why buy a 4s when youll be stuck wth 3g for 2 years?

[CosmoPilot]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Also, iPhones get awesome resale value to recoup 80 to 90% of your losses when switching.

 

[iSayuSay]

Unless carriers increase data cap limit, there's no point of using/enjoying 4G speed.

More speed makes you use more data, in a shorter lifetime. You can reach 50GB only in 1 day, assuming you do constant streaming and get 5Mbps.
If you have Ferrari, you'd better have a looonngg track to go with it, otherwise it's just another waste.

But increasing data cap means less money for the carriers, more data to stream for the same money. They don't like it. They want to see some green along with the streaming.

So, yeah .. 4g seems cool, on paper. And also, how do you know for sure in 2 years you're not going to upgrade your phone? So I asked OP back, what's the point of having some beta/underdeveloped LTE handset if you're going to upgrade it to a better LTE in 2 years anyway?

 

[NoHo]

My speeds are fine. I can do everything I want.

Plus, a 2GB data limit would go really fast on 4G. Verizon offers 4GB tiered for their 4G phones, but only 2Gb tiered for the iPhone. There's a reason for that.

Don't understand why more people didn't make a fuss about unlimited data being taken away. Just because you didn't use 2GB then doesn't mean you won't in the future. They got you right where they want you.

 

[SurferMan]

While it's true that what's available today is a battery draining system it definitely isn't true that it's barely faster than HSPA+. I was eligible for an upgrade last week on ATT and having only gotten iphones starting with the 3G I decided to give the Samsung Galaxy SII skyrocket a whirl. I live in the DC area so I do live in a full LTE network. When I was doing speedtests on my phone I was getting speeds ranging from 40mbps to 65mbps down. It was crazy fast, but on the downside the battery life was absolutely atrocious due to the large screen and the LTE network, and even though the data was fast as hell it was extremely inconsistent and would constantly be cutting in and out.

If they could get LTE to work properly it would be great, but I just don't think it's ready for prime time. At any rate, I returned the SGII after 3 days and ordered a 4S.

May depend on location, I can tell you friends down here with Verizon LTE are not seeing speeds much higher then hspa+ (South FL). But I also noticed the huge fluctuation like you mentioned, LTE is consistently up/down/up/down here. Sometimes it's higher, but then majority of the time speed test show much lower then the peaks they see here and there.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Here is some thing to chew on.

What do you gain by going to much higher rate. Yeah 3-4Mb is fast enough for 95+% of what we do on our phone. Streaming video would be the only major hang up and even then it still ok. The point there is you are watching it on your phone. Not like you can get a great experince there no matter how good of quality the video is because no matter how you cut it you are watching it on a 3.5-5" screen.

For streaming music the HIGHEST quality from Google music is at 0.320 Mbs. Well below the 1.5Mbs of Verizon and Sprint 3G. Apple streaming service is at 256 so it is even lower. So not a big deal there.

I think people are getting hung up way to much on it.

If wifi is around you should generally be using that any how. It almost always faster and it uses less battery.

 

[takeshi74]

Want an iphone as my droid is garbage, but being trapped in a 3g network that is quickly becoming outdated, seems foolish. Reminds me of the analog to digital transition a decade ago. Thoughts on this?

Buy what you need/want when you need/want it. Is it more important to replace your Droid or worry about LTE support? Sort out your priorities. It really doesn't matter what mine (or anyone else's) are unless yours happen to fall exactly in line. The analog to digital transition isn't a germane comparison as no carrier is eliminating its 3G network in the near future.

Again, buy based on your needs/wants. If a device meets them then it isn't obsolete despite what anyone says. There's always something newer coming out so if you constantly worry about what's next you'll never justify upgrading.

How exactly does it improve real world usage compared to 3+Mbps on 3G from a phone?

The flaw in your question is assuming that 3G = 3+Mbps.

Here is some thing to chew on.

What do you gain by going to much higher rate.

Doesn't really matter. Sure, plenty don't really need it. Others just use it to sadly try to prove that they're somehow better than the person who is on a carrier with less throughput. However, who are you (or I or anyone for that matter) to tell someone that they don't need it without knowing the details?

