iPhone 5: Will People Cash Out on Bitcoins?

[SaltySpitoon]

ACTUALLY! The Iphone 5 more than likely will not be coming out. In case you guys hadn't heard, a while ago the Iphone 5 Specs got leaked, and a Chinese Knockoff company named GooPhone took the Iphone 5 design and Specs, built it, and then patented it.

Introducing the Goophone i5 http://android-sale.com/goophone-i5.html

Its actually quite cheap, ($275-$300) and runs Android

Specs? Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB RAM, an 8-megapixel camera as well as a 4-inch display with a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels.

perhaps even funnier is, Goophone made an official statement to apple, saying if they release the Iphone 5, goophone will sue them

http://asia.cnet.com/goophone-i5-manufacturers-want-to-sue-apple-when-iphone-launches-62218590.htm

[DeathAndTaxes]

That conclusion is just silly.

The iPhone uses a custom processor.  So the company patents a phone based on prior work of Apple, which contains none of the components of the iPhone and you honestly thing this two bit nothing company will keep Apple from launching their product.  As much as I hate Apple for closed systems they have on the most impressive legal departments in the world.  Apple probably spends more on lawyers in a year than "GooPhone" takes in annual sales.

[Narydu]

Iphone is the best battery lasting phone I ever had (and I had over 10). But be carefull MTGOX users about the 5.1.1 ios given mtgox 3.14 is yet not compatible. BTW is anyone whats the iphone to be factory unlocked just PM me I did it over 3 locked Iphones and EXCELENT RESULTS!!!.

[hashman]

That conclusion is just silly.

The iPhone uses a custom processor.  So the company patents a phone based on prior work of Apple, which contains none of the components of the iPhone and you honestly thing this two bit nothing company will keep Apple from launching their product.  As much as I hate Apple for closed systems they have on the most impressive legal departments in the world.  Apple probably spends more on lawyers in a year than "GooPhone" takes in annual sales.

Yet another reason to not give these sheep herders a bitcent.  Thanks!

[sgbett]

who buys an iPhone here? anyone that is even slightly technical, would avoid the iPhone like a plague.

The grown ups, that run businesses, and furnish employees with tools that get that job done and integrate painlessly with their technology stack.

Your opinion is all well and nice but don't confuse it with fact.

[hashman]

who buys an iPhone here? anyone that is even slightly technical, would avoid the iPhone like a plague.

The grown ups, that run businesses, and furnish employees with tools that get that job done and integrate painlessly with their technology stack.

Sounds enterprisey! 

[RodeoX]

I think I'm done with iPhone. The new competition is getting better every day, and  locked phones are worth very little to me.

[sgbett]

who buys an iPhone here? anyone that is even slightly technical, would avoid the iPhone like a plague.

The grown ups, that run businesses, and furnish employees with tools that get that job done and integrate painlessly with their technology stack.

Sounds enterprisey! 

Heh its distinctly not (yet?). I think I might have got carried away with the words there

[Raralith]

I do the same (as Littleshop mentioned), though I'll probably have to skip this generation, as my contract renewal won't be for another year.  But I always sell my old iPhone, buy the latest one, and it about evens out.  Sometimes I have to add $25 or so.  I never buy a phone without the contract renewal discount, and it baffles me that people will pay $700-$800 for a phone instead of waiting until their contract is up and taking a 75% discount on that number.

While off topic, I do want to point out that this isn't always the case. You are right, you get a $660 iPhone (tax included) for $230 (activation fee included) but you now have a 2 year contract. If you are on a single account, you almost likely paid well over the difference in two years by not buying the phone outright and going the prepaid route. Here is the breakdown:

Prepaid route - I use Straight Talk which is an at&t MVNO, unlimited talk and text, 2GB data (it says unlimited but you get heavily throttled at 2GB).
Buy phone $660
Monthly prepaid $45 * 24 months = $1,080
Total "prepaid" paid in 2 years = $1,740
If you use a lot less minutes, T-Mobile has a $30 monthly plan so you only pay $720 for phone service or $1,380 for 2 years.

