# New iPhone 5 Mid September? To Wait or Pull the Trigger?



## Cuechick

Hi All,

I have been debating upgrading my phone, had actually planned on it. I still have a first generation iPhone! So obviously this is not move I take lightly.
However, I have often found my timing with Apple products sucks... and I do not want to get a 4s now only to find out I could have save a lot of money by waiting a bit longer... I have already waited this long after all.

I just read this post about a possible new phone coming out mid September:
http://www.macrumors.com/2012/07/30/iphone-5-and-ipad-mini-to-be-announced-on-september-12th/

I still will probably get the 4S... but I know if I wait, there is a good chance the price will drop.

My current phone works but I am frustrated that I can't update the software or use it with many of the new apps, it is basically been rendered obsolete. Which is a sucky way to treat customers who were early adopters and paid a premium price.

So what do y'all think? Do you think there is yet another new phone coming in just a month and would you wait?


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## geko29

You've waited 5 years already, what's another 6 weeks?  And if you keep them that long, may as well get the latest and the greatest.  Gives you the longest useful life.


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## Cuechick

I just read this article that has a lot of good details, yes it would be stupid not to wait...! Duh! 

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/iphone-rumor-guide-features-release-date-wait-newest/story?id=16905506#.UBlwJ677Wko


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## mooshie78

I'd definitely wait.  There will probably be sales on the 4S when the new one is out.  And maybe there will be features that make you change your mind and want the new one instead.


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## hsuthard

At least wait and see if there are any improvements to the camera! The camera on the 4S is amazing, they might not make any real changes to it, but there's every chance they will, in the interest of this being a new model iPhone.


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## Audrey Finch

Thanks for the heads up on this.  I was planning to upgrade to an iPhone in August when my current contract expires. Think I'll wait and see what emerges in September.


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## Leslie

I have been waiting to upgrade--I have a 3GS which has been acting up but I can wait another 6 weeks or so.

One thing that will be annoying, if true: the new iPhone5 will have a 19 pin connector (the current phones all have 30 pin) so any extra charging cables that you have won't work with the new phone.  

L


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## mooshie78

The rumor is there will be an adapter so you could use your old cables, docks etc.  Would be an extra thing to buy and extra hassle though.


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## Cuechick

Of course there is an "adapter"... another way for Apple to make mo money.


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## hsuthard

I saw a post last night that showed a supposedly leaked pic of the new connector. It showed a MagSafe style connector, like the ones they use on laptops. That would be so cool! The MagSafe connectors are designed to attach the charging cable via magnets so that if the cord gets pulled accidentally it will just pop off instead of damaging the device or port. I'll try to find the pic.


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## mooshie78

That type of magnetic connector wouldn't necessarily be ideal for things like speaker docks where you want it secure though.


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## chilady1

I have an iPhone 4 right now which is working perfectly well so I think I will wait to let all the bugs get ironed out.  In addition, it is going to take me a minute to save up the $$$$ to purchase the iPhone 5 outright since I have unlimited data plan with Verizon and the only way to keep it is by purchasing the phone at full retail price sans subsidy.  I'll be excited to hear from others their thoughts on the new phone.


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## geko29

hsuthard said:


> I saw a post last night that showed a supposedly leaked pic of the new connector. It showed a MagSafe style connector, like the ones they use on laptops. That would be so cool! The MagSafe connectors are designed to attach the charging cable via magnets so that if the cord gets pulled accidentally it will just pop off instead of damaging the device or port. I'll try to find the pic.


I don't think this would work particularly well for a phone. It works for a laptop, because the laptop weighs 3-7lbs, and so provides inertia to allow the magnetic link to be broken by pulling the cable. If they were to try to do this on a phone that weighs 4-5 oz, one of two things would happen: 1) the phone wouldn't provide enough inertia to break the magnetic link, and would go flying just like the current connector, or 2) the magnets would have to be so weak that the cable would just fall out all the time for no reason.

All the pictures I've seen thus far (and some appeared to be of complete, functional devices) show a that's at least as thin as a microUSB, possibly thinner (but wider, for the additional pins). If these are accurate--and I believe that they are--there'd be no room to put magnets in, as that would make the connector substantially thicker.


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## Randirogue

Heh... My husband has been trying to get me to get the new iPhone ever since he had no choice but to upgrade (I still have the iPhone2 - 3g) when he accidentally destroyed his at work.  As we synch a lot of things to each other (especially our calendars, which we update with each other automatically via wifi & 3g/4g) while we are on the go around the city (we have varying schedules and varying locales for work, especially my husband, and it's the best way to keep each other up-to-date).  My iPhone doesn't do it as well as his, though my iPad does.  However, it would be really convenient if my phone did it as well also.

I've put off the upgrade of my phone since before Christmas.  Now that the new one is due out in so short a time, my husband wants to wait.  Part of me wants to still buy the one he has now even if I wait until after the new one is out.  I would feel a little guilty if I have a "better" one than he does.  He likes to spoil me and thinks it would be great, of course... which isn't helping my resistance.

What is helping my resistance is the fact that we have our first baby due just after Christmas (before New Year's) and that we just spent a small chunk of change on a short notice visit back to Florida to help his father recover from surgery. lol.

I wonder if he'll wear me down, nevertheless.

Good luck with your choice, whatever you decide upon!


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## corkyb

chilady1 said:


> I have an iPhone 4 right now which is working perfectly well so I think I will wait to let all the bugs get ironed out. In addition, it is going to take me a minute to save up the $$$$ to purchase the iPhone 5 outright since I have unlimited data plan with Verizon and the only way to keep it is by purchasing the phone at full retail price sans subsidy. I'll be excited to hear from others their thoughts on the new phone.


Whaaaaatttt? I got grandfathered in last time with unlimited data, and I got a deal on the phone for signing a two year contract. Are you saying that I won't be able to keep unlimited if upgrade my phone unless I pay @$700 for the phone? If so, that SUCKS big time.


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## KindleGirl

corkyb said:


> Whaaaaatttt? I got grandfathered in last time with unlimited data, and I got a deal on the phone for signing a two year contract. Are you saying that I won't be able to keep unlimited if upgrade my phone unless I pay @$700 for the phone? If so, that SUCKS big time.


That's the way I understand it to be too. I have the unlimited data as well, but it looks like I will be giving it up as I'm not paying that much for a phone. I don't use a ton of data so I'll be fine with the smaller amount.


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## hsuthard

That's not true with AT&T at least. As long as you qualify for an upgrade you can keep your unlimited data plan and get the subsidized handset.


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## KindleGirl

That's the way the write-up sounds from Verizon. I'm not due for an upgrade yet so I haven't talked to an actual person from Verizon yet, but friends I've talked to are reading it the same way. Hopefully we're reading it wrong. It's a fairly new change so I haven't run into anyone yet who has dealt with it.


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## hsuthard

I did hear that Verizon was making some changes to the unlimited plans, and tightening the controls a bit, so you may be right. Im on AT&T so I've been watching them closely for things like that.

Come on September 12th already!


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## corkyb

hsuthard said:


> That's not true with AT&T at least. As long as you qualify for an upgrade you can keep your unlimited data plan and get the subsidized handset.


Oh good. I have AT&T. It's bad enought that i pay unlimitd for both iphone and ipad and am afraid to give either up.


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## MrPLD

Oh joy... it'll be a whole new bag of fun & games for us service techs as we get up to speed with fixing screens and parts on the new iphone 5  Sincerely hoping they make it as acceptable as the 4/4S which aren't too bad (unlike the ipod4 which is a nightmare).


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## mooshie78

Yeah, with Verizon you can no longer keep an grandfathered unlimited data plan if you sign a new contract.  So only way to keep it is to buy unsubsidized phones.

I didn't get a smartphone until after they dropped the unlimited plan anyway, so moot for me.  Would be moot anyway as I've never even hit 1GB in any month on my 2GB plan.  I'm on wifi the vast majority of time since I have that home and at work, and free wifi is in so many places I hang out around the city as well.


