Why the heck would anyone get the 3G now?

[iphones4evry1]

I think the main purpose of still making the 3G is so that Apple/AT&T can say "starting at $99." When "the average person" walks into Best Buy or an AT&T store and starts looking at phones, they pay attention to the prices. When they see that the Best Buy tag on the iPhone says $99 instead of $299, they stop and look at it more and consider it more. There are a lot of people that don't know anywhere what you and I know about cell phones and they walk into Best Buy, thinking "I want a phone that costs under $100," and that person only looks at phones that cost under $100. They might also ask the associate/employee "How much does the iPhone start at?" The employee can respond "$99." Now, the customer starts looking at the $99 iPhone and says "this is pretty cool." After the associate has them sold on the 3G, then they can tell them about the 3GS. Some people will say "I don't need that. The 3G is plenty for me," and they will buy the 3G. Some will get the 3GS. But without the $99 to start with, that customer would never have looked at the 3GS.

Also, not everyone has to have the "latest greatest" technology. There are millions of people that would be content with the 3G. My mom is one of those people. She loves my 3G and said she wants her own, but at the same time she said "I don't need the fastest model. The basic one will work fine for me."

 

[Branskins]

Apple seems to really be splintering their fanbase with this new phone. It seems to be causing more problems among people.

In the end, it comes down to what people want. A $99 phone is amazing for some people who do not care about the speed enhancements. That is like asking someone why they bought a computer model for 100 dollars less than one that could be faster...simply because what they got with their money does what they need it to do...

When it comes down to it, both the $99 iPhone and the 3G S both do the same basic function...phone calls! The 3G performs the other smartphone features extremely well. Just because the new one is faster doesn' t make the iPhone 3G obsolete.

 

[Jimmy James]

The 3GS just offers so much more:

1. Camera: if you're just printing in 5x7 or posting online (i.e. Facebook) then the camera in the 3GS is sufficient for everyday usage. The camera in the 3G really isn't. The lens makes all the difference.

I've got a big, impressive camera. But you know what? I've missed the best shots because I didn't have my camera with me. The 3GS solves that problem and I no longer feel compelled to buy (or carry!!) a smallish, separate unit.

2. CPU speed & memory. Yes, everyone's talking about it. Applications launch faster, blah, blah. But you know what? I think this is a more forward thinking move than is immediately apparent. The CPU in the 3G is pitiful and we will see the benefits as apps are tailored to utilize the extra performance. By the way, does anyone know if turn-by-turn GPS in the 3G is sufficiently quick, or is there a notable benefit by using the new iphone?

3. Voice recognition. I make a lot of phone calls while I'm driving. I always use a wireless headset and that's legal in my jurisdiction. Deal with it. Actually, now I don't have to deal with it. My phone enables me to keep my eyes on the road. Very useful.

These are just the improvements that matter to me personally. And they are significant. I would much rather sell other gear and get the 3GS.

 

[TheSpaz]

Just because the new one is faster doesn' t make the iPhone 3G obsolete.

Well, I think the 3G is obsolete.

The 3GS is not only about SPEED. What about future compatibility? What about the extra RAM? These are MAJOR upgrades. For someone who doesn't care about speed, I can understand that, but what happens when 4.0 comes out and Apple announces some exciting hot features that only the 3GS can handle and the person who just bought the iPhone 3G is going to be like "What the hell??? Why can't my iPhone do that too?"

Would you buy a PowerPC based Mac now that the Intel Macs are the future? Yeah, the PowerPC Macs are cheaper, but they're using old hardware that isn't even going to be compatible with Apple's next major OS release Snow Leopard.

I'd be more concerned with getting something that will last longer instead of something that is already 1 whole year on it's way out. The iPhone 3G is being phased out, and that is why you shouldn't buy it. Even though the price tag is tempting... it's not a good deal.

 

[jpk32092]

You have to remember, the 99$ iPhone is not cheaper than the iPhone 3G S.

o rly? I believe its $100 cheaper.

When you buy an iPhone 3G now, you're basically buying a brand new obsolete iPhone.

How is my 3G obsolete? Sure I can't video record like the 3GS can, and I don't have a compass, but obsolete = no longer produced or used; out of date. My 3G is hardly out of date...

 

[drjuice]

Best reason I've heard for a $99 iPhone 3G:

"Apple is running out of people to sell $200 phones to."
-Andy Ihnatko, MacBreak Weekly

$199 is a lot easier to stomach than $499; but there are still a great deal of people for whom $199 is still too expensive for a phone (we can wax philosophical about how the iPhone is so much more than just a *phone,* but a great deal of consumers see it as just that).

