Yesterday, amid much hoopla and social media flurry, Apple announced version 5 of their iPhone. iPhone users can now get excited about getting a new phone with lots of added features, like Siri the virtual assistant. But what about those of us, like moi, who basically use the phone as a phone (novel concept), checking my apps and running a few searches from it as my primary use? Well, now may be the time to have a look at the iPhone 4 because Apple has just dropped the prices. This always seems to happen with each new version, prices on the old versions drop.
A quick check of the Apple Store this morning shows that the iPhone 4 8G is now priced at $99 with a two-year contract. Meanwhile, the 3GS is now free with a contract. Will the old phone be as quick as the new one? No, but you can still get the new operating system, iOS 5 to run on the device. I still have the iPhone 3G, not because I didn’t want the latest technology, but because the 3G could use the SIMS card from my Blackberry, whereas the 4G could not. So I got the 3G for $49.95 so I could take all the contacts on my Blackberry SIMS and import them to the iPhone and then upload them to my iTunes, and then sync them back onto a new version of an iPhone. Now I can use the iPhone 4 with my contacts.
I find the phone an important tool for getting the best deals via the shopping apps, search engines like Google & Bing and alerts I get from apps like Groupon. So, I am actually excited about getting the iPhone 4 now at a discount. What do you think readers? Are you going to upgrade to version 5? Do you even have an iPhone yet?
PS: Since I wrote this, AT&T has written to inform me of this deal. “ iPhone 4S available on Friday, October 14 via AT&T online and in stores for a suggested retail price of $199.99 for the 16GB model, $299.99 for the 32GB model, and $399.99 for the 64GB model. AT&T customers can easily check upgrade eligibility and preorder today by visiting www.att.com/phoneupgrade “
Since 2008, Mary Hall has been the author of 
One Comment
Ironic that you posted this right before Steve Jobs passed away. The entire SF Bay Area is mourning his passing. Today was “wear a black shirt and jeans” to work day at Apple (I have friends who work there) and Cupertino is a media circus right now. RIP to the man who gave us beautifully designed & easy to use devices for the masses.