It’s not a “strange question”, it’s simply a question...seeking thoughtful responses. Your response doesn’t meet that criteria. What a strange, lazy response.
Thanks to (most of) the rest of you. Diverse, thoughtful answers.
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Other Why buy 2019 iPhone?
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It’s not a “strange question”, it’s simply a question...seeking thoughtful responses. Your response doesn’t meet that criteria. What a strange, lazy response.
Thanks to (most of) the rest of you. Diverse, thoughtful answers.
If one is thinking of upgrading, I wouldn't recommend holding out just for the 5G version of the iPhone.
First, no one knows when it will happen. Some say 2019 iPhone, some 2020... but in reality, it might not be for another 3+ years before we see a 5G iPhone.
Even if there was a 5G iPhone tomorrow, the 5G coverage will most likely suck for the next few years. There are still many areas around my home, which is right in the middle of DC, Baltimore, and Philly, that do not get LTE coverage.
Plus, I have seen many inconsistencies when it comes to 5G news coverage on the tech sites. Some talk about how crazy fast it will be, others warn that it may not be much different than LTE at launch.
Another point, even if your phone could get those higher speeds, would you really be able to take advantage of them? What would one be doing on their phone currently that they could utilize crazy fast internet?
Most things I have read say that 5G will see really highest sustained speeds when the user is stationary, like home wifi.
First, no one knows when it will happen. Some say 2019 iPhone, some 2020... but in reality, it might not be for another 3+ years before we see a 5G iPhone.
Even if there was a 5G iPhone tomorrow, the 5G coverage will most likely suck for the next few years. There are still many areas around my home, which is right in the middle of DC, Baltimore, and Philly, that do not get LTE coverage.
Plus, I have seen many inconsistencies when it comes to 5G news coverage on the tech sites. Some talk about how crazy fast it will be, others warn that it may not be much different than LTE at launch.
Another point, even if your phone could get those higher speeds, would you really be able to take advantage of them? What would one be doing on their phone currently that they could utilize crazy fast internet?
This seems to be what 5G is about.
Most things I have read say that 5G will see really highest sustained speeds when the user is stationary, like home wifi.
What will 5G get me besides slightly faster speeds? Not sure if I will upgrade, but 5G will not factor into my decision at all.
Obsolete? I think that's a farfetched conclusion. 5G won't be available in many parts of the world anytime soon in any reliable fashion.
Anyway. I honestly do not know if I'll be buying the 2019 version. I like gadgets, vintage and new alike, so yeah, if this were a matter of "need" and being the owner of an XS Max, it'd be a few years at least before it'd make sense to upgrade, before my current phone becomes obsolete.
If a new smartphone or gadget feels exciting to me, then I'll buy it. Need is not part of my buying decision for the most part.
This is how I feel. It would be one thing if LTE speeds were horrible, but they are not.
I meant to comment on this.
The OP stating that LTE is obsolete once 5G comes out is a little silly.... There will be many people still using LTE, and maybe even 3G more many years to come after 5G rolls out.
The average consumer outside of tech forums does not know the impact of 5G... Most folks just know there is a new iPhone out and I have an older model that I need to replace... Or there is a new iPhone out and I have a lot of disposable income so I am going to get it like I do every year.
The amount of people that have your frame of thinking in regards to an upcoming technology is very tiny compared to the vast majority of people who buy phones just to use them and don't really care about all of the "under the hood" details and specs.
The amount of people that have your frame of thinking in regards to an upcoming technology is very tiny compared to the vast majority of people who buy phones just to use them and don't really care about all of the "under the hood" details and specs.
5G is will be a breakthrough for the IoT market, but you need to have a very specific use case to feel the difference in speed as an avarage user. Or you plan to watch 4K videos on cellular? 
Come on, 90% of people can live without 5G on their phones for the next 3-5 years after launch without any troubles.
Troubles will come when web devs will start to overload websites with VR or AR... But that's definitely a question of at least 5 years (I really hope so, or 32GB RAM for Chrome won't be enough).
Come on, 90% of people can live without 5G on their phones for the next 3-5 years after launch without any troubles. Troubles will come when web devs will start to overload websites with VR or AR...
But that's definitely a question of at least 5 years (I really hope so, or 32GB RAM for Chrome won't be enough).
Your premise is flawed. The 2019 iPhone will not be “obsolete” when 5G launches. It will continue to work just fine for years to come.
Upgraded from release day 6s to Xs Max and I think it will hold strong 4-5 years more... I mean, how much CPU and RAM hungry will iOS and Apps get so that it won't last me much longer?