It also strikes me that perhaps this a part of a rolling upgrade strategy. That is, you get people at $99, and later they say "This is awesome, but man, I should've gotten the 3GS, maybe I'll wait until I can upgrade to the next one."

The first hit may not be free, but it's cheaper.

And it makes sense for Apple to have something of a foil. That is, something aside from other phones from other manufacturers to compare the 3GS to (alluded to by iphones4evry1). So, those people who would've initially said "$199 is too much for a phone" walk in and get interested by a $99 3G, and then maybe they like the 3GS and suddenly, in comparison, $199 isn't all that expensive because there's something other than their flip phone or the free-with-contract phones out there. It also seems like Apple is attempting this with the latest revision to their laptop line.

Finally, I think a $99 3G exists for no other reason than to get people on board with their vision of the iPhone OS platform. That vision seems to me to include a large and active developer community that is pushed by and at the same time pushes along a hardware platform that can evolve with it. Apple has, historically, not been afraid to leave people behind (I'm thinking of moving from OS 9 to OS X, then from PowerPC to Intel) if they don't upgrade after a certain point (Classic and Rosetta). Looking back at Apple announcements over the last year, it seems they're all about moving their respective platforms forward - they'll only do so much to get you on board, and after that, oh well.

 

[FunkyMonkey]

Who would buy an iPhone to begin with? $100 a month? Are you kidding me?

iPhone < college education

 

[Branskins]

The 3GS is not only about SPEED. What about future compatibility? What about the extra RAM? These are MAJOR upgrades. For someone who doesn't care about speed, I can understand that, but what happens when 4.0 comes out and Apple announces some exciting hot features that only the 3GS can handle and the person who just bought the iPhone 3G is going to be like "What the hell??? Why can't my iPhone do that too?"

Seriously, go pitch this to someone who is not an Apple fanboy a complete techie. They will most likely NOT care about extra ram, a new processor, etc... These are the same people who are happy with cheaper computers...As long as they get things at a good price that does everything they need it to do.

And your second statement about 4.0, isn't that what we 3Gers are saying now? Isn't that what 2Gers said when 3.0 was announced and MMS was not available? No matter what, new things will come out that will not be supported for other hardware.

When 4.0 is announced, a new phone will likely come out and do some things that the 3G S will not be able to do and we will all say the 3G S is obsolete...there is no winning in this product cycle.

In the end, the 3G is perfect for some users because it is still a very decent cell phone...

 

[jpk32092]

what happens when 4.0 comes out and Apple announces some exciting hot features that only the 3GS can handle and the person who just bought the iPhone 3G is going to be like "What the hell???

When 4.0 comes out, there will be a new iphone released that will be better suited for 4.0, making your shiny 3GS obsolete.A

Just because my 3G might be obsolete when 4.0 comes out a year from now, how does that make it obsolete now?
Hey! Your 3GS will be obsolete 4000000 years from now = your 3GS is obsolete now. Your argument is flawed.

 

[TheSpaz]

What I'm saying is...

1. The iPhone 3G is the same price (per month) as the iPhone 3G S

2. The iPhone 3G is at the end of it's product cycle. Why buy something at the end of it's life?

3. The iPhone 3G is only cheaper at FIRST glance. Once you add up what it will end up costing you, the $100 extra doesn't seem like much difference

4. For $100 more (approximately 1 month's bill), you can get a WAY better phone that is not only better NOW because it's brand new, but still has a full year to go before it gets surpassed.

Now you tell ME what the better deal is. Saving $99 from the initial price is almost nothing.

iPhone 3GS (minimum cost over 2 years): $1680
iPhone 3G (minimum cost over 2 years): $1580

iPhone 3GS: This year's iPhone
iPhone 3G: Last year's iPhone

I'm sorry... it just makes a lot more sense in the long run to purchase the 3G S.

*IF* Apple released a cheaper iPhone (maybe with only EDGE data and cheaper plans) that would be a better deal, but since the iPhone 3G costs the same per month as the iPhone 3GS, I don't think the 3G is a good entry-level iPhone.

 

[Jimmy James]

When 4.0 comes out, there will be a new iphone released that will be better suited for 4.0, making your shiny 3GS obsolete.A

Just because my 3G might be obsolete when 4.0 comes out a year from now, how does that make it obsolete now?
Hey! Your 3GS will be obsolete 4000000 years from now = your 3GS is obsolete now. Your argument is flawed.

Oh the rage.

 

[war eagle]

People who dont really know much about phones?

