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Being a 3GS owner, I feel like an ugly stepchild. Should I upgrade to 4S, and then watch (once again, as in the case of iphone 4) as the iphone 5 rolls out ear

by ajays 15y ago

Being a 3GS owner, I feel like an ugly stepchild. Should I upgrade to 4S, and then watch (once again, as in the case of iphone 4) as the iphone 5 rolls out early next year? If the i5 comes out in Feb, it might be worth the wait. If June... I'm not so sure. First-world problems.... ;-)

joezydeco 15y ago
Don't feel bad. My work-supplied 3G still has 6 months left on contract. No iOS updates and crazy slow speed.
- sevenproxies 15y ago
  >crazy slow speed What is wrong with the iphone 3G?
  - danilocampos 15y ago
    Beyond it being crazy slow?
  - joezydeco 15y ago
    iOS4 and iOS4-compatible apps run very slow on my 3G, even with Spotlight turned off. Apps crash all the time including Safari. I've lost calls because of the phone bogging down at various times. That's just the top of my list.
    - yardie 15y ago
      Is it jailbroken? I have a 3G as well. Upgrading to 4.2.1 I enabled the multitasking switch but it made the phone unusable and unstable. Disabling multitasking got the phone back on track (I did lose Airprint). But the phone only occasionally bogs down and never drops a call (I know, hard to believe for an iPhone).
      - joezydeco 15y ago
        Nope. Stock iOS 4.2.1. I have no idea and don't really care anymore. It is what it is.
  - gurkendoktor 15y ago
    Well, not having security updates for something that you might use for email etc. is a bit scary too. (DigiNotar anyone?)
    - joezydeco 15y ago
      Yeah, that's a bummer too. Maybe that's a good thing to tell the boss so we can get upgraded early.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
berberich 15y ago
I'd be very surprised if the iPhone 5 was released anytime before next July. More likely is that it'll be a fall release again.
- w33ble 15y ago
  I really think it's possible they won't release it until June 2013, but another fall release is still probably more likely.
- jbrennan 15y ago
  Agreed. This is their best selling device yet. Apple isn't one to sit on its laurels, but why would they replace a flagship* product just 5 months after its introduction? *(ignore that PPC iMac released before the Intel switch)
ugh 15y ago
Change perspective: You get the faster iPhone 4 with all its kinks worked out. And the next time you upgrade you get the faster iPhone 5 with all its kinks worked out. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
dlapiduz 15y ago
I am on the 3GS cycle too and I am holding until the 5. I want to get the really new stuff not the somewhat improved versions.
- Tyrannosaurs 15y ago
  I've just replaced a 3GS with a 4S as I saw it as a major upgrade. You're getting a massively improved camera (including flash, increased resolution, HD video, HDR), front facing camera, retina display, improved processor, SIRI, new form factor, iOS5 running at an acceptable speed (it's a dog on the 3GS), potentially greater capacity if you go for the 64Gb. The fact it's not a major change from the 4 in some regards surely isn't a factor for those of us with 3GSs as we never had the 4? It's certainly a major change from the 3GS.
  - dlapiduz 15y ago
    Indeed it would be a major change for me, but I am still holding out so I can get on the other cycle.
ejvincent 15y ago
I upgraded from the 3GS. The difference in processing speed is very noticeable. I used to have some apps lag the keyboard input because they were taxing the processor. Updating apps took awhile, and some opened slow. All that goes away thanks to more speed and dual-core; it is almost worth it just for that.
mikeash 15y ago
Unless you spend the extra money to buy a new phone every year, you're going to have to watch as your new shiny gets one-upped by something better either way, so you might as well go for something better now.
crazygringo 15y ago
Buy the unlocked 4S a few weeks from now in November. (Yes, Apple will be selling it officially!) Use either the AT&T or T-Mobile prepaid plans. (You are pretty much guaranteed to save money over the cost of a two-year contract.) Sell your 4S on Ebay after a year, and buy your new phone. Voila. First-world problem solved. (This is what I'll be doing, anyways.) Bonus: if AT&T or T-Mobile turn out to have bad reception in your apartment, you can effortlessly switch to the other carrier.
- e1ven 15y ago
  As far as I know, the 4S still doesn't support T-Mobile freqs for > 2G..
  - w33ble 15y ago
    This is true, but they make up for it with a $30/mo plan that includes 100 minutes of talk and unlimited text and data. There's a $50/mo plan that includes unlimited everything. Personally, that's a trade-off I'm happy to make.
    - cshesse 15y ago
      I can't find either of these plans on their website. I went to buy a Micro SIM card, and the only unlimited everything plan is 105$ a month. There is no 100 minute plan or 30$ plan that I can find.
      - nuclear_eclipse 15y ago
        The $30 plan is only available at Walmart, even though it's still through T-Mobile. The $50/mo plan gives you unlimited everything, but requires going to a T-Mobile location to ask for it.
        greyboy 15y ago
        ?? I'm confused. As I understand it, they are Monthly plans - you can get them online. I just did it two weeks ago: http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
bonzoesc 15y ago
Could be worse, if you got the best Android you'd get to watch new better ones come out every other week, and never ever get the new OS.
SoftwareMaven 15y ago
I'm doing the 4S and not worried at all about a 5 early next year (and i do believe it is eminently possible). I actually thought long and hard about upgrading at all. If the 5 comes, there are still so many4 and 4S (and 3GS) phones in the market, apps are still going to work really well on it for a long time. I do much less on my phone now that I have my iPad. The camera, one of the major reasons for the upgrade, is unlikely to get much better on the 5. If it turns out I'm wrong, I'll sale it jail broken (or pass it down to one of my kids in the family plan :). But I would be greatly surprised if a nee one shows up before next fall. I think Apple is OK with moving the iPhones to the holiday release schedule.

