Should I buy a new iPhone? Maybe — maybe not
Within minutes of Steve Jobs’ keynote address at the Worldwide Developers Conference yesterday, multiple coworkers made their way to my desk to ask if they should buy the new iPhone 3G on July 11.
The answer isn’t a simple “yes” or “no” — particularly if you’re a traveler.
If you don’t already have an iPhone, there are a few things to consider. First, to get the phone, you need to switch to AT&T Wireless. Second, the additional data package will add at least $30 a month to the cost of the phone. I haven’t seen any pricing with regards to 3G data add-ons yet, so buyer beware. Also, there’s a two-year contract with AT&T.
The 8GB model of the iPhone 3G is at a great sweet spot when it comes to pricing at $199. It’s also telling me that the price is being subsidized a bit, considering the 8GB iPod Touch is priced at $299. If you need just a media player that you can further leverage with the iPhone 2.0 software coming out next month, the iPod Touch is a good but pricey option - but there’s no ongoing cost.
There’s a third option - why not show the original iPhone some love?
You’re going to see a glut of first generation iPhones, both new and used, make their way to eBay and every other online retailer and reseller. Why not take advantage of this and get yourself an iPhone gently used and from a good home?
And for the more adventurous and definitely in the “voiding the warranty” department, you can take the original iPhone, jailbreak and SIM unlock the phone and have it working on other GSM providers (I have my iPhone running on T-Mobile US).
Not to be difficult - but the question isn’t “Should I wait or buy one now?” — it’s “What are my options post July 11th?”
As a portable media player, the iPhone, despite the numerous flaws as a phone, can’t be beat. You’re going to be happy no matter which route you take.
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While Jailbreaking the phone can be an advantage, depending on what you want to jailbreak the phone for, it’s important to note that it’s not an easy thing to do, and improperly jailbreaking the phone can lead to a software download that renders your phone completely useless. So if you do it for international usage, fine, but if you do it to have Gucci icons and fun fonts, beware.