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## Buttercup

I still have the 3gs as well, it's slowed down over the past year and sometimes I have to restart it but other than that it works fine. I do wish the battery life was better and hopefully that will be addressed with the iPhone 5 because I for one will be pulling the trigger on that one!


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## mooshie78

Battery life on the 4 and 4s is a good bit better than the 3g/3gs.  So the 5 will definitely be better as well I'd think, hopefully even better than those.

I'm very happy with the battery on my 4s.  I goof around on it, text, stream music at work etc. and it's rare that I have to charge before bedtime.


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## ak rain

My son used my upgrade to replace his lost phone sadly now I still use 3G and to top it off phone company keeps asking me how I like my upgrade!
Oh well
Sylvia


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## hsuthard

I'll be ordering as soon as I can, too! I just love a new phone


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## KR Jacobsen

I suppose if you've waited this long OP, then that's admirable patience, especially if you're still using an original iPhone! 

I'll be getting a 5, but it likely won't be until October since no one wants to sell an unlocked one. While I could probably stand to pay the upgrade price and sign a contract again, I'd rather not. Also, I tend to get a new phone every year (I'm a tech addict), so I'd still end up having to pay more next year.

Just the same, the new one looks good, even if it's not a major change from the previous one. I just know that after a few months with a Galaxy Note (international one running on AT&T), I'm done with it. Nothing I've done, including trying a half-dozen different roms, has made it work how I want it to. I suppose that makes me an Apply fanboy since I'm ready to jump back on the Apple train.


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## Cuechick

I went to order mine on the At&T site but I get so frustrated. I have a really good (as in cheap) plan so in order to upgrade, it looks like I will have to get a new data plan and add another $20 for unlimited texts (only other option it gives me is to pay per text, rather than the 200 I get now for free that comes with my current $20 data plan)... plus pay another $32 bucks for the privilege of upgrading! Ok, so I click these, then a windo pops asking if I really want to do this or keep my current plan which is cheaper (duh!) So of course I say well, sure if keeping my current plan is an option, lets do that, click that button. Then it zaps me back to the previous menu and tells me I have to pick a data plan to check out!

WTF?

May just keep the G1 till it dies.


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## Jane917

I am probably the last person on the planet to not have a smart phone (except for DH!). My Verizon contract is up, and I want to upgrade my phone to a smart phone. Since the iPhone5 is available for order, the prices on the 4 have dropped considerably. Since I have never had one, I don't think I will fully appreciate any additional features the 5 has over the 4. But.....do I really want an iPhone? The new Samsung looks pretty too, but is considerably more expensive than the iPhone4. Dilemmas, dilemmas.


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## Leslie

Jane917 said:


> I am probably the last person on the planet to not have a smart phone (except for DH!). My Verizon contract is up, and I want to upgrade my phone to a smart phone. Since the iPhone5 is available for order, the prices on the 4 have dropped considerably. Since I have never had one, I don't think I will fully appreciate any additional features the 5 has over the 4. But.....do I really want an iPhone? The new Samsung looks pretty too, but is considerably more expensive than the iPhone4. Dilemmas, dilemmas.


For what it's worth, Jane...

I had an iPad and I sold it. Wasn't too impressed. My daughter's Mac, for which we paid a premium price, is a piece of crap. She's on her fourth hard drive and this summer, the motherboard died and had to be replaced. All of this has been done under warranty but still, when you pay $2000+ for a computer you don't expect it to be in the shop for 2-3 days (a week this summer) every three months.

I would never recommend an Apple computer to anyone.

That said, I love my iPhone. This seems to be the one device where they got it right. I have no interest in exploring or learning about any other smartphone because the iPhone suits my needs to a "T".

We have AT&T here in our household and my husband and I were both at the top of the list for upgrades, so we'll be getting new phones on Sept 21st. I have a 3GS that I got as a refurb in Dec 2009 so I am *really* ready for a change (it's showing its age). My husband has a 4S which he'll be handing down to our future DIL. I am looking forward to the new phones next week.

L


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## hsuthard

Cuechick said:


> I went to order mine on the At&T site but I get so frustrated. I have a really good (as in cheap) plan so in order to upgrade, it looks like I will have to get a new data plan and add another $20 for unlimited texts (only other option it gives me is to pay per text, rather than the 200 I get now for free that comes with my current $20 data plan)... plus pay another $32 bucks for the privilege of upgrading! Ok, so I click these, then a windo pops asking if I really want to do this or keep my current plan which is cheaper (duh!) So of course I say well, sure if keeping my current plan is an option, lets do that, click that button. Then it zaps me back to the previous menu and tells me I have to pick a data plan to check out!
> 
> WTF?
> 
> May just keep the G1 till it dies.


You should be able to keep your old plan, definitely. I'm going to the AT&T store on the 21st to get my phone, since I'm using my sons upgrade and giving him my phone they have to do some computery stuff for us. I imagine of you call or stop by a kiosk they could help.

Did you try using the Apple Store app instead? I found it pretty simple to use.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Jane917

Leslie said:


> For what it's worth, Jane...
> 
> I had an iPad and I sold it. Wasn't too impressed. My daughter's Mac, for which we paid a premium price, is a piece of crap. She's on her fourth hard drive and this summer, the motherboard died and had to be replaced. All of this has been done under warranty but still, when you pay $2000+ for a computer you don't expect it to be in the shop for 2-3 days (a week this summer) every three months.
> 
> I would never recommend an Apple computer to anyone.
> 
> That said, I love my iPhone. This seems to be the one device where they got it right. I have no interest in exploring or learning about any other smartphone because the iPhone suits my needs to a "T".
> 
> We have AT&T here in our household and my husband and I were both at the top of the list for upgrades, so we'll be getting new phones on Sept 21st. I have a 3GS that I got as a refurb in Dec 2009 so I am *really* ready for a change (it's showing its age). My husband has a 4S which he'll be handing down to our future DIL. I am looking forward to the new phones next week.
> 
> L


My iPads have been issued by my work place. I have never owned one. I am a happy camper with my Fire. All our kids have iPhones and Macs, and they love them. I am not tempted to get a Mac, but I am tempted to get an iPhone.


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## Leslie

Jane917 said:


> My iPads have been issued by my work place. I have never owned one. I am a happy camper with my Fire. All our kids have iPhones and Macs, and they love them. I am not tempted to get a Mac, but I am tempted to get an iPhone.


Like I said, I am not an apple fangirl, but I do like my iPhone!


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## mooshie78

I'm no Apple fanboy either, but I love my iPhone 4s and iPad 2.  Easily my two most used gadgets.  I'm still on PCs for computers as some of my software for work is PC only--so never saw the point of paying more for an Apple computer when I'd just be running windows in parallel most of the time anyway.


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## Cuechick

hsuthard said:


> You should be able to keep your old plan, definitely. I'm going to the AT&T store on the 21st to get my phone, since I'm using my sons upgrade and giving him my phone they have to do some computery stuff for us. I imagine of you call or stop by a kiosk they could help.
> 
> Did you try using the Apple Store app instead? I found it pretty simple to use.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well when I looked at the plans offered on the Apple site, it looks like a better deal, if I don't go the upgrade route and order straight from them? They have an unlimited minutes and data/ text plan for around 80.00 through At&t... I did not want to lose my rollover minutes but if I have unlimited minutes, then I don't need them right?

I don't have a contract... and don't like this "upgrade fee" they want to charge... I may try the store and see if there is a way around that. I am not sure if I even need to keep my same number... I still have an Atlanta area code and that might just be too confusing since I now live in Cali... I am thinking clean slate may be the way to go... just wondering if there are hidden cost...? Now I know why I hung onto my 1st Gen iPhone for so long... ::sigh::


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## Jane917

Now I am really confused! Can I go to an Apple Store (the nearest one is 3 hours away), and renew my contract with Verizon while at the Apple Store? Is there an advantage of going to the Apple Store rather than Verizonwireless.com (which always seems to be a painful experience)?


