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Posted on July 8th, 2009 by Stuart Turton
Should I buy an iPhone 3GS?
I’m not normally an indecisive person. For proof of this fact, I offer the following example.
“Sir would you like the chicken or the fish?”
“Fish please.”
You see, no hesitation whatsoever. However as my trusty, old (in fact, so old I don’t know what kind of phone it is – a Sony Ericsson K700i possibly) wanders drunken into obsolescence I have to face the fact that I need a new phone. Like an ageing secretary, it now ignores the majority of my calls, completely ignores text messages and naps at random times. It also has a battery life based entirely on who’s calling. If it’s family, friends or somebody else important then it’ll run for about 12 seconds. If it’s my bank manager, or a mentalist who refuses to believe they’ve got the wrong number then I can count on a solid 30 minutes (extra if they threaten my life with a carrot).
I also need a new MP3 player. It’s finally got to the point were the experience of pushing my finger through the fifteen layers of sweat and grime and Stumanity that coat my old one is too much to bear. It would also be nice if it played videos and stuff.
With all this in mind, the iPhone 3GS arrived in the office the other day and golly it’s brilliant. It’s faster than a leopard being shot from a cannon, sexier than Megan Fox halfway up a ladder, and houses a bunch of genuinely useful features. The compass and maps could very well save my life on a daily basis and the iTunes App store could keep my notoriously short attention span cowed. I also quite like the games.
And yet, everytime I feel my hand drifting towards my wallet I pause. For starters, I hate iTunes. Always have, always will. It’s slow, ugly and bloated, and the sort of thing I want to wash off after using. The fact that accepting an iPhone means I have to accept iTunes is like meeting the woman of your dreams and then discovering her father has a selection of heads in his cupboard. The pathetic battery life is a worry, as is the chance it’s going to explode in my pocket sending my Man Jewels hurtling across the room like some fleshy bazooka.
My principal concern, however, is that contract. I have no problem paying £35 per month – the tariff I’d want – but the idea of doing it for 18 months is just ludicrous. A quick Google search reveals I could steal £75,000 from the council and be out of jail in the same time. Admittedly with a funny walk and intriguing selection of tats but still…
So, I’m being indecisive. Can anybody help? Does anybody have an iPhone 3GS jangling in their pocket and feel like sharing their experience of it in the real world? I’d be interested to hear what you’ve got to say and take any recommendations you may have. Is it worth that 18-month commitment and £200 initial outlay. Is it worth me sacrificing myself to the Jobs mob?
42 Responses to “ Should I buy an iPhone 3GS? ”
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July 8th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Get a cheap PAYG phone for now, and then a Pre when it is released in the UK-there will be no site of iTunes with that!
July 8th, 2009 at 10:25 am
No, if you hate iTunes that much. As a linux user I’ve finally given up on iPhones because they’ve changed the music library format again in OS 3.0 – meaning the workarounds no longer work and I can’t sync anything to it now. It’s iTunes or nothing.
I’m now just waiting for a good Android device to come out and I’ll jump ship. I know I’ll miss the iPhone, it is a truly fantastic device, but Apple are too concerned with locking users into using iTunes. So screw ‘em.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:27 am
You don’t need to be tied to the 18 month contact, as the phone is available on PAYG. You can even jailbreak it and use it on other networks. If you look at the iPhone screenshots in recent Mobile & Wireless RWC columns you’ll see ‘vodafone’ in the top left hand corner of the screen!
P.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:37 am
I finally took the plunge and ditched my N95 for an iPhone. Ended up having to get the 32GB 3GS as they didn’t have any 16GB ones in stock. First impression. Very good. Ok so the battery life isn’t fantastic if you are doing a lot of online stuff, if you use it as a phone and don’t spend all day on facebook the it’s fine. After using it for a couple of weeks I can say that it is the best phone I’ve ever had. It just works so much better than the Nokia and I’m not a fan of Windows Mobile.
