I would never update my iphone os! Lord I'm running like an iPhone 4g with some os that nobody knows the name of anymore it runs like shit and crashes constantly but anything is better than doing one of those goddamn upgrades no thanks
Also, I'm sorry, I know this might be offensive, but can we talk about how fucking janky Apple has gotten? I hate to ascribe mythic power status to a single sociopathic male individual but it does seem like Jobs exercised a certain level of taste-control over that company that has now just disappeared
this Beats by Dre thing is so tacky
Gary and I are considering getting Androids. Not a joke! Also though it would be very funny
Apple is janky as fuck now, agreed. I have been 80% apple 20% other (still have a PC media center thing) and I'm so disappointed with Apple's crap build quality (was never that great but now is a joke) and prisoner upgrades. Working in web I have to demo on all kinds of devices and the new droids are not bad at all. I wish there was an alternative. I've spent too much on apple related (music) hardware and apps to just jump ship, but a gradual shift could happen. I think if they really get rid of headphone jacks that will be it for me.
I had to do the update because it had created a new bug where Safari wouldn't work, and if there's one thing I want to do with my iphone it's look shit up when I'm not at home!
I've had my iPhone 5 for a while and haven't had any issues. Also the Macbook Pros are consistently good. It's the software that's gotten worse and not the hardware, at least in my experience.
Also, Android has way more privacy/security concerns than iPhone. Apple actually gives a shit about protecting their customer's data, whereas there's a lot more data surveillance going on in Android (which makes sense, cause Google makes money from ads, not hardware sales). Plus malware.
iTunes drove me off the iOS ecosystem years ago. Every time I'm forced to use it due to familial tech support I'm reminded I made the right decision.
And harsh to say that Android has "way more" security concerns over iOS. Apple has a closed system supported by single set of hardware specs designed by a single company. Android is an open system implemented by a whole range of manufactures, any of whom can slip up and cause a security hole. Or choose not to issue a security patch.
Also Apple locks you down to a single appstore but on Android I can hook up to 3rd party appstores or even install a downloaded (or email attached!) APK directly. These differences are the reason that more malware is reported on Android, not because it is inherently less secure. When the apps themselves are tested by security folks, similar levels of security issues are discovered on both iOS and Android.
One honest knock on Android is that the install base is not as current, for instance 80% of iPhones are running the latest version of iOS, on Android it's like 15%.
But at least on the Android side I have some choices. If I want Android more secure than iOS I can use Cyogenmod (more freq security patches) or Samsung KNOX. If I want the most up-to-date version I can get a stock Google device rather than some 3rd party vendor.
Can someone explain this new thing where you no longer qualify for free phone upgrades after 2 years?
We went in to finally get new phones, and the AT&T lady said they've phased this out. She kept saying "you always DID pay for your 'free' upgrade, they just factored it into the price of your monthly plan." But then we asked "Oh, so are the monthly plan prices going down, then?" And she was like "No, now, you buy the phone and just pay $18 a month for it, on top of your plan"
?? So, if the price of a new phone used to be factored into your monthly plan, but now you have to pay $500 for a phone and your plan stays the same....then.....aren't you now paying double for the new phone? Am I missing something?
Also I have never paid full price for a cell phone and I admit I am STUNNED to find that they are that expensive. So everyone who is early adopters are spending $500-700 on a phone every couple of years?? How can people afford this? Is this true, or are there cost workarounds I don't know about??
wow
culture!
anyway now we don't know what we're going to do because there is literally no way on earth we are spending $1,000 on fucking telephones
My new phone was heavily subsidized by my provider, and if it wasn't I'd be back in a clamshell. As much as I looooove a smartphone there is absolutely no way in h-e-l-l I would buy one new and upgrade it every few years.
Maybe for tech-y people it's a job related expense?
I haven't been on any phone contract for about a decade. I've always been a late adopter, so I never paid full price for an iphone, and was always a gen (sometimes two) behind (right now I have a 5s). Being off contract used to hypothetically have an advantage, in that the supplier would try extra mega hard to keep me, and I got great deals on my plans because I could walk away at any time without penalty. Now my carrier T-Mobile has gone plan-less, though, so no more advantage for me... They are computers, so there is some cost justification there. If it really is just a telephone for you, then get a grannie phone, they are fine.
Fun Fact: Consumer Cellular sells At&t minutes cheaper than at&t. If you want a simple phone and plan, that is what I would do. Spoiler alert: If Consumer Cellular gets too popular, their deal with At&t will probably dry up.
