[font face="Verdana" size="2"]The iPhone by Apple may be cool, but there's no way most of us mere mortals can afford it. Let's pretend I want to get iPhones for my family (3 people). and, of course, get on a Family calling plan (to *cough* "save money" *cough**cough*).
The 8GB version of the iPhone is $599.00. That's $1800 to start.
The monthly cost for 1400 *shared* minutes is $100 per month per phone. That's $300 a month, but for a shared system with 3 users you'd probably be better off to get 2100 shared minutes per month, which costs $120 per month.
So...$360per month for service (!!) and almost two thousand bucks to get the phones. In the first year you'll spend $4320.00 just for calling minutes. (Don't forget the additional $1800 for the 3 phones which brings the first year's cost to $6120.00. For a phone.)
Sorry, but I'm just not willing to pony up that much money for a f*cking phone. My ancient Motorola StarTac costs me $26 per month with 250 minutes, and it's usually more than I need. I don't want to surf the web, take pictures, listen to music, or play games, browse images, or shop online with my phone. All I want to do is a) make calls and b) take calls.
I look at these people wetting their pants over the iPhone and I just don't get it. Yeah, it's cool, but it's not that cool- it's just a f*cking PHONE for god's sake!
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Funny you should mention that TB. I was wondering how it starts that 'we' (anyone in their mid 30's onward) start departing from the techno gadgets that come on the market in droves and the need to have them. And I'm afraid to admit, that it's purely an issue of maturity.....erm......age.
I agree. If I need to play games.....I can do it at home. If I need to browse images.....I can do it at home. If I need to surf the web....I can do it at home. If I need to shop online.....I can do it at home. If I need to hear music....I already have a dozen options....at home and on the road. If I need to take pictures....call me crazy, but I can use my camera. For that matter, If I need to make a phone call, I can do it at home. And if I need to get a call.....whoever is calling me will quickly discover when I'm not at home. Frankly I don't WANT everyone to have the ability to reach out and touch me at their whim.
OK....so there is a bit of 'old fuddy duddy' rearing it's ugly head here.....but I can live with it.[img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/haushalt/h052.gif" border=0]
Who cares? It's the cool thing to have. If I had money and don't give a damn, I'd be flashing my iPhone to anyone and everyone down the street. So there! *sticks tongue out*
ahahaha you tell them Lise!
Too bad most of us can't afford that kind of phone.
My friend bought the "Casino Royale" cell soon after it came out, and was flashing it everywhere he went. Taking pictures of stuff he normally wouldn't, playing games on it, etc. I must say he attracted a lot of attention.
I'll wait for a couple years when all phones will look like the iphone and cost 99 bucks or a free replacement for my cell phone.
I remember the big hulablue over the razor. Now every model is a razor and I can get one for free from Verizon now. lol
I'm sure iphone's buttonless interface will go the same route.
I wouldn't want one. To me it's just another distraction for drivers who are already menacing enough with cell phones. I've heard so many people on cell phones that are simply chatting about what they are doing at the store, and where they are going next, and "Did you see what so-and-so was wearing the other day" that I wonder why they need them. Most of those calls could be made at home instead of the grocery or the theatre or wherever they might be, and traffic wouldn't be tied up in knots because they were too busy chatting to watch where they were going. Just imagine what they can do with a new means of communication!
well this application doesn't have buttons so it really would make calling on the cell even more dangerous.
But most of the people buying it are buying it because of the interface
(//vny!://www.gearlog.com/images/apple%20iphone.jpg)
Within two years most phones will be like this so why pay the expensive fee now?
So tell me, why is this necessary? Just to impress people?
right now? yes. Because as I said about the razor. It was the in thing 2 or 3 years ago when it came out. Now I can get one for free whenever I feel like going to the local verizon store since my contract is up. 2 to 3 years from now all middle to high end phones will look like this iphone. This is just a must have now item. Plus in 2 to 3 years there will be a new iphone going by apple's track record of constantly upgrading and changing hardware.
Marik wrote: ahahaha you tell them Lise!
Too bad most of us can't afford that kind of phone.
I've considered myself told.
*I can afford it.....I just haven't figured out why I need it.
Strange, SD. You tell me it is a must-have item, but I still can't see the need for it in my life. If I want to phone someone, I use my telephone from home. Seems to work for me every time. I have an answering machine in case of emergency calls, but that is all I need.
I don't need to flaunt my wealth...there isn't any to flaunt.
I think many of these things are status symbols. It's come across that I have a wall up for new technology. I don't. I love gadgets and new technology.....I just have a problem when someone is trying to sell me something that has no claim on improving my life as I know it.
And when it's just a symbol of 'coolness'......I see it as sucker bait. (on the other hand....I'm old)[img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/c008.gif" border=0]
its consumerism at its finest I'm afraid. We are told now that once something gets a certain age its old and needs to be replaced.
Really these things are suppose to make our lives easier when in fact they don't, they just complicate them more.
It's the oldest trick in the world of consumerism. First tell you how it will enhance your life. Next, tell you how not having it will make you seem like you are lacking in knowledge of what is fashionable. If that doesn't work, tell you that your friends are laughing at you because you don't have a certain item that they are trying to sell you. Lastly, tell you that you are behind the times, and obviously a loser.
Interesting conversations going on in here.
I have to say that the iphone does look very cool, but it's not my thing to stay on top of technology. I also don't see how it would improve my life as well. I find the functions to complicated and too much of a time-waster. I could just imagine myself sitting away on the skytrain figuring out all the components to this all day/year long! Not my thing.
I have a simple phone where it does the basics of making/taking calls and taking that occasional picture. But, some people like the idea of an "all-in-one" system. Look at that printer/scanner/fax idea. I think that there's going to be lots of problems with this lil iphone.
lots of people return these high tech phones not because they don't work, because they can't figure them out. Nowadays it seems newer technology is just 'lets put as much stuff in a product as possible' doesn't make it easier which is what evolving technology is suppose to do, its now making things more complicated.
On that note I need a new phone since mine is falling apart. It will not be an iphone however.
That's another thing for some reason when my contract is up these phones start falling apart after 2 years. I think the phone companies make these things to only last 2 years so that in after the contract is up, you have to come back and buy a new phone.
I heard a commentator on G4 gushing over the "revolutionary" new iPhone. How it lets you take photos, listen to MP3s and even surf the Web all for only $600!!
I have a cell right now that I bought a year ago for $150 and it does the same things. What am I missing here?
Perhaps it's the lemming-like nature of the Cult of Mac?
Oh, I'm sure the iPhone has a slew of bells and whistles that I haven't heard of yet, but as people have already said, are they really the kind of bells and whistles that will revolutionize my life? I'm not saying that everyone who buys an iPhone is a mindless drone who lets popular culture substitute for freethinking but...Mmmm, Ok I guess that's what I'm saying.
Look at how complicated it is just to make a call on that iphone!
Yep, after two (or less) years, phone dies and phone companies want you to upgrade. There's always something better and faster that they want to sell you. And in the meantime, they clear out the phones that actually do work well.
Oh no, they don't want us buying a good phone! OMG, what would happen if we all had RELIABLE phones!
they'd go out of business of course. My phone has really hit the fan so to speak. antenna broke and the "3" button is stuck. lol!
but yeah the iphone is complicated. You've got to hit the phone screen tab. then you touch screen the numbers. Hello? everybody has used touch screen pads at the grocery store. You barely touch those tabs and you double hit the number.
Soon cell phones will become like the electric tooth brush.
Do we really need all of this?
Answer: no