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## hsuthard

Jane917 said:


> Now I am really confused! Can I go to an Apple Store (the nearest one is 3 hours away), and renew my contract with Verizon while at the Apple Store? Is there an advantage of going to the Apple Store rather than Verizonwireless.com (which always seems to be a painful experience)?


If you're out of contract now and get the discounted pricing, it will automatically renew your contract, even if you're at the Apple store. You won't be presented with any options of plans or whatever, so if you want to change plans you can either do that later or just go to Verizon instead. But buying the phone at a discount essentially renews your contract for 2 years, no matter where you purchase. The advantage of going to the Apple store is that you can avoid all these Verizon questions, and just get the phone, but that's the only real advantage I see. Also, the Apple store gets a far greater supply of phones than any of the carriers do.


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## hsuthard

Cuechick said:


> Well when I looked at the plans offered on the Apple site, it looks like a better deal, if I don't go the upgrade route and order straight from them? They have an unlimited minutes and data/ text plan for around 80.00 through At&t... I did not want to lose my rollover minutes but if I have unlimited minutes, then I don't need them right?
> 
> I don't have a contract... and don't like this "upgrade fee" they want to charge... I may try the store and see if there is a way around that. I am not sure if I even need to keep my same number... I still have an Atlanta area code and that might just be too confusing since I now live in Cali... I am thinking clean slate may be the way to go... just wondering if there are hidden cost...? Now I know why I hung onto my 1st Gen iPhone for so long... ::sigh::


It used to be pretty easy to get the upgrade fees waived, but I've heard that less and less over the past couple of years, I think they're becoming more standard.

We've struggled with keeping our Florida phone numbers or changing to a Hawaii number, but that would require giving up our unlimited data plans we got with the original iPhone back in 2007. AT&T has some strange rules about phone numbers too: if you have a family plan, all the phone numbers on that plan have to be in the same "region". And since Florida and Hawaii aren't in the same region, any new phones we add to our family plan have to be Florida phone numbers.

My 13yo son just got a phone for his birthday and was really looking forward to getting an 808 number (Hawaii), but we had to go with a Florida number instead or else put him on his own separate (and much more expensive) plan.


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## Jane917

I actually want to get a different plan, as I have now crossed over to qualify for the senior discounted plan. Both our phones are eligible for upgrade, but DH is not interested in upgrading his. I think I will go have a little talk with the Verizon Wireless store.


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## Kathy

I just got the iPhone 4s. I upgraded because my daughter broke hers so I gave her my iPhone 4. I can qualify for the iPhone 5 on one of the other phones on my AT&T account but I'll wait and see how everyone likes theirs. I am so bad with getting the newest gadget. It is so hard to resist.


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## Cuechick

I am wondering  why not get the 4S, since it is now $100 cheaper... what does the 5 offer, other than a bigger screen,  that the 4S does not?


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## Jane917

Cuechick said:


> I am wondering why not get the 4S, since it is now $100 cheaper... what does the 5 offer, other than a bigger screen, that the 4S does not?


I believe one of the biggest advantages of the 5 is the 4G ability.


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## hsuthard

Cuechick said:


> I am wondering why not get the 4S, since it is now $100 cheaper... what does the 5 offer, other than a bigger screen, that the 4S does not?


Slightly larger sensor in the camera and the processing chip is twice as fast. But the 4S is a fantastic phone, too.


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## Kathy

Cuechick said:


> I am wondering why not get the 4S, since it is now $100 cheaper... what does the 5 offer, other than a bigger screen, that the 4S does not?


My thought as well. I have the 4s and it is a great phone. I'm just bummed that I have only had it a couple of months and paid $199. Wish there was a bigger gap in offering new gadgets.


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## mooshie78

Kathy said:


> My thought as well. I have the 4s and it is a great phone. I'm just bummed that I have only had it a couple of months and paid $199. Wish there was a bigger gap in offering new gadgets.


Apple updates are on a pretty set yearly schedule. With the iPhone the new model comes out Sept/Oct, so you can always keep that in mind when thinking of upgrading. If it's summer/fall, usually better to wait a few more months for the new model so you can decide if you want it--and can get the old model cheaper at that time as well.


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## Jane917

I spent the morning at the Verizon Wireless store. I was "just looking." Ha! I came home with the iPhone4S. I decided the 5 was a bit of overkill for me, and the 4S was a good price, though I could have gotten an android cheaper. The nice sales rep got my phone all set up and all things considered, it was a pretty enjoyable experience, unlike other years when I have upgraded. I especially like the Facetime feature, so I can actually see my kids when I talk to them. Since I already have an iPod, it should not take me too long to get acquainted.


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## Kathy

mooshie78 said:


> Apple updates are on a pretty set yearly schedule. With the iPhone the new model comes out Sept/Oct, so you can always keep that in mind when thinking of upgrading. If it's summer/fall, usually better to wait a few more months for the new model so you can decide if you want it--and can get the old model cheaper at that time as well.


Good to know. I only got the 4s because my daughter broke her iPhone and if I was going to pay for a new one it was going to be mine. She qualifies for a new one so if I just can't hold out I use hers to get it.


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## hsuthard

Jane917 said:


> I spent the morning at the Verizon Wireless store. I was "just looking." Ha! I came home with the iPhone4S. I decided the 5 was a bit of overkill for me, and the 4S was a good price, though I could have gotten an android cheaper. The nice sales rep got my phone all set up and all things considered, it was a pretty enjoyable experience, unlike other years when I have upgraded. I especially like the Facetime feature, so I can actually see my kids when I talk to them. Since I already have an iPod, it should not take me too long to get acquainted.


Yay! New phone fun!


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## LuvHorses

chilady1 said:


> I have an iPhone 4 right now which is working perfectly well so I think I will wait to let all the bugs get ironed out. In addition, it is going to take me a minute to save up the $$$$ to purchase the iPhone 5 outright since I have unlimited data plan with Verizon and the only way to keep it is by purchasing the phone at full retail price sans subsidy. I'll be excited to hear from others their thoughts on the new phone.


We lose unlimited if we sign up for another 2 year contract??


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## KR Jacobsen

LuvHorses said:


> We lose unlimited if we sign up for another 2 year contract??


From All Things D's review of the iPhone 5:



> And unlimited-data plans generally aren't available to new users, though Verizon will sell you one if you are an existing customer with unlimited data and pay an unsubsidized price of $649 for the phone. AT&T will allow existing users with unlimited plans to keep them, even at the subsidized phone price, if they've had their current iPhones for a certain length of time, generally around 20 months. Sprint is the exception: It offers unlimited data to all iPhone buyers, existing and new.


Phone companies are lovely, aren't they?


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## mooshie78

Yep, you can't get a new contract and keep unlimited data on AT&T or Verizon.  Not sure about sprint.

Moot for me as Verizon's option for unlimited was already gone when I got the 4s (my first smart phone).  I've never used more than 500 some MB in a month anyway in the year or so I've had the phone, so 2GB is plenty for me anyway.  I wifi at home and work, so the 3g only gets used when out and about, traveling etc. and I don't really do anything data intensive like stream video on the phone anyway.


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## Jane917

Another question.......as mentioned earlier, I just got my first iPhone (and my first smart phone). Now for the question of insurance. I bought the 4S for only $99. Verizon quoted me $10/month for insurance, with a $200 deductible if I lose it. Since they don't make the 4S anymore, I assume they could only replace it with a refurbished. I am very tempted to take my chances and forget the insurance.


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## hsuthard

mooshie78 said:


> Yep, you can't get a new contract and keep unlimited data on AT&T or Verizon. Not sure about sprint.


You can't get a new contract and keep unlimited data on Verizon, you can on AT&T. See the previous post: AT&T will allow existing users with unlimited plans to keep them, even at the subsidized phone price, if they've had their current iPhones for a certain length of time, generally around 20 months.


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## mooshie78

hsuthard said:


> You can't get a new contract and keep unlimited data on Verizon, you can on AT&T. See the previous post: AT&T will allow existing users with unlimited plans to keep them, even at the subsidized phone price, if they've had their current iPhones for a certain length of time, generally around 20 months.