 

[benoitgphoto]

I just bought a 16 Gb 3G from Rogers upgraded from my old cell phone for 99$ and extending my actual contract for 3 years.

This will be my 1st Smartphone and a 3G IPhone for 99$. For my needs and at this price, I don't see any features in the 3G S that is worth and extra 200$ for the same storage capacity. On top of that, in a year or two when the next versions of IPhone will be launched I will be able to upgrade and extend the contract at pretty low cost as I just did so at the end I think I took the right decision.

It's all about latest technology addiction. The 3G S looks very good but the day before the launch, the 3G was still an excellent phone praised everywhere and considered by many the best smartphone on the market...just my 2 cents

 

[Jimmy James]

I just bought a 16 Gb 3G from Rogers upgraded from my old cell phone for 99$ and extending my actual contract for 3 years.

This will be my 1st Smartphone and a 3G IPhone for 99$. For my needs and at this price, I don't see any features in the 3G S that is worth and extra 200$ for the same storage capacity. On top of that, in a year or two when the next versions of IPhone will be launched I will be able to upgrade and extend the contract at pretty low cost as I just did so at the end I think I took the right decision.

It's all about latest technology addiction. The 3G S looks very good but the day before the launch, the 3G was still an excellent phone praised everywhere and considered by many the best smartphone on the market...just my 2 cents

Enjoy. You'll probably be very happy with it.

 

[TheSpaz]

I just bought a 16 Gb 3G from Rogers upgraded from my old cell phone for 99$ and extending my actual contract for 3 years.

This will be my 1st Smartphone and a 3G IPhone for 99$. For my needs and at this price, I don't see any features in the 3G S that is worth and extra 200$ for the same storage capacity. On top of that, in a year or two when the next versions of IPhone will be launched I will be able to upgrade and extend the contract at pretty low cost as I just did so at the end I think I took the right decision.

It's all about latest technology addiction. The 3G S looks very good but the day before the launch, the 3G was still an excellent phone praised everywhere and considered by many the best smartphone on the market...just my 2 cents

Why are you saying that the 16GB iPhone 3GS is $300?
How'd you get a 16GB iPhone 3G for $99?

I'm confused.

 

[jayenh]

What I'm saying is...

1. The iPhone 3G is the same price (per month) as the iPhone 3G S

2. The iPhone 3G is at the end of it's product cycle. Why buy something at the end of it's life?

3. The iPhone 3G is only cheaper at FIRST glance. Once you add up what it will end up costing you, the $100 extra doesn't seem like much difference

4. For $100 more (approximately 1 month's bill), you can get a WAY better phone that is not only better NOW because it's brand new, but still has a full year to go before it gets surpassed.

Now you tell ME what the better deal is. Saving $99 from the initial price is almost nothing.

iPhone 3GS (minimum cost over 2 years): $1680
iPhone 3G (minimum cost over 2 years): $1580

iPhone 3GS: This year's iPhone
iPhone 3G: Last year's iPhone

I'm sorry... it just makes a lot more sense in the long run to purchase the 3G S.

*IF* Apple released a cheaper iPhone (maybe with only EDGE data and cheaper plans) that would be a better deal, but since the iPhone 3G costs the same per month as the iPhone 3GS, I don't think the 3G is a good entry-level iPhone.

is it so hard to understand that some (read that as most) people DONT CARE that much about specs? in the uk 75% of phones are FREE when you upgrade or start a new contract. if you want a decent phone you pay £40 or £50 for it. £96 isn't really that cheap, but it's still a lot cheaper than £185 for the 3gs (£274 if you want 32GB). when you put that option in front of people (regular people) they will take the extra £££ and go shopping or spend it on beer.

we on here, the people that drool over rumors and are interested in millisecond loading time differences, are not the same as your average joe who walks into a store for a new/upgrade phone and thinks "that looks nice... so does that one... they both look the same?". chances are they will talk to a sales rep who will say "this one does video, better camera, voice contr.... and already average joe has switched off thinking "i don't need any of those". selling the 3g for half the price is an attempt to get those people onboard the iphone train.

you can recommend all you want, but if they don't need those features why spend an extra £90 on them? if someone asks you to spec a PC for browsing the net and opening spreadsheets do you recommend a 3ghz quad core processor and ati 2950 graphics card?

