iPhone 5S, 5C Announced

[holymadness]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

I am in the same boat as melmac - I have an iPhone 3S now and will probably upgrade this cycle. Is it worth the $100+ for the faster processor of the 5S over the 5C? Will the difference be noticeable at all? I don't care about any of the other features other than the nicer casing.

Also, can I transfer my SIM card from the 3S to the 5S or do I have to go through my service provider? Thanks.

As a rule, I advise everyone to buy the latest iteration of a smartphone. My reasoning is as follows: the true cost of a phone is not its upfront price, but its lifetime cost (which includes the cellular contract). On average, that comes to about $2,000 over two years. Keeping that figure in mind, what may at first seem like a substantial price increase is actually only about 5% of the phone's total cost over its lifespan (or even less, if you keep it longer). In exchange, you get all the latest hardware upgrades and the guarantee of more future OS updates. You'll be more satisfied with performance, be able to keep your phone longer, and be better able to run resource-intensive future software. It'll also have a higher resale value should you wish to get rid of it.

If you buy a 5S you'll need to get a new nano-SIM card (which replaces the old micro-SIM format) from your carrier.

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

I am in the same boat as melmac - I have an iPhone 3S now and will probably upgrade this cycle. Is it worth the $100+ for the faster processor of the 5S over the 5C? Will the difference be noticeable at all? I don't care about any of the other features other than the nicer casing.

Depends on what you use it for. Just opening and closing apps, you wouldn't see much of a different. If you play the newest games, you might in a year or two.

[pl001]

Originally Posted by holymadness

As a rule, I advise everyone to buy the latest iteration of a smartphone. My reasoning is as follows: the true cost of a phone is not its upfront price, but its lifetime cost (which includes the cellular contract). On average, that comes to about $2,000 over two years. Keeping that figure in mind, what may at first seem like a substantial price increase is actually only about 5% of the phone's total cost over its lifespan (or even less, if you keep it longer). In exchange, you get all the latest hardware upgrades and the guarantee of more future OS updates. You'll be more satisfied with performance, be able to keep your phone longer, and be better able to run resource-intensive future software. It'll also have a higher resale value should you wish to get rid of it.

If you buy a 5S you'll need to get a new nano-SIM card (which replaces the old micro-SIM format) from your carrier.

I mostly agree with this, although with the 5s vs 5c I'm not as convinced from a usability standpoint. I think a 32GB 5C is a better value than a 16GB 5s at the same price, in part because I believe the 5c will be just as well supported as the 5s.

Getting something current is especially important with Android, where the only phones I'm aware of that have gotten two years of support are the Nexus line. Most get one major update, and often only many months after Google makes it available. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Android is usually 1-3 years ahead of iOS in terms of features.

[Mivo]

Originally Posted by pl001

Getting something current is especially important with Android, where the only phones I'm aware of that have gotten two years of support are the Nexus line. Most get one major update, and often only many months after Google makes it available. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Android is usually 1-3 years ahead of iOS in terms of features.

This is why I would (and do) consider only Nexus tablets and phones as an alternative to iOS devices. It is also why I waited so long to switch from the iPad to an Android tablet.

While I'm happy with both Android and the Nexus, and don't mind sticking with Google, I hope this situation will improve over the next few years.

[wizwor]

Originally Posted by holymadness

As a rule, I advise everyone to buy the latest iteration of a smartphone. My reasoning is as follows: the true cost of a phone is not its upfront price, but its lifetime cost (which includes the cellular contract). On average, that comes to about $2,000 over two years.

I don't follow this. My monthly fee does not go up or down depending on the age of my phone. Whether or not I buy a phone only impacts my commitment to the subsidizer. If I am with Verizon for life, it doesn't matter what phone I am using except at the time of purchase and the latest-greatest usually costs a lot more than last year's champ.

[tubemonkey]

After the hangover when reality sets in


Apple's shares tank as new iPhones fail to dazzle

Apple Inc's shares slid 6 percent on Wednesday as a pricier-than-expected iPhone "5C" extinguished hopes of a major expansion into lower-end markets such as China, while a fingerprint scanner-equipped premium version fell short on hardware advancements.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by wizwor

I don't follow this. My monthly fee does not go up or down depending on the age of my phone. Whether or not I buy a phone only impacts my commitment to the subsidizer. If I am with Verizon for life, it doesn't matter what phone I am using except at the time of purchase and the latest-greatest usually costs a lot more than last year's champ.

What holymadness is saying (if I got this right) is that the cost of the phone over the period of use is just a fraction of the contract payment over the same period. So choosing the cheaper model will not have a great financial benefit from the perspective of total cost.

[tubemonkey]

The most egregious part of these two-year contracts is the forced data plan. It's the only reason I still use a feature phone. WiFi is more than adequate for my needs.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

After the hangover when reality sets in


Apple's shares tank as new iPhones fail to dazzle

This article says the gross margin for the 5C was over 50%. It's difficult to have a moderate cost phone with margins like that.

[Dopedangel]

I think the reason Apple introduced 5c is now obvious when the 5 came out although it sold well many people went with 4s and 4. That had lower margins so the profit growth wasn't the same as before.
Now with 5c that costs less than the 5 to make and discontinuing 5 they can keep their per phone margins high. Shows the difference between Jobs and Cook. Cook is a supply guy thats how he thinks. He is more about cutting costs than bringing something new or amazing to the market.
I don't buy apple as I dont like it but I dont deny that competition between Apple and Google/Android OEMS has pushed mobile tech to innovate a lot faster. Lets see what Apple brings in the OS front as in the hardware front I don't see anything really amazing or innovative.

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

After the hangover when reality sets in


Apple's shares tank as new iPhones fail to dazzle

This has happened with every single keynote in Apples existence. It has nothing to do with 'reality', but the stock market. Buy on expectations, sell on higher stock course.

I *really* don't see why this is news every single time Apple holds a keynote. Are readers really *that* gullible?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by David Munch

I *really* don't see why this is news every single time Apple holds a keynote. Are readers really *that* gullible?

Yep

[Prestidigitweeze]

Apple events are like recurring performances of a liturgical mass in which singers form antiphonal choruses. Whether pro or con, we reiterate the same ideas every time there's a keynote. People who like and dislike Apple are drawn in because they're well acquainted with the score.

[Sregener]

Originally Posted by holymadness

As a rule, I advise everyone to buy the latest iteration of a smartphone. My reasoning is as follows: the true cost of a phone is not its upfront price, but its lifetime cost (which includes the cellular contract). On average, that comes to about $2,000 over two years.

Which is why I spent $70 on a used Samsung Nexus S and switched to Ting. I'm saving $1000/year on service (2 lines) compared to Sprint for the same data/text/voice usage. Why would I blow more than half of that on a phone that will be cheaper in a year or two? The Nexus S does exactly what I need it to do, especially with Cyanogenmod loaded on it. And in two years, I can probably get a used S3 for $100-150.

Buying a new cell phone is like buying a new car. Everybody drives a used car. Some people just paid a new car price to have it.

[tubemonkey]

Apple added the new "space gray" color to its iPod lineup. It replaces black.

Does this mean no new iPods this year?