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Will you wait for iPhone 5 or buy now?

Will you buy the iPhone 4 now or wait until June when a new version of the iPhone is released by Apple? What are the pros and cons?

Pros:

May not be a new phone this summer, at least not for Verizon.
Verizon's iPhone 4 is a solid smartphone. Why wait?

Cons:

If we buy the iPhone 4 for $200 now, we have to pay full retail ($650) for the next iPhone (even if it's released next year). That's how the 2-year contracts work. We're locked in.

If Verizon were to offer a discounted upgrade path for those waiting for the next phone, then I think a lot of the folks sitting on the fence would jump in now. What are your thoughts?

Comments

mawtaow

I think you're right!! HELLO VERIZON - ANYONE LISTENING???

john5481

Why should Verizon have to offer a deal for the iPhone? They don't for any other phone that seems to get updated every year or so. If you can't afford it don't buy it

mdram4x4

john5481 wrote:
Why should Verizon have to offer a deal for the iPhone? They don't for any other phone that seems to get updated every year or so. If you can't afford it don't buy it

its the iphone man, people want it! verizon should give them away whenever they are realesed, yeah that it. it would make veryone soooo happy. oh and no data plans, and cheap calling rates. yeah. sont you know iphone users are entitled to these things! they are far superior to droid users in everyone. st jobs has said so, so it must be true

john5481

For every person that wants an iPhone there is a person that doesn't want the iPhone. It's just another phone.

quartzan

I am waiting for the iPhone 5 this summer. I am optomistic that we will see a "World Version" of the iPhone this summer because of the new Qualcomm MDM6600 chip they are using. This fact alone makes it more than enough for me to wait till this summer to get the new iPhone.

peace95

It would be great if Verizon offered some kind of deal so that I'd feel safe for buying an iPhone 4 now. I bet a lot of other folks are also waiting for iPhone 5 and not wanting to spend the extra dough, specially in these tight economic times.

silver6055

peace95 wrote:
It would be great if Verizon offered some kind of deal so that I'd feel safe for buying an iPhone 4 now. I bet a lot of other folks are also waiting for iPhone 5 and not wanting to spend the extra dough, specially in these tight economic times.

Yes, and if it came with the unlimited teleportation option (or even if capped at 50 jumps per month, though some people would complain) it would be even greater!

As many of us have said before: presumably verizon has done the calculations and determined that the gain in the number of customers it would get switching to the iPhone is more than offset by the extra cost of these various proposed breaks (allowing early upgrade to iPhone 4, getting a deal on the iPhone 5 etc). And if they do this now, what about the next "big" phone, even if it wasn't an iPhone (I know, impossible).

Of course, Verizon may be wrong, it looks like they expected more sales on launch day, but their calculations are more likely to be relevant to their business model than requests for special treatment coming from those that would benefit.

nanna24

I didn't wait for the iPhone 5. I went ahead and bought the iPhone 4. Not even sure if there will be an iPhone 5 on Verizon this summer. Depending on what it is and when it is, I might decide to just pay full retail for it. Or not.

wsl03

I'm not really big on anything Apple, but if I were to go with the Iphone, I would definately be waiting for the Iphone 5 to come out in the summer, Apple has released a new Iphone version every summer for quite a while now, I think it is reasonable to assume that a new model will be coming out this summer and if it were to come out this summer would available on the Verizon network as well.

john5481

iPhone Nano this summer. Not another full sized iPhone. No reason to wait unless you want the small one

slick_guy

john5481 wrote:
Why should Verizon have to offer a deal for the iPhone? They don't for any other phone that seems to get updated every year or so. If you can't afford it don't buy it

They offered an early upgrade for the droid x (and other droid phones).....

JoeVegasinPA

wsl03 wrote:
I'm not really big on anything Apple, but if I were to go with the Iphone, I would definately be waiting for the Iphone 5 to come out in the summer, Apple has released a new Iphone version every summer for quite a while now, I think it is reasonable to assume that a new model will be coming out this summer and if it were to come out this summer would available on the Verizon network as well.

Yes but the new carrier (VZW) changes the whole game. It seems inane they would release a new version only 5 or 6 months after selling a few million in Q1.

peace95

The GSM/CDMA combo chip is already in the Verizon iPhone 4; so best bet is an iPhone 4G this summer, which can be used on either carrier. A few other features to look for then: LTE capability might be added by that version so you can get 4G speed, at least in the major metro areas. Or it could take iPhone 5 to add LTE.

Either way, unless there's some kind of upgrade discount, I'll wait for the next phone this summer: I don't find the idea of paying $650 in June all that appetizing. If I were a rich man...

asdfasdfasdf

I went from an LG Venus to an iPhone4. I plan to keep this one for a long time. Especially with no more NE2. This is the first phone I have EVER paid for. And thankfully it only cost me $99!

emike2k3

There have been a couple of news stories in the WSJ and NYT about how Apple is looking to put cheaper components into the next version of the iPhone to bring down costs as well as a revamp of their Mobile Me service to make it more along the lines of a cloud based storage solution for their mobile devices. One of the most expensive components in smart phones (besides the screen) is the flash memory. From the WSJ stuff it sounds like Apple may reduce the amount of memory in the next version of the iPhone in favor of offering up streaming content to the phone (ie your music and videos from iTunes being hosted in the cloud and streamed down to you when needed).

From what I've been reading there will be one model of iPhone 5 that would work on both AT&T and Verizon via the Qualcom chipset that supports both networks at once but that there wouldn't be any other major revisions to the look and feel of the device. Maybe the next version of the custom CPU that Apple developed for the iPhone and iPad.

I planned ahead when I switched to Verizon last week by getting my iPhone from Best Buy with their Buy Back Program (free until Feb 26) so that I knew I would get some of my money back when the iPhone 5 came out but if what I've been reading is true (cheaper components, less memory, relying on streaming services) then I may hold off and stick it out with my iPhone 4.

peace95

The Buy Back Program helps; but if you buy an iPhone for $200, you'll get back a $100 in a few months when the iPhone 5 is released. Then, you'll pay upwards of $550 for the iPhone 5 ($650 retail minus $100 for the Buy Back Program). That's still a steep price for a phone. Without a cheaper upgrade path from Verizon, I'm going to sit put until the summer when the next iPhone is released.

PJNC284

Isn't the buy back based on the full retail of the phone and not the subsidized price?

tim40

How do you know Verizon is going to get the Iphone 5 during the summer and how do you know it is going to be a 4G phone for sure.

Tidbits

I am willing to put money down that the iPhone 5 will NOT be on Verizon this year. It will be February, and more than likely like the REST OF THE WORLD if you own an iPhone you will be able to upgrade to the newest one every year. Personally I will NOT get the next years version as it will more than likely be the same deal between the 3G, and the 3GS. The year after will be the difference maker to make my wife, and I to switch to it.

Kyllle

Yeah, and since Best Buy's retail price is 700 for the 16gb, you can actually get $350 back if you return it in 6 months. Then if you buy your new phone (iPhone 5) from apple, you can get it for $600 minus the 350 for the buy back, so it only costs you $250.

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