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rbkhockey83 · Apr 28, 2011, 12:08 AM

Hi guys. I have a Blackberry Tour (on Verizon) and it's getting really annoying. I'm eligible to upgrade right now. The White iPhone comes out today and I really want to buy it, but we don't know how long until the iPhone 5 comes out. It seems like not for a while because they just released the white version, but if the iPhone 5 did come out soon I'd be pissed. The other option is to get the Thunderbolt, I know this is an Apple forum, but it's the only Verizon 4g phone right now and I heard Apple won't be able to get 4g chips until next year.

What would you guys do?

Spheric Harlot · Apr 28, 2011, 01:50 AM

4G means bad coverage and completely useless battery life.

The iPhone 4 is available now, and is no less an iPhone than whatever may be made available six months from now, or a year from now, or whenever.

rbkhockey83 · Apr 28, 2011, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

4G means bad coverage and completely useless battery life.

The iPhone 4 is available now, and is no less an iPhone than whatever may be made available six months from now, or a year from now, or whenever.

Yeah I guess your right. The droids also come with so much bloatware, and seem laggy.

jmiddel · Apr 28, 2011, 09:44 PM

The new iPhone 5 is rumored to have a 2 core processor. Is that not more of an iPhone than the 4?

Spheric Harlot · Apr 29, 2011, 01:30 AM

The fact that it doesn't exist handily counteracts that notion.

Spheric Harlot · Apr 29, 2011, 02:01 AM

Which is to say, given the choice of being stuck with an iPhone 4 for two years, until I can upgrade to whatever is current then, and being stuck with a dingbat that's already started to become really annoying for maybe five months, maybe longer, while waiting for a (as yet) fictional future device, I know what I would do.

YMMV.

angelmb · Apr 29, 2011, 02:46 AM

Originally Posted by rbkhockey83

What would you guys do?

I would get the white iPhone 4.

Big Mac · Apr 29, 2011, 05:31 AM

If you're going to be disappointed by the iPhone 5 coming out within the next six months, wait. If you don't care about not having the latest iPhone then get the iPhone 4. I'm personally not crazy about the idea of paying top dollar for last year's tech, but not everyone cares about that.

mduell · Apr 29, 2011, 11:10 AM

I'd wait for iPhone 5 rather than buying iPhone 4 10+ months after release. iPhone 5 is likely only a few months away, although I don't think it will be 4G LTE.

If your #1 priority is network speed and you live in one of the coverage areas, the HTC Thunderbolt is a good idea. Otherwise look toward the other 3G Droids.

sdilley14 · May 3, 2011, 04:10 PM

I'd go with the iPhone 4 now. I was in this same sort of dilemma. My rationalization was that the next iPhone probably won't go on sale until September at the earliest, so that's 5 months of waiting right there. It's pretty widely thought that there won't be any sort of major re-design and it won't have 4g, so it's really a hardware speed upgrade and a new version of iOS I assume (and maybe more, but who knows). I'm guessing the iPhone AFTER this next one will have 4g and will see some sort of re-design. I would suggest getting an iPhone 4 now and skipping the "iPhone 5" and wait until the "iPhone 6" to make the next upgrade. That's my plan anyway!

AccessoryGeeks · May 24, 2011, 04:09 PM

iPhone 4 is so old now. I would definitely consider waiting for the iPhone 5, even though it might take a couple of months to come out. There can always be rumors, but at the end of the day, a rumor is still only a rumor.

I would also think about getting the Droid Charge if you are considering the HTC Thunderbolt. I'm not saying that the Samsung Droid Charge has amazing battery life, but HTC is known to have some horrible battery life. Also the Charge is a direct competitor to the HTC Thunderbolt and it is a lot newer with the same 4G capabilities.

Sosa · May 31, 2011, 10:37 AM

I'm in a similar situation to the OP. I would be buying two phones, and I hate the idea of paying $400 for year old iPhones 4. I could get refurbished ones for $300, but I'm leaning towards waiting for the release of the iPhone 4S so I can pick up the original 4s for hopefully $99.

I'm not tempted at all by the droids, but the Blackberry Pearl's can be purchased new for $49 each. That I am considering. What's the thought here on those BBs?

Spheric Harlot · May 31, 2011, 11:53 AM

I don't think RIM have a clue where they're taking the platform.

