iphone - Do I?

[lostkat]

Didn't think I'd be writing a thread like this because I've never been that bothered about having an iphone. However, I've just had a look at my options because I'm due for an upgrade and have found what looks like a reasonable deal. Was just wondering what people think.

It's Orange, which is who I'm currently with.

Plan details:
iPhone 3G 8GB - free (they charge for the others, which tbh I'm not interested in as it's against my religion to pay for phones )
150 minutes
200 texts
750MB UK mobile internet browsing and unlimited Wi-Fi
£29.36 per month

Only problem is that it's 24 months and I'm not sure about the longevity of the iphone. How robust are they?

The inclusive texts/minutes will be fine for me and looking at my historic usage, I won't go over the limit.

My other option is a £20 a month contract with any old random free phone.

[Mark]

I appreciate that you have a religious objection to paying anything for a phone, but I'd still recommend you ensure the 3G[S] has nothing you want. It probably doesn't, but worth checking nonetheless.

Other than that, it's really a case of what you want it for. The 'deal' you've been offered is just one of the standard iPhone plans as neither O2 nor Orange are allowed to do deals on them (that's part of the contract terms).

I've not regretted getting one at all (even though I did pay £440 for it). It's survived me so far (including a drop ). Undoubtedly the best phone I've ever used, but there's some very good competition out there (e.g. HTC Hero). If you're worried about longevity then get an AppleCare plan from eBay (about £30 IIRC), which will cover against breakdown (including battery failure) for the entire 24 months.

[lostkat]

I already had a look at the 3G[S] specs and couldn't see anything obvious that I'd want to pay an extra £100+ for really. Also, just for clarification, the 'deal' was straight off the website, as I intimated. I'm under no illusion that it's anything special. I just wanted to know if there was anything better out there. I had a quick look at O2, but Orange looks cheaper to me.

Thanks for the heads up about the care plan. I saw that Orange offer them for £60 odd, so getting 50% off would be quite nice.

[Mark]

There are a few scare stories of people getting 'done', but mine seemed OK at the time. I'll admit I haven't had cause to check since.

Here's a few comparisons:

• Orange works out cheaper (just). Unless things have changed it's mere pennies between the two, however.
• O2 has better wi-fi coverage. Both networks offer free access via BT Openzone, but only O2 includes The Cloud as well.
• Orange has better 3G coverage. O2's network has been shot down by millions of iPhone users, and they haven't invested enough to keep up. There have been several recent outages as a result.
• Don't be fooled by the 'Unlimited' claim made by O2 for data. In practice O2's fair usage policy will likely kick in at similar levels (if not sooner). In any event, it's very unlikely you'll use anywhere near that much data. I don't, and I'm running four email accounts, lots of use of Google Maps, many trips to the App Store, and so on.

PS - biggest thing in the 3G[S]'s favour is the fact that it's quicker. Given how often I switch between Apps, I really appreciate that, but the 3G is by no means slow.

[leowyatt]

What are you likely to be using the phone for Kate? Are there any other smartphones you like the look of? I'm going to throw the Pre in just for you to look at and see what you think. It is free on a 24 month contract but you'd need to see if you like it

[Will]

The reason I wanted an iphone is because I wanted to buy an ipod too - and thought, why the heck get 2 devices? I hate having my pockets full of stuff. I like the simplicity and the lack of buttons. I like the fact I've got unlimited internet, it's fast and has a lot of cool handy apps. I've had it for about 10 months now and I haven't regretted it for a second. It's not scratched, damaged, and still works really well. The only thing I don't like is itunes, but I only use it to synch songs to the phone (i.e. I copy songs to a separate itunes folder so it synchs it, so if I want to change music, I just move music to that folder) and the fact it synchs with outlook which is my lifeline (without it I'm stuffed! lol!).

It's not too big, it's sleek and just works. It's not as fast as a regular simple, non camera, non smart type of phone for texting or making calls. But the quality of calls are good, the memory is vast so you don't have to keep deleting messages.

I receive lots of emails and being able to receive them (push) on my phone is brilliant, I can view all office documents with no issues on it either.

The built in GPS is very handy and it's just a handy resource if you haven't got a laptop.

It takes a while to get used to it, and you have to modify your take on using a phone somewhat.

24 months is a bit long though that would concern me a little.

I have the 8gb one, I've managed to fill it with apps, movies and songs quite easily so maybe a 16gb would be better but to be honest it'd just make me lazy and not get rid of old crap on my phone!

O2 has pretty good coverage for me, so I'm not sure what Orange would be like for you.

In terms of a phone, it's not the best device in the world, as an all encompassing device which does music, gps, resource/internet device, phone, organiser etc... it's fab.

I'm sure there are other smartphones which does the job just as well or better, but it's just so easy to use and live with that I wouldn't want anything else.

[Piggymon]

I absolutely LOVE my iPhone. I had never been bothered about using a phone for anything other than calls/texts before but I can't imagine not having mine now.

It's so convenient having the internet in your pocket and there's so many aps you can install, both silly and pretty damn useful.

I have quite low useage so I bought the phone outright ( 16GB 3GS ) and I'm on PAYG... so far since July I've only spent about £30 on top ups I have quite a few aps, a bit of music and I've only used 1GB

[Joe 90]

I've got a 3gs on the £35 O2 24 month deal. After quidco the phone cost me £30

and looking at oranges deal, the £5 extra a month gets you a fair bit more - I think I get 500 txts & 600 minutes with unlimited data. But I do know from having been a customer of both networks Orange have a superior 3G network - but will it go the way of O2 now they offer the iPhone?

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Joe 90

looking at oranges deal, the £5 extra a month gets you a fair bit more

Why spend money on what you don't use? If the £30 deal is enough, there's no point spending even £1 more.

but will it go the way of O2 now they offer the iPhone?

I doubt it. If the T-mobile deal goes ahead they'll have that infrastructure as well. That will undoubtedly increase contention where 'duplication' gets removed (which will happen - otherwise why bother with the merger), but having the resources of both networks available should - at least hopefully - mean they take the best bits from each.

[Desmo]

It really depends on how you use your phone Kate and what you want out of it. If you use the net a lot, collect emails, play games or just need some info, the iPhone is perfect. Having said that, just having an iPhone will probably make you change the way you thought you'd use a phone anyway.

I'll let you have a fiddle with mine in a couple of weeks if you want. Then you can have a look at the phone too and see if you fancy it. Badooom-tssshhh!!!!