[nabs-l] IPhone 4S vs. IPhone 5: Experiences?

Sun Jan 6 05:08:58 UTC 2013

Hi,
For me, I wouldn't be on a contract, because I am getting the phone with 
Cricket, which is a prepaid cell phone service with no contract. Cricket 
sells both the IPhone 4S and the IPhone 5, but they are selling the IPhone 
4S for $399 and the IPhone 5 for $499. Either way I would not be obligated 
to be in a contract, so I would be purchasing the phone, but I wouldn't 
necessarily have to stay with Cricket for any specified length of time. That 
is why I am asking about the differences in the features or which phone is 
better, because if I pay $399 I can get the IPhone 4S, but if I pay $499, I 
can get the IPhone 5 which is $100 more than the IPhone 4S.
Thanks,
Misty
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marc Workman" <mworkman.lists at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2013 11:38 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] IPhone 4S vs. IPhone 5: Experiences?


> Hi Chris,
>
> The point I am making is that you did not just pay $229 for your new 
> iPhone. At that price, I'm pretty sure you bought a new contract. Unless 
> you bought an unlocked used phone and are on a pay-as-you-go plan, you are 
> locked into a contract, and you have to factor that into the cost of the 
> phone. Even a free iPhone 4 is only available on a contract, so I'm pretty 
> sure your iPhone was purchased as part of a contract renewal. In other 
> words, you paid $229 up front plus whatever you must pay per month for the 
> next couple of years. The price you pay up front is not the real cost of 
> the phone; the real price is the cost up front plus the cost of the entire 
> contract. If you factor the entire cost of the contract in, it doesn't 
> make a lot of sense to go with the cheaper phone, unless of course an 
> extra $100 up front is a significant financial hardship.
>
> If I'm wrong and you are not on some sort of contract, let me know. It 
> would surprise me if you were able to get a brand new iPhone 4S without a 
> contract for $200.
>
> As for purchasing the iPhone 5, there is also the fact that a newer phone 
> will almost certainly last longer and will have a higher resale value.
>
> From my perspective, I think it always makes sense to pay the extra money 
> up front for a newer phone if you are getting the phone on a contract, 
> assuming this is financially possible, and this includes renewing 
> contracts as well.
>
> Best,
>
> Marc
> On 2013-01-05, at 8:41 PM, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Marc,
>>
>> Frankly, I was surprised that iOS 6 ran on the 3GS. I agree that iOS
>> 7 will probably not run on that phone whenever that version comes out.
>>
>> As for the discussion of "iPhone 4S vs. iPhone 5,) I purchased my 4S
>> after the 5 had come out. Marc, your statement below is probably correct 
>> if
>> you are buying the phone and a new contract at the same time. This would
>> also depend on which carrier you are using and what their prices are. I
>> already had a contract with Verizon before I purchased my iPhone, so it 
>> was
>> not as expensive as it would have been had I switched carriers or bought 
>> a
>> new contract along with buying my iPhone. Along with Verizon's upgrade 
>> fee
>> of $30, my iPhone 4S was $199. So, I paid $229 plus tax for it in total. 
>> I
>> would recommend doing this, as most of the changes made in the iPhone 5 
>> are
>> visual in nature.
>>
>> Chris Nusbaum
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marc Workman
>> Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2013 9:29 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] IPhone 4S vs. IPhone 5: Experiences?
>>
>> I think Arielle is right that, besides an overall redesign of the phone, 
>> the
>> biggest changes are a larger screen and a somewhat better camera. 
>> However,
>> there are also processor and ram improvements that will future proof the 
>> 5
>> more than the 4S.
>>
>> Something to think about is that if you are buying the phone on a 
>> contract,
>> then the real cost of the phone is roughly $2000. The money you pay up 
>> front
>> is the cost of the phone after it is heavily subsidized. The monthly 
>> phone
>> bill is the real cost of the phone, and it is how the phone companies 
>> make
>> money off you. So the difference is not $100 versus $200, it is $2000 
>> over 2
>> years versus $2100 over 2 years. I think when you think about it in this
>> way, it makes more sense to shell out the extra hundred up front, unless 
>> of
>> course this would cause a serious financial hardship. This point only
>> applies, however, if you're buying the phone on a contract.
>>
>> Apple is very willing to stop supporting older phones. I'll be quite
>> surprised if IOS 7 runs on the 3G s. There are features of IOS 6 that are
>> already not available on the 3G s or even the 4. So for that hundred
>> dollars, you're essentially buying at least an extra year of life for 
>> your
>> phone.
>>
>> Lastly, if you sell your phone in 2 years or so, you'll get more for the 
>> 5,
>> perhaps even $100 more.
>>
>> So while I wouldn't recommend the 5 over the 4S for 
>> voiceover/accessibility
>> reasons, I would recommend spending the extra hundred if you can afford 
>> it
>> for a bunch of other reasons.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Marc
>>
>>
>> On 2013-01-05, at 6:52 PM, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Misty,
>>> I have a 4S, but my sister's boyfriend, who is very techie, says the
>>> most significant improvements in the iPhone 5 are in the screen and
>>> camera. So it sounds to me like it's probably not worth the $100
>>> extra, unless you care about photo quality.
>>> Arielle
>>>
>>> On 1/5/13, Misty Dawn Bradley <mistydbradley at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Hi all,
>>>> I am planning to get an IPhone at the end of this month, and with
>>>> Cricket I have the option of a 4S or a 5, although the 5 is $100 more
>> than the 4S.
>>>> Have any of you noticed any differences between the IPhone 4S and the
>>>> IPhone 5, either good or bad? What are your experiences with both? I
>>>> have looked at reviews for both, and, other than a faster chip, some
>>>> changes in the size and the type of charger it uses to charge, and
>>>> better screen and camera/video recording capabilities, a lot of other
>>>> specs seem to be about the same. I am trying to decide whether the
>>>> extra $100 is worth spending for the 5 or if I am better off with the
>>>> cheaper 4S. I will most likely go in to the store and see if they
>>>> will let me look at both, but I am just wondering what the
>>>> experiences are of those who have used either phone as a voiceover 
>>>> user?
>>>> Thank you,
>>>> Misty
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nabs-l:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40gmail
>>>> .com
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/mworkman.lists%40g
>>> mail.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/dotkid.nusbaum%40gmail.c
>> om
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/mworkman.lists%40gmail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/mistydbradley%40gmail.com