There has been speculation recently that Apple could be about to release two handsets in the coming months. An affordable iPhone has been rumored to be released alongside the iPhone 5, and could even be a prepaid iPhone 3GS. But there are reasons why buying an iPhone 3GS now is not a good idea.
Whether Apple do bring out a prepaid version of the 3GS in the coming months or not, consumers in the US can currently pick one up at a low price from Apple and AT&T. It has been a good move by the companies as AT&T get customers to sign up to its more expensive data plans, while Apple can get access to more price savvy consumers. But according to Roger Cheng of Cnet it may not be a wise move for the customer.
The device is now over two years old, and the cell phone market has evolved at an amazing rate over the last couple of years. It has a slower processor than many mid-range smartphones now available on the market, and compared to the fastest models available it will be painfully slow.
When it was first launched the S stood for speed, but it runs at around 600MHz and compared to the year old iPhone 4 which runs at 1GHz. Then you look at some of the top Android handsets with their dual-core processors you realize how far smartphones have come in two years.
Being an older model it can’t take advantage of features such as FaceTime, and when iOS 5 is released later this year it could struggle with the new software.
iPhone’s remain hugely sought after by the consumer as AT&T has recently announced it activated 3.6 million iPhones during the last quarter. Verizon Wireless hasn’t actually commented on how many iPhone 4s they have shifted so far, they did sell a total of 2.3million smartphones during the same period.
The upfront purchase price is obviously much less, but consumers will end up paying the same monthly charges during the two year contract. By the time users finish their contract they will be left with a four year old handset.
Obviously there is a stigma with owning an iPhone and buying the iPhone 3GS will be ideal for some, but when the iPhone 5 is released we may see the iPhone 4 being discounted. Even though the handset is over a year old now it’s still a worthy handset, and could be ideal for the price conscious consumer out there.
Would you consider getting an iPhone 3GS now?
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