Why the iPhone 3GS is still relevant in 2012

[Reason077]

well many users still have a 3GS and Apple still sells the phone. Even though i believe the 3GS won't get any 6.0.1 or 6.1 update. Apple will stop selling it this September.

I don't think so. The 3GS will stick around until such time as there's a new iPhone (mini?) specifically designed for the sub $200, entry-level market. Apple needs a phone at this price point to compete with low-end and mid-range Android phones.

The iPhone 4 will be dropped, rather than have its price lowered, because it's more expensive to manufacture, and not differentiated enough from the 4S and 5.

And why on earth would they ship 6.0 for the 3GS but not 6.1? Makes no sense.

 

[Beeplance]

I don't think so. The 3GS will stick around until such time as there's a new iPhone (mini?) specifically designed for the sub $200, entry-level market. Apple needs a phone at this price point to compete with low-end and mid-range Android phones.

The iPhone 4 will be dropped, rather than have its price lowered, because it's more expensive to manufacture, and not differentiated enough from the 4S and 5.

And why on earth would they ship 6.0 for the 3GS but not 6.1? Makes no sense.

Yeah I think the 3GS will get at least 6.1. There's bound to be important bug fixes that may need to be fixed, & who knows, maybe one or two new features even!

I also hope they keep the 3GS & move the 4S to the current $99 & the new iPhone to be $199. Drop the 4.

 

[Nicolas4ever]

I don't think so. The 3GS will stick around until such time as there's a new iPhone (mini?) specifically designed for the sub $200, entry-level market. Apple needs a phone at this price point to compete with low-end and mid-range Android phones.

The iPhone 4 will be dropped, rather than have its price lowered, because it's more expensive to manufacture, and not differentiated enough from the 4S and 5.

And why on earth would they ship 6.0 for the 3GS but not 6.1? Makes no sense.

so discontinuing the iPhone 4 and keep selling the 3GS is normal? i don't think so.

 

[sawah]

I've been through so many iPhones because I kept thinking I wanted to go back to Android. So after a black iPhone 4, and a white iPhone 4 that were both sold, I'm finally back to having an iPhone 3gs. I can't tell you how bad I want to throw this thing out of a window. I'll be happy to upgrade in October!

 

[Sedrick]

A chubby little butter ball by today's standards, but it always felt much nicer in the hand than it's squared-off kin.

 

[Reason077]

so discontinuing the iPhone 4 and keep selling the 3GS is normal? i don't think so.

Of course it is. The 3GS costs Apple next to nothing to manufacture at this point. That means that could sell it for less than $200 unsubsidized, and still have a great profit margin. The 4, on the other hand, costs almost as much a 4S to manufacture and also confuses the market by being too similar.

Apple want/need to have a very cheap phone in the market to compete with Android, but it can't be too similar to their high end phones or it will cannibalize them.

 

[ancns]

No money

 

[macingman]

I'd say a bad batch is more likely than extreme(ish) temperature differences, considering what mine has been through.

So the many cracked 3GS's I have seen are all from the same batch? And everyone complaining of the issue all have the same batch?

 

[party]

This thread makes iPhone 3G users like me feel soooo bad.

And I agree, 3GS is by far the best phone they've ever created.

 

[Dr. McKay]

I'm waiting until the release of the iPhone 5 to buy a 4S or a 3GS at a lower price point.
No contract, just the phone. There's no way I'll be able to afford the 5, and even when the 4S drops to the price point the 4 is at now, I'll still be more or less out of my reach.
So a low-priced 3GS will fit the bill perfectly.

I'm hoping for a price just below 200 euro (it's 379 euro now, too expensive for a 3GS).

 

[Beeplance]

This thread makes iPhone 3G users like me feel soooo bad.

And I agree, 3GS is by far the best phone they've ever created.

Wow respect for still using the iPhone 3G in 2012. I still have one, but currently not in use. Even after updating to iOS 4.2.1, the experience is still pretty sluggish. Considering to downgrade to 3.1.3. How is your experience using the 4 year old phone?

 

[matthado]

While I have never owned a 3GS, my friend does and so did my dad. My friend actually still has and uses it, and she says it is rather good, but with no face camera for facetime or the lack of camera megapixels I for one would be sick of it.

My dad use to enjoy it, and so did I, whenever I got the chance to play around with it, though he never ever took photos with it and mainly only used it for music, apps and email.

 

[cyclotron451]

Another 3G user

How is your experience using the 4 year old phone?

In my case I was an original Nexus One user & developer - that eventually crapped out with a flexi-board failure; I then bought an HTC Mozart Windows 7 which I used until recently. The WinPho was OK to use (and very safe against malware!) but at some point it stopped making calls! Looking in the cupboard amongst the T-68i's and E65's I saw my wife's discarded iPhone 3G MB489T, and charged it and it's been great for the last 4 months. I have it on 4.2.1. It holds a charge for 3 days (wifi off) which is double my HTC Mozart, it makes calls in shadow zones where my WinPho wouldn't! I'm rather impressed but will be getting the iPhone5 and leaving the 3G as an SIMless iPod/emergency phone in my Honda Audio System.

(My wife upgraded a year ago to 3GS as our kids would have accidentally destroyed an iPhone4 - we've seen the 3G and 3GS actually bounce of the floor many a time)

 

[Beeplance]

In my case I was an original Nexus One user & developer - that eventually crapped out with a flexi-board failure; I then bought an HTC Mozart Windows 7 which I used until recently. The WinPho was OK to use (and very safe against malware!) but at some point it stopped making calls! Looking in the cupboard amongst the T-68i's and E65's I saw my wife's discarded iPhone 3G MB489T, and charged it and it's been great for the last 4 months. I have it on 4.2.1. It holds a charge for 3 days (wifi off) which is double my HTC Mozart, it makes calls in shadow zones where my WinPho wouldn't! I'm rather impressed but will be getting the iPhone5 and leaving the 3G as an SIMless iPod/emergency phone in my Honda Audio System.

