Question for people with iPhones.

[ManBearPig]

I know people bitch about the excessive (for me, and many others as well) costs all the time, but in your opinion, is it worth it? Do you really feel like its a good experience and you wouldn't do it any other way? Better experience than you've had with phones before it?

I guess this is really what it comes down to. Looking forward to your responses.

 

[Need4Speed]

I paid 200 for 3g with 2yr contract. best 200 i've spent on a tech device. I use mine all the time .. much more than phone calls. It's taken the place of my laptop for checking email and so forth. I love the touch screen. I tried some of the crackberrys and the trackball drove me nuts .. just my experience....

 

[Kmax82]

I say a 80% yes! Best phone I've ever owned. If it wasn't for AT&T then it would be 100%. But AT&T just irritates me with their download limitations on their network. I don't mind a limit... but a 10MB limit pretty much means you can use their network to surf the internet, stream a few web audio tracks, but you can't download any iTunes music or most apps.. and now with the iTunes inclusion of movies and tv shows you won't be able to get those either. And what's worse is that they don't impose these limits on other devices on their network.. Ugh.. so annoying.

 

[ManBearPig]

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I say a 80% yes! Best phone I've ever owned. If it wasn't for AT&T then it would be 100%. But AT&T just irritates me with their download limitations on their network. I don't mind a limit... but a 10MB limit pretty much means you can use their network to surf the internet, stream a few web audio tracks, but you can't download any iTunes music or most apps.. and now with the iTunes inclusion of movies and tv shows you won't be able to get those either. And what's worse is that they don't impose these limits on other devices on their network.. Ugh.. so annoying.

so what the hell are people paying $30 for unlimited internet? thats stupid!

 

[Ichigo]

It's a great phone. It costs too much. I don't think mine is worth $80CAD a month. A cheap prepaid phone + an iPod Touch is more efficient.

But if you can afford it, go ahead. It's a great phone.

 

[slugg]

Originally posted by: Kazaam
I know people bitch about the excessive (for me, and many others as well) costs all the time, but in your opinion, is it worth it? Do you really feel like its a good experience and you wouldn't do it any other way? Better experience than you've had with phones before it?

I guess this is really what it comes down to. Looking forward to your responses.

Yes. For all of that.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

It's absolutely worth it to me, but the cost is not a major factor in my life. I LOVE the device. It's great fun and a fantastically useful tool. I have never had any issues with AT&T (though I know others have), and find that it works very very well as a phone, in addition to its extraordinary bag of tricks. I am a convert and will likely always have one. Everyone I know who has one feels the same way, and the only real quibbles I have heard were from people who live in areas like NYC, where AT&T coverage isn't stellar.

FWIW I think the device itself is very fairly priced for what it can do, but the monthly service is obviously not cheap. (That is not fairly an iPhone criticism but rather a provider criticism.) I don't find it excessively costly, but I hope that in time, as smartphones become the norm, the rates will go down. It isn't enough to create a problem for me, but I know an $80+ cell phone bill is something that many find unpalatable.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I say a 80% yes! Best phone I've ever owned. If it wasn't for AT&T then it would be 100%. But AT&T just irritates me with their download limitations on their network. I don't mind a limit... but a 10MB limit pretty much means you can use their network to surf the internet, stream a few web audio tracks, but you can't download any iTunes music or most apps.. and now with the iTunes inclusion of movies and tv shows you won't be able to get those either. And what's worse is that they don't impose these limits on other devices on their network.. Ugh.. so annoying.

whoa i didn't know there was a limit for download. what happens if you go over it?

 

[torpid]

Definitely. I'm currently on a V1 so I only pay $20/mo beyond my line charges. Ask me again in two weeks when I'm paying $35/mo for the equivalent 3GS. But probably then as well. $35/mo being the typical blackberry data rates anyway. I don't think the service is overpriced compared to other AT&T voice+data phones. Compared to, say, Sprint, sure.

I previously had a windows mobile phone and rarely used it for much. I slowly grew to hate it due to various gaping holes in the design. Wouldn't recommend a windows mobile phone to my worst enemy.