As for the contract… erm yeah. Ended up going for the £35 2 year contract as that seemed to be the sweet point in terms of price when you consider the cost of the phone too. It’s a long time to have to keep a phone, but if I change my mind on the phone in a year or so then I’ll ebay it and use something else with the same sim.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:11 am
I’m umming and ahhing over the 3GS.
2 years is the shortest contract you can get over here (Germany). It has always been that way, I believe, so nobody worries about the length of the iPhone contracts with T-Mobile… The costs of the contracts on the other hand!
I bought an htc Touch Pro last year, because the iPhone 3G, whilst lovely, missed out on some features I really needed. Now the 3.0 release of the software fixes nearly everything, so the 3GS is an option…
The trouble is, I’m tied to a 2 year contract on O2 with the htc, so I’ll either have to switch to T-Mobile and an iPhone 3GS and leave the O2 SIM in a cupboard for a year, or I’ll have to wait until the contract is finished.
The really disappointing thing, for me, is that, to get an equivalent contract to my O2 contract, I will have to pay T-Mobile an additional €20-30 a month! I could go for a lesser contract, but I’m still not sure…
I bought an iPod Touch on the way through Stanstead at the weekend and it is nice an nippy, but it hasn’t made me throw away the htc in disgust…
I could donate the htc to my girlfriend and the Touch to one of her daughters… Hmm, decisions, decisions…
July 8th, 2009 at 11:14 am
PAYG iPhone. You don’t have to be on a contract, and it could work out much cheaper too.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Simple: Go for it! iTunes isn’t really that bad, and works well to sync and backup data. Since getting iPhones, we’ve changed how lots of things work in our lives. I now listen to podcasts all the time, and having the internet in your pocket is really good.
Contract? It’s just money. iTunes? It’s just software. It won’t stop you doing anything else – and doesn’t cost you anything. (Heck, it allows you to preview the music, then you can use Safari on the phone to buy a CD on Amazon or elsewhere).
July 8th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Hey folks, thanks for your suggestions so far, keep them coming. The PAYG option is a little bit of false economy I think. I’d be buying the iPhone to use all that good internet stuff, so I’d probably quickly annihilate my credit.
I never really thought about sacking off the 18 month contract and going straight to 24 months – that really would be terrifying.
The Stu hovering counter has me at “maybe”
July 8th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Yeah, iTunes is a mess, and frankly not very good, but it’s a minor pain and the iPhone is so good for what I want it for (portable internet, music and the occasional app/game) that I’m prepared to put up with it. And it does have its upsides – I sync about once a week so there’s always a new PC Pro podcast (and a few others) on my phone for those quiet half hours
)
July 8th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
you do get 12 months free 3G and WiFi on the PAYG contract. Means you can spank the internet (within FUP / AUP) without worrying
)
July 8th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
@Brett
I didn’t know that. Changes things a little bit.
Cheers mate.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I had a similar wavering since the 3G first came out. I was quite happy to be the butt of my colleagues jokes as they waved their iPhones around and I hid my Samsung E250 in the drawer. I waited, read the reviews, played with their phones when they weren’t looking, and came to the conclusion that if the 3GS improved it even just a little bit, then I would buy one. And I did. And I don’t regret it.
Yes, the battery life is merely adequate. But I have a charger. Yes, iTunes is a poor relation to WMP. But if I’m only using it to sync then I can live with that too. I hate Vista countless times more than iTunes but I’m still using it every day, so using Apples tardy media player to get songs on to the iPhone is an irritant, but a small one.
It’s expensive, but it’s also very good at what it does. There’s every accessory you can think of available for it. The App Store can keep you occupied for hours (although occassionally you’ll end up with something which seemed like a good idea at the time, but after five minutes is just another icon on the home screen). Just being able to find yourself when you’re lost is such a time saver.
Go for it, you won’t be disappointed.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I don’t have a 3GS but a 3G and ther 3GS is basically just the GTI version. With that in mind, here are a few things I have learnt.