(My wife upgraded a year ago to 3GS as our kids would have accidentally destroyed an iPhone4 - we've seen the 3G and 3GS actually bounce of the floor many a time)

Yeah iPhones have quite a good standby time when not connected to any wifi network or 3G. And the build quality is also quite sturdy.

Finally downgraded my iPhone 3G from 4.2.1 to 3.1.3. Fast 15 minutes process that made it blazing fast now.

 

[Michael CM1]

3GS is still a good phone but I don't really see why people would choose it over a 4/4S when signing a 2-yr contract. The real expense of owning an iPhone comes with the $100 per month phone bill. I would think that someone who can afford that monthly rate plan would also not have a problem kicking out at least $100 to get the iPhone 4 when they sign up.

For reals. You're going to spend $80/month (that's my bill on Verizon) on a phone and you save a whole $100 between brand new phones? I tell people not to do that just for the darn Retina display. The video/still camera upgrade is also well worth it, plus the fact that you can still actually find a case for the iPhone 4.

I hope it gets retired next month. It's nice to offer a free phone, but at an extra $100 or less (now it's about $50) the iPhone 4 is a steal of an upgrade.

 

[kevink2]

Wow respect for still using the iPhone 3G in 2012. I still have one, but currently not in use. Even after updating to iOS 4.2.1, the experience is still pretty sluggish. Considering to downgrade to 3.1.3. How is your experience using the 4 year old phone?

I gave away my iPhone 4 to my brother in law, and was going to use my 3G until the next iPhone came out. It was too painful after a couple days. Expectations and applications change.

I'm trying out an Android phone for the month in between. So far, I'm liking it better than the 3G But will likely be getting the new iPhone.

 

[greygray]

My 3GS still works fine! It's a great phone.

 

[JesalTV]

Good post, OP.

I completely agree, and it's a major regret that I sold mine in preparation for the iPhone 4.

I wish I'd sold the iPhone 3G instead. Went travelling around South America, and took the 3G just in case it got lost/stolen. Man, what a mistake.

It was just painfully slow at everything, a nightmare to use. The 3GS would have been so much better to have out there, as the speed difference is immense.

I hope they keep supporting the 3GS as you say, because there is no point alienating the millions that still use it. The 3G is dead to me, but the 3GS can still do a job thanks to the processing speed. I actually much preferred it to my iPhone 4, I'm sick of it now, had countless problems.

 

[tienathlon]

Essentially, the 3GS has the same CPU architecture as the iPhone 4. So as long as the iPhone 4 are supported by Apple, the 3GS would get the same treatment.

 

[party]

Wow respect for still using the iPhone 3G in 2012. I still have one, but currently not in use. Even after updating to iOS 4.2.1, the experience is still pretty sluggish. Considering to downgrade to 3.1.3. How is your experience using the 4 year old phone?

Haha, it's okay. I have 4 apps only: Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, and WhatsApp. Facebook didn't provide their new (so much) better version of the app (for iOS 4.3 and above), so it's basically impossible to load. Instagram and WhatsApp works fine, but they're really really slow.

But I have 0 songs/videos, just about 2600 photos, which I believe is what makes the phone laggy. The user experience is fine, you just need to have a great amount of patience.

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I wish I'd sold the iPhone 3G instead. Went travelling around South America, and took the 3G just in case it got lost/stolen. Man, what a mistake.

It was just painfully slow at everything, a nightmare to use. The 3GS would have been so much better to have out there, as the speed difference is immense.

The speed difference is immense - but as long as you can stand the loading time needed for it to work, it works fine.

 

[student_trap]

So the many cracked 3GS's I have seen are all from the same batch? And everyone complaining of the issue all have the same batch?

Sorry to throw this in there but my gf and I got our first iphones, both 3gs's last year and neither have cracked in any way shape or form. Both are the 8GB models that only say 'iPhone' on the back, so perhaps they changed something when the 4 came out?

And as an aside, I have really enjoyed my 3gs, it feels great in the hand (much better than the 4/4s) and the battery lasts forever and its still pretty fast.

Although maybe I have a magic one as I bought it at the same time (literally) that SJ passed - now that was a weird experience

 

[Troneas]

the 3GS is one sexy beast.

 

[macingman]

Sorry to throw this in there but my gf and I got our first iphones, both 3gs's last year and neither have cracked in any way shape or form. Both are the 8GB models that only say 'iPhone' on the back, so perhaps they changed something when the 4 came out?

And as an aside, I have really enjoyed my 3gs, it feels great in the hand (much better than the 4/4s) and the battery lasts forever and its still pretty fast.

Although maybe I have a magic one as I bought it at the same time (literally) that SJ passed - now that was a weird experience

Did I say EVERYONE had the issue?

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

well many users still have a 3GS and Apple still sells the phone. Even though i believe the 3GS won't get any 6.0.1 or 6.1 update. Apple will stop selling it this September.

I can see it getting a small 6.X.1 update if it involves patching a security risk or a performance enhancer. Apple stopped supporting the iPhone 3G four months after it finally left the shelves and it received iOS 4.1/4.2.1 in that time frame.

 

[Ddyracer]

the 3GS is one sexy beast.

It's a marcher, slow but a warrior Surprisingly, it has the most OS updates then any iPhone, iPad. Speed refreshes aren't as subtle as one think they are. Perhaps the iPad 2 will be the equivalent OS upgrader in a few years.