Ah thanks for the correction.

I'd never consider AT&T though as there coverage stinks around here. My girlfriend and some of our friends have AT&T, and they're constantly not having service when we're out and we end up having to look up stuff on my Verizon iPhone.  So I don't keep up as much with their contract situation.


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## Kathy

LuvHorses said:


> We lose unlimited if we sign up for another 2 year contract??


I have upgraded 3 times and never lost unlimited with AT&T


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## Leslie

Jane917 said:


> Another question.......as mentioned earlier, I just got my first iPhone (and my first smart phone). Now for the question of insurance. I bought the 4S for only $99. Verizon quoted me $10/month for insurance, with a $200 deductible if I lose it. Since they don't make the 4S anymore, I assume they could only replace it with a refurbished. I am very tempted to take my chances and forget the insurance.


I thought they were still making the 4S. It's the 3GS that became obsolete at the press conference.

$10/mo plus a $200 deductible sounds pretty pricey to me. I don't understand the deductible...the phone only cost $99. If you lose it and they are supposed to replace it because of your insurance, you're supposed to pay twice what you paid for the phone at the beginning? Why not just buy another $99 phone?

The very first iPhone I had (the original one) I bought the Apple care for $69 which ended up being like throwing money out the window. Since then, I haven't bothered with insurance or care or anything. I realize accidents and unexpected things happen but also--do you tend to lose things? Drop things? I try to be careful and have found I do all right without insurance or protection. Your experience might be different.

L


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## mooshie78

It's $99 with a 2 year contract.  If you lose it you can't rebuy it at that price. If it's early in the contract you'll have to pay full price for the phone (not sure what the 4s goes for now, but the 5 is around $600 for the cheapest model with no contract).  If you're more than a year into the contract, they may sell you a new one at a 1 year contract discount price if you add a year to your term.  Verizon did that for me with a dumbphone that was stolen a few years back.

That said, I never get warranties or insurance on any of my gadgets.  My philosophy is overtime I'd spend way more buying those than just replacing the few things that break out of warranty or get lost etc.


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## Leslie

mooshie78 said:


> It's $99 with a 2 year contract. If you lose it you can't rebuy it at that price. If it's early in the contract you'll have to pay full price for the phone (not sure what the 4s goes for now, but the 5 is around $600 for the cheapest model with no contract). If you're more than a year into the contract, they may sell you a new one at a 1 year contract discount price if you add a year to your term. Verizon did that for me with a dumbphone that was stolen a few years back.


Ah, okay, thanks for explaining. I think I saw in the WSJ that the iPhone 5 is $649.



> That said, I never get warranties or insurance on any of my gadgets. My philosophy is overtime I'd spend way more buying those than just replacing the few things that break out of warranty or get lost etc.


That's my philosophy too, learned through experience. A few years ago, I bought the extra year warranty for my Kindle 2 and ended up replacing it when it as 19 months old, so that turned out to be a waste. And as I said below, I paid $69 for something I never used on my original iPhone.

L


----------



## Jane917

Thanks for continuing the conversation on insurance for iPhones. You have expressed my sentiments exactly, but for some reason I needed confirmation. I have never lost or broken anything gadget-like. The insurance has been canceled.


----------



## Leslie

Jane917 said:


> Thanks for continuing the conversation on insurance for iPhones. You have expressed my sentiments exactly, but for some reason I needed confirmation. I have never lost or broken anything gadget-like. The insurance has been canceled.


Now you can use all that money you have saved for something fun, like buying onesies for the new grandbaby!


----------



## Kathy

Did anyone get their iphone 5 yesterday? Love to hear from someone on it.


----------



## Leslie

Kathy said:


> Did anyone get their iphone 5 yesterday? Love to hear from someone on it.


We were supposed to but something get messed up with the credit card--my husband didn't use the same billing address/ship to address and the charge didn't go through. He fixed that on Monday but no word since from AT&T about shipping the foolish things. I'm annoyed. I had planned to spend today playing with it.

L


----------



## Kathy

Leslie said:


> We were supposed to but something get messed up with the credit card--my husband didn't use the same billing address/ship to address and the charge didn't go through. He fixed that on Monday but no word since from AT&T about shipping the foolish things. I'm annoyed. I had planned to spend today playing with it.
> 
> L


Disappointing. Can't wait to hear from someone that has it in their hands.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Aaaargh, Leslie!  How frustrating....


Betsy


----------



## Meemo

Kathy said:


> Did anyone get their iphone 5 yesterday? Love to hear from someone on it.


We got ours - DH & and DD got black and theirs came Fedex. Mine is white and came UPS - and spent the night on the front porch - we had to go out and didn't think to check to see if it had come later when we got home.

Loving it. Faster, better screen, more memory (my 16G iPhone 4 was so full that apps couldn't update - I could've deleted some stuff but knew the 5 was coming so didn't bother). And it feels so slim and light - of course there's no case/cover on it yet. I've ordered a free one here http://www.zoogue.com/free-iphone-5-social-shell-case/ - don't know how long they'll stay free, and it's a pre-order, just pay S&H. I'll keep looking for "the" cover - I've enjoyed my clear one with my Snow White decal on the back.

Haven't played with Siri much. Have barely scratched the surface, but first impression is excellent. One thing I do like is having the extra row of icons on each screen - fewer screens to deal with (once I get things moved around a bit).


----------



## hsuthard

I got mine yesterday at the Apple store. I had to wait in line to get it, but was out of there pretty quickly. I saw some AT&T guys (identifiable by their matching shirts) in Starbucks right across from the Apple store at 7:30am as I was getting my coffee, and asked them whether they would be available to help me switch SIM cards and they said they would be in the store all day. So when I bought my phone (using my sons upgrade discount) from Apple I was then able to get the AT&T guys to switch out the SIM cards and give my 4S my sans number and the new iPhone 5 my number. Sweet!

I then spent way too long getting everything set up, but now that its all done, I love it! And for a cherry on top, AT&T started LTE service in Honolulu yesterday as well. It is very fast, and the screen is so much better. That one little extra row of icons makes a big difference. 

And the Siri upgrade in ios6 is great, too. I use it all the time and it is better. 

Now I just need a case. The Apple store didn't have any, nor did Target. Meemo, I'll check out that link!


----------



## Kathy

Now I'm lusting after it. I will wait a while but think I'll probably upgrade in November. I'm going to go visit my children and I can use one of their upgrades and pass the 4s to them. I wish I wasn't such a gadget freak.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

The Washington Post had this article that I thought was timely given some of the discussion in this thread:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busted-iphones-add-up-to-big-business/2012/09/21/e6ded38c-01b8-11e2-9367-4e1bafb958db_story.html

Highlights:

• Consumers have spent $5.9 billion to repair, replace or pay insurance deductibles on damaged iPhones since devices went on sale in 2007, according to SquareTrade.

• The San Francisco based company surveyed more than 2000 iPhone users and found that 30 percent of users have damaged their devices in the last year.

• Of all people surveyed, *9% damaged their phone by dropping it in the toilet.* (The author of the article says, "Really, the toilet?"  )

• 5% have accidentally put their phone in the washing machine.

• The most frequent way people damage their phone is dropping it.

Interesting article. It's got some good information and good advice as to insurance.

Betsy

PS--for people who participate in our Tea Thread, of all liquids spilled on phones, 12% are coffee and tea.


----------



## Kathy

I accidentally washed my husband's iPhone last month. Luckily he was ready for an upgrade and his company pays for it. My daughter cracked her screen 3 months ago and I upgraded to the 4s and gave her my iPhone 4. She is now eligible for an upgrade so I might use it for the 5 and give her the 4s and keep the 4 as a spare. My son, his wife have the 4 as well so it will be nice having a spare around.


----------



## Leslie

I'm so mad I could spit. My husband was online, ordering our two new phones at 6 am (3 am PDT) on Sept 14 with a ship date of Sept 21. He did not use the same credit card that he uses to pay the bill, so that screwed up the order, giving us a "new" order date of Sept 17. Only orders placed on Sept 14 had the 9/21 ship date. Our "new" ship date is "sometime between Oct 5 and Oct 16." Really?

