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My reasons for skipping the iPhone 4

Now it will be very evident who is using an older iPhone. The humiliation of it will be staggering, lol. The screen is reported to be like looking at muddy water compared to the new 4.

After all, you are what you drive and what you communicate with in America.
 
I'm right there with the OP. The hardware upgrades on IP4 are great and all (love the battery, alleged improved GPS reception, and new form for the case), but overall I don't have any problems with reading things on my 3GS screen, and don't take enough pictures/video to warrant the better camera.

Yes, I will admit that if I were eligible for the fully discounted price, I would likely be singing a different tune. But that's not the case, and if Apple's goal were to separate my dollars from my wallet, no matter the cost to me, I'm not swayed. Really, OS4 wasn't even all that thrilling, with the exception of backgrounding, and since I'll have that on my 32GB JB 3GS, I feel perfectly fine with what I'll have. I like the upgrades and all, but am not swayed to the point of feeling a need to drop the extra money early, and sell my current 3GS.

Counterpoint to this argument: It seems most people seem to think AT&T's exclusivity contract ends at the end of 2012...upgrading now would allow me to leave my AT&T contract at that point, but if I upgrade next year then I won't be able to until 2013.

It's hard to believe all of the people flaming the OP for bringing up a logical argument, with good points. Quite sad, actually. Get a life. Congratulations in advance on your new phone, now get over yourselves.
 
turbineseaplane said:
Guys...

If you think AT&T is going to keep Unlimited Data around, mark my words, the rug will get pulled out from under you with no notice.

Unlimited data on AT&T won't be around in June 2011. Probably not on any major carrier.
Click to expand...

I agree. It won't be around forever. But, I don't think all carriers will end this practice. So, when AT&T does this, i'll just switch (even I don't switch even earlier for another pissy thing they do).
 
Dwalls90 said:
I'm glad I'm on the bi-annual upgrade cycle. Apple's iPhone releases have followed a tick-tock cycle. The first iPhone, then the 3G was a great improvement, the 3Gs was a minor improvement, the iPhone 4 was a huge improvement, and I expect the iPhone 5 to be a minor improvement to the iPhone 4, thus I'll wait til the iPhone 6 and won't feel that I'm missing out on anything.
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exactly my thinking.

but then people who are on the "other" release cycle will tell you exactly the same (2G to 3G minor, 3G to 3Gs major, 3Gs to 4 minor, etc.)

I think both camps are right, there just isn't that much of an improvement between any two subsequent generations to make it worth the money.
 
well to me it just seems like you are trying to convince yourself not to upgrade and you want someone to tell you it is okay not to upgrade. LOL. UPGRADE! It'll be worth it
 
turbineseaplane said:
Guys...

If you think AT&T is going to keep Unlimited Data around, mark my words, the rug will get pulled out from under you with no notice.

Unlimited data on AT&T won't be around in June 2011. Probably not on any major carrier.
Click to expand...

As long as you don't sign a new contract you shall be grandfathered in for a long time. Most people will not buy the iPhone at full price to avoid a new contact so ATT is not worried about the few that do just to keep unlimited.

I sold a unlimited data ATT Pick your plan Gophone sim to a coworker last year and he still gets unlimited even tho they didn't offer it for the longest.
 
skye12 said:
Now it will be very evident who is using an older iPhone. The humiliation of it will be staggering, lol. The screen is reported to be like looking at muddy water compared to the new 4.

After all, you are what you drive and what you communicate with in America.
Click to expand...

Oh no ... Can't let the honeys see me with last years iPhone. I guess I'll get a case that makes my 3GS look like the iPhone 4. :)
 
beamer8912 said:
Personally, I'm glad I skipped the 3GS. The new iPhone is a much more substantial upgrade. The 3GS just didn't offer anything new besides taking video, which I barely use. Now with the A4 chip, the iPhone 4 is even faster than the 3GS! Add to that a longer battery life, the few features added to the 3GS from the 3G, and the ton of features added to the iPhone 4 from the 3GS.....WOW! What a great phone!
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You're not making any sense. The 3GS was substantially faster than the 3G (see the other thread how users comment on how painfully slow their 3G is) and had better battery life over its predecessor. The iPhone 4 doesn't offer anything new other than a front camera and everything else is just an evolutionary upgrade (better screen, battery, processor, camera, etc.).

I'd say the 3GS and iPhone 4 are equally substantial over its predecessor in terms of upgrade.
 
