Why I'm Waiting to Upgrade to the iPhone 3G

Why I'm Waiting to Upgrade to the iPhone 3G Fri, Jul 11. 2008

If you haven't read about the newest iPhone 3G (meaning you live in a remote location without access to a phone, television, or computer with internet), it launched this morning at 8:00 AM, in the U.S. I've been very excited about this launch for quite some time, following the blogosphere about every leak, real or not, in regards to this highly anticipated and probably overblown release. I mean, it is one of the most beautifully designed devices I've ever seen and I'm an iPhone 2G lover, err...owner, and severely addicted to technology in general.

At first, I was gung-ho about purchasing this new little jewel and passing off my iPhone 2G to my wife (she was equally excited about this). But, now I'm not so sure. Why you ask?

Here's why, and bear in mind that this is a question about upgrading my current iPhone. If I did not already have an iPhone I'd be all over this launch.

Activation - This is an obvious one. Have you read or experienced the issues AT&T and Apple stores are experiencing with the activation process? Hopefully this problem is short lived. Nonetheless, many have been left feeling like they just purchased a $299 brick. According to Gizmodo, don't panic, and DO NOT unplug your iPhone if you're experiencing these issues. Read more about what Gizmodo suggests.

Cost - At $10 more a month and no texting plan, is it worth the upgrade? I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I'll benefit greatly from an upgrade. Sure, it's faster, but in the near year that I've had my iPhone, I've only downloaded 1 Gig of data. Furthermore, I already use nearly all of the 200 text messages allotted in my current 2G plan. If I want this with the new phone, that's gonna cost me another $5/month. I'm now looking at another $180 a year. Ugh. Visit AT&T for iPhone pricing details

Speed - This brings me to my third point, the speed increase, 2G vs. 3G. At first, 3G being some 3 to 5 times faster than 2G sounds really appealing. But, a coworker brought to my attention that he'd only downloaded around 1 GB with his phone in the time that he's owned it. I looked up my stats (Home > Settings > Usage > Sent/Received) and wow, I too have only downloaded 1GB worth of data in the life of the phone. So, am I really going to utilize the extra bandwidth? I suspect I might, simply because the current speed often deters me from watching YouTube videos or visiting high bandwidth sites. But, it is a question you should ask yourself.

Battery Life - It has been reported that battery life is a bit disappointing. Apple claims about 300 hours standby time, five hours of 3G internet use and 3G talk time, and up to 24 hours of audio playback. However, many reviewers have claimed that they needed daily recharges, and often times reach 10% battery life after a day of work. Ugh. Visit iPhone Tech Specs for more details

GPS - Yep, this is one of the bigger issues for me. I REALLY looked forward to this feature. I've been in the market for um, years, for a GPS unit. I just haven't made the jump. And when I heard about the new iPhone having 3G support I was really excited. But, then there were rumors that the iPhone may not allow turn-by-turn directions due to licensing, etc. Then the rumors that Tom Tom was ready to go. But, where is it and when? Without the turn-by-turn directions that I can use in my car while driving, the GPS feature begins to lose its luster. I want this device to replace my need for a GPS unit. So far, this is not the case.

Yellow Screens - You may not have heard about this one, but early reports from those making their purchases this morning state that the screen is slightly yellow. Manufacturing flaw? Screen calibration? Easy to fix? All questions that we don't know the answer to. But, this reminds me, isn't it a good idea to wait a while before buying a new device? Thanks to some folks over at Gizmodo, there is slightly more detail and an image displaying the yellow'ish screen. I'm interested to see how this one plays out.

Price Drop - Yes, I know...I'm dreaming, hoping, praying and wishing. But, you never know. If enough of us complain maybe AT&T will at some point throw in a text messaging plan or drop the price on the 3G plan. It worked with Rogers Canada.

2.0 on iPhone 1 - I have yet to get my hands on 2.0 for my iPhone 2G or the new app store. Assuming Apple's servers come back online, I'll be doing that the moment I get home from work. I'm now starting to think that Apple was pretty smart in holding off releasing these updates to iPhone 1 users for the same time as the iPhone 3G release. With the new changes available in 2.0 and the 500+ downloads from the app store, it's likely to keep me busy, and happy, with my iPhone 2G for quite some time. If Apple would have released the update and app store to iPhone 1 users a week or more ago, I suspect that many more would have been just as happy to keep their current iPhone and forgo the upgrade.

There are other minor issues like picture messaging, flash, video recording, etc. Picture messaging and video recording will surely be solved with an app store application. Flash, well, who knows where that's gonna end up.

The verdict? My biggest hangup is the GPS. When Tom Tom, Garmin, or some other developer announces that their turn-by-turn software is available for use on the iPhone, you'll probably see me standing in line at the nearest Apple Store. Until then, me, my iPhone 2G, and the new app store have a date.

All the while my wife is still iPhoneless. Sorry honey.

Posted by Chris Hill in Hot Topic

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Why I'm Waiting to Upgrade to the iPhone 3G Fri, Jul 11. 2008

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