However, I'm also quite happy with the one I have now, a year later. Here are the reasons that make sense for me to upgrade:
- Starting over with a new battery. A year after buying the first one, I'm sure the charge capacity will start tapering off in the next few months. Li-Ion batteries are like that.
- 3g. Fast Internet is good. And Metro Boston has pretty solid 3g coverage. In fact, most of the East Coast has good coverage.
- Better voice quality. This is nice. The existing model is pretty good for a GSM phone, but it can always be better.
And why I really would rather keep the current one:
- Cost. Why buy a new one? And the plans are a little more expensive.
- All the coolest new software features are free with the 2.0 software update that comes out Friday as well.
- 3g is fast. But you pay by giving up battery life for it. Only 5 hours' combined talk/net time, compared to about 8+ when you use EDGE (still supported, by the way).
- Now that the iPhone is in a traditional subsidized model, you are locked to the phone for 2 real years - not like the old one where you buy the phone and that's it. Plus that makes the purchase more of a pain in the ass - now I have to actually do the contract in the Apple Store. Blah.
Personally I'd rather buy it for the $499 that the 16GB model would cost unsubsidized, activate at home, and then get a credit back or something for the $200 subsidy amount by buying it at Apple. Or buy at AT&T the same way, and get a rebate check or something. Whatever. One of the great things about iPhone 1.0 was that it let you take the annoying cellphone store paperwork and crap out of the process.
Either which way, though, in the end iPhones are a money-maker for me because for my clients Apple can do no wrong. Which is nice. Plus they make cool stuff.