If you're self-employed or freelance, you can write off part of your phone/plan. Doesn't matter whether you're in tech or not.
Anyway, T-Mobile's way cheaper than AT&T (I think? They used to be like half the price), so perhaps you could do their $40 per month no-contract plan if their service is decent in your area and do the $20 a month new phone on top of that?
Wow, I just checked my ATT upgrade options and see what you mean. That is some BULLLLLLLL SHIIIIIIIT. Like you said, the cost of the phone was always absorbed into the contract, now they're acting like it's a separate thing, but not lowering the plan cost???? Insane.
T-mobile has been awesome for me. They have the best support in the biz, and their new plan/pricing structure is awesome. Unlimited data (ish, you get throttled after a few gb), no contracts, I've never had an issue with coverage, and their support is domestic - huge for me.
I've never been on another carrier, and I love T-Mobile's pricing/support/no-contract deal. BUT, I've had big issues with coverage, especially in rural areas, and there's spots in Portland (42nd and Killingsworth, 28th and Burnside) and randomly in other cities where I get no coverage for some reason. Very weird.
But it's an ok trade-off for me cause I don't need to be "connected" 24/7/365 or whatever.
Weird. I lived off NE 28th and Glisan for 5 years and never had an issue with coverage in the area. There are definitely times I had no coverage, but those occasions were either camping in the woods or hunting ghost towns, not times I really want/expect coverage anyway. If I was in charge I would ban cel coverage in nature areas* :-SS
*Would be one of many of my crazy-bones authoritarian mindfulness based policies.
I just jumped on Project Fi (Google's new cell service) and they lease T-mobile's network. I was paying $35/mo on my grandfathered pre-pay service on T-mobile but if I stay within 1G/mo access to the same network is only $30 on Google Fi. Disclaimer: You need a "raw" Google device like a Nexus 5X or Nexus 6 to use Google Fi, no iPhones yet. And extra gigs are billed at $10/gig.
PS: Just found out you can add "data-only" SIMs to your tablets that are linked with your account (iPads/Nexus/Samsung Tab supported) and only pay usage costs at the same $10/gig price, the account charges are shared with your phone.
I have no idea what network they're using or how good the network is, but someone recently brought up this Ting option, where you literally only pay for what you use each month, and the rates are normal.
I was on Ting and it was awesome, except for the Sprint network. I love that you actually pay for what you use. These days, I'm on T-Mobile and I love the coverage and speed in Portland and the prices are good. I'm a super heavy phone user now, but if I weren't, I'd definitely hop back to Ting and use T-Mobile.
The other problem with Ting is that nothing is unlimited. So by the time you add 100 minutes and 1000 messages and 1G of network you are already at $33+fees for a very bare-bones plan.
Which sounds cheap but for those of us on unlocked phones and paygo plans that is pretty steep since you can get unlim text/network (throttled after 1G) on T-mob for the same price, or unlim everything but network on Fi.
Virgin Mobile also used to have great prices (they might still, just haven't used them in years) but they use the Sprint network and you frequently have to buy a locked phone through them unless you find a used special. But the phones were pretty good deals at least.
I currently pay $120 / month for two people after an alumni discount. I would be stoked to get that down around $80. I think I'm moving to T-mobile next time I switch phones.
Wow that is an example of the type of thing (another is yanking apps from your phone w/o your permission) that will keep me out of Apple's walled garden for a long, long time...
My wife is going on a trip to Denmark. AT&T is charging her $30 for "unlimited texting" (OH BOY!) and 130 MB of data. Yes, megabytes.
Felt like a real burn, so I looked up what T-Mobile charges for the same thing. NOTHING. Unlimited data and texting in 140 countries is part of your basic plan.
We really appreciated the fact that overseas coverage is free for T-mobile when we were in Europe for a month last summer. I shudder to think of what it would have cost otherwise.
Comments
plenty of space!
have read a few accounts of this bug happening to others, but thus far no fix.
Wait a bit I guess?