I don't mind the current costs. Then again, I'm on a family share plan with a slight corporate discount on the account. I pay about $45/mo and I'm probably overpaying slightly. $20 for iPhone + $10 for line + $15 for minutes share. Soon it will be $60 I guess. Still worth it. I almost never use my home computer anymore, because the iPhone does almost everything I want to do at home. I won't say the games are quite as high production value as some of the best games on the PS3/PC/Xbox but I enjoy many of them just as much, and they cost $1-10. The mail app is good enough that I only occasionally need to go to "regular" web mail (only to search - maybe improved with 3.0).

It's basically the one "luxury" electronic device that I have used more than any other. Second would be the PS3 between Blu-Ray and many hours in Rock Band. Third being my Tivo (currently only used for local networks).

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: makoto00

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I say a 80% yes! Best phone I've ever owned. If it wasn't for AT&T then it would be 100%. But AT&T just irritates me with their download limitations on their network. I don't mind a limit... but a 10MB limit pretty much means you can use their network to surf the internet, stream a few web audio tracks, but you can't download any iTunes music or most apps.. and now with the iTunes inclusion of movies and tv shows you won't be able to get those either. And what's worse is that they don't impose these limits on other devices on their network.. Ugh.. so annoying.

whoa i didn't know there was a limit for download. what happens if you go over it?

I'm not aware of this either. Except that you can't purchase and download certain apps over Edge/3G currently if they exceed a certain size. You can still do it over WiFi though.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: makoto00

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I say a 80% yes! Best phone I've ever owned. If it wasn't for AT&T then it would be 100%. But AT&T just irritates me with their download limitations on their network. I don't mind a limit... but a 10MB limit pretty much means you can use their network to surf the internet, stream a few web audio tracks, but you can't download any iTunes music or most apps.. and now with the iTunes inclusion of movies and tv shows you won't be able to get those either. And what's worse is that they don't impose these limits on other devices on their network.. Ugh.. so annoying.

whoa i didn't know there was a limit for download. what happens if you go over it?

It's not a limit on actual data use - the plan includes unlimited data. There is just a 10MB limit on the size of an individual file that you download through iTunes or the App Store.

I have never even noticed this limit in actual use (I don't DL many files to my phone, and almost exclusively do it over wi-fi), but I can see how it would be annoying if it interfered with your habitual use of the phone. Apparently the beta versions of the 3.0 software did NOT include the 10MB limit on podcasts, but did have the limit in the App Store. We shall see what happens with the final release.

 

[Kmax82]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: makoto00

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I say a 80% yes! Best phone I've ever owned. If it wasn't for AT&T then it would be 100%. But AT&T just irritates me with their download limitations on their network. I don't mind a limit... but a 10MB limit pretty much means you can use their network to surf the internet, stream a few web audio tracks, but you can't download any iTunes music or most apps.. and now with the iTunes inclusion of movies and tv shows you won't be able to get those either. And what's worse is that they don't impose these limits on other devices on their network.. Ugh.. so annoying.

whoa i didn't know there was a limit for download. what happens if you go over it?

I'm not aware of this either. Except that you can't purchase and download certain apps over Edge/3G currently if they exceed a certain size. You can still do it over WiFi though.

This is what I was referring to. Most podcasts/games & apps are over 10MB. And because of this limit, they don't allow you to stream via most apps in the iTunes store. So I feel their internet is a punch in the face, especially since apps like Sling/Skype are available to use over 3G/Edge with Blackberries and Windows Mobile devices. I know some people argue that they don't have the huge load on their network that the iPhone does, but that's something AT&T should invest in. Verizon has taken a huge financial hit to improve their network a few years ago and now they are probably the best network IMO. I wish AT&T would man up and do the same. If not, I will more than likely be jumping ship when my contract is up next year, if there's a suitable device on Verizon.

 

[MotionMan]

Big :thumbsup:

All the haters just nitpick.

There is no perfect phone, but the iPhone comes close for me.

MotionMan

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: MotionMan
Big :thumbsup:

All the haters just nitpick.

There is no perfect phone, but the iPhone comes close for me.

MotionMan

This.:thumbsup:

And I'll add that you have 30 days to return the phone if you don't like it. I'm not sure if they charge a restocking fee now though.

 

[Ka0t1x]

I love my 3G. Probably one of my best purchases. The only thing that turns me off is the MMS and tethering support. Hopefully AT&T jumps on the bandwagon with 3.0 and I'm hoping that I don't need a 3GS to do any tethering to my MBP. Other than that I use the GPS at least once a week... and the maps portion to find businesses for Phone #'s almost daily.

