Virgin Mobile Now selling iPhone

[XFF]

I meant along the lines of having a non smart phone and just buying a iPod Touch. I have a cell phone already. An iPod does almost the same thing an iPhone does except the iPhone makes calls and has a few other features.

What you call "a few other features" includes the most important one: mobile cellular data. Without it, as soon as you leave the house, all of the apps that require a data connection will cease to work, even stuff like Stocks, Maps, Weather, etc. The device becomes a lot less useful without a data connection. Of course if your main usage model is built around stuff like games or other apps that don't need live data, then what you propose is quite doable. It really depends on your particular needs and expectations.

[Sepurb]

What you call "a few other features" includes the most important one: mobile cellular data. Without it, as soon as you leave the house, all of the apps that require a data connection will cease to work, even stuff like Stocks, Maps, Weather, etc. The device becomes a lot less useful without a data connection. Of course if your main usage model is built around stuff like games or other apps that don't need live data, then what you propose is quite doable. It really depends on your particular needs and expectations.

do they still make that thing that snaps to the iPod and basically provides it with X amount of cellular data?

[jarrett178]

What you call "a few other features" includes the most important one: mobile cellular data. Without it, as soon as you leave the house, all of the apps that require a data connection will cease to work, even stuff like Stocks, Maps, Weather, etc. The device becomes a lot less useful without a data connection.

That's why I spent $350 and got a laptop. I take that everywhere I go. I am very cheap. Over 2 years the iPhone will cost you about $2000. My Laptop over 2 years only the cost of a WiFi or DSL internet connection. Also, with most places these days offering free WiFi my laptop is virtually free.

If I really needed internet on the go THAT BADLY I would buy one of those Broadband internet sticks that plug into a USB port. I am not one of those people with their phone glued to their hand.

I can get by with a feature phone and a iPod. Could you if you had to? Plus when I am at home I use my home phone most of the time.

[Sam73065]

What if I just bought a 32G iPod Touch 4G?

Problem with an iPod Touch is size of the screen, depending of course on what you'll be doing with it and how old your eyes are.

That's why I spent $350 and got a laptop. I take that everywhere I go. I am very cheap. Over 2 years the iPhone will cost you about $2000. My Laptop over 2 years only the cost of a WiFi or DSL internet connection. Also, with most places these days offering free WiFi my laptop is virtually free.

If I really needed internet on the go THAT BADLY I would buy one of those Broadband internet sticks that plug into a USB port. I am not one of those people with their phone glued to their hand.

I can get by with a feature phone and a iPod. Could you if you had to? Plus when I am at home I use my home phone most of the time.

Laptop is the opposite problem of the iPod Touch, it doesn't fit in your pocket. They also don't have the battery life of an iPad. I think that's part of the popularity we're seeing now with the screen size of smartphones steadily increasing. The new SGIII offers a 4.8" screen and lots of others are on that ballpark too. I'm enjoying how quickly the technology is evolving and the changes coming our way. That is unless the patent wars destroy innovation, such as apple claiming that tapping a screen is simply a zero length finger swipe and therefore violates their patent on finger swiping....... I wonder if it's too late to patent nose picking....

[Steveanderson13]

tapping a screen is simply a zero length finger swipe

Lol, then butt tapping would be...

[Sam73065]

Lol, then butt tapping would be...

I'm sure it has been patented...

[jarrett178]

Laptop is the opposite problem of the iPod Touch, it doesn't fit in your pocket. They also don't have the battery life of an iPad. I think that's part of the popularity we're seeing now with the screen size of smartphones steadily increasing. The new SGIII offers a 4.8" screen and lots of others are on that ballpark too. I'm enjoying how quickly the technology is evolving and the changes coming our way. That is unless the patent wars destroy innovation, such as apple claiming that tapping a screen is simply a zero length finger swipe and therefore violates their patent on finger swiping....... I wonder if it's too late to patent nose picking....

It's funny 5 years ago the trend was that everything was getting smaller. Now, everything is becoming bigger again. I am probably going to upgrade soon anyways maybe to Straight Talk or Net10 and get an android that runs off Verizon.

I just don't see the point of buying an iPhone when you have an iPod Touch, and an iPad when you can buy a laptop. A laptop you can do more things with. Imagine trying to type a 30 page paper on a iPad. I am a college student and 95% of the students I see on campus bring Laptops not iPads.

I consider iPad's and iPhones to be fads. Think about it Apple makes billions of dollars a year. They don't have to release a new product every year, but they do and you fools fall for it. It's like giving candy to a baby. What is the point of paying $400+ for a phone that you are going to get rid of 10 months later.

[Sam73065]

It's funny 5 years ago the trend was that everything was getting smaller. Now, everything is becoming bigger again. I am probably going to upgrade soon anyways maybe to Straight Talk or Net10 and get an android that runs off Verizon.

