Is it worth getting an iPhone 4S after Xmas?

[lomby]

Just got mine for Christmas, couldn't be happier. Think of all the times you will be using during the summer for getting together with people, taking pictures by the pool, etc. You would have it for months, and then if you really want the iPhone 5, sell the 4S and pay a little extra for an early upgrade or break contract.

ok, im 16 so i won't be breaking any contracts, i don't mind being with the same phone for 2 years, its the least of my worries. It is summer here in Australia and i go to Bondi Beach many times a month so that will be a plus.

But do you think it is the right time to buy a 4S on a contract? like is it not too late?

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For those who are looking at the signature, i share these with my brother and i am very appreciative of it all and I'm grateful for the opportunities i have received.

 

[-aggie-]

Perfect!
I REALLY wish people could think more before buy things without needing them. The consumer society is killing the planet - and our children...

Wow!

OP, I’d wait for the iPhone 5. Rumors are it’s going to be a considerable upgrade.

 

[lomby]

what do you need when you sign up for a contract? like id and money? is there anything else?

 

[pilot1226]

I would say pick what's best for your needs. As an example, I'm on a 2-year-old Blackberry Curve on Sprint that's certainly seen better days. I can't really browse the web because it takes forever to render pages. Likewise, I think my camera's only 2MP.

So, if I were to purchase a 4S I could eliminate carrying my point-and-shoot camera for 99% of things I'd take a picture of, and I'd also be able to consolidate my iTunes library onto my 4S. (My BB space is only 2GB...)

For someone like me upgrading from an archaic paperweight, it could be worth it, despite the "4G LTE" support rumored in the future.

While it may not be the newest and shiniest iPhone on the market, I'm nearly certain that if you purchased a 4S it would last you until your next eligible upgrade in 24 months.

 

[OmegaTreeFish]

Just get the 4s. It's incredibly fast and a pretty all round awesome phone. Waiting for the latest and greatest is a futile task when it comes to technology.

Look at how it currently works. The iPhone 4s has twice the CPU power and 7 times the graphics power of the iPhone 4. Despite this there is hardly anything you can get app wise that doesn't work just great on the 4 and most are still great on the 3GS.

Most people don't have the latest model so it's fairly pointless developing apps for only that model. If you get the 4s now. By the time the 5s (or what ever the model 2 years away is called) comes about your phone might be starting to struggle but not in an unusable way. You can then get a 5s.

If you wait till the 5 then don't upgrade till the 6 you will be in the same situation but just 8 months later.

If a new model was out in a month or two then sure. Wait. But it's ages away. In my opinion it's not worth the wait.

 

[lomby]

I would say pick what's best for your needs. As an example, I'm on a 2-year-old Blackberry Curve on Sprint that's certainly seen better days. I can't really browse the web because it takes forever to render pages. Likewise, I think my camera's only 2MP.

So, if I were to purchase a 4S I could eliminate carrying my point-and-shoot camera for 99% of things I'd take a picture of, and I'd also be able to consolidate my iTunes library onto my 4S. (My BB space is only 2GB...)

For someone like me upgrading from an archaic paperweight, it could be worth it, despite the "4G LTE" support rumored in the future.

While it may not be the newest and shiniest iPhone on the market, I'm nearly certain that if you purchased a 4S it would last you until your next eligible upgrade in 24 months.

you both make a valid point! but what do you need to sign up a contract? Btw I'm in Australia and we don't have 4g nor do i really care but i don't mind

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Just get the 4s. It's incredibly fast and a pretty all round awesome phone. Waiting for the latest and greatest is a futile task when it comes to technology.

Look at how it currently works. The iPhone 4s has twice the CPU power and 7 times the graphics power of the iPhone 4. Despite this there is hardly anything you can get app wise that doesn't work just great on the 4 and most are still great on the 3GS.

Most people don't have the latest model so it's fairly pointless developing apps for only that model. If you get the 4s now. By the time the 5s (or what ever the model 2 years away is called) comes about your phone might be starting to struggle but not in an unusable way. You can then get a 5s.

If you wait till the 5 then don't upgrade till the 6 you will be in the s
ame situation but just 8 months later.

If a new model was out in a month or two then sure. Wait. But it's ages away. In my opinion it's not worth the wait.

but what do you need to sign on a contract?

 

[pilot1226]

you both make a valid point! but what do you need to sign up a contract? Btw I'm in Australia and we don't have 4g nor do i really care but i don't mind

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but what do you need to sign on a contract?