I went out and bought the 3g when release and loved it never again will I own something other than an iphone or smartphone of the same caliber. I upgraded to the 3gs last summer by converting our land line to a cell phone and using the new line to get the upgrade price on the 3gs. Wow what a difference, I never even wanted to touch someone elses 3g it was that big of a difference in speed. Now my line is due for an upgrade and I will be getting the iphone4. Heck even talked my wife into upgrading to a iphone4 and since she will get the early upgrade to it instead of waiting to september. I will sell my old 32 gb 3gs for nearly the cost of her and my new upgraded phone price. Although I will keep the unlimited data that I have she won't use more than the minimum.
 
I agree with the OP. I am a) eligible for an early upgrade, and b) grandfathered into the unlimited data plan.

My reasons for NOT getting the new iPhone are simple: a) i don't want to resign with AT&T and be forced to the new ETF policy, b) I'm satisfied with my 3GS 16gb jailbroken and using MyWi.

Another reason is I'm currently a student in the U.S., and will probably be returning to Canada or moving to the UK after I graduate (thus i wouldn't want to pay the ETF anyways).

I DID however see value in the iPad and a HUGE factor for me was the carrier unlock and no-contract data plans. No doubt Apple is probably losing a significant amount of potential business by locking these iPhones to AT&T and allowing AT&T to force plans that are unrealistic for today's iPhone users.
 
elephunkman said:
Gyro? The food? Just kidding. Well, I do play games on my iPhone, but not enough to warrant the new accelerometer use.
Click to expand...

I'm hoping that the new gyro can find new applications other than games. The old accelerometer was used in Automobile apps, and mountain peak apps, etc with limited success. I'm hoping the increased accuracy will allow much better quality apps to take advantage of the hardware in apps other than games.
 
utwarreng said:
I'm right there with the OP. The hardware upgrades on IP4 are great and all (love the battery, alleged improved GPS reception, and new form for the case), but overall I don't have any problems with reading things on my 3GS screen, and don't take enough pictures/video to warrant the better camera.

Yes, I will admit that if I were eligible for the fully discounted price, I would likely be singing a different tune. But that's not the case, and if Apple's goal were to separate my dollars from my wallet, no matter the cost to me, I'm not swayed. Really, OS4 wasn't even all that thrilling, with the exception of backgrounding, and since I'll have that on my 32GB JB 3GS, I feel perfectly fine with what I'll have. I like the upgrades and all, but am not swayed to the point of feeling a need to drop the extra money early, and sell my current 3GS.


It's hard to believe all of the people flaming the OP for bringing up a logical argument, with good points. Quite sad, actually. Get a life. Congratulations in advance on your new phone, now get over yourselves.
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agreed..... agreed... and agreed...

there are a LOT of RUDE people on this forum.... but it's a good source of info so i just shake my head and read on....
 
LIVEFRMNYC said:
As long as you don't sign a new contract you shall be grandfathered in for a long time. Most people will not buy the iPhone at full price to avoid a new contact so ATT is not worried about the few that do just to keep unlimited.
Click to expand...

sorry, dude but you're wrong.... as long as you stay with at$t and don't leave them... no break in service... your new contract will keep your same minutes, data, text, etc.... you don't lose your unlimited when you buy the new ip4
 
Right just wanted to put forward my case, what could you realistically improve on the iPhone 4? The only thing that I think can be improved within the next 2 years is haptic feedback, no 4G or wifi hotspots (at&t). However, I wont be getting the 4G anytime soon as I simply cannot afford it. :(
 
caligurl said:
why would he lose unlimted data? he's grandfathered in.....
Click to expand...

He wouldn't lose the Unlimited Data if he did an early upgrade. He's grandfathered in no matter if he does an early upgrade or a full upgrade. The only stipulation is that you NOT change to one of the new data plans (if you do you WILL lose the unlimited data)
 
applegeek25 said:
I agree with the OP. I am a) eligible for an early upgrade, and b) grandfathered into the unlimited data plan.

My reasons for NOT getting the new iPhone are simple: a) i don't want to resign with AT&T and be forced to the new ETF policy, b) I'm satisfied with my 3GS 16gb jailbroken and using MyWi.

Another reason is I'm currently a student in the U.S., and will probably be returning to Canada or moving to the UK after I graduate (thus i wouldn't want to pay the ETF anyways).

