[distortedloop]

codutokev said:

The iPhone 3G does sound pretty cool, with the gps and all. But is it worth it to spend $200 to upgrade. Sure its cheaper than the first one you baught, but i read that us original iPhone owners do not get a discount on the 3G. It would be nice if we got a discount for trading in our original iPhones for say at least $100 off on the upgrade.

Are there other phones that give you a discount for trading in your old product? I've had a cellphone of one type or another since 1994, but have never received a discount from any of 6 different cell carriers for upgrading... If others don't offer it, while it would be "nice", why would we expect the iPhone to be any different?

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Also, instead of paying the extra $20 a month for unlimited data AND 200 txt, there will be a charge of $30 which includes unlimited 3G data and a total of 0 txt messages. I guess its understandeable for the 3G network, if it is as good as it sounds. Exactly where is "almost anywhere on the planet" supposed to be?

The lack of SMS on the new data plan is SPECULATION and RUMOR only. Scott Bourne on MacBreak Weekly says an inside contact at AT&T told him this week that final pricing structure is not set at AT&T yet. Other than speculation because the announcement didn't specifically say SMS included, why are people reporting this as fact. Has AT&T announced final plans that specifically say ZERO text messages? If so, would someone please post a link to an AT&T official source of that.

As far as raising data plan prices, why not? 3G is (allegedly) clearer call quality, FASTER data, and allows simultaneous data and voice connections, which EDGE does not! Ever try checking traffic on Google Maps or surfing a web page while on the phone and not in range of WiFi. You can't. This new data service is a SIGNIFICANT upgrade in service, and it seems reasonable for a company to charge a bit more. It's like paying more for DSL than Dial Up to the phone company - different network, different costs to build out, different pricing structure. Sure, I wouldn't mind paying less for anything I buy/subscribe to, but think it through...what logical argument is there for the iPhone 3g to have the same cost for data as the less functional iPhone Edge plan?

Bottom line, if the new data rates and cost of the iPhone don't seem reasonable to you, don't buy it. Keep your iPhone Edge, or get Crackberry (which by the way, costs more for data). ;-)

[codutokev]

Because of the amount of people that own an iPhone 2G, it would "be nice" to have a discount on the 3G. You remember that pie chart that Steve Jobs puts up at the begining of each keynote relateing to the iPhone, that shows how many sales the iPhone has compared to other phones.

The majority of people who will ever buy an iPhone, i think have already baught one.



If 2.0 firmware comes out on July 11th, im still keeping my phone jailbroken until then.

[distortedloop]

codutokev said:

Because of the amount of people that own an iPhone 2G, it would "be nice" to have a discount on the 3G. You remember that pie chart that Steve Jobs puts up at the begining of each keynote relateing to the iPhone, that shows how many sales the iPhone has compared to other phones.

There is absolutely no business case for giving trade-ins on iPhone Edge models to upgraders. If you ran the business, would you? If you're a corporation, you charge what the market will bear, and address the pricing if sales don't meet expectations. It's business, not charity.

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The majority of people who will ever buy an iPhone, i think have already baught one.

I really disagree with that statement. Many people avoided iPhone Edge because it was Edge. Many people avoided iPhone Edge because it cost so much, wasn't subsidized, was locked to AT&T with a two year contract despite not being subsidized. Many people avoided iPhone Edge because there were no 3rd party apps (and get outside of the geek community think - my non-geek friends and coworkers would never even consider "jailbreaking" a phone, would yours?). Many people avoided iPhone Edge because there was no Exchange support.

All those things have bee addressed now, and addressed fairly well.

I stand by my assertion made on my personal blog and other websites that the iPhone 3g was not made to target current iPhone owners for upgrade. They've already got us for the next year on contract. This one was targeted at all those who found excuses not to buy the first generation of the iPhone

[hollywood_99]

You're right!!! This iphone is for the people that don't have iphones. That makes a whole lot of sense.

[historylady]

You make all the points I've been making to myself about why I will no't be upgrading. I can't wait for the software upgrade for apps and new features, and I'll be taking my current iPhone up a level at that point. But, until 3G is available in my area (or any AT&T signal for that matter - oh, how I miss Verizon), I'll stick with the iPhone I have.

[alkoller]

I won't buy the new iPhone, but not because of the hardware. I'm upset with the 50% increase in service cost from good old AT&T, and I'm still waiting for Apple to add features like voice-dialing to make hands-free use possible.

The new iPhone has advantages I would enjoy, the main ones being higher speed and a reasonable cost for the phone. I had planned to pass my current iPhone to my wife and expected to add another data subscription at $20 a month. Since my wife uses her phone almost not at all, AT&T would have gained another $20 a month, Apple would have sold a new iPhone, and my family would have been even more tied to Apple AND AT&T for all our computer and cell phone needs.