 

[deeddawg]

The flaw in your question is assuming that 3G = 3+Mbps.

The context of my question (if you read the post I was referring) was using an assumption of the carriers making 3G work properly rather than jumping to a new technology.

I typically see 3 to 5 Mbps over 3G on AT&T here, but understand that's not the case for everyone.

 

[JRoDDz]

Want an iphone as my droid is garbage, but being trapped in a 3g network that is quickly becoming outdated, seems foolish. Reminds me of the analog to digital transition a decade ago. Thoughts on this?

I buy a new iPhone anytime a new one is released. That's how I roll.

 

[Markster Chief]

12 Month Contract

As an existing O2 customer in the UK, I was offered (and took) a 12 month contract over the 18 or 24 months. This is the first time for a long time that i have had this option. It cost me £100 more in deposit but saves me £200 in monthly fees over an 18 mth contract. Next iPhone has got my name on it.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Doesn't really matter. Sure, plenty don't really need it. Others just use it to sadly try to prove that they're somehow better than the person who is on a carrier with less throughput. However, who are you (or I or anyone for that matter) to tell someone that they don't need it without knowing the details?

Well ask your self the question what do you really gain?

For 95% of us it gains us nothing. People for the most part are getting way to wrapped up in speed.

 

[CrackerJackToy]

2 years vs. 15 years? Are you kidding me?

You're also not in the US. In the US, a quality cellular plan from Sprint/Verizon/ATT costs the same whether you get a discounted phone or not.

$200 + $40+/mo for contract.
or
$650 + $40+/mo no contract.

Few change carriers often enough to care, and thus save $450.

^^^This is exactly right. If my contract ends this month, and I plan to stay with AT&T... it would make TOTAL SENSE to get a subsidized phone now, than pay full price & continue paying the SAME amount every billing cycle.

You need to rethink your financial advice, buddy.

 

[andyx3x]

What's going to be funny is the complaints on LTE/4G battery life next year. If you think the complaints about battery life on the 4S were something, you ain't seen nothing yet. I'm sure Apple is dreading putting LTE/4G on the next iPhone.

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I am sure the iPhone 4S release caused a few bills to not get paid for many here! LOL! It is all about freedom to do what you want with your money. Many make poor choices but they have the right to do so.

I saw a woman at the grocery store the other day who had either an iPhone 4 or 4S and she was paying for her groceries with food stamps. Oh, and it was 35 degrees out and her 2-3 year old son didn't have a coat. Man, I was pissed off.

 

[Blakjack]

It'll be another two years at least when 4G is common place

 

[dialed1]

Because you don't need 20-30 mbps on your phone??

 

[ShionoyaTamaki]

Getting 8Mbps download on my iPhone4S on AT&T 3G HPSA+
Should be fast enough for the next two years while LTE battery woes gets ironed out and more mature.

I let the early adopters test it while i benefit from the polished up stuff lol

 

[derickdub]

Oh I completely disagree. Verizon 4G coverage is in almost 200 markets now (including the regions where I spend 99% of my time) and it's crazy fast. I ping at ~50ms and get down speeds of 5+Mbps on a slow day. It's essentially as fast as my home broadband.

AT&T's 3G gets 8Mbps around here, still faster than Verizon's "4G". 4G is just an overrated marketing term, at least for now.

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I'd still do a swap for your fuel prices
£1.40 a litre here at the mo

That's $2.20. I would kill for $2.20/gallon. It's still almost $4/gallon here.

 

[AnionicStrength]

That's $2.20. I would kill for $2.20/gallon. It's still almost $4/gallon here.

1 gal = 3.8 L

Thus $8.36 a gallon....

 

[SurferMan]

AT&T's 3G gets 8Mbps around here, still faster than Verizon's "4G". 4G is just an overrated marketing term, at least for now.

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That's $2.20. I would kill for $2.20/gallon. It's still almost $4/gallon here.

Yup this is what I was saying, theoretical doesn't matter... here in South FL friends on Verizon with LTE phones get nowhere near what others are reporting on here. Usually 5-11 down range, think the highest I saw was 15 when I was at one of their houses and left my phone at home and used his but throughout the day it stayed around the 5 range except for a few spikes that rose to 15. hspa+ is giving consistent speeds of 7-8 range with none of the high/low variances LTE has.

