I've been hankering for an iphone for a long, long time... I was going to get the iPhone 4, but my daughter tells me not to touch it because of the problems people are experiencing. She specifically mentioned the back glass breaking and the loss of signal... Don't know what to do. She was worried as I have a tendency to drop my phone...
Should I wait for the iPhone 4.5/5 or just buy the 3GS?
New iPhone
I wouldn't buy the 3GS (you will be two or three versions behind by the time you are eligible for another upgrade) and the 5 will not be out until next June and as much as it has been in the news, if you use a decent case (or say a Mophie Juice Pack Air external battery case) you will not have antenna issues and the breakage issues are quite over hyped, I have dropped mine several times (knock on wood) and don't even have a scratch.-----
The problems your daughter mentioned are real. some are perfectly happy with the new phone in spite of some of the problems. If you have a tendency to drop the phone, then maybe you should wait or make sure you get insurance that will cover drops.
Personally I am sticking with the 32gig 3gs. I do not plan to upgrade until the there is an upgrade to 64 gig :-)
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I'd go for the iPhone 4, not the 3GS. I had he 3GS and now have a iP4 and I'd
sure hate to go backward. As others have suggested, a good case offers pretty good protection if you're inclined to drop your phone. The antenna/reception thing is not an issue if you've got a case on the phone also.
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1. There is no higher incidence of iPhone 4's glass breaking than iPhone 3G, or
3Gs glass breaking; only the 4 has 2 glass surfaces.
2. That said, the glass on the 4 is tougher than that on the 3G, or 3Gs, or, in
fact, probably any glass you have ever encountered elsewhere in your life.
3. Don't keep the 4 somewhere where there are hard (i.e., diamond-like) objects
to scratch the surface.
4. Get a case (almost ANY case will help in this regard) to help protect it from
the shock of being dropped.
5. Try not to drop it....
Should I wait for the iPhone 4.5/5 or just buy the 3GS?
Depends on how soon you just HAVE to get an iPhone
I have owned a 3G, a 3Gs, and a 4.
If I were to buy an iPhone now for myself on the basis of my experiences, I would get a 4, not a 3Gs.
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Get the iPhone 4 and a good rubberized case. This will cure any signal issues and help protect the iPhone should you drop it.
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I dropped my iPhone 4 on a concrete floor recently, and it was not damaged.
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First question is- do you get good ATT wireless coverage where you will travel and use the phone? The iPhone is a Great phone, but it is an expensive brick if your coverage is terrible. Same with any other ATT phone or any Verizon phone.
Ditto on the case.
Also consider extended insurance for the phone. Square Trade appears to have good coverage that includes dropping and spill protection.
If ATT wireless has coverage for you, I'd get the iPhone 4, much nicer.
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I just sent a message about my husbands front screen shattering after a very minimal drop. So... if that's any indication to you of how fragile they are, it might help you make your decision. And I JUST ordered an otterbox defender series case for him yesterday!!! So frustrating!
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I don't know if the breaking part would stop me but ATT's coverage is something to consider. I had 3 versions of the iPhone and one main reason I didn't get the newest one is due to ATT coverage. I will not buy another "anything" if its locked to ATT.
I know others have great ATT coverage but its worse than Sprint if you ask me.
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Coverage is all about where you live. CDMA (Verizon, Spring) is inherently flawed for technical reasons way to deep to get into here. I used to design cellular telephone base stations so I am qualified to make that statement. The longer you talk or stay on-line, the worse the quality will get. Eventually - your call WILL drop, it is inevitable. GSM (ATT and T-Mobile) is a much more robust protocol, and calls will hang in there no matter how long you talk or on line, provided you have good hand-offs if you are moving.
ATT coverage is great in Dallas, Houston, and LA. We've had Verizon, it basically sucked. My daughter is an actress, and when we are in LA the phone absolutely positively has to work. Call times are absolute - there is no late.
And you get one call - there are no second chances - if you don't pick up they call the next person on the list. ATT is the best, at least in the downtown, Hollywood, valley / Burbank areas of LA.
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I am not a cellular engineer, but I have not had that problem with Verizon at all. I've had phone calls last over an hour and a half with no droppage.
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I am a telecom engineer. Inherently CDMA is easy to design from frequency point of view but difficult to ensure consistent voice quality across cells. The data speed is much better in CDMA if traffic is within limits.