I DID however see value in the iPad and a HUGE factor for me was the carrier unlock and no-contract data plans. No doubt Apple is probably losing a significant amount of potential business by locking these iPhones to AT&T and allowing AT&T to force plans that are unrealistic for today's iPhone users.
Click to expand...

Not to derail the thread, but applegeek25, I'm pretty sure that if you are moving somewhere that AT&T does not provide service, or out of the country, you are not subject to the ETF as long as you provide valid proof of residence. You may want to look into this through your contract. I'm sure there are caveats to the whole thing, but that was how it was a few years ago when I worked for Sprint.
 
elephunkman said:
The more I think about it, the 3GS may serve me just fine. Yes, the screen is better, but at least I am given the comfort of how fluid the OS flows on screen on the 3GS, compared to other devices on the market. The 3GS isn't even that bad of a device compared to a lot of Android/smartphones out there.

HD video and camera? I could care less about since I really don't take much photos with a phone camera. If I do, it will be a quick photo, which doesn't need the huge megapixel count anyway (megapixel does not equal quality). Much of my pictures and night pictures come from my Nikon, which then is edited to fit the iPhone screen.

However, the iPhone 4 design aspect is really nice, but that's just for eye candy

FaceTime? I barely even video chat with anyone on my MacBook to begin with and I do not know much people that can FaceTime with me since they won't be getting an iPhone 4, my friends usually carry Sprint phones or BlackBerry.

Gyro? The food? Just kidding. Well, I do play games on my iPhone, but not enough to warrant the new accelerometer use.

Dual mics. That's a biggie for me, but I'm young and texting is the way many, if not all, of my friends communicate, except for my lady contact.

New glass? Cool, dropped my 3GS a few times, no scratches. New glass seems like a great design and I am sure it will get better in iPhone 5

Battery? This is a big one for me. Even though my 3GS works perfectly fine throughout my daily usage (usually down to 40% at the end of my day 9AM-9PM), the iPhone 4's better battery looks great, but the difference comparison on Apple is somewhat minimal.

At least I still get 4.0 on the 3GS along with the excellent multitasking usage and the folders. I am grateful for that.

This wasn't meant to be a rant, just my opinions on why the 3GS may still be good for me to skip this year's model.

But, you best believe that I will be first in line for iPhone 5 or whatever they call it because my full upgrade will be ready by then. Given this year's specs, I will expect much better features next year along with a new OS.
Click to expand...

I am in the same boat as you with minor differences. I, too, have the 3GS and can upgrade to the iPhone 4 if I want. I really do not care about the better screen resolution. It is nice but it's not going to be the factor of upgrading. I do like the new camera software but if I am going to get an Ultra Flip HD camera from Lockerz, then there really is no need to get it on the iPhone. Video calling isn't as integrated yet for this year and the fact it's iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over wifi is really limited. If I am on wifi, 9 times out of 10 I will be at home where I can have video chatting using oovoo or skype. As much as I would love to have it, I may pass as my 3GS is in great condition and not giving problems.
 
People on this board have become nasty and rude. While you may not agree with the OP's POV you should still be respectful. And it's very ignorant to say that he is saying this because he doesnt have an early or full upgrade.

I don't have an upgrade coming up and im still going to buy it at full price. But anyways i wish people were alot more respectful on this board. You dont have to act like a wayward monkey.
 
For those on first gen or 3g, it's a very nice upgrade at a relatively low cost. 3gs might not be so great if it's going to cost so much for the upgrade.

I have 3g, as does my wife. We'll both get the iPhone 4 and likely be content for 2 years. I use my phone enough to justify the $12.5/month.

When the 3gs came out, I couldn't justify it (x2 phones). A compass, a slight speed boost and native video recording. I can imagine for many current 3gs owners feel the same.

I've been through many Apple releases and have done my share of gotta-have-it. I can appreciate wanting to have the latest Apple product. But I have better uses for money now. Unless I can find a strong benefit, I'm not going to waste money just to be cool. Been there, done that.

And -1 for the flamers and haters. Likely a result of not being held as a baby.
 
JediZenMaster said:
People on this board have become nasty and rude. While you may not agree with the OP's POV you should still be respectful. And it's very ignorant to say that he is saying this because he doesnt have an early or full upgrade.

I don't have an upgrade coming up and im still going to buy it at full price. But anyways i wish people were alot more respectful on this board. You dont have to act like a wayward monkey.
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ldkaplan said:
And -1 for the flamers and haters. Likely a result of not being held as a baby.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys, but haters will always be around. Life is too short to care. :p
 
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