That said, I see no point of this thread as there will always be people who will buy the next iPhone, whether if they had much older iDevice or are switching OS. And we know almost nothing about the 2019 iPhones. Rumours are rumours and that design "prototype" think is a complete bull$hit. Yes, it could have 3 rear facing cameras but c'mon, do y'all think Apple will release a product, almost looking the same as Huawei 20? The company who is usually known for copying other brands including Apple?
I'm sure they will think of their own design language for the three lens camera design that will be once again recognizable as their own.
That said, I see no point of this thread as there will always be people who will buy the next iPhone, whether if they had much older iDevice or are switching OS. And we know almost nothing about the 2019 iPhones. Rumours are rumours and that design "prototype" think is a complete bull$hit. Yes, it could have 3 rear facing cameras but c'mon, do y'all think Apple will release a product, almost looking the same as Huawei 20? The company who is usually known for copying other brands including Apple?
I'm sure they will think of their own design language for the three lens camera design that will be once again recognizable as their own.
“Completely obsolete in a year”?
No offence, but I don’t think that you know what the word “obsolete” means.
4G/LTE networks aren’t going to disappear when 5G becomes a thing, and it will still be years before many/most people have access to 5G.
Honestly, I could do perfectly fine with a 3G phone. I only use about 2 GB of data in an average month. I depend on wifi more than cellular networks, but maybe that’s just me.
No “offense”, but I don’t think you know how to spell “offense”.
Obsolete: out-of-date.
[doublepost=1547001220][/doublepost]
The OP (me) did not say that LTE is obsolete once 5G comes out. He (me) said that 4G phones would be obsolete...as in “out-of-date.” Which they will be. The 5G phones can access 5G and LTE networks. 4G phones will not.
No offence, offense...however the heck we spell it in here, but that’s a lazy answer There is more weight to the question with 5G on the horizon.
Most people including me won’t care about 5g when lte works fine and I’m sure it’s not going to be available everywhere all of a sudden.
*Sigh* You Americans always thinking the world revolves around you...
"Offence" is the accepted and more common spelling outside of the US. So, you know, most of the English speaking world.
Also, "obsolete" is defined as:
"no longer used because of being replaced by something newer and more effective". - Macmillan Dictionary
or
"no longer in use or no longer useful" - Merriam-Webster
or
"No longer produced or used; out of date." - Websters
I'm pretty sure that phones that don't support 5G will still be used/useful and produced for some years to come.
Obsolete does not just mean "not the best anymore".
In the posters defence, do you have licence or is it your pretence that offence is incorrect?
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/offence
*Sigh* You Americans always thinking the world revolves around you...
"Offence" is the accepted and more common spelling outside of the US. So, you know, most of the English speaking world.
Also, "obsolete" is defined as:
"no longer used because of being replaced by something newer and more effective". - Macmillan Dictionary
or
"no longer in use or no longer useful" - Merriam-Webster
or
"No longer produced or used; out of date." - Websters
I'm pretty sure that phones that don't support 5G will still be used/useful and produced for some years to come.
Obsolete does not just mean "not the best anymore".
The world does revolve around me. Sorry to the rest of you.
I’ll stick with Websters definition, which ends with “out-of-date.”
[doublepost=1547004692][/doublepost]
It was actually intended as tongue-in-cheek (aka, a joke), but everybody is throwing a fit about it so I’m fine letting it roll. Oh, well.
That’s not even the entire Webster’s definition. You’re just picking on the one part that supports your point, but okay, I’m not going to argue semantics.
My original point was, it’s going to be some years still before lack of 5G support is even a slight inconvenience for most people.
Yes, I will upgrade for two simple reasons:
- The current XS Max has poor cell phone reception. I am not talking about 4G / LTE or something more futuristic. I am talking basic cell phone reception in rural areas where no 4G / LTE is available. No need for speed tests. It's the difference between sending a text or making a call or not at all.
I am sure Apple is aware of this and it will be fixed with this years hardware.
- I am on the Upgrade program and why not get a phone with fresh batteries and current hardware and did I mention that the new hardware will have superior cell phone reception ...
I think you are already arguing semantics, but okay, I’m not going to...never mind.
It’ll be interesting to see how quickly the 5G rollout happens for the large part of the population. Probably quicker here in the U.S., but I should acknowledge that this will differ across the world. I certainly don’t want people to think the world revolves around the U.S. instead of me
I doubt that Canada, at least not the part where I live, will be much slower than the US. But how quickly did 4G/LTE become the norm in the US? I think someone above mentioned notable areas that still don’t have reliable networks. These kinds of changes don’t seem to happen in a timeframe of weeks or months, but rather years. So I think that most people, even in the US, can buy an iPhone this year, enjoy it for at least 2 more years, and not miss 5G. The average consumer probably still won’t even know that 5G is a thing when the 2019 iPhones come out.