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My growing doubts about owning an iPhone

A

Amblinman

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 31, 2007
208
0
I've been a pretty staunch supporter of Apple's right to change the pricing and tech involved with the iPhone since day one. The price drop didn't bother me much because most cell phones' pricing drops.

However, with the latest rumor of discontinuing the 8gb altogether with yet another price drop set, I really question whether I'll be upgrading to the 3G model, or any future iPhones.

Technology and technology pricing is continually changing, but I can't think of another company that has updated it's phone line as quickly as Apple has. I don't see any advantage to purchasing a new iPhone vs. just going back to a BlackBerry. They're always updating their line too, except with RIM it's a style that gets changed, not function.

I love my iPhone, but I'm not going to spend $400-$600 a year just to make sure I have the latest model. I'm not going to complain to Apple about it, I'm just going to vote with my wallet and choose someone else's device.
 
You do with iPod's.

Steve announced 3G when the iPhone was originally released, and obviously the capacity will increase as well, I'd expect 16/32 GB models in September.
 
Amblinman said:
I've been a pretty staunch supporter of Apple's right to change the pricing and tech involved with the iPhone since day one. The price drop didn't bother me much because most cell phones' pricing drops.

However, with the latest rumor of discontinuing the 8gb altogether with yet another price drop set, I really question whether I'll be upgrading to the 3G model, or any future iPhones.

Technology and technology pricing is continually changing, but I can't think of another company that has updated it's phone line as quickly as Apple has. I don't see any advantage to purchasing a new iPhone vs. just going back to a BlackBerry. They're always updating their line too, except with RIM it's a style that gets changed, not function.

I love my iPhone, but I'm not going to spend $400-$600 a year just to make sure I have the latest model. I'm not going to complain to Apple about it, I'm just going to vote with my wallet and choose someone else's device.
Click to expand...

Sooo..let me get this straight... your mad because Apple upgraded the iPhone too much? welcome to the world of high technology. Theres something always better around the corner.

Cell phones are a pretty darn competitive market... seems to me they all change every 6 months or so.
 
Amblinman said:
Technology and technology pricing is continually changing, but I can't think of another company that has updated it's phone line as quickly as Apple has.

I love my iPhone, but I'm not going to spend $400-$600 a year just to make sure I have the latest model. I'm not going to complain to Apple about it, I'm just going to vote with my wallet and choose someone else's device.
Click to expand...

No, the other companies just release completely new phones every 3 1/2 days. Really...how many new Nokia phones have there been in the last 6 months?

And why do you need to have the latest model of phone every year? Right there, you have just given the reason that the phone companies (Apple included here) DO release so many new phones, or upgrade them so quickly. People like you need to have the latest and greatest (I guess to boast to their friends), so you WILL go buy new models.

I remember many years back when I was trying to get a cellphone. I didn't care about anything but having a phone, with alarms (cause I use them during travel). The guy in the store was absolutely dumbfounded that I didn't want a camera. He tried to sell me on the camera, not on the phone. I gave up after about 10 "This phone's camera does this".
 
i remember when the iphone came out and i thought that 8gb was too small. i've realized now that i don't really use the ipod function all that much. it's become just my phone now and i'm happy with it. functions such as mail and ical, i use on a daily basis, but storage, not so much. technology is ever growing... that's what makes it great.
 
I'm not sure I understand the OPs point. New phones are coming out all the time. And as our misguided N95 friends keep telling us, most of the iPhone tech is outdated already. But I love my iPhone enough not to need the latest model. I don't want/need to upgrade to the 16gb version. Being UK based it might make sense to upgrade to 3G when it comes, as long as battery life seems reasonable. But I can wait because I love my phone.
 
Amblinman said:
I love my iPhone, but I'm not going to spend $400-$600 a year just to make sure I have the latest model.
Click to expand...

So, uh...don't! :rolleyes:

I still use an original 4 GB iPod Mini and it works great. I'll probably replace it later this year or early 2009.

Amblinman said:
I'm not going to complain to Apple about it, I'm just going to vote with my wallet and choose someone else's device.
Click to expand...

Which, in 3 months...won't be the latest thing out there anymore! How does this change anything?

The only solution here is to be happy with what you have and replace it only when you feel it's worth the money to do so.

That will fix all your problems. Simply moving to a different tech company won't do squat.
 
The reaction here has been interesting. I didn't say I was angry or upset, nor that I was going to complain to Apple. Just that I'd choose to go in a different direction.

