Have 1st gen iPhone - wait to upgrade???

[roka]

I've had a 1st gen iPhone for 1 1/2 years now. Didn't upgrade to the 3G but would like to upgrade to the 3Gs now. I really want a 3Gs but after reading all the postings about cracked screens and 3.1 catastrophes I'm not sure if I should wait or not. What would you do?

(BTW: my 1st gen is still at 2.2.1 because I've been on the road since the middle of May and haven't had a high enough speed connection to update.)

 

[hsk]

I've had a 1st gen iPhone for 1 1/2 years now. Didn't upgrade to the 3G but would like to upgrade to the 3Gs now. I really want a 3Gs but after reading all the postings about cracked screens and 3.1 catastrophes I'm not sure if I should wait or not. What would you do?

(BTW: my 1st gen is still at 2.2.1 because I've been on the road since the middle of May and haven't had a high enough speed connection to update.)

The 3GS problems were not that widespread - probably no different than the next version will be. So do you wait yet another year?

I bought my 3GS on 6/27 - been perfect so far. Is everyone's perfect? No, but no phone that sells 3-5M (whatever that huge number was) in a couple of months is going to have 100% perfection.

 

[Small White Car]

The 3GS problems were not that widespread - probably no different than the next version will be.

That's the important part there. Reading about some people with cracks is no reason to wait.

If you're happy with your phone now and want to save money...sure, go ahead and wait. That's a legitimate reason to wait.

But if you're looking for a faster phone then now is a perfectly fine time to buy. In fact, it's probably the BEST time to get an iPhone. 2 months since the last launch so they've had time to iron out some bugs (both hardware and software) but still 10 months from the next probable upgrade.

It's not like the 4.0 software will be bug-free the day it comes out.

 

[dacreativeguy]

3.0 has been a lot more stable on day 1 than 1.0 or 2.0 was. No problems here.

 

[eezing]

I've had a 1st gen iPhone for 1 1/2 years now. Didn't upgrade to the 3G but would like to upgrade to the 3Gs now. I really want a 3Gs but after reading all the postings about cracked screens and 3.1 catastrophes I'm not sure if I should wait or not. What would you do?

(BTW: my 1st gen is still at 2.2.1 because I've been on the road since the middle of May and haven't had a high enough speed connection to update.)

If I were you, I'd wait for the 4th gen iPhone. If you grab a 3Gs now, your sucked in for 18 months before you can upgrade. IMO, whatever the 4th gen iPhone will be, it'll finally bridge the gap between all mobile devices (phone, gaming, camera). Wait it out!

 

[beaner454]

I'm in the same boat, 1st gen iPhone since christmas of the year it came out.

Although, I think that I am going to wait it out for the 4th gen. What I really want is a better battery life & I'm not crazy about the current design either-I'm hoping for something in a matte finish next season.

The improved features don't seem to tempt me enough.
-The camera while being greatly improved isn't a replacement for a regular P&S yet.
-EDGE while slow isn't unusable, especially with how prevalent wifi is in the bay area.
-I don't really mind the slow launching of apps.
-I don't need a compass & augmented reality needs some time to bake.
-I could use some more space (8gb), but I use Spotify most of the time anyways

Also was this the last year that Apple said that it was going to support software updates for the original iPhone? I think I remember in one of their launch speeches something about "don't worry about paying so much for the phone, because we'll be providing software upgrades for 3 years." Can't seem to find it anywhere though.

 

[aneftp]

If I were you, I'd wait for the 4th gen iPhone. If you grab a 3Gs now, your sucked in for 18 months before you can upgrade. IMO, whatever the 4th gen iPhone will be, it'll finally bridge the gap between all mobile devices (phone, gaming, camera). Wait it out!

If that's the case, than I would suggest he wait for the 5th generation iPhone.

Honestly, it's almost a no brainer for ATT customers who currently have the 1st gen iPhone to upgrade to the 3G S. (unless you plan on leaving ATT altogether).