I'd wait.

iOS 5 will be demoed on Monday. That should be interesting.

imitchellg5 · May 31, 2011, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by Sosa

I'm not tempted at all by the droids, but the Blackberry Pearl's can be purchased new for $49 each. That I am considering. What's the thought here on those BBs?

You'd rather have a Pearl than a year-old iPhone? The Pearl is quite a terrible device (I'm hesitant to even call it a smartphone).

Sosa · May 31, 2011, 12:22 PM

Really? CNet gave the Blackberry Pearl 9100 a good review. One positive aspect is its small size. BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100 Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

PsychoChris · Jun 3, 2011, 06:49 AM

I woul wait for the iPhone 5. Although iPhone 4 is a great phone

cants · Jun 10, 2011, 04:57 AM

I would wait for the Iphone 5 if i were you...

jmiddel · Jun 11, 2011, 07:57 PM

I'm waiting. Don't like too, but I think the next upgrade will be significant, and I believe that iOS 5 is also being made to address the greater capabilities of the 5.

AccessoryGeeks · Jun 15, 2011, 01:11 PM

I would try and purchase a new battery for you Blackberry and wait for the phone you really want. In this case it seems like you are eying the iPhone 5.

estherkim · Jun 21, 2011, 12:36 PM

i would wait for the iphone 5..
im in a similar situation.. my bb is like dyinggg and im SO tempted to buy the white iphone 4
but i decided to wait for the iphone 5

Sosa · Jun 21, 2011, 05:17 PM

After reading that the iPhone 5 will not be available until September, I decided to pick up two refurbished iPhone 4s from ATT for under $250 will all charges included. I need the phone over the summer and don't want to wait another 3 months.

estherkim · Jun 22, 2011, 02:53 PM

i really hope the iphone 5 has the metal back..
my brother has the white iphone 4 rn.. and he alrdy has scratches :/

Spheric Harlot · Jun 22, 2011, 03:04 PM

So you want metal, because, um, glass is too soft and scratches.

You're in for a big surprise.

estherkim · Jun 23, 2011, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

So you want metal, because, um, glass is too soft and scratches.

You're in for a big surprise.

why.. is the glass more durable than i think?

Sosa · Jun 26, 2011, 06:33 PM

Damn, those two refurbished iPhones I odered from ATT are out of stock! No way I'm paying $200 for last year's model!

turtle777 · Jun 26, 2011, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by estherkim

why.. is the glass more durable than i think?

Compared to metal, it's much more scratch resistant.
However, glass fares worse in high-impact situations (e.g. dropping it on hard surface).

-t

estherkim · Jun 27, 2011, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Compared to metal, it's much more scratch resistant.
However, glass fares worse in high-impact situations (e.g. dropping it on hard surface).

-t

the thing i'm most scared about is dropping the iphone with the glass back..
i can already see the small fissures and cracks -__-
already went through that with the LG chocolate a couple of years back

turtle777 · Jun 27, 2011, 12:18 PM

Then get a protective case.

-t

Sosa · Jul 2, 2011, 09:39 AM

Well I got the iPhones, quite nice, however it won't sync with my iTunes 9.1! Now also need a new Mac. :-(

amazing · Jul 2, 2011, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by Sosa

Well I got the iPhones, quite nice, however it won't sync with my iTunes 9.1! Now also need a new Mac. :-(

Your 15" 1.67 G4 can run 10.5.8 which means that you can run iTunes 10.1--I don't think you need new hardware?

Sosa · Jul 2, 2011, 01:58 PM

Just Need to Find a copy of the installation cds. Anyone?

Wiskedjak · Jul 2, 2011, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by Sosa

... it won't sync with my iTunes 9.1! Now also need a new Mac. :-(

Apple's pretty sneaky about using one product to force upgrades in another.

Interestingly, a 10 year old Windows box is still capable of installing and running the latest version of iTunes.

turtle777 · Jul 2, 2011, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Interestingly, a 10 year old Windows box is still capable of installing and running the latest version of iTunes.

But is it usable ?

-t

Wiskedjak · Jul 2, 2011, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

But is it usable ?

-t

Barely. But, the point is that in the case of iTunes on Windows, Apple leaves the decision about whether or not to upgrade to the consumer rather than forced by Apple.