Contract route - I'm using at&t and choosing the cheapest plan of 450 minutes ($59.99), no text, $30 3GB data plan
Buy subsidized phone $230
Monthly contract payment $90 * 24 months = $2,160
Total "contract" paid in 2 years  = $2,390
That's $650 more over the course of your contract, and that includes no text messaging which would add $480 to the contract. You also would have to pay a hefty ETF if you wanted to end your contract early. This is why I dropped the at&t contract game because I am saving more money now than having at&t "help me out" prior to this. As for what you are giving up for this "savings," you do lose at&t customer support so I deal with Straight Talk instead which I haven't had problems with albeit I only called at&t 2-3 times before int he 5-7 years I used them. I still use the at&t network too, and yes, at&t gets a cut of the profit from Straight Talk so they win out too.

The only time it really works out in your favor is if you are running a family plan with 4+ phones where you can add a line for $10, or are not running smartphones and don't need data. Bottom line, if the carrier wouldn't be making more money subsidizing phones, they sure as hell would not be subsidizing phones.

[SgtSpike]

Raralith, what is an AT&T MVNO?  Call me intrigued.  I've only been fine with being locked in a contract because I've never had a reason to switch.  All the cheaper companies are cheaper for a reason (worse service).  If MVNO is some acronym for a company that uses AT&T's network, but is cheaper, then I'll definitely check in to it.

Right now, my contract is about $80/month (base $50 + $30 for 3GB data).  I don't pay for texting, since I can do it for free through my data plan.  Add my wife's phone (base $10 + $25 for 2GB data), and it's about $115/month, + all those garbage nickel-and-dime-ya fees.

@ D&T - As to WHY I chose the iPhone... well, I used to like to fiddle with electronics.  I'd modify everything I could on my phone, overclock my computers, etc.  Then I got older, and I stopped enjoying fiddling, and more just wanted a device that worked all the time.  I suppose it mostly has to do with me having very little time to fiddle anymore.  So, yes, while I agree that an Android device is very well suited to someone who loves to fiddle, I can't say that they are well suited to someone who doesn't.  I haven't tried one myself, mind you, but I've asked MANY android owners about it, and none of them recommended me anything but the iPhone if I wanted something that "just works" all the time.

Certainly, Apple's stance on Bitcoin apps has swayed me a bit, but I also have a vested interest in staying on the iPhone if for no other reason than compatibility with my family.  Both of my sisters and their husbands have iPhones, my mom does as well, and a few other relatives.  I can text all of them for free using the built-in app.  Videos, pictures, etc.  Also, the facetime app... If I got an android phone, while I could still probably use google voice to text, it wouldn't be as convenient, and wouldn't let me text pictures and video, nor use the facetime app with my family.

I'm still not certain what I will do come the next time my contract is up for renewal, but it's likely I'll go the iPhone route again.  It's something that I know, that I have no complaints with (aside from the Bitcoin app issue), and that I really don't have any reason applicable to my usage to switch to anything else.

[DeathAndTaxes]

I think the Galaxy Nexus (OS codenamed "Jelly Bean") will change your mind.  It is the first Android phone that I felt was comparable to iPhone in terms of polish and ease of use.  Honestly I would pay more for one than an iPhone.  I don't fiddle anything.  Popped a prepaid t-mobile sim card in it and downloaded some apps.  Actually since the app store is linked to my google account it downloaded all the apps from my old phone onto this one.

Still if the Nexus doesn't do it Android is catching up fast.  If you compare an Adroid 1.0 device to 4.1.1 device it is night and day.  Each version Android closes the gap more and more.  Honestly I don't think there is a gap anymore but some of it is subjective.   Dual core processor, high resolution screen (higher DPI than retina display without the name), large edge to edge screen, NFC that worked right out of the box (even with blockchain.info wallet app), easy to use UI, smooth/polished graphics, nearly universal app support, etc.  Getting harder and harder to say Android is a hacker device.  

[Raralith]

Raralith, what is an AT&T MVNO?  Call me intrigued.  I've only been fine with being locked in a contract because I've never had a reason to switch.  All the cheaper companies are cheaper for a reason (worse service).  If MVNO is some acronym for a company that uses AT&T's network, but is cheaper, then I'll definitely check in to it.

