Other Yes, you should wait.

[eoblaed]

For those that are uncertain...

In the fourth grade, I had a teacher whose philosophy when being asked by students to go to the bathroom was to always say 'no'. His logic was that if you really had to go, if you truly, desperately needed to go, you weren't going to ask, you were just going to go. Therefore, by asking you were signalling that while you felt like "yeah, I could go pee if I was at a toilet," it wasn't really a situation that demanded going right this minute.

While we can debate the wisdom of his philosophy, I think there's a certain kernel of it that holds here, with the oft-repeated question "Should I get iPhone-current now, or wait a few months and get iPhone-better?" If you have the luxury of asking, that probably means you're getting along ok with your current device, an upgrade is probably not a necessity, and you may benefit from waiting a couple of months to get the upgraded hardware.

If COVID-19 doesn't throw things too out of whack, we're approximately 6-ish months from new hardware. If your current hardware is getting the job done (important qualifier), my generic advice would be to wait.

This, of course, ignores a third possibility, which is get iPhone-current now and get iPhone-better in a few months (presumably selling iPhone-current to offset the additional cost), but that's another topic entirely

 

[now i see it]

Most people on this planet are not iPhone or Apple fanatics like the regular members here, so asking whether to buy a phone now or later is a valid question. They don't know if now is a good time and don't want to make a dumb choice because these things are expensive

 

[mmomega]

Every purchase of any 'thing' is a series of yes or no questions to yourself not to another person. Others will not make good decisions for you and if you have to ask it then it is typically that you aren't used to making decisions for yourself.

From a pencil to a car, is buying this thing going to stop me from continuing to buy things I need later? Yes or no.
If yes, you don't buy it.
If No, then on to the next internal question.

A majority of the time, asking another person to make any decision for you rarely works out well. Just make the decision and learn from that decision so you can make the next one easier, repeat.

 

[Burebista]

I generally agree with OP. If you NEED a phone - just get one now. If you’re in doubt that means your current hardware is still getting the job done.

But the context is also important - it’s not the same year to year. Here the Macrumors come in handy. Everything is indicating that 2020 is going to be the year of the major redesign. So with 6 months to go it’s probably wise to wait, if you can.

Then if the new offerings dissapoint, or they jack up the prices too much for you to consider it worth it (that 5G+new design is gonna cost you), you can always get today’s excellent models for a discount.

 

[eoblaed]

Agreed with all points here. 👍 There's a reason my OP was peppered with things like 'probably', 'generic', etc, all of which were a nod to the fact that there would be exceptions and such. I just wanted to post a general response/bit of advice that might apply to a plurality of people asking that same question.

 

[nill1234]

I would wait for the 2021 Iphone. You can always wait, if you want a phone just buy it.

 

[noobinator]

I'd wait for 6g is you can get by with your current device. Maybe even 7g if your 4g speeds are adequate.

 

[nill1234]

I would understand if you buy a car which has a cycle of 3-4 years bur a phone with a 1 year cycle, you can just buy it and if you want the new one sell it and get the new one.

 

[MisterSavage]

iPhone Upgrade Program eliminates this dilemma. Get the phone now and enjoy it. If the new phone comes out in the fall either pay to upgrade early or wait until you've make 12 payments to upgrade with no early penalty fee. Or if the new phone isn't all that then after 24 payment you own the iPhone 11.

 

[joeblow7777]

In the fourth grade, I had a teacher whose philosophy when being asked by students to go to the bathroom was to always say 'no'. His logic was that if you really had to go, if you truly, desperately needed to go, you weren't going to ask, you were just going to go. Therefore, by asking you were signalling that while you felt like "yeah, I could go pee if I was at a toilet," it wasn't really a situation that demanded going right this minute.

I’m sorry. I know this is off topic and beside the point, but as a teacher myself I have to say that this practice is cruel, stupid, and borderline abusive. If a child (or anyone else) needs to relief themselves, treat them like a human being and let them! Don’t make them suffer just to prove a point and because you can.
Again, sorry for going off topic, but as a teacher that really rubs me the wrong way.

 

[rui no onna]

I’m sorry. I know this is off topic and beside the point, but as a teacher myself I have to say that this practice is cruel, stupid, and borderline abusive. If a child (or anyone else) needs to relief themselves, treat them like a human being and let them! Don’t make them suffer just to prove a point and because you can.
Again, sorry for going off topic, but as a teacher that really rubs me the wrong way.

Yup. It really is unnecessarily cruel.

There was a recent case of a teacher in Cali who wouldn't let a student go to the bathroom so the student ended up peeing in his seat. There was a lawsuit against both the teacher and school (district?) and I think the teacher got fired.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I would understand if you buy a car which has a cycle of 3-4 years bur a phone with a 1 year cycle, you can just buy it and if you want the new one sell it and get the new one.

I don’t know a single person apart from a few I encounter online who have phones on one year cycles. I think that’s an enthusiast approach.

 

[akash.nu]

iPhone Upgrade Program eliminates this dilemma. Get the phone now and enjoy it. If the new phone comes out in the fall either pay to upgrade early or wait until you've make 12 payments to upgrade with no early penalty fee. Or if the new phone isn't all that then after 24 payment you own the iPhone 11.

That’s exactly what I have resorted to.

 

[MarkX]

That’s exactly what I have resorted to.

And me.

 

[44267547]

I think General consumers don’t think like ‘tech oriented members’ do on sites like this. They don’t have the notion of thinking that ‘I wonder what the 2020 iPhone will look like’ and ‘when should I buy it’.

some of us has impulses on here that we are ‘Apple fanatics’, and we buy the latest smart phone no matter when it releases. For most, they upgrade when they need to in terms of if their phone has any type of hardware issue/if their carrier plan allows it or they’ve made so many payments to their respective upgrade plans.

 

[rui no onna]

some of us has impulses on here that we are ‘Apple fanatics’, and we buy the latest smart phone no matter when it releases. For most, they upgrade when they need to in terms of if their phone has any type of hardware issue/if their carrier plan allows it or they’ve made so many payments to their respective upgrade plans.

Yep. For most, the smartphone is a tool and they'll keep using it until it no longer works adequately.