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new iPhone purchase...questions

M

mightypants

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
18
0
I've been wanting to buy an iPhone for a while, and I'm about ready to do so. It seems likely that the new one will be out in/around June. I'd really prefer not to wait 2 months, since my current phone is crap and really, really needs to die.

So here's my question. In the past, with certain Apple products, people who bought them shortly before the release of a new version were allowed to upgrade free or for a reduced price (I think they did this with the 3G). Does anyone know the time frame on these deals (i.e. how long before the new product's release it could have been purchased and still be eligible)?

Also, I read the rumors about the 32GB and smaller phones, would these be in addition to the current sizes, or replacing them? I don't really need a very big one, and my budget is a bit tight, so if the smaller is only going to be available in other countries (as suggested in the rumor), I may not be able to get it.
 
If I were you, I would wait. You KNOW there's a new iPhone coming out, and apprx. the time frame it will be here.

There is NO guarantee that apple will allow you to upgrade. And you shouldn't count on that.

Wait.
 
Have you tried asking one of the employees at apple store? I am in a similar situation, but my Q is not too crappy. I plan to wait. I want to see what features the new iphone brings until I make the decision as to which phone to get. I also want to see how well the push notification of OS 3.0 works. Hopefully the skype app is updated to support push notification so you can receive calls without the app running. I also want to see if the skype and slingplayer apps work via 3g or will they be crippled to only work over wifi.
 
My guess is if Apple were to allow people who just bought a 3g to upgrade to a new phone it would only be people in the previous 2 week at most if at all. It won't be anything like months before. If it is something short like a week, you might as well just wait.

I've been using my Nextel i850 for 3 years now and I'm dying to get an iphone, but I know if I wait 2-3 more months it will be worth the wait.

Stay strong and wait it out
 
Andruw91 said:
My guess is if Apple were to allow people who just bought a 3g to upgrade to a new phone it would only be people in the previous 2 week at most if at all. It won't be anything like months before. If it is something short like a week, you might as well just wait.

I've been using my Nextel i850 for 3 years now and I'm dying to get an iphone, but I know if I wait 2-3 more months it will be worth the wait.

Stay strong and wait it out
Click to expand...

2 weeks before a new iphone, I doubt if there would be any 3gs on the shelves. Also within 2 weeks you can return your phone anyway.
 
Andruw91 said:
My guess is if Apple were to allow people who just bought a 3g to upgrade to a new phone it would only be people in the previous 2 week at most if at all.
Click to expand...

I did a little hunting, and found that anyone who bought the iPhone after May 27th was allowed a free upgrade to the 3g. The 3g was released on July 11th, so it was more like 6 weeks.

The added complication is that I am currently eligible for a reduced rate on an AT&T/iPhone plan through my school, and that I may not be over the summer. So it might be a matter of saving $15 per month (which will add up!) vs. getting the new fanciness. Poop.
 
There's no guarantee that they'll do that this year. Maybe it's June 1 this year, and you buy it on May 28; you'd be SOL. Better to wait than to kick yourself in the end.
 
I suspect Apple will not make the same mistake of allowing people to upgrade for free. The cost and the complicates are simply too great, and quite frankly I don't think the carriers will tolerate it either. They (the carriers) might give you an upgrade discount, but I expect there won't even be that this time around. You will be bound by your contract, which isn't really Apple's concern.

That said, I don't see how there will be such significant upgrades to the new iPhone (presuming it comes out this summer which I doubt very much), that you will regret your purchase. A lot of people here would have you wait indefinitely (and some have, laughably, been waiting months and months for the the "new version" that hasn't even been announced). Quite silly, when you consider that the next iteration of the iPhone will be obsolete within a few months anyway.

I would recommend you buy the phone because 1) no one knows if there will be a new phone in June (if someone says otherwise they're lying to you - and to themselves), and 2) you don't know if the upgrade will even be worth waiting for (for instance, it might solely be an upgrade to a 32GB storage capacity - which ought not concern you unless you really think you need that extra 16GB of space). As such, I don't see why you would wait for two months for an announcement. Because, of course, even if it were announced, it might not be released for several more months... How long are you willing to wait?
 
I'm kind of caught in two minds at the moment aswell.

My 1st gen iphone contract is nearly up. As a UK customer I can now upgrade to 3g for free.

I'm worried that if I upgrade just now I will not be able to get a new phone (if one comes out) without paying a hefty price.

The other problem is though, there is a chance that if I don't upgrade now the next iteration will still cost me a premium and they might stop the 3g leaving me stuck with my original handset for even longer.
:(
 
milani said:
I would recommend you buy the phone because 1) no one knows if there will be a new phone in June (if someone says otherwise they're lying to you - and to themselves), and 2) you don't know if the upgrade will even be worth waiting for (for instance, it might solely be an upgrade to a 32GB storage capacity - which ought not concern you unless you really think you need that extra 16GB of space). As such, I don't see why you would wait for two months for an announcement. Because, of course, even if it were announced, it might not be released for several more months... How long are you willing to wait?
Click to expand...
Absolutely right! I'm due for an upgrade now but will wait 'till OS 3.0 is released - I need MMS - and then it's a new iPhone for me :D
 
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