iPhone - Worth It?

After the recent price reduction and the initial interest I had for the iPhone, I'm thinking about getting one. The thing is, I would have to change my cell phone provider. Right now I have a Nokia (Don't remember the number, slider) 2 Megapixel camera that also has limited access to the internet. Is the iPhone such an improvement over something like this?

Also, I'm worried that if I got the iPhone it would be very delicate and easily scratched / broken. Is this so with everyday use? Any imput is appreciated.

AduNeButt said:

After the recent price reduction and the initial interest I had for the iPhone, I'm thinking about getting one. The thing is, I would have to change my cell phone provider. Right now I have a Nokia (Don't remember the number, slider) 2 Megapixel camera that also has limited access to the internet. Is the iPhone such an improvement over something like this?

Also, I'm worried that if I got the iPhone it would be very delicate and easily scratched / broken. Is this so with everyday use? Any imput is appreciated.

Click to expand...

The iPhone is a big improvement in the way of interface, music & video playback, and web surfing, or photo viewing. As for how delicate it is, it's not. The screen is glass and not easy to scratch, and the back is also resistant to scratches. I was surprised by how well built it really is.

I'm pleased with the built-in camera. While rather limited, it does a good job as a quick darn-it-I-left-my-camera-at-home device.

On how delicate an iPhone is, they're pretty rugged. Drop it on the ground (asphalt, concrete, stone) and it will generally survive well. Do things that you shouldn't do with it, and you'll break it.

I think it's worth the current price. I would have one for myself, but for me it's just not practical. I wouldn't use the extra features enough and the added hassle just simply making a call compared to my current phone would be enough to just be a constant annoyance. Maybe when Apple finally either makes some new apps or let others without threat of breaking them, the usability will come up enough for me to purchase.

That said, I really love it overall and if one happened to fall in my lap, I wouldn't hesitate to use it.

are they coming out with an improvement soon? i herd that from someone and didnt think it was true...

It really is a fun, elegant, and yes, sturdy device. I've dropped mine twice so far (yeah, I felt like an idiot both times) but you would be hard pressed to find where it impacted. I have a protective cover over the screen and have had no problems with scratching whatsoever. Is it worth it? Depends. IMO Google Maps is worth the price of the entire phone. Checking traffic before hitting the freeways is priceless. The camera is decent, text messaging is more fun and usable (although you can't send images via messaging).
Watching podcasts or movies is also an amazing experience, the screen resolution is insane. I converted the movie 300 for my iPhone using Handbrake and everyone who sees it is blown away by how gorgeous it looks.

The down sides: AT&T is truly a company who doesn't care about customer service. They can't train employees fast enough to keep up with their burnout rate in customer support, so you're always talking to a noob who doesn't know squat about their plans, the phones, etc. It's frustrating and I would say the number 1 negative about owning an iPhone. The Edge network is the #2 negative of owning an iPhone. If you aren't on wifi then don't bother checking your email, loading web pages, etc. It's like being on a 9800 baud modem in a lightning storm.

I love my iPhone and would recommend it even with the negatives. If you never have to deal with AT&T then I think the plans are reasonable and you wouldn't have much to complain about other than the Edge network.

bd-in-pdx said:

The Edge network is the #2 negative of owning an iPhone. If you aren't on wifi then don't bother checking your email, loading web pages, etc. It's like being on a 9800 baud modem in a lightning storm.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that. I can check my email and access webpages without any trouble via EDGE. Sure, it's slower than Wi-Fi, but it's not entirely unusable like you make it out to be.

I've found EDGE quality to be location dependent. There are some places where EDGE acts as if it is not operating. For instance, at work I might as well have just a plain cell phone as EDGE never seems to connect to anything. In other places I've found EDGE to be acceptable. When it does work well, I can check Mac mail, get Gmail from their mobile web page, and do light web surfing as needed. Maps will work pretty well on EDGE. It's not anywhere near as good as a decent WiFi connection, but it is servicable.

I think I'm just spoiled because I live in the Northeast where we have great cellular and dsl/cable speeds ;P

EDGE is spotty where I live. At work, forget it. Most places it's good enough to check email, weather, maps. Some places it's even decent with browsing.

let's hope by the time iPhone comes out in Canada, we'll have a 3G chip inside and we can use Rogers' new HSDPA network.

Kash said:

I wouldn't say that. I can check my email and access webpages without any trouble via EDGE. Sure, it's slower than Wi-Fi, but it's not entirely unusable like you make it out to be.

Click to expand...

Everyone's experience is obviously a little bit different, it's a large country. I live in the Pacific Northwest where maybe AT&T's services aren't as stellar as the east coast. While I'm glad you're Edge experience is acceptable, don't discount my bad experience simply because it's not the same as yours. My Edge experience has been lousy and I stand by that no matter what your experience is.

bd-in-pdx said:

don't discount my bad experience simply because it's not the same as yours.

Click to expand...

You should practice what you preach.
I think he was trying to offer up his experience to balance yours out. Just because it's bad for you, doesn't mean it would be bad for the OP, which is certainly what you were implying in your first post.