And I just called around...the Apple store and all the AT&T stores in the area are sold out. Well, one AT&T store has the white 64GB phone in stock, but I don't want that one.

Grrrrr.....

L


----------



## Cuechick

hsuthard said:


> I got mine yesterday at the Apple store. I had to wait in line to get it, but was out of there pretty quickly. I saw some AT&T guys (identifiable by their matching shirts) in Starbucks right across from the Apple store at 7:30am as I was getting my coffee, and asked them whether they would be available to help me switch SIM cards and they said they would be in the store all day. So when I bought my phone (using my sons upgrade discount) from Apple I was then able to get the AT&T guys to switch out the SIM cards and give my 4S my sans number and the new iPhone 5 my number. Sweet!


A couple of questions, are you able to buy it at the Apple store and renew your contract to get the cheaper price? Were you able to keep the same plan and avoid he upgrade fee all through Apple. Just not sure how that all works?

Also with the sim cards, do you know if you need a newer phone for this? I have an iphone 1! Don't think they had sim cards, or at least ones that you can get too....?


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Leslie said:


> I'm so mad I could spit. My husband was online, ordering our two new phones at 6 am (3 am PDT) on Sept 14 with a ship date of Sept 21. He did not use the same credit card that he uses to pay the bill, so that screwed up the order, giving us a "new" order date of Sept 17. Only orders placed on Sept 14 had the 9/21 ship date. Our "new" ship date is "sometime between Oct 5 and Oct 16." Really?
> 
> And I just called around...the Apple store and all the AT&T stores in the area are sold out. Well, one AT&T store has the white 64GB phone in stock, but I don't want that one.
> 
> Grrrrr.....
> 
> L


Oy.....how frustrating! At least your PW will come sooner...

Betsy


----------



## hsuthard

Cuechick said:


> A couple of questions, are you able to buy it at the Apple store and renew your contract to get the cheaper price? Were you able to keep the same plan and avoid he upgrade fee all through Apple. Just not sure how that all works?
> 
> Also with the sim cards, do you know if you need a newer phone for this? I have an iphone 1! Don't think they had sim cards, or at least ones that you can get too....?


You can do it all at the Apple store. They come with the newer style SIM cards, but the Apple associates take care of all that for you. You automatically receive the discounted price, as well. Is a very smooth and quick operation, it took maybe 7 minutes for me to purchase the phone with upgrade and get it setup. The Apple stores somehow link into your AT&T account to do it all.


----------



## hsuthard

Leslie said:


> I'm so mad I could spit. My husband was online, ordering our two new phones at 6 am (3 am PDT) on Sept 14 with a ship date of Sept 21. He did not use the same credit card that he uses to pay the bill, so that screwed up the order, giving us a "new" order date of Sept 17. Only orders placed on Sept 14 had the 9/21 ship date. Our "new" ship date is "sometime between Oct 5 and Oct 16." Really?
> 
> And I just called around...the Apple store and all the AT&T stores in the area are sold out. Well, one AT&T store has the white 64GB phone in stock, but I don't want that one.
> 
> Grrrrr.....
> 
> L


That ship date is what prompted me to just get in line. I can't decide if they should have been better prepared or if they really have just that much demand, but either way, it's frustrating.


----------



## Leslie

hsuthard said:


> That ship date is what prompted me to just get in line. I can't decide if they should have been better prepared or if they really have just that much demand, but either way, it's frustrating.


The thing that is really annoying is that the order went through on the 14th with a confirmation, then the "problem" with the credit card popped up on the 17th. Who says you have to pay for the phone with the same card that is on the bill? It makes me wonder if they manufactured this problem so that they would have a reason to change the shipping date.

Oh well, nothing to do but wait...

L


----------



## Cuechick

hsuthard said:


> You can do it all at the Apple store. They come with the newer style SIM cards, but the Apple associates take care of all that for you. You automatically receive the discounted price, as well. Is a very smooth and quick operation, it took maybe 7 minutes for me to purchase the phone with upgrade and get it setup. The Apple stores somehow link into your AT&T account to do it all.


Thanks, maybe I will got there then, will be near it on Wednesday.

What about the upgrade fee?


----------



## Cuechick

Leslie said:


> The thing that is really annoying is that the order went through on the 14th with a confirmation, then the "problem" with the credit card popped up on the 17th. Who says you have to pay for the phone with the same card that is on the bill? It makes me wonder if they manufactured this problem so that they would have a reason to change the shipping date.
> 
> Oh well, nothing to do but wait...
> 
> L


I think your instincts may be right, I think At&t has some kind of hook to get people in with false delivery dates. I have my internet with them which I initially ordered on line with a confirmed delivery date. They then sent me a letter, saying the date had been changed with no explanation, I waited almost 2 more weeks to get my modem and set up service. Had I seen that as the 1st ava date when I ordered it, I probably would have gone another route.

Classic bait and switch but I was invested by then and I just sucked it up and waited...


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

And there may be a problem with production....
http://www.heavy.com/regions/2012/09/iphone-apple-china-factory-brawl-foxconn/

Betsy


----------



## Cuechick

Well I decided to go to the At&t store, which is nearby, they had no phones of course but I assumed you could order one there. I assumed wrong... they don't know when they will get them in and you can't order them there... only online. 

I was also told that since I have a 1st generation, I could NOT keep my plan. Essentially I am screwed... 

I checked out ordering from Apple and if I replace my existing phone the I get smacked with the upgrade fee, this just drives me crazy, here I am buying an expensive phone, to replace my even more expensive old phone, that has been basically rendered obsolite... and to do so I will have to relinquish my plan, for a more expensive one AND you want to charge me a fee for this?

I should qualify to get this removed but how do I do that? Order through At&t and call them?

I think I can get a better deal, if I just scrap my old number and start from scratch...   just not 100% sure about that (the better deal, not scrapping my old account). 

Ugh!


----------



## hsuthard

I'd love to hear what you end up doing, especially with regards to switching numbers. It's so tempting. I've heard people can get the upgrade fee removed by complaining to AT&T, I'm guessing they're just calling customer service after the fact, but not sure. I know they waived it once for me in the AT&T store when we added my mother in law to our acct. it is just an obvious ploy for more profit, isn't it? I mean there is no real reason why upgrading requires a charge that I can think of, especially for the carrier. SIM cards are included in the cost of the phone itself.

Why in the world can't you keep your plan, though??! That surprises me. And for goodness sakes, if you haven't been taking advantage of an upgrade discount every two years, then they're making a lot of profit off your account, I'd think they'd try harder to preserve that.


----------



## Cuechick

Do you have roll-over minutes? This is something else I have with my old plan I wanted to keep. I realize I was looking at the wrong chart on Apple, it was for the multiple lines, or something... (am wondering if I add the iPhone as a new line and get that plan (85.oo unlimited minutes, texts & 1 GB data) which looks pretty good, then cancel my current account if that would work?) the indie plans are basically the same as what the upgrade would cost. Right now, I have my basic plan at 59.00, then I play 20 for unlimited data and 200 texts. I was told I could not keep this plan cause basically it no longer exists.

I guess I will have to call At&t... I just don't want to lose my rollover minutes.. they may be phasing this out? If I get to keep that, I could go to less minutes and save money that way... I don't want to be paying over 100.00 a month for my phone!

I am kind of sick of thinking about it all.... it sounds like mid Oct before anyone has phones including Apple (3-4 weeks for shipping is what the site says) so I may just wait till then to figure it out.


----------



## hsuthard

We have a family plan, and I pay $30 for unlimited texting for the entire group, and $30 for my unlimited data. We used to have the family plan 1400 minutes, but we never used even 700 minutes a month, and so in August I downgraded the family plan to 900 minutes a month; when we did that they wiped out all of our rollover minutes, which sucked, but at least I'm paying a lot less monthly now. Some of their rules really don't make much sense, they seem pretty arbitrary at best, or blatantly in AT&T's favor at worst.