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Well, I think most of this discussion will be moot within a couple of years as both Verizon and AT&T are building out LTE as their 4G networks. Unless the non-engineer in me is getting it wrong and the specific implementation makes a difference there... :)
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That's for sure. We originally had ATT mobile and it worked fine but for some reason became unreliable so we switched to Verizon which worked only somewhat better in our area. After a few years we decided to give ATT another try since my wife wanted an IPhone. Surprise! Great reception, 3G coverage and virtually no dropped calls.
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Same here, I have had a Verizon phone on same number/line for over 10 years, upgraded hardware every 20-22 months (New Every Two program) and have NEVER dropped a call no matter how long I talked. Previous to Verizon I had AT&T for at least 7 years that I remember and dropped calls every day. I have had an AT&T iPhone since they came out as a 'second'/data line and drop a call every time I try and use it so while I don't doubt your credentials and it may very well be that way in the areas you worked, it isn't true for where I am....
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ALL cell phones drop calls! No matter which network or phone. Under the right conditions the call WILL drop.
Anyone who claims they have never droped a call is either mistaken or lying. Or perhaps just got there first cell phone.
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Or you're not getting the specifics here?
The claim was that CDMA is inherently unreliable and the longer you're on the phone the more likely it is that the call will drop vs GSM being inherently better with no such time-based increasing likelihood of a call dropping.
Of course I've had calls drop. However, my rebuttal of the stated claim is that I have had long conversations on my Verizon cellphone lasting over 90 minutes.
What I didn't mention because I didn't think it important is that I am also an AT&T Refugee. AT&T's service where I live used to be great, then about two years ago it started degrading. I stuck it out for about a year, hoping that it would return to its former usability but it only got worse, to the point where smoke signals in a rain storm are more reliable.
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Yes, it's ALL about where you live. When we lived in Texas (Dallas area) it was GREAT!! Now, we live in NorCal and coverage is TERRIBLE! Wish AT&T would do something about that.
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Get the iPhone and an Otter box. The Apple store sold them where I live. It solves breakage and signal problems.
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Buy an Otterbox Defender case and solve both problems.
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We just happened to get ours a little bit too late. lol.
But I do have a good story. :) So, my husband's screen shattered. He cannot be without a phone due to work so we really didn't have choice but to get his either fixed or get a new phone. Good thing is it didn't cost the $599.00 because apparently, his software was corrupt. So, we got the new phone for $199.00! Yippe-Skippy!! The other thing... I had been having trouble with mine, things that I didn't notice at first, but had realized with more use. The reception issue was a "thing" with mine, apparently. My hubby and I would be in the same car together and he might have 3 or 4 bars and I would have maybe 1... Plus, lotsa dropped calls. Also, my touch screen was major unresponsive at times. So, many times I would try to do something and nothing would happen.
That was the most disturbing part for me. So, I just told them (we had made 2 appointments at the Genius Bar) and the guy did a diagnostic and decided they should swap my phone out for a new one too!!!!!!!! So, we both walked away with new phones yesterday. Granted, we paid for one. But I was happy anyway!! And THIS phone works SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH better for me!!!!!!!!!
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OH! And what I started out to say... we're supposed to get our Otterboxes on Monday. YAY!
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Our family has had 2 first gen, 1 3G, 2 3GS, and 2 iPhone 4's. You can say that we are a bit addicted to the iPhone. I have used the 3G and the 4 and I love the 4. I love the multitask feature and the Retina display. I read a lot of ebooks on my phone so that is a nice feature. The one thing I preferred on the 3G is the shape. The 4 is boxier and doesn't fit in my hand as well.
My daughter on the other hand preferred her 3GS phone. No specific reason given, just "I liked it better."
When it comes to breaking and scratching, my son, daughter, and husband have all dropped and shattered their early gen phones so whatever you do, get a case. In that same thought, the case will scratch the earlier phones but I've used a case on my 4 since I bought it and no scratches.
When I had my 3G, I upgraded it to the iOS4 and it became a brick. I know that Apple has worked on it since but I still think there may be problems. I won't let my husband or son upgrade to the new OS because I don't want to hear their complaints. If you do get a 3GS, check what OS it has.
I haven't had any significant problems with call quality or dropped calls but I live in the Metropolitan Boston area so service it pretty good. Any trouble that I have had has been an AT&T problem. I read on this list that the iPhone may be available on Verizon soon so that could be something to think on.
The best advice I can tell you is to find an Apple store and go play with the phones. If there isn't a store nearby, find a friend and try theirs. I thought my Razor phone was great until I played with my daughter's iPhone. Then I was hooked.
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