No bargain, no deal for me on iPhone 5.
I really wanted to stay away from writing yet another iPhone 5 story. Probably as much as you wanted to stay away from reading another iPhone 5 story. But I just had to write this after being assaulted by AT&T this morning. I tried to pay my bill today and could not get to the account page without them soliciting me to buy a new phone. I use the term assaulted because I am feeling pretty beat up by AT&T and by extension Apple after my experience today.
You see, I wasn’t going to buy an iPhone 5, not right away anyway. I have waited in my share of lines at the Apple Store, been through the AT&T cue in the past and generally I have decided that new tech gadgets are just not that cool to waste my time like that anymore. Especially the new iPhone 5. To me, it is just a slightly bigger screen on a phone that’s a little thinner. And the new iOS6 will soon be on my iPhone 4S anyway. There is just nothing compelling enough to go out and put up with the abuse of trying to get this phone early.
So I went to pay my AT&T bill today. When I logged in, a page came up that told me I was eligible for an upgrade on my iPhone 4S, and then asked me if I would like to check to see what I could get. Now, how is any red-blooded geek supposed to refuse that? I was drawn to the “check for upgrade” button like a moth to a flame. All of a sudden, even though I had no plans of getting one, I was thinking maybe it is time to get rid of this 4S. My battery is not holding the charge like it used to. It is a little too thick. God darn it, I have been working hard and I deserve a new phone. So I clicked the button and waited to see where I landed on the “Wheel of Fortune.”
Sure enough, there it was. I landed on the upgrade to the iPhone 5 page. Not only that, I had my choice of black or white models, 16, 32 or even 64 GB. I could order it today and have it delivered on the 21st (it was still early in the day). As my palms got a little sweaty, I scrolled down to what this baby would cost me. Heck, even using the cloud for everything, you can never have enough on-board storage. AT&T already told me I was eligible to upgrade. I have never paid more than $199 for a phone. I was ready.
Then it hit me like a closed fist to the solar plexus, like a cold slap in the face. A 16 GB iPhone 5 would set me back $449, plus I had to agree to a two-year commitment and activation fee. More memory would cost me another $100 per tier. Are they kidding me? $450 bucks to upgrade to the next iPhone and a new two-year commitment and fees. Sorry Charlie, AT&T and Apple, this new iPhone is just not all that.
If maybe I was buying an unlocked phone with no commitment, I might see my way to understanding why this phone should cost so much. But to be chained to AT&T yet again and pay through the nose for this phone, for what? All I see is a slightly bigger screen on a slightly thinner phone. I already have a tablet and laptop, so bigger is not better for me in regard to a phone. After you put the protective case on your phone, it isn’t all that thin anyway, so thinner is also not a big selling point for me. There is no Siri in this model (and what a disappointment that has turned into for me. I can’t believe I actually craved that once).
Sorry Apple and AT&T, you are going to have to do more than this to get me to fork over $450 or more and re-enlist for another term. In the meantime, I will watch what everyone says about their new iPhone 5. I should be eligible for a different tier of upgrade in May. By then I am sure there will be no rush and standing in line for an iPhone 5 or any other phone I pick at that time.
In the meantime, I will stay with my 4S and keep all of that money in my pocket! Have you shelled out that kind of money for your iPhone 5?