----------



## mooshie78

And with Verizon for new contracts all they have available is the share everything plans.  Those are all unlimited minutes (better than rollover), but then you have the different data options starting at $60 for 2gb (actually I think there's a low data ususage one for $40 or something) that you can share across any devices on your account (other phones, tablets etc.).

Kind of stinks as all I have is my phone, so would be a big increase in my bill when I want to upgrade if they don't go back to offering a $30 non-shared data plan option.


----------



## Jane917

Last week I made a change in my Verizon Plan because my old contract was up and I wanted to upgrade my phone. I did not have to do a Share Everything plan. I still have a Nationwide Family Share Plan. I decreased the number of minutes. We have 2 phones, 1 a smart phone. I pay $30 for the data plan. I do not have unlimited texts since we do not text a lot, but if my texts start adding up, I can easily add 1000 texts for $10. I no longer have a contract extension, so I guess I am just on a month-to-month. There is no early termination fee. There is also no longer a "free" phone every 2 years. 

My total cost (with fewer minutes) is actually about the same as the old plan because I added a data plan. However, if I had kept to the old plan (700 minutes), my monthly cost would have become $30 more.


----------



## Cuechick

Ok, so I went with a whole new phone with Verizon and a "Share Everything " plan... shown below. I did have to pay an activation fee but this over all plan seemed much cheaper than any of the At&t options... and the unlimited minutes is big for me since this is my only phone.










I called to make sure the Unlimited minutes included free long distance in the U.S. and they said it did.

I have one possibly dumb question I should have asked before .... what is "data" exactly? Does it include photo apps like instagram?

Mooshie, is 4G really needed? My current iPhone 1 is 4G and I have never come close to running out of space.

Also, this was a shock, I was "estimated" over 25% ($56.00+!) charge for tax on the cost of the phone This is the explanation I copied below... which I won't pretend to understand. Anyone buy one of these in Cali and can tell me what the actual tax paid was?

_Estimated Tax
The sales tax listed on the checkout page is only an estimate. The final total sales tax will be reflected on your invoice and will include state and local sales taxes, as well as any applicable rebates or fees. In CA and RI sales tax is collected on the unbundled price of the iPhone._

I have to say, I am kind of excited about a fresh start. I don't know if my old apps will be transferable but oh well... ! I am mostly glad I don't have to think about it anymore.


----------



## krm0789

Cuechick said:


> Also, this was a shock, I was "estimated" over 25% ($56.00+!) charge for tax on the cost of the phone This is the explanation I copied below... which I won't pretend to understand. Anyone buy one of these in Cali and can tell me what the actual tax paid was?
> 
> _Estimated Tax
> The sales tax listed on the checkout page is only an estimate. The final total sales tax will be reflected on your invoice and will include state and local sales taxes, as well as any applicable rebates or fees. In CA and RI sales tax is collected on the unbundled price of the iPhone._


When my SO purchased his 4S from ATT this summer, he was charged sales tax on the full price of the phone, not the subsidized price. Could that be it?


----------



## Christopher Hunter

The iPhone 5 was my first one since the 3G, so it was well worth it for me to pull the trigger. I like it. The map sucks, but I'm sure they'll tweak that soon enough.


----------



## Cuechick

krm0789 said:


> When my SO purchased his 4S from ATT this summer, he was charged sales tax on the full price of the phone, not the subsidized price. Could that be it?


Yeah, I think that's it... it says that is the case for Cali & RI residents... what a scam... ! At least I can write it ALL off, since it is for work!


----------



## mooshie78

Cuechick said:


> I have one possibly dumb question I should have asked before .... what is "data" exactly? Does it include photo apps like instagram?
> 
> Mooshie, is 4G really needed? My current iPhone 1 is 4G and I have never come close to running out of space.


Data is for downloading anything over the internet. E-mails, facebook, downloading apps, streaming music, sending pictures, surfing the web, streaming video etc. all use data. You have 1GB a month included in your plan, and will get hit with $15 more (to add another GB if you go over).

4G is just the type of celluar internet (also called LTE on Verizon). 3G is slower internet that the past iPhone models have had. The iPhone 5 is the first to support 4G--though Android phones have for a while.

It's not related to the storage memory on the iPhone. The iPhone is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models.


----------



## krm0789

Cuechick said:


> Yeah, I think that's it... it says that is the case for Cali & RI residents... what a scam... ! At least I can write it ALL off, since it is for work!


We're in MA, so it seems like it's common


----------



## hsuthard

Apps like Instagram will use your data. Words with Friends seemed to use a lot for me. Data is also used for uploading pics, too.  

Maybe the 4G you mention on your original iPhone was the storage (4 Gb)? I think the smallest now is 16Gb, right?

Did you go with black or white? And most important, have you found the right case, or will you make your own?


----------



## Cuechick

hsuthard said:


> Apps like Instagram will use your data. Words with Friends seemed to use a lot for me. Data is also used for uploading pics, too.
> 
> Maybe the 4G you mention on your original iPhone was the storage (4 Gb)? I think the smallest now is 16Gb, right?
> 
> Did you go with black or white? And most important, have you found the right case, or will you make your own?


Yes, I was referring to the original amount of gigs my 1st gen came with... 
Don't really play games on my phone... I will see how 1 gig does, I think it should be fine for me...

I got a white phone and I actually have two companies who are willing to give me cases for a blog post review... 
I may see if I can get a couple more ! I will then do a give away with the ones I don't want.


----------



## Cuechick

If anyone is on pinterest I started a board for pretty techie accesories... including the iphone cases I like:
http://pinterest.com/piewacketblog/techalicious/


----------



## Leslie

Good morning,

They had a notice on Apple where if you ordered a phone between 10 pm and 4 am you could pick it up in the store the next day. I was online at 10:00.01 and ordering a phone--success! By the time I tried to order one for my husband at 10:10 pm, they were no longer taking orders. I assume it was tied to the actual store where I'll be picking it up so, in other words, the Apple Store at the Maine Mall in South Portland, ME was sold out in less than 10 minutes. But I have mine!

I'm excited. I'll report back when I have it in my hot little hands...

Re: tax, my order also says "estimated tax" but it is "estimated" correctly at $9.95 (5% on $199). If they are charging tax on the unsubsidized price, I have to say, that certainly is a racket. My "estimated" 2 cents.  

L


----------



## Jane917

Cuechick said:


> If anyone is on pinterest I started a board for pretty techie accesories... including the iphone cases I like:
> http://pinterest.com/piewacketblog/techalicious/


Geesh....I got an Otterbox case for my iPhone (somehow it was free at the Verizon Wireless store) for my 4S. Now I can see I need to join the really accessorized crowd!


----------



## Jane917

hsuthard said:


> Apps like Instagram will use your data. Words with Friends seemed to use a lot for me. Data is also used for uploading pics, too.
> 
> Maybe the 4G you mention on your original iPhone was the storage (4 Gb)? I think the smallest now is 16Gb, right?
> 
> Did you go with black or white? And most important, have you found the right case, or will you make your own?


I am also confused as to what "data" is. WWF uses data? If so, I will continue playing it on my iPod, which has better battery life anyway.


----------



## mooshie78

Jane917 said:


> I am also confused as to what "data" is. WWF uses data? If so, I will continue playing it on my iPod, which has better battery life anyway.


.

Of course. It's an online game and has to use the internet connection to send your moves and retrieve your opponents moves etc.

It's not a large amount of data though. I've never gone over 500 mb or so a month on my iPhone 4s. Though to be fair I have wifi home and work.


----------



## Leslie

Does Apple ever send post-visit satisfaction surveys? Because if they do, the Apple store at the Mall is going to get an *F* from me!

First off, my husband went to the store to pick up my phone because overnight, my office had been broken into and I needed to head there and meet with the police. My husband, even though he is the primary AT&T account holder, wasn't allowed to pick up my phone--it had to be me.

So, after dealing with the police (in an ironic twist, one of the things stolen from the office was an old iPhone charger) off I go to the Apple store. I get paired up with Ashley the Imperious who does not say, "Hello?" or "How may I help you?" but just, "What's your web order number?" I looked at her and said, "I'm supposed to have it memorized?" and she rolled her eyes (I am not exaggerating).

