This may be pre-mature, but the fact that the words were even typed ... lends itself to the possibilities of life away from iPhone.
We will have to see what improvements Apple has made to iPhone 5 before I say nay nay. And that's why this 'may' be pre-mature, saying I'm leaving my tech love of life iPhone for a (gulp) Android.
There, I said it. Well, typed it. Okay okay, why am I even typing it?
Economics, partly. Power, secondly.
Lets cover power first. iPhone (like iPad, MacBook Air, iPod, etc) all have a non-changeable internal battery. When I say non-changeable, I mean you cannot change it out yourself without a few tools, a video, and a healthy dose of bravado! I've looked at the various websites that offer the tools, the videos, the expertise, the parts ... to change out any battery in any iDevice. But I've never pulled the trigger. For a small fee (more importantly - time away from your hands while it's being done), most of the companies that offer the above mentioned will also change that battery out for you. Living without the iDevice in the meantime, is something else I've never pulled the trigger on.
We handed our old iPhone 3G's down to our kids last year after Corinne and I purchased iPhone 4. At that time, we had been carrying and using the 3G's for about 18 months. Needless to say, the batteries would be better suited to paper weights now. The platform itself (the iPhone 3g) is getting old, showing age, especially when sitting next to one of our 4's. And as Apple does a marvelous job of, the software on the 3g's just does not keep pace with the software and capabilities of the new platforms.
All this to say .. a few things. The kids are looking at new phones. The thought of getting them into an iPhone 5 is not something I'm comfortable with, based solely on price alone ($199 - $299 is my guess based on memory). That's a lot out of pocket for a 'student' to be responsible for. They have been pretty good with the 3g though, so I cannot complain from that standpoint. As we know, it's not always your child that ends up 'losing' something ... sometimes, it's another person that gets the device into their hands without consent - leaving your child with no phone and you with a decision to buy another, or say 'tough luck' Junior.
So, in looking at replacing the old 3g's of the kids, I heard one say 'I don't want an iPhone', and the other said 'I want iPhone 5, unless we're leaving AT&T, then I want a Droid.' Hmm, ok. Now here is the other part of kids having iPhones ... I did not hear 'I want a new phone' for a LONG time compared to other 'starter' phones they had before. Meaning, they had the 'cool' phone, and it does everything they need it to do, hands down. So the nagging of 'I want that phone over there' was not heard until recently.
But this got me to thinking ... should I look at Droid more seriously as well? After all, I have one on my counter that sits there 24/7/365 as a Hot Spot for our internet. It's with Sprint, because Sprint has ponied up the cash and invested in the local infrastructure to blanket Blackhawk County with true 3G Data speeds making web surfing a pleasure out in the country - Thank you Sprint! But the phone that provides this wonderful usefulness for us is an EVO 4G phone, which planted in a launch market like Minneapolis or Chicago ... also provides blazing fast 4G surfing speed ... which completely blows my mind.
One thing the EVO does really well ... is lose it's back cover to expose a battery that can be changed out by the owner. :) Now, we are adding value! No more battery issues if you can simply go buy a new one, or get one in the mail using a few clicks of the mouse. Also, instead of charging the iPhone 3 to 4 times a day (like I do now with my 4), I can simply change out the battery. Charge 2 of them at night, run one to death, install the second, and I'll probably make it through a complete day with an EVO or newer Android phone.
So the power issue is pretty big, for me, and for Brock (we use our phones more than the girls ... yeah, it's a guy thing I guess).
Economics.
Now here is where the rubber really meets the road. Okay, let alone the fact that we could get into 4 EVO's for $400 ... vs. one iPhone for $300 .. the story get's much better than just he 'up front' outlay of cash to get started. It's multi faceted too, meaning, there is more than one place that will save us a tremendous amount of money per month ... adding up to mega bucks over a 2, 3, 4 and 5 year period.
The service plan difference, is where this comparison really gets interesting. Sprint, is forging the way by offering Unlimited - Everything. Calls, text, picture mail (MMS to the rest of the world), email, Data (web surfing) ... everything - is unlimited. Okay, just to be clear on one thing, they don't charge you for mobile to mobile calls - for any mobile to mobile call on any carrier ... so unless you call a landline, you are not getting into your allowable minutes. Virtually, everything is unlimited.