Since I am on a family plan and have three lines (one for my 86 year-old father), adding another $30 a month AND requiring a new two-year contract for all three phones makes it a poor business decision, so I won't do that. It just isn't worth it to me. Frankly, it's a pretty dumb way to try to gain market share.

I think Apple will lose a LOT of upgrade business because of the greed of AT&T. That is nothing new for the old company. They are obsolete and haven't done well since the Internet arrived in 1994. Unfortunately, Apple is stuck with them for ANOTHER FOUR YEARS. By then the iPhone will be challenged by other providers who don't have a partner serving as a millstone.

Bummer!

[GypsyJohn]

As a six month owner and usually close to my Airport, the incremental cost doesn't justify the benefits. Gonna wait and see.

[dino8937]

Yes, when my current iPhone needs a new battery. That should get me past the big rush when the 3G comes out.

[WonderY]

I waited in line for my last iPhone. I won't be in line for this one. I'm very excited about the new software, though!

[radar25]

Yep. I had bought several different GPS devices for geotagging and none were a simple solutions. Plus there was no interface to the iPhone, so sometime I had to lug around a laptop and create a log of photos then correlate images. I find the iPhone camera to be good for a number of tasks, personal and professional. I have to do site surveys frequently and the 3G will make that a dream. Plus when we travel and take a bunch of photos and don't keep a log, weeks or months later it is easy to forget what it was you took a pic of or where it was. Not fun when you take a lot of coastal or water shots. Anyway, my incentive to get the new 3G:
1 - GPS geotagging
2 - improved battery (the original battery I got 3 July 07 is beginning to degrade with reduced full charge time)
3 - 3G to be more compatible with the rest of the world
4 - no more recessed headphone jack (I wrote an article about 5 different "hands off" solutions for an iPhone and the recessed jack was the one problem for some nifty solutions).

[RDHMD]

I will upgrade next March (2009) when my wife's T-Mobile contract is finished and then I will then give my current 8GB iPhone to my wife to use and I will get a new 3G iPhone for myself. Not until then however since it already cost me $200 to break my T-Mobile contract to switch to AT&T when I bought my current iPhone last September.

[Esilbe1]

More then likely, no. It doesn't seem woth it. The only true consideration would be if the apps that I purchase consume most of the space on my device, which is unlkely. Otherwise, I'm getting along fine with my current device. In reflecting on wether to upgrade or not: I don't really use GPS (google maps is ffine) and I'm okay with the Edge network for now. I'm also not comfortable renewing my contract. What if iPhone 3.0 is open to other networks, like Verizon. I don't want to be locked into an extended contract with AT&T. At that point, it becomes a never ending cycle of buying a new phone, signing a new contract, and being locked in unless I pay a fee to cancel my contract, which only makes the phone that much more expensive. I think this is a wait and see scenario.

[macphd]

I find myself vacillating on this quite a bit. At first, it was a definite "yes". Then I learned that AT&T will charge me an extra $10 for 3G and that there's no 3G in my area, so it was a definite "no". Then I was told by somebody that AT&T would have 3G in my area in November, so I was back to "Probably". Now, I'm reading in this post that there's an additional $5. for the SMS messages. I don't use that a lot - maybe 10 - 20 per month, but it's nice to have and not think about it being an extra cost. But more reading tells me that the $5. for SMS is rumor and not a sure thing (I sure haven't seen anything about that on the AT&T site).

So I guess I'm a definite "Maybe". I don't care about extra capacity - I don't think I use even half of my current 8G. Faster than Edge would be very nice, but since last June 29, I've been saying that Edge isn't too fast, but it sure beats nothing. GPS would be nice, but I already have a very nice Garmin unit in my car and it goes everywhere with me.

I'm far more enthused with the new software capabilities. I'm thinking that the only reason I'd want more capacity is to contain the apps I may want to get from the iPhone Appstore.

On a different tack, Distortedloop wrote: "Are there other phones that give you a discount for trading in your old product?" Yes, until iPhone, I was a Verizon customer for several years, and while not exactly a "trade in" they did (and still do, I think) offer a "new after two" program where you get a new phone, or a discount on a more expensive one every two years with a two year contract renewal.

What I really want, more than more capacity, more than GPS, more than 3G, is more features. Voice-dial has been a big one for me since the beginning, since I lost that capability when I went to iPhone. Copy/Paste seems to be a no-brainer. Notes synchronization would be the most logical thing in the world, yet it's not there. Searches in the contacts list and in the calendar would be great (when did I last have an appointment with Dr. Harrison? What's that name of that plumber I called last year?). And direct go-to a specific date in the calendar so I can quickly record that new Dr. appointment that's a year from now.

If those were in the new iPhone and not the old, I'd be first in line on July 11. But as it is, with no 3G in the area, and a possible 50% increase in service cost which translates to $30 more per month for the 2 iPhones in the house, i think I'll wait to see if 3G does get here in November, and see if I become limited by the 8G capacity I have, and see if there's something else new and exciting coming for the Christmas season.

[terrespencer]

I sure will!