Eventually, after much more eye rolling and heavy sighing, I got the phone. She tells me they can do an in-store setup which will take about 15 minutes. Sounds good to me. So Ashley hands me off to "Bad Boy" Cody who has a severe case of ADHD and clearly hadn't taken his medication this morning. Within 5 minutes of dealing with him I had a splitting headache. Of course, in those 5 minutes, I probably had 2 seconds of his attention. Anyway, 20 minutes or so later I leave the store without any of my applications reinstalled because, "It's best if you do it over WiFi and it will probably take an hour or two." At that point I was not quite sure what the in-store setup actually did. I should also note that I left without anyone saying goodbye or thank you. Nor did they give me a bag for my iPhone box. I really got the feeling they didn't give a s%$t about me as a customer.

Back to the phone. I found out about 15 minutes later what they had done when I started getting my husband's calls. Somehow or another they had put his number on my new iPhone. My old phone still had my number (along with all my applications). My husband calls and starts yelling at me (as if I did this on purpose). He wanted me to go back to the Apple store to straighten this out I could not bear the thought of doing that because 1) I was starving to death (it was 1:15 pm and I hadn't had anything to eat all day since I had to run out of the house with the news about the break-in at the office and didn't get breakfast) and 2) I also needed to be at my office for a phone conference at 2 pm. So...my husband came to the office and picked up both phones with the intention of getting them fixed.

What do you want to bet that he ends up with the new phone and I have my old one for 3 more weeks? Sigh...

This has not been a good day!!!

L


----------



## Leslie

They did send me a survey. Ha! They got a piece of my mind.

Another thing--I kept getting a message on iTunes to upgrade to iTunes 10.7 (I am currently at 10.6.3). However, whenever I would click the "download and install" button it would just switch off. I asked Bad Boy Cody about his and he said, "Oh, we're all on iTunes 10.8. You can upgrade to that for $19.00." This seemed a little odd to me but whatever. "Where do I find this upgrade?" I asked. He said go to the iTunes store and search on Mountain Lion.

That advice turned out to be bogus (big surprise). I did go to Apple.com and looked up iTunes and saw this screen:

http://www.apple.com/itunes/

which I am presently downloading and installing. There is a new iTunes coming in October but it's not here yet. And will it cost $19?

L


----------



## mooshie78

Yikes, that's an awful experience.  I've never been a fan of Apple stores, but that's far worse than the normal.

iTunes is always free.  Sounds like vs. 10.8 is included with the Mountain Lion upgrade for MACs--and I think that runs $19.  They tend to just assume everyone is on Macs in there since it's such a cult like experience.

Anyway,  I avoid the store and just order things online since I don't need help setting up etc.  I also try to avoid buying things at launch as it just ends up being a headache vs. just waiting a month.


----------



## Leslie

I would've avoided the store except for the stunt that AT&T pulled with the changing ship date. 

Meanwhile, back to the un-upgrading apps. I have 50 icons on my phone which includes the stuff that Apple puts there (calendar, camera, etc). I got to my office around 1:30, connected to the WiFi and waited for these apps to upgrade. Now it is 6 pm -- 4 1/2 hours later, and 16 of the icons still say "waiting." 15 of the icons are Apple apps; subtract those from the 50 leaves 35; 16 are waiting which means that I have been waiting 4.5 hours for 45% of the apps to upgrade. This is reasonable? This is an example of the blazing speed of the new iPhone?

Does anyone know if I could sync from iTunes and get all my apps (quicker than this)? I synced my old phone this morning. I just don't want to lose all my data and I especially don't want to lose my 66,000+ gigawatts in W.E.L.D.E.R.!

Advice is welcome...thanks!

L


----------



## mooshie78

Yeah, syncing via usb cable on the computer would probably be faster.

Then you'd just have to download the updates for apps rather than downloading all the apps to the new phone.


----------



## hsuthard

I ended up syncing via cable, too. I felt more comfortable using a solid backup I knew was on the computer. It wasn't super quick for me either, though. But faster than that, I think.

Yikes is right, what an awful time at the Apple store! Perfect that they sent you a survey, though ;-). I wonder if Bad Boy will get any of that feedback directly? Lol. I just applied for an opening at the apple store by me, even though I'm not nearly as young as most of the kids that work there. But it is very close, and they have good benefits I hear.

You could try going to AT&T to get it fixed, FYI, they can switch out numbers like that.

But if your husband couldn't pick up a phone for you, then how in the world were you able to pick up a phone for him, even inadvertently??!

And sorry to hear about the break-in, that can be very rattling. Did the dogs handle it okay?


----------



## Leslie

The dogs weren't around for the break-in, so they are fine.

My husband was able to fix the problems with the numbers at the AT&T store.

And now, 48 hours into owning the phone, I'm starting to like it. Everything finally synced. My old phone, I had to punch the button a dozen times to get it to do anything. And it was slow. It's nice having a responsive device that I can actually use easily.

L


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## Cuechick

I watched some "unboxing" videos on youtube and now I'm really excited... Would love to see any pics with any cases people get!!


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## luvmy4brats

Leslie, that sounds like a horrible experience. Glad it has (mostly) worked out.

I decided to hold off on the 5. Instead I upgraded my husband's and daughter's iPhone 3gs to iPhone 4s since they were free. With the new AT&T data share plan I can have up to 10 devices. Previously, under the family plan, the limit was 5. I was able to get my son one as well. He's so excited... (And I'm excited because it was HELLO, FREE!!!).. I also added my iPad to the plan. When I first saw the price, I thought it was rather high, but when I added in the texting we didn't have to pay for, and the separate iPad charge we had..  Plus a bigger discount (I get a 20% discount off the service plan, but not the adding on phones part.. But it's about $30-$40 off my bill which REALLY helps. And three of the family members rarely use their data while another three (um, cough, me and middle daughters) are constantly going over. Now we can share and we should do just fine.  

And when the Kindle Fire 3G comes out, I can add it to our plan for $10. 

Yes, the BRAT family has 6 iPhones..


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## corkyb

Jane917 said:


> I actually want to get a different plan, as I have now crossed over to qualify for the senior discounted plan. Both our phones are eligible for upgrade, but DH is not interested in upgrading his. I think I will go have a little talk with the Verizon Wireless store.


Jane, what is the senior discounted plan and how old do you have to be to get it?


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## Leslie

Luvmy4brats said:


> Yes, the BRAT family has 6 iPhones..


We have 5 iPhones in the family. Tell me more about this new AT&T data share plan. That might be the thing that pushes me to get the Kindle Fire 4G.

L


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## luvmy4brats

Leslie,

There's more info here:

https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/data-plans.html#fbid=wSY8xVV-KME?tab2

It comes with unlimited calls and texting plus there are different amounts of data you can choose. For us it's $30/phone and $10/tablet. I wound up getting the 15 GB plan.. It's going to be about $315 a month for 6 phones and iPad, which sounds high, but for 5 phones and an iPad we've been paying about $350-375/month, so it will be a savings for us. We still have very unreliable Internet in our home, so we rely on the 3G more often than most people I think.

You can also use your phone as a hotspot without having to sign up for anything else


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## Jane917

corkyb said:


> Jane, what is the senior discounted plan and how old do you have to be to get it?


The primary phone must be registered to someone 65. Since I turned 65 first, we just made me the primary.


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## hsuthard

Jane917 said:


> The primary phone must be registered to someone 65. Since I turned 65 first, we just made me the primary.


Huh, we carry my mother in law on our plan, and she's over 65. How big is the discount? I wonder if it is worth it to switch her to the primary?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Cuechick

I just ordered this case for my yet to be shipped iPone 5... for 9.95.. a friend had another version that I saw and I liked it a lot... 
hers was 14.95 on Amazon ( both Prime eligible) the sides are solid in color, that is the only difference

but this one was cheaper and I thought might be cool with a skin underneath...