AT&T, however, has 'just' rolled out mobile to mobile (on any other carrier called, not just the old way of AT&T to AT&T calls) free calling. They have rollover minutes, but I suspect those are going away with the adoption of mobile to mobile. But where this gets thick is, AT&T is still operating under their tiered data plan system. Corinne and I are grandfathered in on the unlimited side of Data, but the kids phones are tied down by 200 mb of usage, then once going over that, it's another $15 a month. So getting the kids into unlimited, really just spells further peace of mind that the cell phone bill will become a 'fixed' amount vs a guessing game.
Two smart phones with Sprint, 1500 minutes of talk time (again, only needed when calling a landline because mobile to mobile will not charge the minutes), unlimited everything else runs $129 before any discounts. Military, John Deere, United Airlines (just examples) have Employee plans with Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, etc. Our United discount of 26% is going to take a formidable chunk out of that. Then, as for the other two smart phones that will be on the account ... each one is $19.99 + 10 for premium internet usage (fancy wording for the 4g data network surcharge) ... so each additional smart phone line is about $30. All told, Unlimited use of 4 smart phones on Sprint will run us $155.46 before taxes.
Our AT&T bill is presently $332 a month (my Dad is on that bill too). Subtracting my Dads portion, we still look at $270 a month with AT&T and we are limited on the data side with 2 of the phones. AT&T has invested a lot in Apple (by giving the phone away compared to what you would pay for it without a contract) ... and it shows right here in the bill difference of $115 a month disparity between AT&T and Sprint.
$115 a month is a BIG difference. I have not even mentioned that AT&T only offers Edge data speeds at my house, so it's just plain killer slow until we travel to Waterloo or Cedar Rapids where 3G has just recently shown up. Sprint has blanketed us early with 3G, putting AT&T in the rear view mirror.
Now, for the other 'a ha' moment. As I mentioned, we have an EVO on the counter that just spits out internet for us in the house. And it's only sitting there because AT&T is so pathetically slow on the internet side, that I couldn't stand it anymore ... so we added the EVO just this year. BUT, that EVO is not free, demanding another $98 a month from us.
By converting us all to Sprint, getting Droids that are Hot Spot capable ... we not only save $115 a month through the service plan, but we also drop the requirement for the extra EVO, which is another $98 a month.
All told, we save about $213 a month just by moving to Sprint.
1 Year = $2,556
3 Years = $7,668
5 Years = $12,780
Wow! Without even working my Plan B (Advocare), the 5 year number pays off all of our current junk debt. And we get faster phones? Sign me up!
Now, here is what a lot of people don't look at too. Since I'm trying to chuck United out of my life, and rely solely on myself ... I have to look at what it would take to earn the money to pay for the difference in the service.
What do I mean? Well, when you pay a bill, remember that you are using your take home pay. Uncle Sam has already taken his percentage out. You still had to work _____ hours to earn the money, to pay the bill.
So, the yearly savings of $2,556, at my tax rate ... equates to the necessity to earn $3,476 per year. Meaning, I have some options when I save that much money.
I could, work $3,476 dollars 'less' at United. I could, take that amount per year off of what I need to earn to just stay afloat, and get into a lower paying job for example. I could survive on less money from my Plan B supplying 100% of my income vs 'needing' to be gone 20 days a month with United. Does that make sense? It's loud and clear to this guy!
Am I trying to sell this to you? Nope. I'm trying to get you to think about options in your life. Options you do have, we all have. With everything we do, there is an option. Freedom, is having options. We live in the in land of the free ... and I'm free to move to Sprint, to save money, so I can come home earlier. That, is freedom.
Is carrying an iPhone 5 more important than saving money? I don't know yet :) I've not seen one, held it, used it. I have no idea what the end product will look like. Which is why a little of this may be pre-mature. Either way, we are going to Sprint. Wether I purchase the new iPhone 5 (which Sprint will launch in October), or I move into a Droid ... only makes a difference on the front side of the purchase. It's the service plan advantage that's going to give me more freedom
So we will wait another month and see what iPhone 5 has to deliver.
Shawn Barnhart
Advocare Advisor / Distributor
We are Fanatical about Your Success!
Shawn@TeamInspire.biz
(319) 296-5656 cell/text
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