1) You need at to keep at least 93 iPhone cables and chargers in various strategic locations
2) It’s the best phone ever – even though it does have some faults
3) 18 months sounds like a long time but apple release an OS upgrade every few months which gives you that new phone feeling back for a while so it’s really not that bad.
4) iTunes is a piece of crap but luckily you only have to use it as a syncing tool.
5) jailbreaking adds lots of extra posibilities
By the way, a PAYG iPhone comes with 12 months free web and wi-fi.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Unless you really need the GPS and web stuff… why not get a teeny tiny phone like the Sony Ericsson T303 which lasts about 10days on a charge. Then get a teeny tiny Sansa Clip for music with about 50 hours playback on a charge via USB. These will set you back about £40 each. Total saving about £900 and smaller total size.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I’m holding fire for the minute. Everyone’s getting an iPhone and I like to have something a bit different.
I currently have a Sony Ericsson and agree that there’s currently no real alternative to the iPhone. However I’m waiting until later in the year and considering either the Sony Ericsson Satio or an Android based phone.
I’m quite keen to stick with SE as I have a number accessories that plug into the SE connector.
Decisions, decisions…
July 8th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
I’d move everybody in my company on to a 3GS if it wasn’t tied to O2. For the kind of international work we do, Vodafone is pretty much untouchable (and I say that from experience of all the network providers, they simply don’t work very well in the ME and Africa).
Yes I could jailbreak them, but imagine jailbreaking 10 devices, getting them all set up on exchange etc. and then supporting a bunch of technophobes who would be forever trying to sync with iTunes – no thanks
If Apple allowed other telcos to sell unlocked iPhones they’d expand their user base massively.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
HTC Magic is great phone, though battery not much better than iPhone by sounds of it. On Vodafone which has some sort of 3G service as opposed to O2’s “claims” of a service. (See Ofcom maps published today.) Android does most of stuff you are talking about, although I’m not into music on a phone so don’t know about that aspect – but you can copy MP3s etc from desktop.
With all hype of Pre, which seems to be techie wishful thinking and sentimentalism for “the good ole days”, feel Magic/Android much overlooked
July 8th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
If you dont like iTunes and hate having to charge the idiotPhone
using the odd connector Apple give dont buy one.
Go for a Pre or HTC Hero – Orange and T-mobile are offering this in a few weeks.
Google ‘HTC Hero Video’ and be amazed at multi-tasking – something the idiotPhone knows nothing about, why? because it needs to conserve precious memory as apple want their OS to be quick (to hide their poor code maybe?)
2 year contracts should be shunned by us all. I am on O2 and was due a 3 month early upgrade due to them allowing users spending £50+ a month for 6 months in a row the privledge. However month 6 was £48, so now I have to wait two more months. Yeah its silly, but so is O2 getting their hands on every decent smartphone – idiotPhone, Pre, Samsung Android…
July 8th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Ralph has hit the nail on the head; the iPhone is an excellent phone, and the music and other bits can be ignored and it’s still usable. I don’t think the GS has enough over the 3G – and o2 have been telling customers in Central London to go back to EDGE connections due to crappy infrastructure anyway, so beware impressions of speed.