I just don't see the point of buying an iPhone when you have an iPod Touch, and an iPad when you can buy a laptop. A laptop you can do more things with. Imagine trying to type a 30 page paper on a iPad. I am a college student and 95% of the students I see on campus bring Laptops not iPads.

I consider iPad's and iPhones to be fads. Think about it Apple makes billions of dollars a year. They don't have to release a new product every year, but they do and you fools fall for it. It's like giving candy to a baby. What is the point of paying $400+ for a phone that you are going to get rid of 10 months later.

The iPhone is a bit more than a fad, just as is the iPad. The iPhone has helped change and popularize the smartphone market and led to major changes in the industry. Without the iPad, would we have the kindle fire? Each of those items, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad serve markets niches. Whether or not those product lines (Apple) survive is irrelevant since these kind of products will continue to be in demand and will evolve and change. You however are making the same mistake that so many other people make. you give the impression that you think that your little world of college land and your fellow students represent the entire market. I get the impression that you think your views on these products and how they are used is the only view that matters. Well, you're wrong. Collegeland and self-absorbed students are just a tiny portion of the market and world as a whole and that's not a crack against students or collegeland, it's just that so many living in that environment, due primarily to their ages and self focus on themselves, often confuse what they believe with what they know and what is outside of their environment. When the iPhone was first introduced I had no use for it, hated iPods of any flavor and truly disliked Apple due to their closed market. Now I like the iPod Touch primarily because of great battery life that I've experienced and overall high quality of build. I need a device that gets 12-16 hours battery life daily and Apple offers that product. It has also been surprising durable. However my first Apple product was the original iPad. Who needs a kindle fire or a nook reader when I can put both apps on my iPad and swap back and forth? Don't tell me about limitations of an iPad, I don't use it as a word processor, but I can access technical manuals and schematics on it quite well. I can make short notes and emails, which is all I need. I can also use it for entertainment when I have down time or travel time. Yes a laptop would work for all of that plus word processing, but laptop battery life sucks in comparison and they're too big for the uses I put my iPad too. I'm sure many android tablet users find their android tablets to have many of the same advantages. So I use the appropriate tool for the appropriate job and that's not always a laptop. Just don't get so focused in on your own world and forget that others have different needs and priorities. Obviously laptop only is your best decision while for me, the laptop only decision would be self limiting and really suck.

[jarrett178]

The iPhone is a bit more than a fad, just as is the iPad. The iPhone has helped change and popularize the smartphone market and led to major changes in the industry. Without the iPad, would we have the kindle fire? Each of those items, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad serve markets niches. Whether or not those product lines (Apple) survive is irrelevant since these kind of products will continue to be in demand and will evolve and change. You however are making the same mistake that so many other people make. you give the impression that you think that your little world of college land and your fellow students represent the entire market. I get the impression that you think your views on these products and how they are used is the only view that matters. Well, you're wrong. Collegeland and self-absorbed students are just a tiny portion of the market and world as a whole and that's not a crack against students or collegeland, it's just that so many living in that environment, due primarily to their ages and self focus on themselves, often confuse what they believe with what they know and what is outside of their environment. When the iPhone was first introduced I had no use for it, hated iPods of any flavor and truly disliked Apple due to their closed market. Now I like the iPod Touch primarily because of great battery life that I've experienced and overall high quality of build. I need a device that gets 12-16 hours battery life daily and Apple offers that product. It has also been surprising durable. However my first Apple product was the original iPad. Who needs a kindle fire or a nook reader when I can put both apps on my iPad and swap back and forth? Don't tell me about limitations of an iPad, I don't use it as a word processor, but I can access technical manuals and schematics on it quite well. I can make short notes and emails, which is all I need. I can also use it for entertainment when I have down time or travel time. Yes a laptop would work for all of that plus word processing, but laptop battery life sucks in comparison and they're too big for the uses I put my iPad too. I'm sure many android tablet users find their android tablets to have many of the same advantages. So I use the appropriate tool for the appropriate job and that's not always a laptop. Just don't get so focused in on your own world and forget that others have different needs and priorities. Obviously laptop only is your best decision while for me, the laptop only decision would be self limiting and really suck.

All the name calling is not necessary. When did your needs ever become a factor into why I dont want an iPhone. You don't pay anything for me or support me in any way. I said MY NEEDS NOT YOUR NEEDS SO THERE IS NO REASON TO SAY I LIVE IN COLLEGE-LAND AND CALL ME SELF-ABSORBED. I SAID FROM MY EXPERIENCE. I HATE ALL APPLE PRODUCTS THEY ARE OVERRATED AND OVERPRICED.

MY NEEDS ARE THE ONLY NEEDS THAT MATTER BECAUSE I AM PAYING FOR THE PHONE AND THE SERVICE.

[RedStickHam]

My mother in law has a Virgin mobile phone. Their coverage here isn't very good in fact, she gets no signal at all at my house which is, according to the coverage map, in the middle of a Sprint coverage hole. She says at her own home in upstate New York, she barely gets any signal either. I don't think I'd get an IPhone through them with that sort of coverage.

