I've got Verizon and have had a blackberry forever. I've been waiting for iphone for Verizon and was told to wait for the 4 as it would be introduced to both ATT & Verizon at the same time which I believe has happened (not sure exactly when but I'm hoping it was in the last couple weeks else I'm way behind). So my question is:

1) Are the phones for both ATT & Verizon now the exact same?

2) Is there a reason (other than a lower cost) that a person would rather have the 3GS than the 4?

5/29/2011 5:15:14 PM

Uhhhh

The iPhone 4 was released around Julyish of last year for AT&T. The iPhone 4 was released in February of this year for Verizon.

The 3GS is ONLY available for AT&T (assuming you aren't going to jailbreak it). You CANNOT use it on Verizon.

And no, the AT&T and Verizon phones are not the exact same. AT&T is a GSM network (meaning that they use a Sim card, which means that technically any phone that uses a Sim card can work on any other GSM network, which means the iPhone 4 could be used with T-Mobile, another GSM network just by swapping the Sim card). Verizon is a CDMA network. You cannot use a GSM phone on a CDMA network, unless it is dual band (meaning the chip in it can use both network). You cannot take a CDMA phone from another network and easily use it on a different network. The iPhone 4 is not a dual band phone.

Basically, what this means is that if you buy a Verizon iPhone, you can ONLY use it on Verizon. If you buy an AT&T iPhone, you can jailbreak it (hack it) to work on other GSM networks.

Other than that, yes, they are the same phone.

And no, there is no reason to get a 3GS over an iPhone 4 other than cost.

5/29/2011 5:28:48 PM

get an android phone

[Edited on May 29, 2011 at 5:33 PM. Reason : n]

5/29/2011 5:33:23 PM

why dont you wait for the next iphone which comes out in like a couple months or some shit.

5/29/2011 5:47:01 PM

^ September, maybe.

5/29/2011 6:18:47 PM

^^ & ^ That's what I thought I was waiting for...thought it was going to be in June which is why I thought the 4 was the new one.

September now???? Ugh

5/29/2011 6:33:09 PM

What are you waiting for?

The iPhone 4 is out NOW and NOW available from both AT&T and Verizon.

The next iPhone according to rumors will be in Septemberish, not June/July like they typically have been.

You're asking about the iPhone 4, not the next one...

5/29/2011 6:47:46 PM

I would wait. There's no point getting a phone that's going to be outdated in couple months.

5/29/2011 7:34:06 PM

^ and thats why apple retards, while still under contract, spend $texas every year to upgrade their iphones when a new model is announced. dont believe me? go read the comments in the "Official iPhone discussion" thread during WWDC

[Edited on May 29, 2011 at 7:48 PM. Reason : ]

5/29/2011 7:47:24 PM

Quote :

"and thats why apple retards, while still under contract, spend $texas every year to upgrade their iphones when a new model is announced. dont believe me? go read the comments in the "Official iPhone discussion" thread during WWDC"

Yeah. It's so fucking stupid to get new hardware for $300 and then turn around and sell your year old phone on ebay for $450.

What a bunch of retards those people must be.



[Edited on May 29, 2011 at 7:57 PM. Reason : Who would want to get a new phone and MAKE money? Dumbasses, that's who.]

[Edited on May 29, 2011 at 8:13 PM. Reason : I get new features AND cash in my pocket? Fuck that shit, do I look slow to you?]

5/29/2011 7:55:59 PM

Yup. I always feel that twinge of chronic technological dissatisfaction when the new hot stuff comes out and I immediately think about trading up, but then I realize it's the best way to beat depreciation, and then i feel better

5/29/2011 8:00:30 PM

sooo why wouldn't this have worked in the "official" thread?

and

Quote :

"Yeah. It's so fucking stupid to get new hardware for $300 and then turn around and sell your year old phone on ebay for $450. What a bunch of retards those people must be."

this

[Edited on May 29, 2011 at 10:24 PM. Reason : ]

5/29/2011 10:24:10 PM

I was under the impression the iphone 4 was the next one coming out and that the 3g was the current one so when I saw the 4 was available I thought I'd missed something. Apparently I did so really, this thread should be called iphone 5 v iphone 4.