Carrying a connector in your bag is no big thing. I find the iPhone lasts 2-3 times longer than the Blackberry bold, but then I leave the wiffy and the bluetooth off almost all the time anyway. And I still use my 2G iPhone on a PAYG SIM, every so often…
July 8th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
The iPhone is the gadget of the age. It is a thing of beauty; the simplicity of its lines and the fluidity of its OS are beyond compare. But the sum of its parts has never added up to the best device on the market. It has undoubtedly improved over its various incarnations, and particularly with the release of 3.0, but it still cannot match the best from WM. Android is similar, again trying to catch up. The true victory of the iPhone is one of marketing, and the genius that comes from a truly focussed marketing department. Apple has the great advantage of keeping very tight control over its OS and maintaining a closed market that makes the job of its marketeers much easier. They can focus on a dozen devices, all closely aligned with a similar look and function and all aimed at the same target market. Microsoft simply cannot compete on the marketing front; it has no control over the devices that utilize its software. Apple marketed smartphones to the public in a way that Microsoft never did, because it simply wasn’t interested in marketing other people’s devices. Hype begets hype and just as the iPod was not the best mp3 player, so the iPhone is not the best smart phone, yet still it outsells everything else. I have to add here that WM on its own is not user-friendly, but SPB Mobile Shell costs a lot less than a new iPhone and turns any WM device into something just as user-friendly as OS3.0. Those people who have remained open minded and have not fallen for the marketeering have enjoyed better hardware and more software on WM for some time, and we don’t even have to think about the horrors of iTunes and limited codecs etc. However, the problem is that the market has turned so strongly towards the iPhone that the coders who once fervently sought to improve and serve WM are now eyeing the wallets of the iPhone crowd, and who can blame them?
My contract has just expired on my old HTC Kaiser and I am almost tempted by the iPhone; that compass has my attention. But then there are the 5mp cameras and huge resolution screens on the latest HTC WM phones, and the open source software, and the open codecs, and the freedom from iTunes, and the battery life, and the replaceable batteries, and the multi-tasking, etc.
I may still plump for a 3GS, but to say that “there’s currently no real alternative” as someone did above is just silly. Perhaps that guy who suggested a cheap phone and an mp3 player hit the nail on the head. There is a lot to be said for playing your music until the battery runs out, and then still being able to call a taxi to get home…
Good luck with choosing.
July 9th, 2009 at 7:33 am
Buy the iphone and put a simplicity sim in it, £20pm gets you a few hundred mins and texts unlimites internet. Not much of a saving over 18 months but you are only tied in for 30 days.
If all else fails, give 30 days notice, sell iphone to recoup as much as you can and move on.
July 9th, 2009 at 7:48 am
I’m a Windows bloke through and through but after trying every phone in every shop I had to gat an iphone. It works and works very very well. The other phone’s touchscreens don’t. The iPhone OS is always responsive. Yes you can get a better camera with another phone but it’s a phone and the camera is just designed for snaps. I love it.
I’m ashamed I love it though and I tend to hide it away which I’m not sure I understand.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:11 am
I have a Touch Pro and an iPod Touch.
I keep thinking about the iPhone…
To the comments above about WM being better than OS X mobile, they are both right and wrong. Yes, WM has more pro features and is generally a more functional package, but as has been said, the marketing is excellent from Apple and the user interface is miles ahead of the WM phones, at the moment.
The WM interface, even the SPB shell, is good, functional and works, but the iPhone interface is a lot better in many of its aspects. The iPhone was infuriating when I first tried it. The overall interface was excellent, but it didn’t allow me to do “normal” things, like copy and pasting information from one app into another etc.
These have mostly been addressed and the simple interface makes all the difference over the WM and Android phones.
Multi-tasking? On most of the ‘phones, you can only work full screen anyway, you don’t get multiple, overlapping windows, so whether you have to flick between tasks or flick between apps, there isn’t that much difference, from a ‘phone point of view. But the app switching (quit and load) of the iPhone does mean that the battery doesn’t get as hammered. The mechanism for switching apps is also easier to comprehend than on the WM ‘phones.
Yes, WM and Android offer some technical advantages, but the iPhone does everything it does well and in an easy to access package. The same with the screen resolution, it may be lower than the current generation of htc devices, but it is still more than enough for most tasks and video playback.
A year ago, I would have said get WM or a CrackBerry over the iPhone, today, with 3.0 and the 3GS, I would put the iPhone at the top of the list, unless you specifically need a feature from WM or BlackBerry, that the iPhone can’t offer, or do as well.