 

[Johns12]

we on here, the people that drool over rumors and are interested in millisecond loading time differences, are not the same as your average joe who walks into a store for a new/upgrade phone and thinks "that looks nice... so does that one... they both look the same?". chances are they will talk to a sales rep who will say "this one does video, better camera, voice contr.... and already average joe has switched off thinking "i don't need any of those". selling the 3g for half the price is an attempt to get those people onboard the iphone train.

you can recommend all you want, but if they don't need those features why spend an extra £90 on them? if someone asks you to spec a PC for browsing the net and opening spreadsheets do you recommend a 3ghz quad core processor and ati 2950 graphics card?

Thank you. So many people on these boards have no sense of the real world. My wife is enjoying her new 3G phone and has not complained about any missing features and slow speed. She has never, ever, ever, taken a picture or video with any mobile phone.

Also, please don't use the argument that the only reason someone would by a 3G is because they can't afford the new one. I could bet you that if we went through all the choices one makes in their life, there was a more expensive alternative that you didn't buy, and it was not because you could not afford it.

 

[MikePA]

is it so hard to understand that some (read that as most) people DONT CARE that much about specs?

I could not agree more.

What some people can't (or won't) grasp is not everyone is a propeller head, e.g., they obsess over a trivial video issue that only occurs every other Tuesday, with the phone upside down while said propeller head is grabbing their crotch.

The vast majority of people care more about;

• How the phone looks.
• The camera.
• How easy it is to text.
• What their friends have.
• What the phone costs.
• How easy is it to use for what they want to do.

Heck, the faster processor and more memory on the 3Gs are irrelevant to a lot of current iPhone users and wasn't worth even the $199/$299 subsidized upgrade charge. They don't care if it takes an extra 0.5 seconds to open up an application on a 3G vs 3Gs and if they don't use their iPhone as an iPod, who cares about the additional memory? Only people whose entire life consists of what they enter on a keyboard and read off a screen care about such things.

 

[icurbyou]

My girlfriend didn't have an iphone yet. She was eligible for an upgrade. She didn't see the 3Gs features a good deal for an extra $150 (at least for her needs and desires) so we got her the iPhone 3G and she loves it.

 

[iPhoneFreak17]

the only thing is stopping me from getting the 3GS is the yellowish screen everyone is complaining about,hopefully apple does something about soon cuz im still waiting to get one...

 

[Gathomblipoob]

the only thing is stopping me from getting the 3GS is the yellowish screen everyone is complaining about,hopefully apple does something about soon cuz im still waiting to get one...

Not everyone is complaining about a yellowish screen. Mine doesn't look at all yellowish to me...

 

[benoitgphoto]

Why are you saying that the 16GB iPhone 3GS is $300?
How'd you get a 16GB iPhone 3G for $99?

I'm confused.

My mistake...16 GB 3G S is 199$ so it's double the price than the 3G for the same capacity. Still at the same point, I don't see any features that justifies to pay twice the price for my needs. I have 8K$ of photographic gear, so I don't care about the IPhone better camera that I will never use anyway, don't care about compass and voice control too. Speed....I can deal with a few milliseconds slower loading time...but that's my needs and not everyone else ones.

How did I get that price...I don't know, probably promo and upgrade policy with my business account. I was surprised because on their site it's advertised at 149$

 

[Pravda]

I guess not everyone is into the bleeding edge technology...

I guess if u dont need the phone to be that much faster, no need to use MMS/Video, why would you pay extra for the 3Gs?

 

[Jimmy James]

is it so hard to understand that some (read that as most) people DONT CARE that much about specs?

You are correct. Most people aren't interested in specs. For those that buy a 3G, I congratulate them. In fact, I did that a couple of posts prior to yours. It's a truly wonderful phone and will continue to be so.

On the other hand we are on a discussion board. The very fact that we are on this board is because many of us are more discriminating consumers. We're not here to talk about the needs of the lowest common denominator (Joe Public) or to determine what that might be. So while your comments are true they are lacking the context of this environment.

As a more discriminating consumer I appreciate the extra performance, as well as the number of consolidated functions and services of Apple's top-tier phone (see another post of mine earlier on this page).

I agree with the poster to whom you were originally responding. In the grand scheme of things the 3GS is a fractional cost increase and provides value in that context.

 

[DiamondMac]

We're not here to talk about the needs of the lowest common denominator (Joe Public) or to determine what that might be.

I find Joe Public posters talk more than anyone else. I don't mean that in a bad way but how many times a day do you read thread after thread about the basics of an Apple product? I think those types of posts/threads far out-weigh the extremely intelligent, engaging Apple man who can name/do things that the average Joe public.

I consider myself to be someone much more of an Apple guy than a Joe Public but I think this forum allows for both types of people to be heard and they both do quite clearly.

I don't think his quote is in anyway out of environment especially when the topic is asking who the HECK would get the 3G now.