There always seems to be a lot of buzz around the release of a new iPhone. It’s like Christmas for some grownups, many of whom will mark the date on the calendar and plan their life around the phone release for that point in time. Clearly, with people lining up outside stores, there is an almost a cult-like following for them. The record sales over the last weekend, as reported by various outlets, shows that this latest iPhone is no exception.
I know “cult-like” might seem like a strong way to put it, but that’s really what its seems like. This isn’t just a product, it’s a brand like a mega-popular sports team. And, the craze for a phone release is like the excitement for championship game tickets for a team with title-starved fans. You would think that people were lining up for Cubs World Series tickets! You know, the team that hasn’t made it to the fall classic since 1945, where making it that far is just about like a once in a lifetime event. This is my local analogy to describe how people view the release of an iPhone, which is easy for me to make as I like the White Sox, a local rival of the Cubs 🙂
Anyway, back to phone upgrades. It’s really a no-brainer for many people to upgrade their phones as soon as their contract is up. Assuming a 2-year contract no matter what the phone – iPhone or other – most people I know will get a new phone right after that 2 year point is reached. Maybe they’ll wait a few days, perhaps a month. But getting a new phone is just going to happen, period. People are excited to get a new phone, and can’t imagine waiting. If it’s an iPhone, they’ll take time off work and wait in line.
Some people don’t even wait 2 years!
What about waiting for a while to get a new upgrade? I’m not talking about a few weeks, or even a few months after the 2-year period is up. I mean spacing out the upgrades to once every 3 years?
Let’s say you spend $200 for your phone when you upgrade. This means, over a 6 year time period, upgrading every 2 years would result in a total cost of $600.
If you extend the holding period of a phone to 3 years, you would be spending only $400 over that time. Thus, you save $200 over 6 years.
Now, it may not seem like much. But $200 isn’t a small amount of money. Plus, if you invest that $200, it could be worth a lot more later in life. That $200 invested with a 10% annual rate of return could result in nearly $3,500 after 30 years. That seems like a bit more, right?
Further, taking this approach, you’re not exactly missing out on new technology. I mean, you’re still using the most current phone for part of the time – and a very functional phone for part of the time. I’ve been using a Droid X for the last 3.5 years, and it’s worked fine for me. When I bought it, it was the newest Android smartphone out there!
That said, it’s probably time to upgrade, especially since the battery life is non-existent at this point. Plus, my own father has a newer phone than me and even suggested that I get a new one. Dad having more current technology than me is reason enough for me to take notice. So, I’m in the market for a new phone.
But I can tell you that by keeping my current smartphone 1.5 years beyond the end of the contract, it hasn’t hurt my quality of life and may have put a few extra dollars in my pocket.
Or, maybe there is something magical I’m missing out on, as evidenced by the hordes of people clamoring to upgrade 🙂
My Questions for You
How often do you upgrade your phone?
Do you think it’s truly necessary to upgrade every 2 years, or do you have no problem with waiting longer?
Finally, I’m curious – if you’re an iPhone user, did you upgrade right away?
I use an old retro style Nokia. I just take calls, send the odd message and stuff. It costs me £10 ($16) a month for 900 minutes talk time.
I couldn’t care less about upgrading, and feel no pressure or social obligation to be carrying around the latest model.
My 17 year old son on the other hand, “persuades” his father that he needs to upgrade to the latest “in thing” every 18 months. which costs me £40 or $65 a month.
I think they’re a waste of time and money – he thinks they’re an essential part of life.
I can see both perspectives. They aren’t essential for most people these days (though admittedly I have a smartphone), but I think we’re quickly coming to the point where they will be.
I only upgrade when my contract is up and I can get it for cheap. I’m definitely not the type of person who needs to wait in line for a phone.
Yeah the waiting in line part is one that doesn’t resonate with me.
I hate upgrading my phone. It’s just another piece of technology that I’ll have to re-learn. Unfortunately, until a few years ago, I thought upgrading was required (I was on a family plan with 4 other family members who did it, and I was asked to come along – I wasn’t aware I had a choice). Now that I know, as much as I hate my current phone, unless I can downgrade to the style I like (which is more expensive than new phones for upgrades), I will not get a new phone. I have a regular Samsung something or other. I don’t really understand iPhones/Apple products: I think Apple offers one ultra-mega device that everyone uses for different things, and if you use it for a phone, then it’s your “iPhone”. 🙂
Hi
My first cell phone was an Alcatel and I had it for 5 years or so. Then 3 years ago I ditched that old Alcatel and I upgraded to a Nokia 5230. Im happy with this Nokia 5230.
However, recently I felt the pressure to upgrade. Then I bought the Nokia 520 because it had a small discount and because I wanted wifi conecction. Well, after a week using this new Nokia 520 I disliked it a lot. There is nothing inherently wrong with it. I just don’t get used to a totally differente and more complex operative system. Yes, it is more powerful and capable but I can’t get used to it, to many things I don’t need. So, sadly, I sold it to a friend losing a good deal of money. But hey, Im back to my old Nokia 520 which is NOT a smartphone but at least it is simple and reliable and gets the job done. Thats all I need.
Ok, there was a typo in my last sentence, I mean Im back with my old Nokia 5230 which is not smartphone but easy to use!
I am not upgrading often at all. I can easily keep a phone for a minimum of 2 years but it can easily go higher. Last year I upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S2 and I am extremely pleased with it for now and I have no plans to upgrade anytime soon.
I don’t have a consistent time period when it comes to upgrading my phone. As long as it works and I still like it, I would keep it until it get lost or broken. 🙂
I bought my phone in 2009. It’s 4 years old and still working perfectly. I won’t change it until it breaks down, then I’ll choose something not too expensive but still reliable. Paying hundreds of bucks every few years to change a phone that works perfectly seems like a really big waste to me.
I currently have an iPhone 4s which is about 1 year old. Before that I had an LG Envy which I had for about 4 years. The only time I paid for an upgrade was for the iPhone, the other times I made sure that the phone I upgraded to was within the cost of the credit I was given by Verizon. I have never upgraded a phone within 2 years and can’t see upgrading again for awhile.
I am a phone dinosaur. I keep my phones for several years, and just switched to a smart phone within the last 12 months!
I am an iPhone user. I don’t really use it, but it was time for me to get a new phone and it coincided with the iPhone 4 being $75 with a two year contract, so my husband put it in my stocking at Christmas a couple of years ago. It is still in perfect condition and I am not upgrading even though I got the notice a couple of weeks ago that I am due for an upgrade. I simply don’t see the since in it. I barely use any data from my plan, so it is silly.
My oldest has had a cracked iPhone for over a year waiting for new versions to be released. She has been due for an upgrade for 6 months, but chose to wait until the right phone was available at the right price. She’s 19 and very practical with money. My youngest also needs a new phone and will be due for an upgrade in February. She plans to get another 4S.
We do love when new iPhones come out….it means the phones we’re perfectly happy with become much less expensive or free!
I don’t see the SENSE in it…sheesh!
I upgrade about every 2-3 years. One of my friends just got the new iPhone 5S. I love the newest gadgets, but I like to get a good amount of use out of the tech I already have before forking over more money for the next big thing. I’ll probably buy the iPhone 6 when it comes out next year.