Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Moving from "non-S" to "S" upgrade cycle

S

sdilley14

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
1,242
201
Mesa, AZ
Right now I am in the "non-S" upgrade cycle every two years - went from the IP4 to the IP5, and now I'm eligible to upgrade to the IP6/+ on December 29.

The more I think about it, the more I'm considering holding off and waiting until next product cycle to upgrade (assuming the 6s comes out Sept. 2015). By the time December 28th comes around I will have waited 3.5 months from product launch date to my upgrade date. I've already waited this long...why not wait another 8.5 months and get the "S" version?

I know you can play this "should I upgrade now or should I wait" game with every product, every year. This time around I'm just a little less compelled to upgrade. Going from the 4 to the 5 was a huge jump for me - the 5 was MUCH faster, and I personally liked the design of the 5 a lot better.

After playing around with the 6 and 6+ in the store...I'm just not that psyched to upgrade right away. Don't get me wrong - they look great, they're fast, the screens are excellent. But I don't have a huge desire to upgrade to a device as big as the 6+. And the 6, while it would be a nice upgrade...just didn't do a lot for me. I really love the look of my black/slate iPhone 5. And the closest offering to that now is the "Space Grey". Also, my 5 still performs nicely - no speed issues or anything like that. In a nutshell, messing around with the 6/6+ just felt like "more of the same" I guess.

So I'm thinking, why not wait until the 6s comes out and get on that upgrade cycle? That way I'll always have the fastest version of the most recent iPhone body design that is available. Also, I've never been a fan of buying "1st gen" products. The "S" versions always feel like the "completed" version of the originally released phone.

However, my current IP5 could use an upgrade soon. The battery is weak, it doesn't like taking a charge from certain chargers without a little "fiddling", and there are a few small cracks on the back top/bottom glass pieces. I'm thinking of just buying a lightly used 5s.

Has anyone else followed this train of thought and gone from being an "original release" to "S release" upgrader?
 
Same here, my friend. I'm currently using my 5, and I've been upgrade eligible on AT&T since September this year. I did just get a Verizon iPad Air over summer, so that is probably what is holding me down, but nothing with the 6/plus has the "wow" factor that I'm oozing over. Still a nice phone though.
 
sdilley14 said:
Right now I am in the "non-S" upgrade cycle every two years - went from the IP4 to the IP5, and now I'm eligible to upgrade to the IP6/+ on December 29.

The more I think about it, the more I'm considering holding off and waiting until next product cycle to upgrade (assuming the 6s comes out Sept. 2015). By the time December 28th comes around I will have waited 3.5 months from product launch date to my upgrade date. I've already waited this long...why not wait another 8.5 months and get the "S" version?

I know you can play this "should I upgrade now or should I wait" game with every product, every year. This time around I'm just a little less compelled to upgrade. Going from the 4 to the 5 was a huge jump for me - the 5 was MUCH faster, and I personally liked the design of the 5 a lot better.

After playing around with the 6 and 6+ in the store...I'm just not that psyched to upgrade right away. Don't get me wrong - they look great, they're fast, the screens are excellent. But I don't have a huge desire to upgrade to a device as big as the 6+. And the 6, while it would be a nice upgrade...just didn't do a lot for me. I really love the look of my black/slate iPhone 5. And the closest offering to that now is the "Space Grey". Also, my 5 still performs nicely - no speed issues or anything like that. In a nutshell, messing around with the 6/6+ just felt like "more of the same" I guess.

So I'm thinking, why not wait until the 6s comes out and get on that upgrade cycle? That way I'll always have the fastest version of the most recent iPhone body design that is available. Also, I've never been a fan of buying "1st gen" products. The "S" versions always feel like the "completed" version of the originally released phone.

However, my current IP5 could use an upgrade soon. The battery is weak, it doesn't like taking a charge from certain chargers without a little "fiddling", and there are a few small cracks on the back top/bottom glass pieces. I'm thinking of just buying a lightly used 5s.

Has anyone else followed this train of thought and gone from being an "original release" to "S release" upgrader?
Click to expand...


The increase in screen size was enough for me to upgrade from the 5S to the 6. I hated that narrow little screen. Do what's best for you.
 
I am on the every release cycle :p Seriously, I don't understand people who wait 2 years, it ends up costing roughly the same if you sell your 1 year old phone to fund the new phone each year. After 2 years, the phone is almost worth nothing. I sold my 5S for $455.00, my 5 for $575.00, my 4S for $550.00. You get the point.
 
