Check out my GlobalTV Monday Morning News Tech Talk segment on whether to upgrade to the new iPhone5 and how to best do it. http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/video/tech+talk/video.html?v=2283104299&p=1&s=dd&searchQuery=tech%20talk#newscasts/search/tech%20talk
Now that it’s out, should you upgrade to the iPhone5?
Unless you have deep pockets, the iPhone5 is nice, but not a wow phone like the iPhone4 was. It has bigger
retina display that shows an extra row of icons, faster processor, slight improvement
on an already hot camera on the iPhone4s and a new iOS6 system which BTW is
also available for free on the iPhone4 and iPhone4s. An average 16% thinner, lighter,
less volume and fastest LTE Network.
The iPhone4s is plenty good, especially
with the iOS6 upgrade, like turn-by-turn mapping on a still buggy new Apple
mapping app and high quality panorama pix. Apple is the only company whose
number two iPhone4s still beats many of today’s competitors in performance and
value, but no fast LTE and and has a smaller screen by today’s standards. Battery life on the iPhone5 is not
improved much so the, overall the iPhone4S is good to hang on to.
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If you want to upgrade to an iPhone5, for the mid-level 32
GB ($799) it actually pays off to buy it at one of the cellcos, instead of
trotting over to the Apple store and buy it outright.
Why? Cellcos like TELUS will basically carry the $520 of the
$799 iPhone5 32 GB over a three year plan($50 minimum monthly) after your
initial $279 down payment. Think about it: a $520 advance to be paid off in
three years from a monthly data and voice plan. No interest. When you want to switch
to a new phone, you just have to pay off the remaining principal phone cost
(about $14 per month on time left on the 3-year plan) and simply start a new
contract with the iPhone5. TELUS unlocks the phone in 90 days.
Bell has a similar plan but it only works as good only after
the halfway point of your plan.
I suggest skipping one iPhone cycle, otherwise it’s a financially
losing proposition to get into a new phone every year.
Enjoy the iPhone4s for another year and you will be financially
better off for next year’s perhaps… iPhone5s?
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