Conversation style texting is amazing, I just wish you could forward.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Kmax82

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: makoto00

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I say a 80% yes! Best phone I've ever owned. If it wasn't for AT&T then it would be 100%. But AT&T just irritates me with their download limitations on their network. I don't mind a limit... but a 10MB limit pretty much means you can use their network to surf the internet, stream a few web audio tracks, but you can't download any iTunes music or most apps.. and now with the iTunes inclusion of movies and tv shows you won't be able to get those either. And what's worse is that they don't impose these limits on other devices on their network.. Ugh.. so annoying.

whoa i didn't know there was a limit for download. what happens if you go over it?

I'm not aware of this either. Except that you can't purchase and download certain apps over Edge/3G currently if they exceed a certain size. You can still do it over WiFi though.

This is what I was referring to. Most podcasts/games & apps are over 10MB. And because of this limit, they don't allow you to stream via most apps in the iTunes store. So I feel their internet is a punch in the face, especially since apps like Sling/Skype are available to use over 3G/Edge with Blackberries and Windows Mobile devices. I know some people argue that they don't have the huge load on their network that the iPhone does, but that's something AT&T should invest in. Verizon has taken a huge financial hit to improve their network a few years ago and now they are probably the best network IMO. I wish AT&T would man up and do the same. If not, I will more than likely be jumping ship when my contract is up next year, if there's a suitable device on Verizon.

Here's the problem... you can't just add capacity to a wireless network by running another fiber optic line to the cell tower. The limitation is the section of the spectrum that carrier has access to. That's a physical limitation - there is only so much spectrum to go around. The only way to "improve their network" is to build cell towers closer together so each tower services fewer people.

 

[Kmax82]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Kmax82

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: makoto00

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I say a 80% yes! Best phone I've ever owned. If it wasn't for AT&T then it would be 100%. But AT&T just irritates me with their download limitations on their network. I don't mind a limit... but a 10MB limit pretty much means you can use their network to surf the internet, stream a few web audio tracks, but you can't download any iTunes music or most apps.. and now with the iTunes inclusion of movies and tv shows you won't be able to get those either. And what's worse is that they don't impose these limits on other devices on their network.. Ugh.. so annoying.

whoa i didn't know there was a limit for download. what happens if you go over it?

I'm not aware of this either. Except that you can't purchase and download certain apps over Edge/3G currently if they exceed a certain size. You can still do it over WiFi though.

This is what I was referring to. Most podcasts/games & apps are over 10MB. And because of this limit, they don't allow you to stream via most apps in the iTunes store. So I feel their internet is a punch in the face, especially since apps like Sling/Skype are available to use over 3G/Edge with Blackberries and Windows Mobile devices. I know some people argue that they don't have the huge load on their network that the iPhone does, but that's something AT&T should invest in. Verizon has taken a huge financial hit to improve their network a few years ago and now they are probably the best network IMO. I wish AT&T would man up and do the same. If not, I will more than likely be jumping ship when my contract is up next year, if there's a suitable device on Verizon.

Here's the problem... you can't just add capacity to a wireless network by running another fiber optic line to the cell tower. The limitation is the section of the spectrum that carrier has access to. That's a physical limitation - there is only so much spectrum to go around. The only way to "improve their network" is to build cell towers closer together so each tower services fewer people.

Yea, I understand that. And it's not a quick solution. But it something that they're going to have to do. They can only handle so much traffic, and some cities, like San Francisco, and New York (I hear), are atrocious. If they have that many users in those cities, they need to beef their network up. In the mean time I understand that they have to keep connectivity down in order to handle the demand. But I'd love to see that they were actually "trying" to keep up with their network, rather than just talk out of their butt, "Well we'll be getting that feature in the future". Etc... it's just a bit ridiculous.

 

[ManBearPig]

guess that settles it and ill get one...im pretty excited! itll be nice to have a phone and music device in one, with cool features. i was thinking about selling my touch, but now im considering keeping it to use at the gym, cuz i dont think id wanna take my phone to the gym. time to search for a case. the att people say i can upgrade, and that theyll waive the $18 fee since we own a store in the same strip mall. i bet i could make them give me other free stuff too, we'll see! pretty sure ill go with the 16gb black one. although 32gb is tempting!