Hi. Typically in the US, you'll need an adult (18 years or older) to sign the contract because minors can't sign binding legal documents. This may be different for you, so I'd call the carrier you're interested in service with and ask them what you need.

As for the contract, I know the US Carriers like AT&T, Verizon, etc. offer a subsidized pricing in exchange for a contract. For example, I can get the unlocked iPhone 4S from the Apple Store for $649, or I can buy it through a carrier like AT&T for $199, but then I am under contract for 24 months. If I cancel early, I pay a prorated early termination fee that basically represents the difference in price. But, in the US, the domestic carriers are locked. In other words, if I sign up for a contract with AT&T and I choose to cancel with them, I can't use that phone on any other carrier but AT&T. So, cancelling is kind of pointless if you want to continue using the existing phone. Unless you wanted to cancel and restart service to get an upgrade, I guess.

In other parts of the world, people pay different monthly cell phone RATES because of contracts or not. In the USA, this doesn't seem so. My rate plan will be, say for example, $100 per month for talk, data, and text, regardless of whether or not I have a contract.

In Europe, I've seen a few posts about how people have a cheaper month-to-month bill if they are not under contract. So, figure out what works best for you and go for it.

I'm probably going to cancel my Sprint service and get AT&T service with an iPhone 4S after the holidays... it's worth my $50 ETF. Although I'll be giving up unlimited data, at least I can actually USE my data now!

 

[lomby]

Hi. Typically in the US, you'll need an adult (18 years or older) to sign the contract because minors can't sign binding legal documents. This may be different for you, so I'd call the carrier you're interested in service with and ask them what you need.

As for the contract, I know the US Carriers like AT&T, Verizon, etc. offer a subsidized pricing in exchange for a contract. For example, I can get the unlocked iPhone 4S from the Apple Store for $649, or I can buy it through a carrier like AT&T for $199, but then I am under contract for 24 months. If I cancel early, I pay a prorated early termination fee that basically represents the difference in price. But, in the US, the domestic carriers are locked. In other words, if I sign up for a contract with AT&T and I choose to cancel with them, I can't use that phone on any other carrier but AT&T. So, cancelling is kind of pointless if you want to continue using the existing phone. Unless you wanted to cancel and restart service to get an upgrade, I guess.

In other parts of the world, people pay different monthly cell phone RATES because of contracts or not. In the USA, this doesn't seem so. My rate plan will be, say for example, $100 per month for talk, data, and text, regardless of whether or not I have a contract.

In Europe, I've seen a few posts about how people have a cheaper month-to-month bill if they are not under contract. So, figure out what works best for you and go for it.

I'm probably going to cancel my Sprint service and get AT&T service with an iPhone 4S after the holidays... it's worth my $50 ETF. Although I'll be giving up unlimited data, at least I can actually USE my data now!

I think your right, ill just bring one of my parents in.

in Australia, iphone 4S's start at $799 and go up so it is cheaper to get it on a contract, the one that i wanted to go on is $59 with 3Gb of internet and $700 worth of calls and unlimited texting to anyone.

$100 seems to steep for a cap, but in Oz data plans are not required for smartphones. so thats a good thing. Month to month is really good in australia, but i need a cap just so i always have credit because then i won't be bothered to go to the shops due to other commitments.

Ive never used sprint, At&t or verizon but i think you should cancel sprint because their internet service sounds crap :S

 

[drenline]

Buy a factory unlocked 4S, then when the 5 comes around, you can get that too without early termination fee.

 

[lordofthereef]

My honest opinion? Get a used 4 (for about what you'd pay on contract for a new 4S) and then just get the new iPhone when it comes out. This upgrade wasn't big enough for me. Photos/Video are nice, but I don't use them enough. Siri is cool, but currently very limited. Speed increase is fine, but it's not a crazy enough difference. If games utilized the extra power under the hood that would be one thing, but they likely won't because they don't want to alienate legacy users. Shaving off a fraction of a second from your app load times just isn't doing it for me.

 

[Badrottie]

I voted to wait for an iP5 but I realized you have age old phone so I think you should get it NOW!!

I realized an iP4s is much same as an iP4 except for dual core goodness I decided to get an iP4s…a huge upgrade from 3GS I do not want to wait for another months to get an iP5!!

 

[lomby]

I voted to wait for an iP5 but I realized you have age old phone so I think you should get it NOW!!

I realized an iP4s is much same as an iP4 except for dual core goodness I decided to get an iP4s…a huge upgrade from 3GS I do not want to wait for another months to get an iP5!!

I've decided to get a IP4S on the 27th because that is the earliest i can get it.