Depend on your voice/data plan. If it's over $99 a month, ATT will let you upgrade on the primary line once every 12 month even in a 24 month contract.

If the 4th gen iPhone comes out next summer, the OP can still do a "partial upgrade" for $399/499. The OP can always sell the 3G S for at least $300 to "subsidize" the 4th gen iPhone if they don't qualify for a full upgrade.

The reality is we are only in month 3 of the new iPhone 3rd generation. At best the 4th gen iPhone won't be released till Summer 2010. That's another 9-10 months the OP can enjoy a new phone.

9 months is a very long time in the cell phone world. Get it now and get 9 months of use out of it and resale the old iphone to subsidize your own costs.

 

[ViViDboarder]

If that's the case, than I would suggest he wait for the 5th generation iPhone.

Honestly, it's almost a no brainer for ATT customers who currently have the 1st gen iPhone to upgrade to the 3G S. (unless you plan on leaving ATT altogether).

Depend on your voice/data plan. If it's over $99 a month, ATT will let you upgrade on the primary line once every 12 month even in a 24 month contract.

If the 4th gen iPhone comes out next summer, the OP can still do a "partial upgrade" for $399/499. The OP can always sell the 3G S for at least $300 to "subsidize" the 4th gen iPhone if they don't qualify for a full upgrade.

The reality is we are only in month 3 of the new iPhone 3rd generation. At best the 4th gen iPhone won't be released till Summer 2010. That's another 9-10 months the OP can enjoy a new phone.

9 months is a very long time in the cell phone world. Get it now and get 9 months of use out of it and resale the old iphone to subsidize your own costs.

Especially since the OP has been on a 1G iPhone for a year and a half already. As long as you're not looking to jailbreak, go for it!

 

[roka]

Thanks for all the advice! I love how active this forum is.

I'll probably go with upgrading now rather than waiting. One of my motivations is the new camera. I take a LOT of pictures and any image improvement I can get is a big seller. Yeah, a P&S camera is probably still better but I always have my iPhone with me - not so with a stand alone camera.

Another motivator is that I've noticed in the last few months that I don't get EDGE connectivity all the time. I don't remember what the other network term is, but instead of the "E" indicator is get an "O" indicator and greatly reduced speed. I first noticed it while visiting in Las Vegas in May and have been seeing it more and more lately. Is AT&T doing this on purpose? Anyway, going to the 3Gs will solve that little problem.

 

[eezing]

If that's the case, than I would suggest he wait for the 5th generation iPhone.

Honestly, it's almost a no brainer for ATT customers who currently have the 1st gen iPhone to upgrade to the 3G S. (unless you plan on leaving ATT altogether).

Depend on your voice/data plan. If it's over $99 a month, ATT will let you upgrade on the primary line once every 12 month even in a 24 month contract.

If the 4th gen iPhone comes out next summer, the OP can still do a "partial upgrade" for $399/499. The OP can always sell the 3G S for at least $300 to "subsidize" the 4th gen iPhone if they don't qualify for a full upgrade.

The reality is we are only in month 3 of the new iPhone 3rd generation. At best the 4th gen iPhone won't be released till Summer 2010. That's another 9-10 months the OP can enjoy a new phone.

9 months is a very long time in the cell phone world. Get it now and get 9 months of use out of it and resale the old iphone to subsidize your own costs.

True, In all honestly I'd go this route and just sell the 3GS when the 4th comes outs.

 

[TLewis]

Thanks for all the advice! I love how active this forum is.

As someone who also went from a 1G to a 3GS, the added features and speed are really nice (the additional capacity was the real reason for my upgrade, but everything else is pure gravy). Being able to take usable (but still slightly fuzzy) close-up (macro) photos is really nice.

However, as much as I love my 3GS, note that the battery life can be noticeably worse than the 1G, due to 3G (it's 3G-signal dependent -- the lower the 3G signal, the worse your battery life becomes). Of course, you could just turn off 3G, but you're somewhat crippling the iPhone if you do so.