Do you really need it? Was it worth it?

The_Matelot

owen1978 wrote: »

I got nothing against the iphone, its not about that!
There is nothing wrong with wanting something but can you
afford it? Can the money be spent better elsewhere?

Thats the point im making, fingers crossed by the end of this year
i will be debt free apart from mortgage thats what is important for me. Then maybe I will get an iphone cos i could afford it...

The whole point of this thread is to make people think before they
buy. What Apple have done is create a brand so powerful that people feel that their lives are incomplete without it.

I would love andorid/ms whatever to a hard hitting advertisting
campaign about the features they offer. It would then be a bit
fairer, this will allow the consumer to make a more informed decision.

You can try and tell people till your blue in the face that thier money would be better spent. It is known fact that people will make thier own decision on whether or not they can afford something. It is purely down to personal choice. Me?.... I'm all about the best deal on the day!

gjchester

owen1978 wrote: »

Thats the point im making, fingers crossed by the end of this year
i will be debt free apart from mortgage thats what is important for me. .

Thats the key, it's whats impostant to you thats at the core of this.

owen1978 wrote: »

I would love andorid/ms whatever to a hard hitting advertisting
campaign about the features they offer. It would then be a bit
fairer, this will allow the consumer to make a more informed decision.

Won't happen.

Each company is too busy trying to promote ther own brand over another. Would be like asking Ford and Renault to advertise jointly about Hybrid or Electric cars.

Google could be the ones to do it, but they have no need to, Android is out there and they are seeing the revenues in terms of the Advertsing system embedded in Android.

JJ_Egan

Google could be the ones to do it, but they have no need to, Android is out there and they are seeing the revenues in terms of the Advertsing system embedded in Android

And selling to a large growing market share they have no need to get into a slanging march with Apple . Room in the market for both plenty of customers for Android phones and likewise Apple phone .

jje

Wintermute

owen1978 wrote: »

I would love andorid/ms whatever to a hard hitting advertisting
campaign about the features they offer. It would then be a bit
fairer, this will allow the consumer to make a more informed decision.

That's not how advertising works, advertising works by making you think the product being advertised is the best. Not the best if you want productivity apps, the best if you want games.

It's not about fair for consumers, everybody in this day and age should be used to advertising, we've got sites such as MSE, hundreds of price comparison sites. We're bombarded on a daily basis with adverts for products most of us can't afford, that doesn't mean we need to be a sucker for them.
I keep seeing adverts for holidays abroad, nice golden sunny beaches, crystal clear blue water, etc. I have the cash (or credit) for one, I'd love to go, but I'm not because I can't justify to myself spending that amount of money when I'm trying to get enough cash together for a deposit for a flat.
Can I justify buying an expensive smart phone to myself? Yes. I've had a smartphone in some form for the past 5 years or so now, I want to be
online everywhere I go, I want email notification, my calendar on my desktop to automatically sync with the gadget in my pocket, access to important documents on the go if need be, start downloads at home from the bus. I'm not bothered about the music features, camera, ability to watch HD movies or anything like that. I'm a geek, I've been online for over half my life and I love the ability to stay connected to the net everywhere I go.

Coolhandluke

Scrammer wrote: »

I got a nokia phone for £100, 1/4 the price of the iphone.
I can make calls, surf the net, take pictures and video, download apps.
I don't see what else there is I need to do, so why should I pay more?
I has a touch screen and is about the same size as the iphone, the size being a double
edged sword.
So why would I pay more?

What Nokia phone is it you have?

grumbler

Coolhandluke wrote: »

What Nokia phone is it you have?

The point was that very many basic phones have these features.
Nokia 5230 is available for £65ish (or even for £40ish sometimes). Yes, it is not android, the screen is smaller and lower quality, but it does the job:
phone calls
internet 3g
photos
videos
satnav (working even without internet connection)
apps (don't know what kind of apps and how many)
...
...

Do you really want to pay £450+ extra for a device that is a mobile phone in the first place?

austin

i think my iP-4 does a great job at being a phone*, ipod, camera, internet device all in one. i didnt buy this thing because of hype. ive tried different brands such as HTC and its just not for me.

*however, apple really need to nail this reception problem in the next phone they produce. my old 3GS was much better for reception and call quality.

owen1978

Wintermute wrote: »

Can I justify buying an expensive smart phone to myself? Yes. I've had a smartphone in some form for the past 5 years or so now, I want to be
online everywhere I go, I want email notification, my calendar on my desktop to automatically sync with the gadget in my pocket, access to important documents on the go if need be, start downloads at home from the bus.

But thats the problem right there a cheaper smartphone like OSF for example can do all that?

And that problem has been created by peoples lack of knowledge
especially with IT related products.

grumbler

He may argue that OSF is lower quality (=less reliable?).
Well, what's wrong with HTC Wildfire then, that is available for about 30% of iPhone price? Slightly slower processor and lower resolution of the screen? I don't see how this can affect ability to be "online everywhere" and to get "email notification, my calendar on my desktop to automatically sync with the gadget in my pocket, access to important documents on the go if need be, start downloads at home from the bus".
Especially if he is not "bothered about the music features, camera, ability to watch HD movies or anything like that".

Scrammer

jenniewb wrote: »

Hmmm, a moral debate on MSE mobiles site...

Well its safe to say no one 'needs' an Iphone, no one 'needs' and OSF either come to think of that. We need food, water, human companionship and air, oh and warmth/temperature control but aside from that we create our own needs, we create our own desires and lifestyles. Each to his/her own but OP, you cannot assume just b/c you don't value the Iphone that others also don't. For some it is something they are happy to pay for as it gives them peice of mind, again, its not the same for everyone but its not for anyone to judge what choices someone else makes unless it affects other people negativly.

(And no, I don't own an i-phone, infact I don't own a mobile phone at all and don't plan on doing so until I see a fantastic offer...nothing has tempted me yet since my contract ended some time ago, thanks to 3-mobile I got used to not using my mobile and have sucessfully managed to brick the hole it attempted to leave with real life )

I may not need an OSF however I need to know what OSF means to be sure so could someone tell me what OSF means?

I got an mobile, I do not use it much, but given as it doubles as a camera, video camera, voice recorder, radio, torch, spirit level, compass, piano, electronic book, USB data transfer device, games console, and numerous other applications I forgot, such as calculator and note pad, I thought the £120 I paid for it was a bargain.

If the worse comes to the worst I can always use it to make calls on, or surf the net