Joe on the June 19th, 2008 The Apple iPhone 3G is coming and people are almost as excited about it as they were about the first one. Are you? Will you be switching?
I don’t have an iPhone. I have wanted one since they came out, and I wanted it even more after playing with one. At first, I thought that someone would have to come out with something close enough to appease me. LG got close, but didn’t hit the mark.
Two things kept me from buying the iPhone. The first was the cost. Even though I have a $500+ phone now, Apple is famous for 1-upping themselves pretty often, making first generation products drop in value pretty quickly. Just watch ebay over the next few weeks. The second reason I’ve stayed away is because they penned an exclusive deal with AT&T. Sure, I could get one that would work on my long-time provider, Verizon, but then I’d be loathe to receive support for the thing, and Verizon had me locked into a contract (I’m free next month, coincidentally).
So now I am faced with a decision. Do I pick up a super cheap hacked iPhone for Verizon, do I pick up a brand new 3G when it comes out and go with AT&T (who has the exclusive for four more years), or do I stick with what I have and wait for something comparable to the iPhone?
Pros and cons of moving to AT&T and the iPhone 3G
When you buy a cell phone and cell phone service, the goal is to get a phone with good service, not to get a toy. I have to keep reminding myself that. That said, the new phone should be faster and have much faster web services. Plus, the 3G network is supposed to drop less calls (I keep hearing about iPhones and dropped calls). It looks like it’s the best choice when it comes to having a new phone, but I have a feeling I could regret moving from Verizon to AT&T. A downside is that I lose the benefit of mobile-to-mobile for all my Verizon friends, but when I add in a data plan, it seems cheaper than Verizon. This is also the newer phone, so it’s not “unsellable” as soon as I get it like an older model.
Pros and cons of getting a hacked older iPhone on Verizon
First of all, the cons. It wouldn’t be supported at all. I also would not be able to get newer software developed for the new models (unless I can and just don’t know it). Finally, the older models will be nearly impossible to sell for a while with the 3G hitting the market next month. But that also works in my favor. I figure I can get more on ebay for my old phone than I’ll have to pay for a hacked first generation iPhone with extras early next month. This is also a nice medium between not getting an iPhone and having to bend over backwards for one. There is also some other hidden benefits to getting a hacked iPhone, like the tons and tons of homebrew out there, not having to worry about voiding a warranty (since it’s already voided), etc.
Pros and cons of sticking with what I have
There’s not much good or bad about leaving things well enough alone. I don’t have an iPhone, but I have a pretty decent phone that is well supported and is made to work on Verizon. But I still don’t have an iPhone. My current phone has two drawbacks that I think an iPhone would handle nicely. The battery life is horrible. I am constantly running out of battery life. The iPhone has a much smarter method for locking/unlocking. I have to tap in a specific spot on my phone and then hit an unlock button, compared to the slide touch lock iPhone uses.
At the end of the day, I know a few things for sure:
- I really want an iPhone
- The timing of next month’s 3G iPhone opens the door for me to get one
- Michelle made me promise she gets one if I do.
So what about you? Do you have an iPhone? Do you plan on grabbing a 3G?
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on June 19th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
My husband and I both have original iPhones. We love them and can’t live without them, but we can’t justify selling these and buying the new one. Not yet, anyway. I do think this is the perfect phone for people who were reluctant to buy one the first time around. I’ve never owned a better phone, Smart or otherwise! :)
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on June 19th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I’m with you Joe. I’m getting one because of the price drop, and mostly because I’ll be able to live stream video. That’s the killer app for me. Otherwise, I would have just got a new Blackberry bold.
So Jobs finally hooked me.
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on June 20th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
When I found out that the iPhone 2.0 is 3G capable now, it become more appealing to me but since I’m here in Canada where Data rate is the most highest in the world. I’m still not sure if I’m going to swicth to iPhone from Nokia N73 which I really like. And I think it still don’t have camera which is good for 3G like in europe and asia nokia phone where they already using video call since 2003.
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on June 25th, 2008 at 9:41 am
i looove iPhone but i’ve one problem…..it’s locked with AT&T..so hack it…
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on June 25th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I’m still looking at things like the data rate, etc.. Additionally, the price for a jailbroken older iPhone 8GB is still in the $400 range on ebay. I have no clue why anyone would pay that with the new model coming out in a couple weeks, but if I can’t get it for $200, I’ll just wait for someone to jailbreak the 3G (I’m guessing by July 20th) and buy a brand new one.
on June 27th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Yes the new Apple iphone has 3G connectivity which is worth buying the new version………………………….
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on July 2nd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
You cannot get the iphone to work on verizon, even a hacked one. ATT uses GSM technology which is incompatible with verizon’s cdma tech. You can only get the old iphone unlocked to work on other GSM networks, mainly T-Mobile.
on July 3rd, 2008 at 1:40 am
is there any rumors that new 3G iphone is unlocked? seems lock iphone is senseless, people can unlock it as they wish with FREE apps
on July 3rd, 2008 at 8:21 am
1) you can’t use any iphone with Verizon. They use old CDMA technology whereas AT&T and the rest of the world uses GSM. Verizon is literally the one carrier you can’t use.
2) old iPhones are not going to be cheap on ebay. As of yet, the new 3G is unlockable, so there will still be strong demand for used iPhone version 1. See for yourself. Look up “unlocked iPhone” on ebay and you’ll see they fetch $450-550 (dependind on memory capacity).
on July 7th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I will not be getting an iPhone. I’m waiting for the Android system, The Dream phone will be released on the T-Mobile network, which is what I have. I will not have to hack an iPhone. I will have a phone that is already open with tons of programs and a free SDK to create more OSS programs.
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on July 8th, 2008 at 2:44 am
The Iphones are pretty much useless for what you pay for them, they don’t have Java with them, not that open,with no real keyboard. at the end they are just Ipod’s with a different name.
With that you can get your self a Centro (palm) that does far more than just play music and look nice.
Like real internet *watch movies online,Download,torrent, play DVIX and more then 30 formats.Real QWERTY keyboard.tons of Open source and freeware apps for your palm.
Just think about it, Cheaper and Better.
on July 10th, 2008 at 12:00 am
i’ve just heard that apple iphone is planning to incorporate games like those from xbox or psp to the phones and each game download would cost you around $25.
on July 10th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Hey Joe whats going on …Come join my contest to win a Ipod Nano and $250.00 Gift card.
http://www.crunchnow.com/2008/07/crunchnow-dot-com.html
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on July 11th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Myke,
That sounds pretty cool. I saw something about that on Apple’s site, too. The games look pretty fun, but I just want a good phone with a swank UI that will sync with my outlook and calendar.
Everyone who says Verizon and iPhone don’t pair up:
Boy do I feel silly. Sometimes I forget that there are different cellular standards out there. So I either stick with what I have or buy a 3G next week or maybe I’ll just upgrade to a new phone with VZW.
on July 14th, 2008 at 4:56 am
I wanted the new iPhone 3G as well but paying $80 a month for phone service isn’t something I can do right now besides, I rather put that in a Roth.
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on July 17th, 2008 at 1:28 am
The phone is awesome. I just wish Apple would pick their partners better. In Holland they teamed up with T-Mobile that has bad network when your getting to small towns and villages away from the big cities. Lets hope it comes to other providers in the future that have a decent network :D.
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on August 18th, 2008 at 2:42 am
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