a lot )

I have the 16GB model too -- traded in my 8GB within the 14-day return window and paid 10 percent stocking fee. Why? Because the iPhone is great! Because the interface is software, which allows for continual modifications and improvements. Because resident applications are coming. Because I can fit my favorite movies, songs, and podcasts. I can definitely see this lasting through the duration of my service contract.

Here are a "couple" of answers:

1. Internet speed is "terrible" when there are no nearby cell towers. 3G wouldn't help in the same situation. Edge is acceptable in cities where towers are plentiful. Many designers design Web pages with the assumption that visitors have plenty of RAM and current multi-processor CPUs (Macworld.com is a hog). Other sites, like MacNN.com (what's cool here is the site automatically detects iPhones and directs it to the mobile version of the site), iPhoneAtlas.com, iPhone.FoxNews.com, and Britannica are examples of low-bandwidth sites for the iPhone. Many more links available on Apple Web site.

2. Yes, if you do not open the box. Otherwise there is a 10 percent fee if returned within 14 days. What you purchase now will most certainly be upgraded within the next six months or so. When the SDK is released, developers will be authoring applications for the vast installed customer base -- not just the new models released later this year.

3. Data is included but "data" is separate from (SMS) text messaging. Two hundred text messages are included (25 cents each over plan limit). Or you can upgrade your monthly fee for more messages. And, yes, AT&T is a nationwide company. Long distance calls within the country are included, as are "data" or Web/e-mail access.

 

[coachingguy]

I've had my iPhone for 2 weeks now, greatest piece of hardware I've ever used. I live in Northern Minnesota and the Edge is acceptable. Better than the dial-up connection I used a few years ago to get online. I got the 16 gig and have not had one second of Buyers Remorse. I can't believe all the ways I use it. I've been a tech freak for years, and this is the first thing I've bought that I haven't said "Geez, I wish this did/had this..."

I suggest you open it, activate and move on. You'll be glad you did. We'll be seeing new applications for the iPhone soon and that will only improve the iPhone.

Coachingguy

 

[Kwill]

I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to get the iphone or get an "upgrade" phone when contract ends in April and get an ipod classic.

If you can afford an iPhone, you'll be in love. There are so many cool things that can be done with it -- beyond an iPod!

With RemoteBuddy, the iPhone becomes a powerful remote control for your Mac -- change songs, open or print files, or even snap a picture from across the room or anywhere you have an Edge/WiFi connection. In my automobile, with Bluetooth on, the iPhone instantly pairs and allows handsfree dialing and communication (not available in all cars). Having e-mail and Internet applications at your fingertips is amazing. And the authorized third-party resident applications aren't even here yet.

Of course, if you can't afford an iPhone, you can get a free "upgrade" phone available at the AT&T Mobility store. If you can wait on your iPod, there is no extra charge to later upgrade to the latest iPhone from your April "upgrade" phone. IMHO, you are better off dealing with an AT&T store than an Apple Store. The former can do things like wave the $30 activation fee.

 

[Kwill]

Does Cingular/ATT allow you to upgrade your phone to an iPhone when the contract is due for renewal? Of course there would be some money out of pocket for that...but hopefully not a full $399?

Since the iPhone is not subsidized, the price is fixed, as set by Apple. It cannot be selected as an "upgrade" phone. However, you can purchase a new iPhone at any time during without extending the contract period -- keeping in mind that AT&T is the only authorized carrier anyway.

 

[longball11]

Is it better than the voyager? Better than every Verizon phone?