That being said, I can't wait until september for the 5 as much as I'd like to. My bb is killing me here and I've never sold any phone on ebay or whatever...being that I have verizon I assume only someone with Verizon service will be able to use it correct?

I also don't get how you'd stand to break remotely even, let alone profit, by buying the newest thing and then trading up. Say I buy the 4 now and spend $300, then come September the 5 comes out and costs $400....now not only has my 4 depreciated, but it's 'old' technology and the only way I'd stand to make a profit is if someone was dumb enough to pay $100 more than I paid for it new...?

5/29/2011 10:50:07 PM

If you have Verizon, I doubt you would get that type of money for it because you can only use it with Verizon.

However, the reason why people make money off of selling their old phone is because they unlock it before selling it so that the person who buys it can use it with a different carrier or with AT&T without a contract.

Remember, that $300 is with a 2 year contract. Without the contract, the phone costs like $700 or $800. So you sell it for $450 or so and the person who buys it can use it with whoever they like, contract free. Hell, they can even use it in other countries. Not to mention they can use whatever plan they want.

5/29/2011 11:25:10 PM

iPhone 4s cost $700-$800 new. When you agree to a 2 year commitment with a provider they give you a discount, known as a subsidy which allows you to purchase the phones for $200-$300.

With the last 3 generations of iPhones, AT&T has conveniently ignored the last year of a two year commitment for previous iPhone owners when the new generation comes out. So I was able to pick up a new iPhone 4 for $300 and then turn around and sell my 3GS on ebay for $400+. Because at that point in time new 3GSs were still selling for $600 without contract. Obviously you don't have to sign a contract when you buy a used phone off eBay (actually with AT&T, this isn't always true, but that's a whole other story)

Bottom line, in some situations (i.e. if you always get the latest iPhones as soon as they're available) you will be able to sell your old phone to pay for the cost of the subsidized new one plus pocket a little cash. Yes, you have to resign a new 2 year commitment, but some people don't care about that. (I've been with AT&T for 10 years, I'm content enough to stick with them for at least 2 more) But no, if you buy a new iPhone 4 today, you won't be eligible for the subsidized price in ~6 months when the new one comes out, thus you won't be able to sell your old one for the cost of an upgrade because an upgrade would mean you would be paying full price ($700-$800).

If you want an iPhone, go ahead and buy an iPhone 4 now. No offense intended, but it doesn't sound like you will be able to tell the difference between an iPhone 4 or an iPhone 5. Plus if the rumors are true, there won't really be a ton of difference anyway. Go ahead and get the 4, stick your head back in the sand, and enjoy your new toy.

5/29/2011 11:26:16 PM

No offense taken, I was just under the impression there were going to be HUGE differences between the 4 & 5 and so I should wait. If the differences aren't that big between the 4 and 5 then I probably will get the 4 but I'd appreciate if someone could maybe give me an idea of where the differences might be with the 5...?

5/29/2011 11:54:02 PM

if she gets the Iphone 4 for $300 now, how the hell will she able to get the Iphone 5 for $300 in September? You can only get a new subsidized phone every 2 years. Even if she can sell the Iphone 4 for $450 in Sept, she'll probably have to pay $800 for the Iphone 5 off Ebay.

5/29/2011 11:56:43 PM

With Verizon, it's less than 2 years IIRC (like 18 months), but yeah, good point.

5/30/2011 12:24:27 AM

Quote :

"I'd appreciate if someone could maybe give me an idea of where the differences might be with the 5...?"

this has been discussed a couple of times in the official thread, which is just a few threads down the tech talk page.

our at&t contract is up next month & we're going to go ahead & switch to verizon. we have 7 iphones on our account & we were looking at ways to make the transition cheap. after looking around ebay, we can sell our 2 year old 3GSs on ebay & make a $20-60 profit w/o unlocking or anything. people love them some apple products.

5/30/2011 8:25:52 AM

Quote :

"then I realize it's the best way to beat depreciation"

that's exactly why i tend to not keep cars very long...I buy them at a good price, then resell them for a profit before they depreciate enough for me to lose money.