Right now, my contract is about $80/month (base $50 + $30 for 3GB data).  I don't pay for texting, since I can do it for free through my data plan.  Add my wife's phone (base $10 + $25 for 2GB data), and it's about $115/month, + all those garbage nickel-and-dime-ya fees.

Here's the thread that got me started which has all the details. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1455014

TL;DR version:
MVNO stands for "Mobile Virtual Network Operator." Straight Talk is a MVNO for both AT&T and T-Mobile so they use their respective towers (based on your location) instead of setting up their own towers, buy spectrum, go through the FCC, etc... AT&T sells voice and data at bulk/wholesale rates to Straight Talk which than retails prepaid service to their customers. It's cheap because 1) Straight Talk buys at the bulk/wholesale rate so they get a much better price (think a family plan with 100,000 add on's vs. 100,000 individual plans), 2) they have much smaller customer support staff and hours, and 3) they don't subsidize phones. Pretty much every carrier has MVNO's, some are priced better than others, and there are "tiers" of service. AT&T is more than happy to do this because they are making money from MVNO's, they get a cut from their customers (essentially I am still paying "royalties" at AT&T per say), and they charge MVNO's "fees" that are in the 5-6 figure range.

My wife and I left AT&T with our $130 contract, 2 iPhones on the grandfathered unlimited data plan, and text for her to a pair of $45 unlimited Straight Talk plans. We save $40/month * 24 months = 960 which is a fraction better than the subsidized savings of $860. The added benefit though is that we can sell our unlocked phones anytime we want and buy a new one without a prorated $350 ETF, and an iPhone 4S is worth more 1 year than it is 2 years so I can easily sell my "old" phone and use it as a down payment for a new phone. Overall, it's pretty damn sweet and I am very happy.

[Monkey1]

Who cares.  Its shiny and I want one (if they are ever released).

[SgtSpike]

Raralith, what is an AT&T MVNO?  Call me intrigued.  I've only been fine with being locked in a contract because I've never had a reason to switch.  All the cheaper companies are cheaper for a reason (worse service).  If MVNO is some acronym for a company that uses AT&T's network, but is cheaper, then I'll definitely check in to it.

Right now, my contract is about $80/month (base $50 + $30 for 3GB data).  I don't pay for texting, since I can do it for free through my data plan.  Add my wife's phone (base $10 + $25 for 2GB data), and it's about $115/month, + all those garbage nickel-and-dime-ya fees.

Here's the thread that got me started which has all the details. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1455014

TL;DR version:
MVNO stands for "Mobile Virtual Network Operator." Straight Talk is a MVNO for both AT&T and T-Mobile so they use their respective towers (based on your location) instead of setting up their own towers, buy spectrum, go through the FCC, etc... AT&T sells voice and data at bulk/wholesale rates to Straight Talk which than retails prepaid service to their customers. It's cheap because 1) Straight Talk buys at the bulk/wholesale rate so they get a much better price (think a family plan with 100,000 add on's vs. 100,000 individual plans), 2) they have much smaller customer support staff and hours, and 3) they don't subsidize phones. Pretty much every carrier has MVNO's, some are priced better than others, and there are "tiers" of service. AT&T is more than happy to do this because they are making money from MVNO's, they get a cut from their customers (essentially I am still paying "royalties" at AT&T per say), and they charge MVNO's "fees" that are in the 5-6 figure range.

My wife and I left AT&T with our $130 contract, 2 iPhones on the grandfathered unlimited data plan, and text for her to a pair of $45 unlimited Straight Talk plans. We save $40/month * 24 months = 960 which is a fraction better than the subsidized savings of $860. The added benefit though is that we can sell our unlocked phones anytime we want and buy a new one without a prorated $350 ETF, and an iPhone 4S is worth more 1 year than it is 2 years so I can easily sell my "old" phone and use it as a down payment for a new phone. Overall, it's pretty damn sweet and I am very happy.

That does indeed sound slick!  I'm going to definitely check in to that next time my contract is up before I renew.