WHat colour do you have iif i may ask. Im not to fussed but i have a white iPod touch and iPad but i have had black ones, and i don't mind either....

 

[lordofthereef]

I've decided to get a IP4S on the 27th because that is the earliest i can get it.

WHat colour do you have iif i may ask. Im not to fussed but i have a white iPod touch and iPad but i have had black ones, and i don't mind either....

Color is going to be more subjective than any of the other questions you asked. I have heard people say the white gets "dirty". To those, I have a newsflash. The black is getting dirty too, you just can't see it as well. Answer? Clean your damn phone. I don't wear a black shirt and black pants because I don't want to keep them clean. Same goes for my phone...

 

[Reach9]

Question: Do you want to wait until next October? No? then buy the 4S. Yes? Then wait.

 

[lomby]

Color is going to be more subjective than any of the other questions you asked. I have heard people say the white gets "dirty". To those, I have a newsflash. The black is getting dirty too, you just can't see it as well. Answer? Clean your damn phone. I don't wear a black shirt and black pants because I don't want to keep them clean. Same goes for my phone...

OH THANK YOU! NO JOKE YOUR ONE OF THE VERY FEW PEOPLE WHO THINK LIKE I DO! i like the black, hate the finger prints...... i love the white but i have no cons for it.... yet. so that is my likely choice

Can i hear anyone else's opinion?

 

[lomby]

OH THANK YOU! NO JOKE YOUR ONE OF THE VERY FEW PEOPLE WHO THINK LIKE I DO! i like the black, hate the finger prints...... i love the white but i have no cons for it.... yet. so that is my likely choice

Can i hear anyone else's opinion?

im confused more then ever about the colour....

 

[bgtrack]

Go for the 4S there will always be something new...it isn't worth waiting for it.

 

[VulchR]

@OP: There is one thing to consider - what types of phones do your family members have? My family is evenly split between BlackBerry and iPhone. We can communicate with each other by phone, text, e-mail and apps like Skype, WhatsApp etc. However, it'd be a little less complicated if we were all on the same OS, and we'd be able to use all of the OS specific features (e.g., iOS's friend-finding feature).

in any case I have the Black 4S and I am very satisfied with it, but then again I were black trousers to hide all the dirt... it saves on laundry.

 

[Badrottie]

I've decided to get a IP4S on the 27th because that is the earliest i can get it.

WHat colour do you have iif i may ask. Im not to fussed but i have a white iPod touch and iPad but i have had black ones, and i don't mind either....

The rule of true color is:
Black is for any male who think they are macho
White is good for any female or gay people.

I pick black because I am a male!

 

[JoJoCal19]

I just pulled the trigger on a 4S. And you know what, I'll get the iPhone "5" whether it drops in June or October. Tired of waiting for stuff on the hopes that "x" will happen. Instead of getting the iPhone 4S on launch I waited and waited and waited some more for the Galaxy Nexus. Well when Verizon FINALLY launched it two months after the 4S I picked it up and I just returned it today and ordered the 4S. ICS is amazing but the Galaxy Nexus hardware didn't satisfy me enough to justify the $300 investment. The camera is a huge letdown. So I learned my lesson and will not wait.

 

[oklaonion]

Just upgraded from a 3GS to a 4S and I'm loving every second of my decision. Thing is, you have no idea what Apple is going to do - what or when. Might as well get what you know you'll like.

 

[pilot1226]

Just upgraded from a 3GS to a 4S and I'm loving every second of my decision. Thing is, you have no idea what Apple is going to do - what or when. Might as well get what you know you'll like.

isn't that the truth!

 

[andyACEcandy]

I just got my iphone 4s yesterday and signed up for 2 more years with Sprint. I Wasn't eligible for upgrade until October 2012, but they had a promo going that allowed you to upgrade early... some end of year promo.

I was originally going to suck it up with my HTC Evo until iphone 5 but decided I couldn't wait. The Evo battery life is atrocious (to me the iphone battery so far is lightyears ahead) and I was just tired of having Android for the last 3 years.

I will say though, I've had Sprint for many years... and the last 3 years I've successfully upgraded my phone at each year. First 2 were with Sprint Premier where you only had to wait a year before upgrading. This last one was some end of year promo.

So, let's hope I keep riding this magic until next year with the iphone 5! Even if I don't, selling phones is fairly easy and these iphones have great resell value.

Typically, you can find an iphone for $400-$500 on craigslist if youre not eligible for upgrade. Sell your current phone for $100-$200 (I sold my HTC Evo for $100 and this thing is many years old)... and it's not THAT bad of a purchase.