Should my friend get the 3GS?

[Funkymonk]

she's super old, like 45 or something. she currently has metropcs and very crappy windows 6.5 phone that barely even works. She's frugal so I suggested she get the 3gs since it's only $50 from att with the 2 year contract. With the iphone 5 coming out in a few months I don't know how I feel about suggesting the 3gs to someone but it seems like a good fit for my friend. what do you guys think?

 

[roflc0pter]

No because the 3GS will not be getting anymore software updates. I think you should be able to get a refurb iPhone 4 16GB for $99 on contract

3GS will not get iOS 5

 

[Reach9]

LOL she's super old, 45? that's super old? How old are you buddy?

Anyway, tell her to wait for the iPhone 5 to be released and she can pick up a cheaper iPhone 4. It'll be worth the cost.

 

[Intell]

3GS will not get iOS 5

That is an unconfirmed rumor.

Tell your friend to wait to see what Monday brings.

 

[awadeee]

If she doesn't mind having outdated software and hardware, then the 3Gs is a good phone. I'll be moving to the 4 soon, but something tells me that this lady doesn't follow tech trends too closely. She will love the 3Gs because Apple provides a good user experience (for the most part) for all of their products.

 

[TEG]

Just get a refurbished iPhone 4. It is like $99-$199 (16/32), from at&t and well worth it.

TEG

 

[forcetactic]

If she's going to pay $55+ per month on it, might as well spend an extra $50 and get iPhone 4

 

[Biolizard]

The iPhone 4 will replace the 3GS soon enough. If she can hang on, she'll be better for it.

 

[Andy Ftw]

If she doesn't mind having outdated hardware and hardware, then the 3Gs is a good phone. I'll be moving to the 4 soon, but something tells me that this lady doesn't follow tech trends too closely. She will love the 3Gs because Apple provides a good user experience (for the most part) for all of their products.

Two lots of outdated hardware?! Hehe

Anyway, I got the impression she wasn't particulary techy (correct me if I'm wrong). Of course I don't know her personally but I can't imagine she would be worried to much about hardware/software updates and the latest generations and all.

Perhaps you could show her both in real life, see which one she prefers to hold/use and just which one she finds in general with the feel and everything. At least that's what I'd recommend

 

[Alaerian]

You haven't said anything about what she intends to do with the phone. If her needs are basic, then absolutely get the 3GS. There's no reason to spend the extra money for things that would never get used.

 

[-aggie-]

Gee Golly Willakers, if she’s that old there’s no way she’s going to be able handle a complicated iPhone of any kind.

 

[Alaerian]

On second thought, since she's old, just stick to a landline. She's probably housebound anyhow. Better get the medical lifeline too, just in case she falls and can't get up.

 

[andyx3x]

Damn OP, I'm 45. I just told some friends of mine the "super old" thing and we all had a good laugh.

Your friend should be perfectly happy with the 3gs. The only question I would have is the 8gb. How much storage space does she need? That is the big question.

My mother is thinking about moving to an iPhone from a dumb phone only because she wants a better camera on her phone and the ease of emailing photos. I told her the 3gs would be perfect for her. She would probably keep the thing for at least 4-5 years.

 

[Applepi]

I would wait until Monday's announcements to see what iOS5 brings.

 

[AmereckanPsycho]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Forget the 3GS. You should have her wait for the new iPhone, or have her get the iPhone 4.

 

[Interstella5555]

As amazing as it is to some people, the iPhone (and smartphones in general) aren't for some people. At my advanced age of 30 I can still use one, but if your friend doesn't need a smartphone (and the cost of the additional data plan) you may want to consider something else.

 

[awadeee]

Two lots of outdated hardware?! Hehe

Oh god, thank you for calling me out on this! Otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed. Replace one of the hardware with software LOL. It's been a long rough day.