Like this one maybe?


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## hsuthard

I have a similar case, its clear on the back and has neon pink on the sides. I have some fun Amy Butler scrapbooking paper i was hoping to use to create my own interchangeable insert for the back. Thats a cute skin!

Have you downloaded the CupTakes wallpaper app? I love it, they have calendar wallpapers and even cases to match. I have it on my iPad and iMac as well so all my devices coordinate. There's a CupTakes Frames app as well that lets you insert a photo from your camera roll into the cute matching wallpaper.


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## Cuechick

Still waiting on my new iPhone... at least 2 weeks still unless I get lucky and they ship early! I will check out this Cuptakes out. I got my bumper case and now know why it was cheaper, there is no back, it is just an edge cover... may work. Still looking for other options.


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## hsuthard

You can always design your own case via either Cafe Press or Zazzle, too. I do that for Christmas presents and they always come out nicely.


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## Cuechick

I think you can do that with gelaskins too, I am waiting for their hard case to be released. I already have a deal with them to review them.
I am thinking a skin on the front might look cool with the hard case on the back.


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## ayuryogini

Got notice that mine shipped and is due to arrive on Wednesday!! 
Woohoo!!!


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## Cuechick

ayuryogini said:


> Got notice that mine shipped and is due to arrive on Wednesday!!
> Woohoo!!!


Do you know the date you order it and did you order it through apple?

{{crossing fingers & knocking on wood}}


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## ayuryogini

Cuechick said:


> Do you know the date you order it and did you order it through apple?
> 
> {{crossing fingers & knocking on wood}}


I ordered it through Apple on Sept 14

(fingers crossed with you)


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## Leslie

My husband just picked up his 3rd iPhone5 yesterday--three phones in a week. The first one had some sort of strange dancing button problem. I can't even explain it. The second one didn't connect to the wireless. Let's hope the third one is the charm.

Meanwhile, I have 9 million contacts in my contact list, including multiples of several people, people I haven't thought of in years, and people who are dead. Does anyone know a quick and easy way to clean up the list?

L


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## Kathy

Leslie said:


> My husband just picked up his 3rd iPhone5 yesterday--three phones in a week. The first one had some sort of strange dancing button problem. I can't even explain it. The second one didn't connect to the wireless. Let's hope the third one is the charm.
> 
> Meanwhile, I have 9 million contacts in my contact list, including multiples of several people, people I haven't thought of in years, and people who are dead. Does anyone know a quick and easy way to clean up the list?
> 
> L


Are they having issues with the iPhone 5? I'm thinking of getting one in November but may wait if there are bugs that they are still working on. I know your husband must be getting sick of it by now.


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## Cuechick

Leslie said:


> My husband just picked up his 3rd iPhone5 yesterday--three phones in a week. The first one had some sort of strange dancing button problem. I can't even explain it. The second one didn't connect to the wireless. Let's hope the third one is the charm.
> 
> Meanwhile, I have 9 million contacts in my contact list, including multiples of several people, people I haven't thought of in years, and people who are dead. Does anyone know a quick and easy way to clean up the list?
> 
> L


Are you on a mac or PC?


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## Cuechick

ayuryogini said:


> I ordered it through Apple on Sept 14
> 
> (fingers crossed with you)


My friend said they do have them in stock at the Apple stores, anyone know if that's true? I may have to be near the one nearest me tomorrow so I will check it out. 
With the price of gas in Cali right now, I am not willing to make any special trips... !


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## hsuthard

Cue, You can call Apple stores individually and they'll tell you if they have any in stock. That's how I got my iPad. It's definitely worth calling before going if you're not already headed to the mall.

Leslie, there are some good apps out there for fixing duplicate contact lists. Or, if you use Google, they have a merge duplicates feature that works well, too. I did that too somehow once and used Google to fix it. But I keep all my contacts in google anyway.


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## Cuechick

Yeah, I will be right next door tomorrow, so I will check it out. I just checked my order on line and they are showing between Oct 25-31st for shipping which more than the 4 weeks estimated when I ordered.


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## Leslie

Kathy said:


> Are they having issues with the iPhone 5? I'm thinking of getting one in November but may wait if there are bugs that they are still working on. I know your husband must be getting sick of it by now.


He seems to be happy this time around. Now he's annoyed with me because I somehow changed the wireless in the house to require a password. LOL.

L


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## Leslie

Cuechick said:


> Are you on a mac or PC?


PC


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## Leslie

hsuthard said:


> Leslie, there are some good apps out there for fixing duplicate contact lists. Or, if you use Google, they have a merge duplicates feature that works well, too. I did that too somehow once and used Google to fix it. But I keep all my contacts in google anyway.


Thanks for this tip, Holly. I'll look into it. Part of the problem is that I have Lotus Notes for the work email and that is quirky and tends to cause all sorts of problems...

L


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## JimJ

Finally got my iPhone 5 today and I love it.  First time getting a new iPhone since they introduced the iCloud backups.  Being able to activate and restore everything over the air was amazing.  Also, I switched to Verizon from AT&T and was dreading being on the phone with AT&T all day trying to cancel, but apparently it canceled automatically when my new phone activated and ported my number over.  Most painless phone transition ever.


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## Cuechick

JimJ said:


> Finally got my iPhone 5 today and I love it. First time getting a new iPhone since they introduced the iCloud backups. Being able to activate and restore everything over the air was amazing. Also, I switched to Verizon from AT&T and was dreading being on the phone with AT&T all day trying to cancel, but apparently it canceled automatically when my new phone activated and ported my number over. Most painless phone transition ever.


I'm also make the same switch but had to get a new number cause I am in a new State... so I will let you know how that goes...
Jim, did you order yours from Apple and when? I'm still waiting...


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## hsuthard

Cuechick said:


> I'm also make the same switch but had to get a new number cause I am in a new State... so I will let you know how that goes...
> Jim, did you order yours from Apple and when? I'm still waiting...


I walked by a Radio Shack on the North Shore yesterday and they were advertising iPhone5's as In stock. Wanna fly out here?


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## JimJ

Cuechick said:


> I'm also make the same switch but had to get a new number cause I am in a new State... so I will let you know how that goes...
> Jim, did you order yours from Apple and when? I'm still waiting...


Yeah, I ordered it from Apple. I just checked and the order was placed on September 17th.


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## Cuechick

JimJ said:


> Yeah, I ordered it from Apple. I just checked and the order was placed on September 17th.


Thanks, I ordered mine the following week so hopefully I will get it next week!


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## Cuechick

Yay! Just got my shipping notice, should have it by Friday! Thursday! Yay!


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## Cuechick

Mine is "Out for delivery"! Yay, I started this thread, what just over 3 months ago!   I am sure it is well worth the wait.

I have been reading a lot of threads over on the mac rumors board, some have had problems, scratches right out of the box, camera dust, even bent phones and wireless issues. Anyone here have any problems so far?

I order two covers that have not come yet, though I know at least one has shipped so maybe today too! 

Feels like xmas.


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## Jane917

Cuechick said:


> Mine is "Out for delivery"! Yay, I started this thread, what just over 3 months ago!  I am sure it is well worth the wait.
> 
> I have been reading a lot of threads over on the mac rumors board, some have had problems, scratches right out of the box, camera dust, even bent phones and wireless issues. Anyone here have any problems so far?
> 
> I order two covers that have not come yet, though I know at least one has shipped so maybe today too!
> 
> Feels like xmas.


Waiting to hear if the iPhone5 is all you want it be. Also, please remind me where you ordered your covers from.


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## Cuechick

Jane917 said:


> Waiting to hear if the iPhone5 is all you want it be. Also, please remind me where you ordered your covers from.


I am very, very happy with it. It is all that AND a bag of chips! 

Here is a link to my blog post on my cover by Casetagram... I also did a post on this board on them... 
http://www.piewacketblog.com/journal/2012/10/12/kawaii-diy.html

It came the day after my phone, it is pretty cool though I think pricy... I am waiting on gelaskins to release their new hard case for the iphone. I think they 
are better overall quality.


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