iphone question (1 Viewer)

[Richard Travale]

Hey Folks,
So, my cell phone plan hardware upgrade option comes up this May. I've been dying to get an iphone for a very long time now. My immediate thought is to grab an iphone 4 the day my upgrade is available.

Now, I've had a little bit of a wrench thrown in to the mix here. A friend has told me that the iphone 4.5 is probably coming out in June.


So, my question to those of you with iphones, and know about stuff, is this. Should I go with plan a and get the 4 at the beginning of May or should I wait until June(or possibly later due to typical product roll out delays) and get the 4.5? Will the 4.5 be that much better that the delay is worth it? I can't find any info on what will be new/better on the 4.5.

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

May?? I've been telling people that are eligible for an upgrade even NOW to hold off. Buying an iPhone 4 in May would be a bad decision. Ever since the first iPhone was released, Apple has put out a new model in the June/July timeframe. I think it would serve you best to see what's coming out. Trying to figure out what enhancements or features Apple will incorporate into the next phone is purely a guessing game. They keep their cards close to the vest and leave it up to various rumor sites to pontificate what the next phone will look like. Whether you think the changes are worth it or not...it benefits you to wait a month or so to find out. Even if you don't buy the new model, they likely will slash the price on the iPhone 4 once the new model is announced, just like they did with the iPhone 3GS and the 3G before it.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Agreed 10,000% with Michael.


iPhone 5 is forthcoming. Probably the end of June.


To buy an iPhone in May would be purchasing something

that's obsolete in a month.


The only reservation I have at the moment is if Verizon

will get the new iPhone 5 after just introducing iPhone 4.


However, if you are considering AT&T then it's a shoo-in

that there will be a new phone shortly.

 

[Richard Travale]

Awesome! Thank you for the advice fellas. I'm definitely going to wait until June/July for the new iphone to be released.

 

[DaveF]

If you could upgrade today, and needed a new phone today, I'd suggesting getting an iPhone 4.


But if you can't upgrade until May anyway, definitely wait until July when the iPhone 5 comes out (last year it was released June 29). And if you're still happy with the "4", and want to save a hundred dollars, there will likely be an 8GB iPhone 4 for $99 as the cheapest option.


You won't find any news on what's new or better on the iPhone 5 because it isn't out yet. Unlike many other companies, Apple doesn't show prototypes are pre-announce. The rumors are starting, and will keep ramping up, but no one will know for sure until it's announced.

 

[RAF]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein


To buy an iPhone in May would be purchasing something

that's obsolete in a month.

Well Ron, "obsolete" is really not the proper term to use in this case. Yes, the iPhone4 will not be the best phone out there when iPhone4.5 (or whatever) is released (whenever). But when that day comes that doesn't mean that the iPhone4 suddenly turns into garbage. It still is a great phone and will still do everything it does today. In fact, you know that I'll be getting an iPhone4.5 (or whatever) the day it's released (whenever). But Sandy has already said that she might not want to have me upgrade her phone right away. She loves her iPhone4. It won't become obsolete whenever whatever comes to pass. And she's willing to wait until Verizon tells her that she's fulfilled her contract and is eligible for an upgrade at a reduced price.

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

I'll be interested to see what the secondary market will be like for the used Verizon iPhone 4's. Because they don't use SIM cards, there isn't the easy portability you get with the GSM model and they can only be used in a fraction of the countries that GSM can.

 

[Richard Travale]

Hey all, so, now with the rumour mill is reporting that the iphone 4.5(or 5) won't be released or even produced until September, do you still recommend holding off on getting the iphone? Just to refresh, my hardware upgrade comes up in 2 weeks so I can either get the iphone 4 in 2 weeks or wait until September/October to get the iphone 4.5.
The way I'm thinking, I should get the upgrade now. The rumoured upgrades seem cool enough but are they worth the extra extra wait now?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

The rumoured upgrades seem cool enough but are they worth the extra extra wait now?

Richard,


In my opinion, NO.


I have been out of contract for quite some time. I bought an iPhone 4

contract free just because I wanted the ability to buy the next upgrade.


For me, that was a mistake, because iPhone 5 may sport a larger screen

and processor speedbump but will only be followed by iPhone 6 the following

year which should definitely have 4G support.


If you wait for iPhone 5 you will be locked into a contract that will not allow

you to upgrade to iPhone 6.


So, I would buy the iPhone 4 now. It's incredible.


Of course, I would wait for other opinions here as well.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Richard Travale

Hey all, so, now with the rumour mill is reporting that the iphone 4.5(or 5) won't be released or even produced until September, do you still recommend holding off on getting the iphone? Just to refresh, my hardware upgrade comes up in 2 weeks so I can either get the iphone 4 in 2 weeks or wait until September/October to get the iphone 4.5.
The way I'm thinking, I should get the upgrade now. The rumoured upgrades seem cool enough but are they worth the extra extra wait now?

I bought the iPhone at #4: that's when it became a phone worth my money. The software and hardware had all reached a threshold of "awesome". Unless you must have 4G, need to do Windows Remote Desktop from your phone, or must use T-Mobile, I can't think of any reason why you'd be disappointed with an iPhone 4. Great phone; still a peer to the newest Android phones.


If I'd been waiting for a Verizon iPhone, I'd buy the iPhone 4 today. When I bought my iPhone last summer, I'd reached the "need" stage: I needed a new phone. I needed a new PDA. And I strongly wanted mobile internet access. If I'd waited another six months, I'd have broke down and got the Verizon iPHone on launch date; I wouldn't have made it another three months (and now six months) for an iPhone 5.


But if this isn't your first iPhone, especially if you've got a 3GS that works well enough, I'd wait for the iPhone 5.



As for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6... The iPhone 5 has seemingly solid rumors stating it won't be out until September or so, but it might appear this weekend. There's no knowing for sure. Buy what you can afford and can live with for the next two years, regardless of what might happen tomorrow.


And it's possible that this "delay" (no one knows if it's intentional or not) represents a permanent shift in iPhone release dates. That is, iPhone 6 might not appear until Fall of 2012, making a wait for the iPhone 5 as reasonable as anything else.

 

[Richard Travale]

Thanks for the help everybody. I took the advice and picked up my iphone 4 last night. They asked if I wanted the white one, to which I replied "Do I look like a 14 year old girl on my way to a Justin Bieber concert?"


I will probably get in trouble at work today for playing with the phone and figuring it out...but it may be worth it.


thanks everyone.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Richard,


I would have jumped on a white phone in a second....


...and I don't even like Justin Bieber.


Congrats on your purchase. I think you are going
to be very, very happy.



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