 

[bp1000]

Strange thread.

3G speeds here in the uk are around 4Mb down 1.5Mb up. That is plenty for browsing, vod and music downloads.

Even with true 4g can't see how a phone can make use of that speed above and beyond what the 4s can do.

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One more thing

Even when true 4g becomes available I bet the carriers will still have silly data limits. What's the point of 10Mb+ downloads if you have a 500mb or 1gb cap.

Luckily for me though my tariff is unlimited data and cloud wifi.

 

[iSayuSay]

It would be cool if Apple actually keep the LTE support in their sleeves with iPhone 4s. And whenever LTE has been matured, Apple could simply do an update and "unlock" streaming bandwidth that hasn't been announced before on the very same device.

That would put a shame on some Android LTE handsets which boast 4G LTE, even shamelessly imbued as their prefix .. while iPhone 4s has had LTE support but not bragging about it.

Just like Playstation 3, it wasn't designed for 3D bluray (Yeah yeah it's a gimmick and I don't use it much) .. but when it was ready, Sony updated the firmware, and your very same PS3 can do 3d bluray playback (uh huh with some limitations, but .. coool) .. nice surprise, no need to buy another player just to get 3d.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

AT&T's 3G gets 8Mbps around here, still faster than Verizon's "4G". 4G is just an overrated marketing term, at least for now.

While your speed on AT&T HSPA+ network is on the high end of speeds. it is still below what most people who are on Verizon LTE network are getting.

Verizon has what I would call a 4G network. AT&T just starting to role theirs out (LTE)

But like you even pointed out it is around here. You have a rare very fast AT&T connections and apparently slow Verizon LTE. One big thing I have noticed about LTE is that the ping times are broadband level (50 or lower) compared to the HSPA+ that are normally around 100ms.

 

[cyks]

It would be cool if Apple actually keep the LTE support in their sleeves with iPhone 4s. And whenever LTE has been matured, Apple could simply do an update and "unlock" streaming bandwidth that hasn't been announced before on the very same device.

That would put a shame on some Android LTE handsets which boast 4G LTE, even shamelessly imbued as their prefix .. while iPhone 4s has had LTE support but not bragging about it.

Just like Playstation 3, it wasn't designed for 3D bluray (Yeah yeah it's a gimmick and I don't use it much) .. but when it was ready, Sony updated the firmware, and your very same PS3 can do 3d bluray playback (uh huh with some limitations, but .. coool) .. nice surprise, no need to buy another player just to get 3d.

That's because Sony doesn't release a new and improved PS3 every year.... and has to continue giving people reason to buy (or keep) theirs.

It'd make no sense for Apple to include something and not use it when they could put it in next years version to get people to upgrade to it.

 

[KPOM]

My plan is to get the next iPhone, assuming it has LTE, and sell my unlocked 4S. That said, I can afford to do it, so I can completely see why someone with an iPhone 4 or 3GS might wait until the LTE iPhone is available.

In the suburbs, less crowded cities, or late at night, I can get 3-4Mbps down and 1-1.5Mbps up on AT&T's 3G. However, during the day when there is a lot of traffic, if I get data at all in my office (a big IF), I am lucky to get 1Mbps down. At Apple's 5th Avenue Store, where there are AT&T signal repeaters everywhere, I can get 10Mbps down, but that's the only place I get anywhere near that speed. The fastest I have ever gotten in a real world setting is about 5Mbps. LTE could easily improve upon that.

Also, the bigger advantage of LTE is that it is more efficient, so if and when NYC ever gets LTE, hopefully I'll actually be able to use it at my office since it won't be overloaded with traffic.

 

[dthmtlgod]

Want an iphone as my droid is garbage, but being trapped in a 3g network that is quickly becoming outdated, seems foolish. Reminds me of the analog to digital transition a decade ago. Thoughts on this?

How are you stuck? No law against us buying a new iPhone at the unsubsidized price. That is how I roll.

 

[TheSuperSteve]

Because Its an iPhone.

This.

[Edit]: Also, 3G works just fine for me. I dont watch netflicks or whatever so i've never felt the need for faster 3G internet.