I had the iPhone 5. It is such a great phone and still runs so well that I was tempted to just keep it for a third year. But I couldn't resist the iPhone 6 Plus, the screen size and 1080p display was calling my name. So I upgraded, but I am still keeping the iPhone 5 as a development test device.
 
I'm on the "non-S" cycle and plan to upgrade early to the "S" model in 2015. My 6 Plus is OK but it needs a proper CPU/GPU upgrade and 2GB RAM is a MUST.
 
Just keep in mind that with the 6S, you may have to wait a while for it to become available after release. Even now, many stores don't carry every size and color for the 6 and 6+.
 
nikhsub1 said:
I am on the every release cycle :p Seriously, I don't understand people who wait 2 years, it ends up costing roughly the same if you sell your 1 year old phone to fund the new phone each year. After 2 years, the phone is almost worth nothing. I sold my 5S for $455.00, my 5 for $575.00, my 4S for $550.00. You get the point.
Click to expand...


I beg to differ on the worth nothing part. I sold my 2 year old 32 gig iPhone 5 for $350. I would not call that almost worth nothing.
 
The S cycle can be nice.

- The form factor is perfected, since it has been manufactured for over a year already.

- You have a huge selection of cases and accessories right off the bat, since the form factor has been out for a year now.

On the other hand:

- In a year when the new form factor comes out, you might yearn for the physical improvements it has. For example I bet 5S owners are yearning for the bigger screen right now.

As with anything in life, it's a trade-off. :)
 
nikhsub1 said:
I am on the every release cycle :p Seriously, I don't understand people who wait 2 years, it ends up costing roughly the same if you sell your 1 year old phone to fund the new phone each year. After 2 years, the phone is almost worth nothing. I sold my 5S for $455.00, my 5 for $575.00, my 4S for $550.00. You get the point.
Click to expand...

I usually do the same - sell my phone for about $200 to offset the cost of the new phone w/new contract (I always go for the low end $199 phones).

Maybe I'll try selling "mid contract" next time and see if I can get enough to make an "off contract, outright" purchase make sense.

----------
zorinlynx said:
The S cycle can be nice.

- The form factor is perfected, since it has been manufactured for over a year already.

- You have a huge selection of cases and accessories right off the bat, since the form factor has been out for a year now.

On the other hand:

- In a year when the new form factor comes out, you might yearn for the physical improvements it has. For example I bet 5S owners are yearning for the bigger screen right now.

As with anything in life, it's a trade-off. :)
Click to expand...

This is, indeed, the struggle, lol. :)

----------
JayLenochiniMac said:
If you're not tempted after playing around with the 6/6+, yes do wait.
Click to expand...

That was my gut reaction. I messed around with both the 6/6+, and just didn't get that "ahhh, I gotta have this!" type feeling I've gotten in the past with other devices.

My biggest reason for upgrading devices would be to get away from my IP5 that has a weak battery and can be picky about taking a charge (I usally have to plug it in and move the connector around a little bit for it to "take" a charge - kind of annoying). If THAT is my reason for upgrading and not the feeling of *really* wanting that new device, why not just sell my 5 and get what I can for it and get a cheap 5s off contract and wait for the 6s? :) Plus I think it would be kind of fun to finally be able to participate in a product launch rather than waiting 2-3 months after the phone comes out.
 
Having had the 5S and now the 6, I think I'll stay on the non-S cycle for a bit. I don't think the 6S will steer me away. I don't really like the design of the 6 so I'm excited for the 7 in two years.
 
The s is usually just faster.

The non s is always a new design!

I know which I would rather have new!
 
sdilley14 said:
Right now I am in the "non-S" upgrade cycle every two years - went from the IP4 to the IP5, and now I'm eligible to upgrade to the IP6/+ on December 29.

The more I think about it, the more I'm considering holding off and waiting until next product cycle to upgrade (assuming the 6s comes out Sept. 2015).
Click to expand...

I did something similar a few years back, when I went directly from the 3GS to the 5.

More recently I went from the 5 to the 6 and I definitely don't regret that. It's a huge upgrade - mostly for the screen size, but also for the Touch ID.

Also, I've never been a fan of buying "1st gen" products. The "S" versions always feel like the "completed" version of the originally released phone.
Click to expand...

