Tell me that's its dumb to get iPhone 5S

[MissGina]

Well here is the long awaited update! I somehow mange to talk myself into waiting a month even though I DID preorder the new 5S in gold! However last week, I got tired of waiting for it to ship and canceled the order. For some reason the gold phone is quite popular. Anyway since my contract is over in 2 weeks, I've decided to NEVER go back on a contract plan. The cost savings is way to great and I don't really need all the bells since I do have an iPad :)

I'm looking into what to do and which carrier to go with now. Thanks so much everyone for all of the advice on not doing a dumb thing like getting an iPhone 5S!

[Exflyboy]

I keep lusting over a Dodge Charger... But it don't go much faster in realife than my Dodge Neon I paid $350 for.. Yes I can afford to buy several Chargers... Walk away Frank.. Walk away!

[MissGina]

MissGina, I'm gonna leave a couple links for you just to start with:

http://www.techmeshugana.com/2013/01/are-iphones-worth-it/
http://www.techmeshugana.com/2013/05/how-to-save-money-with-an-iphone/

...read em? Good. Let's keep going!

New and carrier unlocked, the iPhone 5s starts at $650 for the 16GB model, going all the way up to $850 for the 64GB model before sales tax. Ask yourself, do you actually need a cell phone that costs as much money as some families lifetime enslavement debts in the third world? (Never mind the source of some of the rare earth metals used in phone production.)

But subsidy prices with contracts! Only $200 to $400 instead! Such a deal! Let's be realistic and do some math. You cut out your data habit with your remaining text and minute usage numbers, you're officially in the $15-20/month price range with most MVNOs. The average monthly cost for most subsidized iPhone users? Over $100 a month. Have some dirty napkin math:

New iPhone with subsidy over two years: $100 x 24 = $2400. $2400 + $200 = $2600
New iPhone without subsidy and data over two years: $20 x 24 = $480. $480 + $650 = $1130
Savings of purchasing over contract: $1470

Now imagine how much you'd save if you didn't buy the phone at all (even counting your $250 phone credit). Also, your data habit is costing you an arm and a leg. On that note, let me quote Paul der Krake from a PM he sent me a couple days ago (hope you don't mind, dude, but it's good):

Thanks to your pointers I was able to download all the google maps for a 20 mile radius offline and I don't even drive my car that far! Seriously, who needs data plans. I feel like I've finally joined the 21st century.

Indeed! We have all these smartphones with massive gigabytes of data storage on board and processing power that even shames some desktops from the past decade. What is more awesomely futuristic than being able to use this thing for all the features it's capable of without needing an expensive data tether? The future is now, and these phones keep the financial viability of sneakernet alive in the era of information overload. That should be 'effing awesome and an excuse to save even more money, not as a reason to try and justify spending an extra $30+ a month for an extra gigabyte or two of data delivered through the cellular network to you outside of your home and office where you already have far greater data access for far less.

You also mentioned you already own an iPhone. Please, do tell us exactly what key feature you desperately need in your professional life that this model does better than the one you already have. And don't tell me it's the fingerprint scanner, the lightning connector, the interface "improvements", the GPS map functionality, or the social culture surrounding the device.

So... still want an iPhone 5s now?

OMG, thank you so much for this post!! I really am trying to ween myself off of the iPhone, but like all addictions, it takes time and probably me just biting the bullet and buying another phone. *sigh*

[Daley]

OMG, thank you so much for this post!! I really am trying to ween myself off of the iPhone, but like all addictions, it takes time and probably me just biting the bullet and buying another phone. *sigh*

Glad to have helped. I've also responded to your other post in the Superguide. :)