I'm running like an iPhone 4g with some os that nobody knows the name of anymore
it runs like shit and crashes constantly but anything is better than doing one of those goddamn upgrades no thanks
Also, I'm sorry, I know this might be offensive, but can we talk about how fucking janky Apple has gotten? I hate to ascribe mythic power status to a single sociopathic male individual but it does seem like Jobs exercised a certain level of taste-control over that company that has now just disappeared
this Beats by Dre thing is so tacky
Gary and I are considering getting Androids. Not a joke! Also though it would be very funny
will our sufferings never cease
I've tested so many sites on so many Androids and they're always way worse than iPhones.
thanks boys
THE BIGGEST NIGHTMARES THAT COULD BE NAMED
BRING BACK AUDION
https://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/
And harsh to say that Android has "way more" security concerns over iOS. Apple has a closed system supported by single set of hardware specs designed by a single company. Android is an open system implemented by a whole range of manufactures, any of whom can slip up and cause a security hole. Or choose not to issue a security patch.
Also Apple locks you down to a single appstore but on Android I can hook up to 3rd party appstores or even install a downloaded (or email attached!) APK directly. These differences are the reason that more malware is reported on Android, not because it is inherently less secure. When the apps themselves are tested by security folks, similar levels of security issues are discovered on both iOS and Android.
One honest knock on Android is that the install base is not as current, for instance 80% of iPhones are running the latest version of iOS, on Android it's like 15%.
But at least on the Android side I have some choices. If I want Android more secure than iOS I can use Cyogenmod (more freq security patches) or Samsung KNOX. If I want the most up-to-date version I can get a stock Google device rather than some 3rd party vendor.
We went in to finally get new phones, and the AT&T lady said they've phased this out. She kept saying "you always DID pay for your 'free' upgrade, they just factored it into the price of your monthly plan." But then we asked "Oh, so are the monthly plan prices going down, then?" And she was like "No, now, you buy the phone and just pay $18 a month for it, on top of your plan"
?? So, if the price of a new phone used to be factored into your monthly plan, but now you have to pay $500 for a phone and your plan stays the same....then.....aren't you now paying double for the new phone? Am I missing something?
Also I have never paid full price for a cell phone and I admit I am STUNNED to find that they are that expensive. So everyone who is early adopters are spending $500-700 on a phone every couple of years?? How can people afford this? Is this true, or are there cost workarounds I don't know about??
wow
culture!
anyway now we don't know what we're going to do because there is literally no way on earth we are spending $1,000 on fucking telephones
My new phone was heavily subsidized by my provider, and if it wasn't I'd be back in a clamshell. As much as I looooove a smartphone there is absolutely no way in h-e-l-l I would buy one new and upgrade it every few years.
Maybe for tech-y people it's a job related expense?
Fun Fact: Consumer Cellular sells At&t minutes cheaper than at&t. If you want a simple phone and plan, that is what I would do. Spoiler alert: If Consumer Cellular gets too popular, their deal with At&t will probably dry up.
Anyway, T-Mobile's way cheaper than AT&T (I think? They used to be like half the price), so perhaps you could do their $40 per month no-contract plan if their service is decent in your area and do the $20 a month new phone on top of that?
But it's an ok trade-off for me cause I don't need to be "connected" 24/7/365 or whatever.
*Would be one of many of my crazy-bones authoritarian mindfulness based policies.
I just jumped on Project Fi (Google's new cell service) and they lease T-mobile's network. I was paying $35/mo on my grandfathered pre-pay service on T-mobile but if I stay within 1G/mo access to the same network is only $30 on Google Fi. Disclaimer: You need a "raw" Google device like a Nexus 5X or Nexus 6 to use Google Fi, no iPhones yet. And extra gigs are billed at $10/gig.
PS: Just found out you can add "data-only" SIMs to your tablets that are linked with your account (iPads/Nexus/Samsung Tab supported) and only pay usage costs at the same $10/gig price, the account charges are shared with your phone.
If I had a Nexus, I'd definitely consider it.
Keep it comin
https://ting.com/rates
(at a glance it looks like it uses T-Mobile or Sprint networks, depending on your phone model)
Which sounds cheap but for those of us on unlocked phones and paygo plans that is pretty steep since you can get unlim text/network (throttled after 1G) on T-mob for the same price, or unlim everything but network on Fi.
Virgin Mobile also used to have great prices (they might still, just haven't used them in years) but they use the Sprint network and you frequently have to buy a locked phone through them unless you find a used special. But the phones were pretty good deals at least.
In related news...
http://www.ibtimes.com/google-nexus-5x-price-slashed-279-only-2297571
FYI the Nexus5X was just cut to under $300 if you are looking for an unlocked, world-band (GSM) phone to use with cheap providers.
Felt like a real burn, so I looked up what T-Mobile charges for the same thing. NOTHING. Unlimited data and texting in 140 countries is part of your basic plan.
AT&T sucks.