Long story short, I have a cell phone that just got texting about a year ago. No internet, nothing smart about it and it cost 10 a month because it is an add on to a family plan. I am not locked into a contract.
I really have the itch to get an iphone but looking at what it would cost,( for the phone and more so the monthly service) I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money with my budget. I want the apps, camera, and video.
Then I was thinking, what about just getting an ipod touch 5. No service plan, I would have to pick up wifi where available (I have it at home and work) and would have the camera and video with it.
What do you think???? i phone and a hefty price tag (cost of the phone and an $60- $100 a month for service) or ipod touch for a one time payment ($275)
I think you can do it.
You already have the wifi at home & work & would have to use open, free networks outside of that.
Can you wait until your contract is up and get the iPhone then. Usually if you sign a contract you can get an iPhone for around $300. Just a thought.
I finally got an iPhone but I got the 4. Not even the 4S. I did not need anyone else talking to me lol. It is not extra for camera and video. I only get the free apps. My phone was $99. Do t know hos I lived so long without it.
Your idea is exactly what I did (with an older gen iPod touch). It's been 1 1/2 years and it's been awesome. With all of the free WiFi out there, I haven't found anything more that I would need an iPhone for and I saved a ton of money.
Whether it will also work for you will depend on what you will use the device for. For example, I have no need to use it as a GPS. I know my way around town quite well and rarely travel. On the rare occasions that I need a GPS, I have a great one that cost me less than $100 and no monthly fee--much cheaper than an iPhone monthly plan. My sister, on the other hand, travels quite a bit for work. She needs to pack light and uses her iPhone as a GPS, so for her the iPhone works best.
Think about this ... do you want or NEED? If it is looking to be a financial burden then keep wanting until you find you NEED it.
We love our IPhones and we've used them since they came out about 6 yrs ago.
That said, you should only purchase what you NEED and can AFFORD.
It is not worth going into debt for it.
For us, we use them all the time. We run our own company and when I am on the road, I don't have to take my laptop because I can manage my business with my IPhone.
For the 3 of us with unlimited data, text, etc plus international, I pay about $230 a month. We are with ATT and we didn't get any $99 deals on our phones. I have a 4, hubby has 4s and daughter has 5. Again, ours is a business expense but we also use them for personal use as well.
I fought it too. Thought it was ridiculous to spend that kind of money on a phone...... I changed my tune. LOVE my iPhone. It makes your life so much easier.
I've always gotten my phone with a contract. You can probably pick up an older model on ebay or craigslist too. Check walmart for an older model as well.
I personally don't think the amount for the data plan is worth it unless you HAVE to email constantly. I have a dumb phone and do everything else on my FREE computer at home! My kids have Ipods and they get free internet in more places than I could have thought they would!! I just got texting about 1 year ago as well, and that was only to keep in touch with my kids. Sure the Iphones are great, but do you really NEED it? You are the only one to answer that. Good Luck!
My vote is for the iPod touch.
You can do so muchon that, get free apps, have a video & camera etc.
And stick w/your normal cell phone that you already have.
(You can always get a regular phone but a Go phone at Walmart & it will
have camera, video etc. w/regular service payment).
I figured up the cost of having an iPhone with the data plan that's required by the phone company vs the cost of my dumb phone with a basic phone plan. In the three years I have had the dumb phone, I've saved over $1000, not even including the cost of the phone itself. My dumb phone was free. Granted, the convenience of the iPhone is great, but the cost isn't worth it to me. You might also consider an iPad mini.
you can get an iPhone 4, not the 4S for .99 with a contract at any AT&T store.
Just double check about the camera. The earlier generation ipod touches HAVE a camera, but they are designed for video and the still pictures are not very good. Not even close to what you get with the iphone.
My kids have the 4th gen Ipod touch and they use it to take pictures, but they are not very good quality. The videos they make are better.
I have an iphone 4S and it takes great pictures (not professional quality of course, but good enough that I stopped taking my Fuji with me to take pictures at my kids' events--I wouldn't do that with the quality of pic from the ipod). BUT, the new generation may have changed that... so yes, you could do what you are suggesting if they have upgraded the newest generation so that it has a decent camera for still photos on it. Just check to make sure first.
However, I will say that I had the 4th gen ipod touch (got it to use for music when I went running) and while it was wonderful for that, and you could entertain yourself with apps or make grocery lists or whatever on it... many of the apps I found myself wanting to download and use, were not games, and they needed GPS (wi-fi or a phone signal) to function. I did end up buying an iPhone, and giving my old texting phone to my husband to use (his was malfunctioning--precipitating the need for us to buy a new phone for at least one of us, otherwise, we would still be clicking along on text-only phones).
I no longer use my ipod, and my son (who has been very careful with his for 2 years) accidentally dropped his walking home from the bus, so after a week or so, I gave him mine to use instead. I never use it anymore anyway.
Just came back from a roadtrip, and having GPS was so helpful!! We had to drive to several locations around Atlanta that we were not familiar with, and rather than spend a lot of stressful minutes trying to navigate traffic and talk on the phone to someone else who wasn't sure exactly where we were, trying to give us instructions (and who also weren't familiar with where we were trying to go), we just googlemapped it and followed the blue line! :)
Sweet. We were on time for every event, and knew exactly where to stop for gas (gas buddy app), what fast food/sandwich shops were nearby, and how long we had to spare until we needed to leave to make it to our scheduled events.
If you can afford it but don't want to spend the monthly fee, I would vote to just jump in and do it... The first year will almost be paid for already, after you save the outlay you would otherwise spend on the ipod.
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Ohh... one of the earlier posters mentioned getting an ipad mini instead. And I have to say, unless you are planning to use your device for sports (with an armband or something where it needs to be small), then that is a super idea. A mini isn't much more than the new 5th gen iPod, and it does all the same things, but has a bigger screen, so it is much easier to use.
I have one of those also, and I put a book type case/cover on it and it fits right into my purse. Very convenient. I read books on it as well as all the other stuff. I COULD add data service directly to it, for $10 a month, but most of the time when I am using it, I have wifi available. On the rare occasion that I do not, I can get internet through my phone's personal hotspot at no additional charge.
