iPhone Roundup: Top Letdowns Of The iPhone 4S Launch, And How To Buy One Hot
The iPhone 4S disappointed many who had expected an iPhone 5. Here’s a roundup or iPhone news and tips for buying the phone.
PC World says the top four letdowns in the 4S are:
- No new design
- No 4-inch, Curved, or Edge-to-Edge Display
- No 4G
- No Sprint exclusive
For those not too disappointed, Jonathan Zschau, author of “Buying and Owning a Mac: Secrets Apple Doesn’t Want You To Know,” offers these tips on buying the iPhone 4S.
Be prepared to act fast. After the announcement of the iPhone 4, pre-orders sold out within a matter of hours and those who procrastinated got left out in the cold. Pay attention to Apple news sources and pre-order your new iPhone as early as possible. You can pre-order starting October 7.
Avoid the lines: order online and deliver to your home. There probably will be long lines at Apple, Verizon and At&T stores. Don’t let shipping fees stop you from buying online. Apple has a great track record for getting new iPhones delivered to customers on time and delivery is free.
Buy from alternative sellers. You can also buy from Verizon or AT&T. Your new iPhone will come with the same Apple one-year limited warranty and will be fully serviceable at Apple locations. Be aware, however, that return policies and procedures may differ from Apple’s.
Sell your old iPhone. If you’re upgrading from an old iPhone, consider selling your old one on eBay, Craigslist, or other channels such as sellyourmac.com. You can also trade in your iPhone with companies like Gazelle.com.
Buy with a credit card that offers additional protection. Many credit card companies (such as American Express) offer additional protection plans on purchases made with their cards. As long as you pay off your card balance so you don’t accrue interest or other fees that offset the benefit, take advantage of this.
Hold off on AppleCare. AppleCare is Apple’s own service plan, which it offers for most of its products. The iPhone AppleCare plan currently costs $69 and can be obtained at any time for up to one year after purchase. Apart from the additional telephone technical support available beyond the 90-day complimentary period, there is little benefit to buying AppleCare before the one-year limited warranty is about to expire. Consider saving a date 11 months after you purchase your iPhone and decide then. It’s a waste of $69 if your phone gets lost, stolen, or damaged in a way that would void coverage (for example, by water damage). Do consider the insurance coverage for lost, stolen, or broken phones offered by wireless carriers. For less than $10 a month, you get peace of mind.
Learn iOS 5. The iPhone 4S’s operating system, iOS 5, is capable of far more than the previous operating system. Take time to read up on the capabilities of the iOS and its new features.
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