Here, I'll make Apple a deal:

Give me copy/paste on my current iPhone before you introduce a new model and discontinue the one I have and maybe I'll hang around.
 
I don't see what the issue is.

You have a product.

Either it does what you want at a price you want and can afford or it doesn't.

What happens after that is just psychology.
 
That's all cool and I appreciate your point.

But who says you have to upgrade? If you want to upgrade to something new thats cool, it's cool if you want to shop for something that isn't apple either, that's perfectly reasonable, when you pick something you pick it for yourself don't you.

I guess if you're not whining or angry, the question is, why are you posting it?

The only thing I can say to your statement in your first post about updating a phone as often as apple has, is that, they haven't really updated it, rather than given you a new option and taken one away. The phone is pretty much the same, but they realised 4GB is not enough... poof gone!

Remember, Apple is not a Cell phone maker outright, it makes computers, media players and now cell phones. Take Nokia, who release a new phone probably every couple of months. That's to different markets admitadly, different demographics demand/can only afford so much.

But Apple have only released 1 phone, the iPhone, in its first generation. I don't think we can say anything about how Apple are going to go forward in it's manufacture of cell phones in the future until they actually bring out a REAL new revision, not just with storage bumps. And until then I don't think anyone can comment on whether Apple "upgrading of style rather than function" like you say RIM do with their Blackberry line.

iPhone is in it's first guise, and I'm not calling it a perfect device, but name a manufacterer that brought out it's first mobile phone and both got everything that was technologically available at the time AND got everything perfect aswell.
 
Amblinman said:
I love my iPhone, but I'm not going to spend $400-$600 a year just to make sure I have the latest model. I'm not going to complain to Apple about it, I'm just going to vote with my wallet and choose someone else's device.
Click to expand...

So why spend $400-600 a year to get the latest model. If you like your iPhone just keep it for 2, 3 or even 4 years. Nobody is making you upgrade. As far as choosing someone else's device - that will show them. Purchase an inferior device for more money. That will make Apple sit up and notice.
 
Amblinman said:
I love my iPhone, but I'm not going to spend $400-$600 a year just to make sure I have the latest model. I'm not going to complain to Apple about it, I'm just going to vote with my wallet and choose someone else's device.
Click to expand...

Really, who says you MUST update your iPhone every time there is an update? It's tempting to do so, but at the rate that technology improves, we might all go broke if we gave in to the urge with every update.
 
Personally, when I heard that the 16GB Iphones were available on tuesday I was like " I need to get one right away" then I stop and asked my self " Do i really need a 16GB iphone?" Of course it will be nice to have more capacity. But like most of you on here I dont really use the ipod function as much. So I decided that I should just go ahead keep my iphone (8GB) which I love and maybe in a year or so when the 3 G is available Just upgrade. I love my iphone I think its the best cell phone I have ever used. Technology is always evolving so we shoulnd be upset in not having the latest gadgets specially iphones. Enjoy your iphones!!!
 
I just sold my iPhone and I'll be getting a 16 gigs in a couple of weeks. The good thing is I'm actually going to make 10$ profit after the whole deal.

Anyhow, not everybody needs to always sell and buy the new ones. If you can be content with what you have, that's great.

I wont fool myself, I want to have more memory and more features. The iPhone is a great phone and I wouldn't buy a blackberry just because they're "updated less frequently" (although the blackberry is also a great phone for people with different needs than my own).
 
Your complaint is an odd one.

You don't want Apple to regularly bring out new models that up capacity?

Why not? Because you feel you most always own the latest model?

I think it is great. I am no hurry to get a 16 gig one, as I am fine with my 8 gig. But when the 32 gigs come out, I might be ready to upgrade and it will be a nice bump up.

You don't have to own every model of a product. It is okay to buy a product and use it for several years, even if newer models come out.
 
Keep in mind, you're complaining about something Apple hasn't done yet, and may never do. It's just a rumor.

Any yes, the iPhone will eventually be updated, but that's no different than any other phone.

In fact, you "can't think of another company that has updated it's phone line as quickly as Apple has," but this confuses me because in almost a year the iPhone has never been updated (other than free software updates and the addition of a more expensive model with more storage).
 