by ajays 15y ago

joezydeco 15y ago

Don't feel bad. My work-supplied 3G still has 6 months left on contract. No iOS updates and crazy slow speed.

sevenproxies 15y ago
>crazy slow speed What is wrong with the iphone 3G?
- danilocampos 15y ago
  Beyond it being crazy slow?
- joezydeco 15y ago
  iOS4 and iOS4-compatible apps run very slow on my 3G, even with Spotlight turned off. Apps crash all the time including Safari. I've lost calls because of the phone bogging down at various times. That's just the top of my list.
  - yardie 15y ago
    Is it jailbroken? I have a 3G as well. Upgrading to 4.2.1 I enabled the multitasking switch but it made the phone unusable and unstable. Disabling multitasking got the phone back on track (I did lose Airprint). But the phone only occasionally bogs down and never drops a call (I know, hard to believe for an iPhone).
    - joezydeco 15y ago
      Nope. Stock iOS 4.2.1. I have no idea and don't really care anymore. It is what it is.
- gurkendoktor 15y ago
  Well, not having security updates for something that you might use for email etc. is a bit scary too. (DigiNotar anyone?)
  - joezydeco 15y ago
    Yeah, that's a bummer too. Maybe that's a good thing to tell the boss so we can get upgraded early.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

berberich 15y ago

I'd be very surprised if the iPhone 5 was released anytime before next July. More likely is that it'll be a fall release again.

w33ble 15y ago
I really think it's possible they won't release it until June 2013, but another fall release is still probably more likely.
jbrennan 15y ago
Agreed. This is their best selling device yet. Apple isn't one to sit on its laurels, but why would they replace a flagship* product just 5 months after its introduction? *(ignore that PPC iMac released before the Intel switch)

ugh 15y ago

Change perspective: You get the faster iPhone 4 with all its kinks worked out. And the next time you upgrade you get the faster iPhone 5 with all its kinks worked out. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

dlapiduz 15y ago

I am on the 3GS cycle too and I am holding until the 5. I want to get the really new stuff not the somewhat improved versions.

Tyrannosaurs 15y ago
I've just replaced a 3GS with a 4S as I saw it as a major upgrade. You're getting a massively improved camera (including flash, increased resolution, HD video, HDR), front facing camera, retina display, improved processor, SIRI, new form factor, iOS5 running at an acceptable speed (it's a dog on the 3GS), potentially greater capacity if you go for the 64Gb. The fact it's not a major change from the 4 in some regards surely isn't a factor for those of us with 3GSs as we never had the 4? It's certainly a major change from the 3GS.
- dlapiduz 15y ago
  Indeed it would be a major change for me, but I am still holding out so I can get on the other cycle.

ejvincent 15y ago

I upgraded from the 3GS. The difference in processing speed is very noticeable. I used to have some apps lag the keyboard input because they were taxing the processor. Updating apps took awhile, and some opened slow. All that goes away thanks to more speed and dual-core; it is almost worth it just for that.

mikeash 15y ago

Unless you spend the extra money to buy a new phone every year, you're going to have to watch as your new shiny gets one-upped by something better either way, so you might as well go for something better now.

crazygringo 15y ago

Buy the unlocked 4S a few weeks from now in November. (Yes, Apple will be selling it officially!) Use either the AT&T or T-Mobile prepaid plans. (You are pretty much guaranteed to save money over the cost of a two-year contract.) Sell your 4S on Ebay after a year, and buy your new phone. Voila. First-world problem solved. (This is what I'll be doing, anyways.) Bonus: if AT&T or T-Mobile turn out to have bad reception in your apartment, you can effortlessly switch to the other carrier.

e1ven 15y ago
As far as I know, the 4S still doesn't support T-Mobile freqs for > 2G..
- w33ble 15y ago
  This is true, but they make up for it with a $30/mo plan that includes 100 minutes of talk and unlimited text and data. There's a $50/mo plan that includes unlimited everything. Personally, that's a trade-off I'm happy to make.
  - cshesse 15y ago
    I can't find either of these plans on their website. I went to buy a Micro SIM card, and the only unlimited everything plan is 105$ a month. There is no 100 minute plan or 30$ plan that I can find.
    - nuclear_eclipse 15y ago
      The $30 plan is only available at Walmart, even though it's still through T-Mobile. The $50/mo plan gives you unlimited everything, but requires going to a T-Mobile location to ask for it.
      - greyboy 15y ago
        ?? I'm confused. As I understand it, they are Monthly plans - you can get them online. I just did it two weeks ago: http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans

bonzoesc 15y ago

Could be worse, if you got the best Android you'd get to watch new better ones come out every other week, and never ever get the new OS.

SoftwareMaven 15y ago

I'm doing the 4S and not worried at all about a 5 early next year (and i do believe it is eminently possible). I actually thought long and hard about upgrading at all. If the 5 comes, there are still so many4 and 4S (and 3GS) phones in the market, apps are still going to work really well on it for a long time. I do much less on my phone now that I have my iPad. The camera, one of the major reasons for the upgrade, is unlikely to get much better on the 5. If it turns out I'm wrong, I'll sale it jail broken (or pass it down to one of my kids in the family plan :). But I would be greatly surprised if a nee one shows up before next fall. I think Apple is OK with moving the iPhones to the holiday release schedule.