[OmegaWolf747]

The iPhone will ruin Sprint's network just the way it did AT&T and VZW's.

[Sepurb]

All the name calling is not necessary. When did your needs ever become a factor into why I dont want an iPhone. You don't pay anything for me or support me in any way. I said MY NEEDS NOT YOUR NEEDS SO THERE IS NO REASON TO SAY I LIVE IN COLLEGE-LAND AND CALL ME SELF-ABSORBED. I SAID FROM MY EXPERIENCE. I HATE ALL APPLE PRODUCTS THEY ARE OVERRATED AND OVERPRICED.

MY NEEDS ARE THE ONLY NEEDS THAT MATTER BECAUSE I AM PAYING FOR THE PHONE AND THE SERVICE.

true you spoke on your needs to an extent, but then you tried to lump the iPhone and iPad into "fad" territory and question the reason why one would want one.

all he did was give explanations of why. no need for caps lock, now.

what reason would you NEED and Android for considering your supposedly minamilistic lifestyle? iPod touch and feature phone is all you need, right? you need Swype now?

you come off as troll like.

first you downplay the entirety of smartphones, deeming them unnecessary. you even patted yourself on the back about how YOU don't even need one and insinuated that others couldn't do that. now you want a Straight Talk Android, lol?

I can get by with a feature phone and a iPod. Could you if you had to? Plus when I am at home I use my home phone most of the time.

[Sam73065]

All the name calling is not necessary. When did your needs ever become a factor into why I dont want an iPhone. You don't pay anything for me or support me in any way. I said MY NEEDS NOT YOUR NEEDS SO THERE IS NO REASON TO SAY I LIVE IN COLLEGE-LAND AND CALL ME SELF-ABSORBED. I SAID FROM MY EXPERIENCE. I HATE ALL APPLE PRODUCTS THEY ARE OVERRATED AND OVERPRICED.

MY NEEDS ARE THE ONLY NEEDS THAT MATTER BECAUSE I AM PAYING FOR THE PHONE AND THE SERVICE.

There was no name calling, I disputed the fact that iPhones and iPads, including similar products, android or windows phone are simply a fad and that one must take into account the multitude of users and their needs, when making such blanket statements. There was also no insult intended in pointing out the very important fact that you live in a very insular environment with a fairly singular focus in life currently and that your environment and current focus do not describe the marketplace as a whole. It's just not smart to base your statements on such a small sample as your college environment. Your needs are your needs, that's why I didn't suggest that you do anything other than what you found best for you.

[jarrett178]

true you spoke on your needs to an extent, but then you tried to lump the iphone and ipad into "fad" territory and question the reason why one would want one.

All he did was give explanations of why. No need for caps lock, now.

What reason would you need and android for considering your supposedly minamilistic lifestyle? Ipod touch and feature phone is all you need, right? You need swype now?

You come off as troll like.

First you downplay the entirety of smartphones, deeming them unnecessary. You even patted yourself on the back about how you don't even need one and insinuated that others couldn't do that. Now you want a straight talk android, lol?

i come off as troll like because i know my needs. I said i consider apple products to be fads. My opinion is my own and i will stand behind it. When did i ever say smartphones were unnecessary? Go on my profile and read any of my previous posts. I have been talking about getting a smartphone on this site. The only reason i did not get a smartphone is because i live in the country and verizon is the only carrier that can hold a signal and i want to stay prepaid. I will never sign a cell phone contract.

I got my current phone in december 5 1/2 months before net 10 and straight talk released that android that runs off verizon coverage.

[Sepurb]

ok, here you go. all the posts I'd need to see are in this thread.

That's why I spent $350 and got a laptop. I take that everywhere I go. I am very cheap. Over 2 years the iPhone will cost you about $2000. My Laptop over 2 years only the cost of a WiFi or DSL internet connection. Also, with most places these days offering free WiFi my laptop is virtually free.

this is good enough to negate the need for one smartphone but not others?

If I really needed internet on the go THAT BADLY I would buy one of those Broadband internet sticks that plug into a USB port. I am not one of those people with their phone glued to their hand.

certainly sounds like a smartphone would be a waste for this guy.

I can get by with a feature phone and a iPod. Could you if you had to? Plus when I am at home I use my home phone most of the time.

I really think this guy could do without a smartphone.

so yeah, if you're in the market for getting a smartphone the indicative signs apparently flew over my head.

if you aren't going to use a smartphone for anything, why not further extend your frugality by refraining from spending that $100-$350 on something with a mortality rate of ten months? in reference to your topic, I don't think this will do anything to affect the major carriers.

VirginMobile is offering a phone many of the major carriers offer for up to five times the price on the cusp of its successors arrival. I don't think they have much to worry about, plus it's been said on here that most the major carriers subscribers are on family plans.

I don't imagine the Windstar pulling up and replacing everyone's phone at the VirginMobile store.