[cypherdoc]

i'll give a plug for the Samsung Galaxy S3.  its awesome.

[Melbustus]

Anyone else interpret today's iPhone 5 announcement as Apple admitting that their streak of innovation in the phone space is over?

Yayyy!!! 176 more vertical pixels!! A 5th row of icons!! Yeah, 1136x640 is still far less than my HTC EVO LTE's 1280x720.

Apple better have something up their sleeve wrt the TV space, else they'll just bleed market share for years until they're back to the Apple Inc of the '90s.


tl;dr: No, people aren't going to cash out of btc in any measurable amount due to the iPhone-5.

[Jutarul]

Anyone else interpret today's iPhone 5 announcement as Apple admitting that their streak of innovation in the phone space is over?

Yayyy!!! 176 more vertical pixels!! A 5th row of icons!! Yeah, 1136x640 is still far less than my HTC EVO LTE's 1280x720.

Apple better have something up their sleeve wrt the TV space, else they'll just bleed market share for years until they're back to the Apple Inc of the '90s.


tl;dr: No, people aren't going to cash out of btc in any measurable amount due to the iPhone-5.

I am more excited about the ipod touch 5. It provides much more bang for your buck.

[hashman]

SAN FRANCISCO—With CEO Tim Cook stating that desperate customers would surely “line up like idiots” to purchase the offensive product anyway, Apple announced today the release of the company’s new iPhone 5, which features the word “nigger” boldly embossed on its back. “Sure, the new iPhone has the word ‘nigger’ printed right on it, but we all know you pathetic losers will still buy it in droves, because, hell, you’ll buy anything we put out,” Cook said in a press conference, describing the lightweight smartphone that will include a larger high-resolution display and have the racial slur printed in 36-point Helvetica font directly on its back, as well as on every accessory sold for the product. “Our technology ensures the word will brightly light up through whatever cover or sticker you may use in an attempt to obscure it, so don’t even try. You are all very stupid and sheeplike, and I will enjoy watching this play out.” Cook followed the iPhone 5 announcement with a brief preview of the company’s updated iPad, which will feature a loud, unchangeable ringtone of Roseanne Barr repeatedly yelling “faggot.”

Read More
http://www.theonion.com/articles/apple-announces-new-iphone-with-nword-on-back-know,29531/

[Jutarul]

SAN FRANCISCO—With CEO Tim Cook stating that desperate customers would surely “line up like idiots” to purchase the offensive product anyway, Apple announced today the release of the company’s new iPhone 5, which features the word “nigger” boldly embossed on its back. “Sure, the new iPhone has the word ‘nigger’ printed right on it, but we all know you pathetic losers will still buy it in droves, because, hell, you’ll buy anything we put out,” Cook said in a press conference, describing the lightweight smartphone that will include a larger high-resolution display and have the racial slur printed in 36-point Helvetica font directly on its back, as well as on every accessory sold for the product. “Our technology ensures the word will brightly light up through whatever cover or sticker you may use in an attempt to obscure it, so don’t even try. You are all very stupid and sheeplike, and I will enjoy watching this play out.” Cook followed the iPhone 5 announcement with a brief preview of the company’s updated iPad, which will feature a loud, unchangeable ringtone of Roseanne Barr repeatedly yelling “faggot.”

Read More
http://www.theonion.com/articles/apple-announces-new-iphone-with-nword-on-back-know,29531/

hehe. you gotta love onion news:

iPhone 5 Features

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the widely anticipated latest generation of the iPhone at a press event Wednesday. Here are some of the new device’s features:

Says things when you touch it, just like a real person
Adjustable hand-strap
Siri tunelessly hums when left alone for too long
Plaid
Makes a sighing noise whenever it passes older iPhones
Frictionless no-grip casing eases transition from hand to floor
Can hammer nails
Is pathetic piece of shit compared to the iPhone 6

[DOH!]

Apple's going to sue anyone running blockchain app on Ios for copyright infringement... They invented bitcoin... Just like they invented ALL the features that they are suing over.  They are also in the process of suing me for using multiple ellipses in one post... They invented that, also.
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