As to iTunes. I used to hate it, but over the last year or so, even the Windows version seems to be stable and usable… I used to hate it and used MM Jukebox, but that has gone downhill and I tried a few others, then I bought a Mac and iTunes… I started using iTunes on Windows again and it was much better. Since then, I’ve tried replacing it with things like Songbird, but I keep going back, because “it just works.”
July 9th, 2009 at 8:16 am
Buy the PAYG iPhone, and then get a Simplicity SIM card from O2. UNLIMITED data, 1000 texts per month, and 600 mins talk time. All for just under £20. 30 day rolling contract can be cancelled with only 30 days notice. Ultimate in flexibility but initially high cost.
IMO, the latest update doesn’t offer that much over the previous 3G, hence why I bought a brand new sealed 16GB iPhone 3G off eBay for only £300. When the 4th iteration of the iPhone comes next year, I will consider upgrading if the camera/video is significantly better as well as battery life. For now though, I’m over the moon with my ‘old’ new iPhone and I’m in total control with my tariff.
Finally, I did purchase the 3GS iPhone not so long ago and ran both side by side (knowing I could return and cancel within a 14 day period). Yes it’s faster, but the camera isn’t that much better and the video is not something I’m that interested in along with the compass. It’s certainly not worth the extra £150 IMO!
July 9th, 2009 at 8:17 am
I agree iTunes is fairly clunky (on windows anyway) and whatever you do don’t try to sync contacts between your iPhone and Outlook. It has this wonderful feature that doesn’t transfer the contacts to Outlook and kindly wipes all the details from each and every contact on the iPhone…………it just works!
July 9th, 2009 at 8:25 am
18 month contract? PAYG? You’d be mad to take either of those options – O2 simplicity is the way to go. Just buy a PAYG iphone and use the Simplicity sim card… 600 mins and 1200 texts on a 30-day rolling contract at £19.95 a month. Just remember and choose the unlimited Internet as your free bolt on and you’re sorted.
As for iTunes… I hate it as well, but only use it for syncing, so it’s not too big a problem. The brilliance of the phone more than makes up for the iTunes side of things.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:59 am
As PC Pro’s Mobile & Wireless columnist I have a toy-box full of the latest phones. And so I get to choose from pretty much anything on the market to carry as my day to day phone.
I actually carry a BlackBerry Curve 8900 most of the time. a) because email is the most important thing for me, and b) because I have quite small fingers so can cope with the keyboard. But other phones that I’d be happy to carry are the iPhone (not necessarily the 3GS either – the normal 3G is fine if it’s running OS3), or the Nokia E75.
I’ve got loads of Windows Mobile phones here, including most of those mentioned above, but given the choices I have available to me WM phones simply don’t stand a chance. And I think it’s telling that one of Microsoft’s most respected WM evangelists has jumped ship and now works for Apple.
July 9th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Can’t you select an option somewhere in the menus that allows one to see the iPhone as an extra drive in Windows? You can with the music player so it would be reasonable to assume you can with its phone-enabled relative. Then you wouldn’t need iHog.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:06 am
@Stack “Yes, the battery life is merely adequate. But I have a charger.”
What a pity that Apple doesn’t allow you to have a spare battery to swap. That would really save some time, and make the phone so much more adaptable. Apple really is *the* most restrictive IT company in the world.
Personally, as you’ve waited so long Stuart I would wait a little longer and review the half dozen or so Android based phones predicted to be available by December of this year; that’s my plan.
Richard
July 9th, 2009 at 10:12 am
@Paul Ockenden, would that be MrMobile?
July 9th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I just got the Iphone 3GS as a gift for my birthday. The battery life I can honestly say is crap. I used to use a sony erricson W580i and the battery would atleast last me from morning to night with a chunk of it still left and sometimes it would last me till the next day around noon. I’m not even much of a talker and the battery on the iphone is ridiculous. You charge it all night use it during the day and by the end of the night its at 10%. You have that option to see the percentage of how much life you have on your iPhone and i realized everytime i would even look at it to check the time or to send a text message the percentage will decrease by 1 or 2. I’m so dissappointed, i never came to a situation where i had to carry my charger around. It sucks. Yes iTunes isnt the best thing out there, not so easy either, but it’s manageable. But rather than it’s battery life, it is the best thing out there so far.