Neither the 5 or the 6 ever felt like 1st-gen products to me. After using my 6 for a couple of months, the only thing that bugs me about it is the position of the power button. Always hitting it accidentally when using the volume/camera buttons, which is a frustrating design flaw for me. If they can do something about that in the 6s, then it'll be worth waiting for!

However, my current IP5 could use an upgrade soon. The battery is weak, it doesn't like taking a charge from certain chargers without a little "fiddling", and there are a few small cracks on the back top/bottom glass pieces.
Click to expand...

Check if you are eligible for the iPhone 5 battery replacement program. Mine was, and it seemed better than new after Apple swapped the battery for free. My girlfriend has my old 5 now, after she cracked the screen on her 5c.

https://www.apple.com/support/iphone5-battery/

Also check that the lightning port is completely free of fluff/dirt/dust. This will cause the unreliable charging that you mentioned. If it's not that, it's probably your cable that is faulty.
 
Reason077 said:
I did something similar a few years back, when I went directly from the 3GS to the 5.

More recently I went from the 5 to the 6 and I definitely don't regret that. It's a huge upgrade - mostly for the screen size, but also for the Touch ID.



Neither the 5 or the 6 ever felt like 1st-gen products to me. After using my 6 for a couple of months, the only thing that bugs me about it is the position of the power button. Always hitting it accidentally when using the volume/camera buttons, which is a frustrating design flaw for me. If they can do something about that in the 6s, then it'll be worth waiting for!



Check if you are eligible for the iPhone 5 battery replacement program. Mine was, and it seemed better than new after Apple swapped the battery for free. My girlfriend has my old 5 now, after she cracked the screen on her 5c.

https://www.apple.com/support/iphone5-battery/

Also check that the lightning port is completely free of fluff/dirt/dust. This will cause the unreliable charging that you mentioned. If it's not that, it's probably your cable that is faulty.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input!
 
Reason077 said:
Also check that the lightning port is completely free of fluff/dirt/dust. This will cause the unreliable charging that you mentioned. If it's not that, it's probably your cable that is faulty.
Click to expand...

Also, check that the lightning connector (on the iPhone) isn't loose. Mine was loose and wouldn't take a charge without a little fiddling so I made a Genius appointment and all they did was tighten it up. Now works perfectly.
 
I was on a 2 year cycle starting with the non-S version and I considered moving to an S cycle because I just received a brand new iPhone 5 from the last remaining days of my AppleCare+

Then I thought about it and the major redesigns come in the non-S cycle so every time a major new iPhone is released, I'd have to wait a year to get the new design. During that year, I'd have an obsolete looking iPhone. The S cycle improves on the foundation set by the non-S version, but it's still a very similar phone.

The non-S cycle allows you to have a current iPhone generation for 2 years, even if you miss out on one year of the improvements in the S version. I'll stick to the non-S cycle. Just got my iPhone 6 Plus 128GB today :)
 
zorinlynx said:
The S cycle can be nice.

- The form factor is perfected, since it has been manufactured for over a year already.

- You have a huge selection of cases and accessories right off the bat, since the form factor has been out for a year now.

On the other hand:

- In a year when the new form factor comes out, you might yearn for the physical improvements it has. For example I bet 5S owners are yearning for the bigger screen right now.

As with anything in life, it's a trade-off. :)
Click to expand...

That's the dilemma. The 4S was way better than the 4, but I wouldn't have wanted to wait through that year to go to the 4S. The 5->5S differences were IMO a little less compelling, but the 5S was (is) still a nicer phone. Well, in the end...it's only money??? :eek: :D
 
I started my iPhone journey with the 3GS. Upgraded to the 4s afterwards and i thought I'd continue upgrading to the S's because youre getting the best version of the generation. I never upgraded to the 5S because, idk to be honest. I forgot. I think I just didnt care about phones at that time but then last month, my beautiful 4S which I've dropped more than 30000000 times (glass NEVER broken) decided to pretty much die on the inside. It just didn't function anymore. It lived a good long 3 years which is why I had to upgrade and I decided to get the 6. The laws for cell plans here in Canada changed to 2 yr contracts instead of 3 yrs so I guess I'll be upgrading only to the non S cycle. :D

You should wait for the iphone 6S if your current phone isn't much of a trouble for daily use. I still think the black iPhone 5 is the sexiest iPhone ever. I wish I've gotten the chance to upgrade to that when it came out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back