5/30/2011 1:20:16 PM

Isn't the next version going to be shown next month? You won't be able to buy it until Sept, but at least you can make an informed decision on whether or not waiting is worth it.

5/30/2011 1:55:26 PM

Nobody knows for sure, but most likely the only thing getting shown next month will be the new OS. New hardware might not be shown for several more months.

5/30/2011 2:27:44 PM

Well shit....I still don't know what to do

Should I say fuck it to Apple an go for an Android?

5/30/2011 6:20:06 PM

Yes

5/30/2011 6:32:24 PM

^^ if you want to geek out on your phone, want a 4"+ screen, or just have to be able to download a movie to your phone in a minute flat (4g), get Android. If you want battery life of more than a day, a more polished OS that does 98% of what Android does, or a phone that just plain works better without resorting to custom launchers/rooting/roms, get an iPhone.

Coming from Blackberry, Android would be great. For me, coming from Blackberry, Android 1.6, Blackberry again, and then Android 2.1/2.2, my iPhone has been a relief. There's a few things that I miss from Android but I wouldn't even consider going back. It's just too disjointed currently, quality control is poor, and a lot of the apps just aren't as clean and polished. For most users, I think iPhone is just a better choice.

5/30/2011 7:10:50 PM

Yeah, she's confused between the options of "buy the current iPhone, or wait for the next one"

Surely Android is the best solution for this problem.

I've already said my piece. "Go ahead and get the 4, stick your head back in the sand, and enjoy your new toy."

if you really want to hate life, ask the question "which Android phone is the best one" and enjoy spending the next few months wading through the replies.

If you want a full featured, simple to use, intuitive phone with a stable and user friendly OS, then get an iPhone.

5/30/2011 7:16:36 PM

Pulled my head out of the sand for a bit here....

It occurred to me that because I have 2 phone numbers, technically I can get the 4 and then I'll still qualify for the new every 2 when the 5 comes out....

Another question: I recall people bitching about the iphone being shitty to use for 'business purposes' and I think a lot had to do with email (cut and paste prob maybe?) can someone tell me if this was indeed what the issue was and if it was, has it been solved? Otherwise, can someone who's had both a bb and iphone perhaps let me know the major differences that will affect me assuming I'm using the phone to get/send emails, text and make phone calls.

5/30/2011 7:22:37 PM

Yes, you can copy and paste on an iPhone. Have been able to for years. The biggest gripe that business people seem to have with the iPhone is the lack of a physical keyboard. Some people hate it and some people love it. It all comes down to personal preference.

5/30/2011 7:33:43 PM

the exchange integration and mail client, on the iphone, are both subpar compared to blackberry and windows mobile.

5/30/2011 8:53:52 PM

We have no problems using exchange (2003 at that) with our iPhones.

5/30/2011 9:34:50 PM

it works, but the experience and interface is awful and doesn't pull up full AD attributes for users

5/31/2011 2:34:36 AM

Quote :

"it works, but the experience and interface is awful and doesn't pull up full AD attributes for users"

I have a work BB and my personal iPhone. I almost never charge the BB. The exchange support for the iPhone is just as good as on the BB at least for what I've used it for.

From what I can tell I can get the same active directory attributes on the iPhone global contact list as on my BB.

The interface on the iPhone is light years ahead of the black berry. The touch interface alone lets you filter through emails at such a faster rate not to mention the larger screen. There's no comparison if you're comparing an iPhone 4 to a BB Bold or your typical BB.

-Plus I've noticed the emails get pushed to the iPhone a lot faster than they do to the BB or to Outlook on the computer. I'm always the first one to pull out my phone when everyone on my team gets an email.

[Edited on June 9, 2011 at 12:21 PM. Reason : asd]

6/9/2011 12:20:05 PM

^ and i thought that just happened in those shitty ATT commercials

6/9/2011 12:54:37 PM

I don't know. It's kind of cool everyone has BBs and everyone takes them out at the same time shortly after I receive the same email.

6/9/2011 1:14:42 PM

Quote :

"it works, but the experience and interface is awful and doesn't pull up full AD attributes for users"

this is not the case. see ^^^

6/9/2011 2:18:34 PM