July 9th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Here’s the question …. do you want to control your phone or to do as you are told?
Windows phones, you have total control. it will do everything the other toy phones will do and if you get the right one, can be a computer on the move.
The IPhone, you have to do things the Apple way….full stop.
You will never have control of an IPhone.
Battery life… that’s a joke. you have to walk with your own power supply….(in my case, my laptop) if you leave the country…..well it dosent bare thinking about (roaming charges for the internet!!! that will be an intresting bill)
its all really about control…do you want it or not?
in 2 years time, ill be going back to Windows and i wont look back.
piece id shit…opps must plug it back for the next hour before i drive home or ill have no phone for the next 2 hours…
ever wandered why the apple is not whole?
Its not quite PC is it!!!
July 9th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Battery life should not be a concern in choosing. My wife gets days from hers, but she doesn’t use it much most days. Me, I did a train trip to London, listened to music, used the GPS & maps, made calls, checked tube status, and had enough for the return journey. Need more? I use one of the little battery packs that can recharge the phone twice before being charged itself. But I’ve not actually needed to use it yet – always home to the dock.
And while Apple “control” a lot of things, there is an amazing range of add-ons specifically designed for it. The dock is quite pervasive. I used to look on it as something poor mad fools had been suckered into, and then when I got one I really appreciated the range of options that it opens up, which is wider than any other range of similar devices.
July 9th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Do you really want to look like all the other idiots in the street, pretending they have learnt all their screen/finger gestures. Even better ditch the old phone, buy a decent mp3 player dont bother with a phone. Listen to music you enjoy as opposed to listening to people you dont want to.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
As with all expensive purchases, the answer depends on whether you will use it enough to justify the cost – sit down and think about it, will you really be using all the features? If you’re like most people, you’ll already have an MP3 player and all new phones come with a camera, not to mention the useful ability to make voice calls – what does the iPhone 3GS add for the extra money, and does that justify the marginal extra cost? I’m guessing it’s a borderline decision else you’d have bought one without needing to consult the PC Pro readership – perhaps you should think about the things that are making you hesitate? If in doubt, wait – you won’t end up in a worse situation, and you might even be able to get a cheaper or better deal – also you might regret splashing out on an iPhone 3GS when the Palm Pre finally surfaces…
July 10th, 2009 at 10:26 am
@MJ “Battery life should not be a concern in choosing. My wife gets days from hers, but she doesn’t use it much most days.”
Here’s a novel idea, then. It will probably result in the battery lasting for many months — don’t use the phone at all.
July 16th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
I have to say I love my iPhone, its lovely. I look after it like a baby
However their support is poor.
I tried to be nice to their support but they just dont listen on the phone. I had to wait two weeks for my phone and it was wiped.
Great support.
Check my site out.
I love iphone, its soooo great. I sleep with it
July 20th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Ordered my 3GS today! :-O
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:04 am
Go for it! It’s like hitting 3 birds with one stone, you’ll get phone, music and internet. And if you’re a gamer, its enhanced processing power and support for advanced graphics make iPhone 3GS a dream device. Did I convince you enough to purchase it?
September 12th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Do you have a slow PC too? Apple offers the only truly integrated solution. (It may change your experience of iTunes.) I am in the process of switching (after Vista.)
If you keep your phones this long, Apple has been year(s)of the competition. And their new OS get them closer to the BB, but that did not sound like a concern for you. All the best.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Do you have a slow PC too? Apple offers the only truly integrated solution. (It may change your experience of iTunes.) I am in the process of switching (after Vista.)
If you keep your phones this long, Apple has been year(s) ahead of the competition. And their new OS get them closer to the BB, but that did not sound like a concern for you. All the best.
September 16th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Digital Security Id Wallet Card…
You have got to be kidding!…