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Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

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Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#131
post #3
post #2

It seems like the people who say the "new" one is thinner, lighter, more elegant, etc, all have cases on their phones. So in essence, the case sets your phone back a generation or two.

I never understand why people use cases. What's the point in preserving something in mint condition if you never see it without the case?

I mostly have a case for the extra grip. I had issues with dropping it and have basically a grippy rubber sleeve for a case. I've probably dropped 10 or so times and I'd guess 1 or 2 of them would have have caused cracks with out the case.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#132
post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having in mind that most of it experienced while looking at the screen the difference is huge.

By being one row taller?

The 3GS didn't have the higher resolution screen; that didn't come out til 4.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about preserving it in mint condition, it's about preserving it in usable condition. I can't speak for others but my case has saved my phone from a smashed screen on several occasions. EDIT: Should possibly also add that I have small children (1 and 3 - that's their ages rather than their names) who use it and I'm damned if I'm giving it to them without a case on...

How do you know that the case saved the day? I once had my case-less iPad fall from a ledge five feet above the surface it eventually landed on and it survived with nary a scratch. They seem fairly rugged on their own.

Mine fell from a table about 80cm high, screen flat down on a hard floor. Got just a ding on the corner (and a heart attack). I've dropped an iPhone 4 probably a dozen times too, it's an year old, caseless and healthy (though you can see some light scratches if you look close enough).

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't sound like a very good alternative. You're paying 10% of the cost of the phone to protect it against (some) accidents, but in the process set it back a generation, by making it thicker and heavier. That's pretty costly as far as insurance goes.

Only if you place a high priority on thickness. I personally don't, and am actually fairly annoyed that cell phone makers don't have the option to e.g. double the thickness of their phones in exchange for a 2-3x increase in battery life.

The thickness of a case doesn't bother me. The ridge around the edge of the screen does.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#135
What if these people are nervously scrambling to make a comment so they don't look stupid on camera?

Of course, they all ended up looking stupid, but if you genuinely believed you were getting something new you would probably feel pressured to feign being impressed.

Besides, I'd wager that they excluded one or more interviewees who said "I can't tell a difference."

Of course, it's perfectly fine for a laugh.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#137
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never understand why people use cases. What's the point in preserving something in mint condition if you never see it without the case?

It's not about preserving it in mint condition, it's about preserving it in usable condition. I can't speak for others but my case has saved my phone from a smashed screen on several occasions. EDIT: Should possibly also add that I have small children (1 and 3 - that's their ages rather than their names) who use it and I'm damned if I'm giving it to them without a case on...

Your comment about your children's names reminded me of something I heard Bill Cosby say once. When he was a kid, he and his brother thought their names were "Dammit" and "Hellfire" until they were twelve years old. "Dammit, get in here! Hellfire, get out of that tree."

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about preserving it in mint condition, it's about preserving it in usable condition. I can't speak for others but my case has saved my phone from a smashed screen on several occasions. EDIT: Should possibly also add that I have small children (1 and 3 - that's their ages rather than their names) who use it and I'm damned if I'm giving it to them without a case on...

I've dropped my phone numerous times with only minor dings resulting. The pot of boiling water, on the other hand... (I was using the phone as a kitchen timer)

My wife's phone fell off a countertop, resulting in a completely smashed screen. (Basically a dense spiderweb of cracks covering the entire screen.) She wasn't using a case at the time, otherwise there's a good chance that wouldn't have happened.

However, it was fairly cheap to replace the screen (~$50) so maybe there's still no point in getting a case.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#139
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> at full cost Apple will actually send you a new/refurbished iPhone 4S for just $199, much much less than the cost of a new unlocked no-contract phone. You just mail in the broken one. http://support.apple.com/kb/index?page=servicefaq&geo=Un... I recently broke my iPad's screen (dropped it, completely smashed) and got a new one for about half the original price.

I dunno what your situation is, but even at the best of times, $199 is a lot of money.

Yes it is, but I believe the point of comparison is an off contract iPhone, which is $650 or $700.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#140
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never understand why people use cases. What's the point in preserving something in mint condition if you never see it without the case?

It's not about preserving it in mint condition, it's about preserving it in usable condition. I can't speak for others but my case has saved my phone from a smashed screen on several occasions. EDIT: Should possibly also add that I have small children (1 and 3 - that's their ages rather than their names) who use it and I'm damned if I'm giving it to them without a case on...

I have children 1 and 3 who use my Android, and sometimes drop it. No problems. Just in case, however, I do send them out of the kitchen when they're holding it, since it's our only non-carpeted area.
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