Filed under: Analysis / Opinion
TUAW Poll: What are you doing with your original iPhone?
After looking over the iPhone 3G information here on TUAW and on the AT&T website yesterday, I started thinking about what my wife and I should do with our "old" original iPhones. Without a SIM and phone service, the original iPhone essentially becomes an iPod touch. You can still update it to the new software when it arrives, you can use it with Wi-Fi in your home, and you can use it to watch video and listen to tunes.
By keeping the old iPhone as an iPhone touch, I can get rid of some of the old iPods I have scattered around the house. What are you going to do with your iPhone after July 11th?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
belhoste said 2:07PM on 7-02-2008
The one option not on the list (and probably not as popular): Keep it. I'm not upgrading yet.
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clearThumbtack said 2:34PM on 7-02-2008
that is the option I was looking for. Maybe I'm just getting old, but the pursuit of "latest and greatest" just isn't what it used to be for me. It's not even about money, I just don't see the point.
caleb said 2:48PM on 7-02-2008
Same here. The only real hardware additions to the 3G iPhone are 3G of course and GPS. The places where I would be that have 3G service I tend to have WiFi access anyway. GPS would be nice if Apple had included a good Turn by Turn direction implementation. As it is I think you'll have to rely on third parties for that (which I hear is $expensive$). At +$10/mo. for the 3G data plan and +$5/mo. to keep my same number of txt messages, I just think the additional $360 for the life of the contract is a bit steep.
I am very excited for the software updates though; I'll beholding off on the hardware update.
Nathan said 2:51PM on 7-02-2008
My response would also have been "Keep It," the new iPhone doesn't offer anything to really sway me to it. My current 8GB iPhone has plenty of space for my needs. 3G coverage is virtually non existent in my area, plus it costs more per month.
The only cool thing is the GPS, but I could (and think I will) buy the Knight Rider Mio. What's not to like about hearing William Daniels (the voice of KITT) saying "Nathan, where would you like to go today?"
Jonathan Wise said 2:54PM on 7-02-2008
Now that I'm in Ontario (Canada) and facing the prospect of Rogers, I think I'll just keep my original, unlock it, and not tell them I have an iPhone.
I still get everything but EDGE, so its mostly useful.
tenchimaniac said 2:56PM on 7-02-2008
Exactly, I really don't want to pay $15 more a month when I'm using wifi most of the time anyway. Also the 3G coverage is the greatest. I figure just to skip this generation and buy the next. GPS is also a good addition, but who knows, maybe the 2.0 software upgrade will make the location finder better in the old iPhone (cough cough).
Tom Boucher said 2:56PM on 7-02-2008
yeah I have no intention of upgrading. I see no reason too.
My car has GPS, that's when I need it, and my area doesn't have 3G.
I get the software udpate + the apps, so why waste money?
DrWho said 3:03PM on 7-02-2008
Keeping mine too. There's nothing really compelling for me with the 3G phone and nothing that justifies the increase in service price, had they kept the 200 texts in the data plan and not tried to sting us for an $18 upgrade fee (that's just cheap on their part) I might have jumped for the new tech lust but that urge really disappeared when I found out the new contract prices.
Shunnabunich said 3:11PM on 7-02-2008
Exactly! I'm looking everywhere trying to GET a first-gen iPhone now that I see the, um..."surprise buttsecks" in store for Canadian iPhone 3G customers. I'll be using it with prepaid service in order to retain control over what I pay. I'd only really want to use data features over wi-fi anyway, and GPS isn't exactly what I'd call a necessity. With the rest of the hardware and software more or less the same, there's really no reason to subject myself to a three-year contract and those hellish plans just for a second-gen unit. (Plus I still think the first-gen case looks a bit more professional. :P)
Blaze said 3:18PM on 7-02-2008
I'm also keeping mine with my current plan. I see absolutely no reason to upgrade.
shmaff said 3:41PM on 7-02-2008
I'm going to use my old iPhone as an e-mail server for my small business/family. We don't get _that_ many e-mails a day so it makes the perfect system to leave on all the time plugged in in the basement. It's power requirements are a fraction of that of a real server. I think it'll rock!
jacob said 4:38PM on 7-02-2008
i, for one, am selling my iPhone. not for any other reason but i can get more than i paid for it. it seems to me just a fiscally responsible thing to do. yes, it accommodates my addiction to new technology [specifically apple]. the truth is it's not irresponsible. no one should be knocked for doing this. yes, everyone is up-in-arms about the rate hikes, but why were you all up in arms when they happen? instead of when they happened to the iPhone. its across the board. you can only avoid it for so long. if your carrier is cheaper ... it is, most likely, due to inferior network hardware that will be updated at some point. t-mob has the same pricing structure w/o unlimited m2m or rollover [which is great]. don't get me wrong i don't really like att. fewest dropped calls my ass. it's still the best option here in tulsa.
how is wifi with ~500ft range a substitute for 3g? i don't get that argument. sure i don't need 3g at the library, but yes i do need it riding around town ...or sitting at the gas station waiting on "what time is that movie at?" type situations. as long as i'm not moving wifi might [obviously not always] replace 3g, but isn't the point of this device constant connectivity. i'm on my laptop in most stationary situations anyhow. personally, wifi is NOT a substitute for constant connectivity, 3g/edge.
i really think the sad thing [this applies to all carriers and phones] is that we're still being charged for sms with a data plan. sms is data. how do the telcos get away with double-dipping? i am not worried about the extra 5$ for sms. in fact, i'm glad it's broken out. now i can DELIBERATELY avoid paying a cent for sms. i love the functionality, but refuse to pay what's being charged for it.
just to be clear:
current iPhone data = MediaMAX 200 Bundle = 15$ umlimited data & 5$ 200 sms
new iPhone data = all other personal data plans at at+t = 30$
cheers
Colin said 7:12PM on 7-02-2008
Yup, I'm keeping mine, too, and am not upgrading.
yoinkers said 9:07PM on 7-02-2008
I'm keeping it. See how the new one shakes out.
iPhoneCoder said 5:44AM on 7-12-2008
Or ... Use it as my developer device so I can stop trashing the one I depend on!
Gary said 7:47AM on 7-03-2008
Another vote for keep it.
I spent US$650 on my 2.5G 16Gb in January, I'm in no hurry to spend another US$320 to get O2's flaky 3G coverage on a new 16Gb. Clearly the handset functionality is identical, the only difference being faster untethered web access and a more accurate positioning system. The vast majority of forthcoming apps will run perfectly well on either handset.
I plan to skip this generation of iPhone and buy the next one.
dan said 2:14PM on 7-02-2008
you forgot "unlocking it as my travel phone - unless i can buy an unlocked 3G, or they are easy to unlock also - in which case, ebay!!"
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Chris said 2:14PM on 7-02-2008
I have been quite surprized. Everyone I know has been asking me if I am getting the 3G and if so how much I would sell my iPhone to them for. It is incredible!
I will indeed be passing my iPhone off to a friend in the form of a cash transaction, however, I may wait a week or two after the 3G launch so that I can assess the market value of the original iPhone.
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caleb said 2:50PM on 7-02-2008
I wouldn't be too surprised if the value of the original iPhone goes up in the face of the AT&T rate increases.
Paul said 2:15PM on 7-02-2008
Until the contract-free price for the phone is reasonable, or they drop the prices of the plans back to what they were for the first-gen, I'm keeping mine.
Why should I spend an extra $180/yr ($10/mo increase in data plan, $5/mo for 200 SMS) for GPS, and 3g data (especially since there's no 3d coverage yet in my town).
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