Spheric Harlot · Jul 2, 2011, 10:47 PM

a.) That's because Apple explicitly does not want to control the experience on Windows, as that's what they sell Macs for, and

b.) The only reason Apple leaves this "choice" (of using iTunes on Windows XP) up to the consumer is because Microsoft didn't get their ****ing asses in gear and release a useful successor to XP until less than two years ago, in October 2009. The Mac version requires Leopard, which was released in October 2007.

Wiskedjak · Jul 2, 2011, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

a.) That's because Apple explicitly does not want to control the experience on Windows, as that's what they sell Macs for, and

b.) The only reason Apple leaves this "choice" (of using iTunes on Windows XP) up to the consumer is because Microsoft didn't get their ****ing asses in gear and release a useful successor to XP until less than two years ago, in October 2009. The Mac version requires Leopard, which was released in October 2007.

Point being, iTunes doesn't likely "require" Leopard for performance reasons. I'm certain it would run acceptably under 10.5. There's really no reason why an application such as iTunes needs the next-to-latest Mac OS if Apple can make it run perfectly fine on Microsoft's 12 year old piece of crap.

Part of the problem, I suspect, is that Macs last too darn long and Apple has to look for creative ways to force people to upgrade. iPhones and their much shorter lifespan might be fitting the bill.

Sosa · Jul 3, 2011, 01:22 AM

Yep, Macs do last long. I'm perfectly happy with the performance of my almost 6 year old Powerbook for my normal activities. It sucks that I now have to invest in an OS upgrade or a new computer to sync my two new iPhones.

Spheric Harlot · Jul 3, 2011, 04:28 AM

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Point being, iTunes doesn't likely "require" Leopard for performance reasons. I'm certain it would run acceptably under 10.5. There's really no reason why an application such as iTunes needs the next-to-latest Mac OS if Apple can make it run perfectly fine on Microsoft's 12 year old piece of crap..

Hang on - i just realized that 10.5 will also run - completely officially - on a July 2001 Quicksilver Power Mac. A G4 is also explicitly listed in the requirements. As well as 512 MB RAM.

That means that the latest version of iTunes will run on a ten-year-old Mac, and a nine-year-old (this November) PowerBook.

Holy backwards-compatibilty, Batman!

Sorry, but the point is completely moot. Supporting an ancient OS on hardware for which a perfectly viable more modern option exists is very different from supporting an OS which didn't have a viable successor until 18 months ago.

Wiskedjak · Jul 3, 2011, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Point being, iTunes doesn't likely "require" Leopard for performance reasons. I'm certain it would run acceptably under 10.5. There's really no reason why an application such as iTunes needs the next-to-latest Mac OS if Apple can make it run perfectly fine on Microsoft's 12 year old piece of crap.

Part of the problem, I suspect, is that Macs last too darn long and Apple has to look for creative ways to force people to upgrade. iPhones and their much shorter lifespan might be fitting the bill.

Whoops ... meant to say 10.4, not 10.5

Wiskedjak · 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Hang on - i just realized that 10.5 will also run - completely officially - on a July 2001 Quicksilver Power Mac. A G4 is also explicitly listed in the requirements. As well as 512 MB RAM.

That means that the latest version of iTunes will run on a ten-year-old Mac, and a nine-year-old (this November) PowerBook.

Holy backwards-compatibilty, Batman!

Sorry, but the point is completely moot. Supporting an ancient OS on hardware for which a perfectly viable more modern option exists is very different from supporting an OS which didn't have a viable successor until 18 months ago.

Ok. I was wrong about how far back 10.5 was compatible. I didn't realize that it was G4 compatible. Out of curiousity, how well does 10.5 run on a G4?

amazing · Jul 3, 2011, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Ok. I was wrong about how far back 10.5 was compatible. I didn't realize that it was G4 compatible. Out of curiousity, how well does 10.5 run on a G4?

10.5.8 runs quite well on my 1.33 12" G4 with 1.25 GB RAM. Not a speed demon, but if you have fast broadband you won't be in the dumps. I upgraded to the latest iTunes on it, and have nothing to complain about.

OTOH, it's my backup laptop. But I really do miss the 12" form factor when I go back to my 15".

I remember upgrading from 10.4 to 10.5 on the 12" and didn't really see any speed difference...

Sosa · Jul 5, 2011, 01:38 AM

Amazing any chance you could ship me guise 10.5 cds? I'll pay first and promise to ship them back!