Amblinman said:
Technology and technology pricing is continually changing, but I can't think of another company that has updated it's phone line as quickly as Apple has. I don't see any advantage to purchasing a new iPhone vs. just going back to a BlackBerry. They're always updating their line too, except with RIM it's a style that gets changed, not function.
Click to expand...
So let me get this straight, you are saying that you're in favor of stagnation?

You would rather that Apple just continue to offer new colors, rather than update the pricing and features?

You don't happen to work for an American Automobile manufacturer, do you?

What a ridiculous idea. Technology changes. It's a fact of life. That shiny new gadget you just bought? It will be outdated in 3 - 6 months. You'll no longer be the coolest kid on the block. Get used to it.

If all companies followed the logic you are longing for, we'd still be watching Super 8 tapes on our 14" Black and White televisions instead of typing posts into a web based forum on our Core 2 Duo laptops.
 
The title of this thread is very misleading. It is what I would say after spending roughly 30 minutes with an iPhone at the AT&T store. You already own one, and are only considering not upgrading if Apple releases a better one at a lower price. (that is Econ 101 BTW)
 
Small White Car said:
I still use an original 4 GB iPod Mini and it works great. I'll probably replace it later this year or early 2009.
Click to expand...

The original minis were out for a year and three months before they updated them. The iPhone was dropped by $200 in the first TWO MONTHS. Both were equally as revolutionary, and both markets were ever-changing.
 
Amblinman said:
I've been a pretty staunch supporter of Apple's right to change the pricing and tech involved with the iPhone since day one. The price drop didn't bother me much because most cell phones' pricing drops.

However, with the latest rumor of discontinuing the 8gb altogether with yet another price drop set, I really question whether I'll be upgrading to the 3G model, or any future iPhones.

Technology and technology pricing is continually changing, but I can't think of another company that has updated it's phone line as quickly as Apple has. I don't see any advantage to purchasing a new iPhone vs. just going back to a BlackBerry. They're always updating their line too, except with RIM it's a style that gets changed, not function.

I love my iPhone, but I'm not going to spend $400-$600 a year just to make sure I have the latest model. I'm not going to complain to Apple about it, I'm just going to vote with my wallet and choose someone else's device.
Click to expand...

This is ridiculous. Why do you feel obligated to buy a new one each time it comes out? Each phone is still very good whether it has 8 or 16 or 32 gigs. I don't understand people sometimes.
 
First off, I am sorry life presents you with such difficult issues.

I love my iPhone as much as I did July 2. I will love the 3G 32gb later this year.

Just buy it!
 
Amblinman said:
I've been a pretty staunch supporter of Apple's right to change the pricing and tech involved with the iPhone since day one. The price drop didn't bother me much because most cell phones' pricing drops.

However, with the latest rumor of discontinuing the 8gb altogether with yet another price drop set, I really question whether I'll be upgrading to the 3G model, or any future iPhones.

Technology and technology pricing is continually changing, but I can't think of another company that has updated it's phone line as quickly as Apple has. I don't see any advantage to purchasing a new iPhone vs. just going back to a BlackBerry. They're always updating their line too, except with RIM it's a style that gets changed, not function.

I love my iPhone, but I'm not going to spend $400-$600 a year just to make sure I have the latest model. I'm not going to complain to Apple about it, I'm just going to vote with my wallet and choose someone else's device.
Click to expand...

I don't understand your dilemma. If you don't want to spend upwards of $600 a year to keep up to date, then don't. There's no law that says we can't use our Gen 1 iPhone until 2009 and beyond. No one is forcing you to be hip and trendy. If you choose to buy something else, let's say a Razr from Motorola whose form factor and basically most of the features have been the same for the past 3 years, go ahead. Go to the Blackberry and it basically looks like the same device it always has been.

Sorry to bust on you, but this post doesn't have much sense. It's like someone saying back in the day, "I don't want to buy a new car. These cars, they keep changing. Next thing you know, they've got 240 hp, GPS, LCD screens, BT phones, run on batteries, ethanol or solar power. I think I'll just stick with my horse and carriage and save my money."

Why would Apple want to not continue their product cycles? Do you want them to rest on their laurels and fall behind just so guys like you can still say year after year they have the greatest (but not anymore latest) product?
 
I'm not complaining. I've never owned a cell phone this long before without is busting or some crap.

The new model and phasing out doesn't bother me because its just a memory upgrade. It's not something I care to do while waiting for a very different iPhone (3G and whatnot). I think it's to appeal to new users. I think most of us can agree the iPhones we've owned for months are great and we can wait it out till 3G
 
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