Author Topic: iPhone 15 (Read 1933 times)

Speedy48 · « **on:** September 13, 2023, 07:20 AM »

Smart phones confound me ….

I’ve been stuck in a rut with my trusty Samsung S9 since about 2018. It’s does pretty much everything I need, and in watching comparisons on You Tube, the speed isn’t all that different than the newer S23+ …

That said, my wife and kids are all Apple users and think I should, switch.

The main thing holding me back is the BlackBerry Hub App. I just love the way it dumps all your messages (email, Text, WhatsApp, social media notifications, etc) into one location for quick access.

Aside from this, I’m open to switching, but is the iPhone worth it?

Crazyraceguy · « **Reply #1 on:** September 13, 2023, 09:14 AM »

Personally, I'm not a fan of Apple and their proprietary ways. They treat those things as a subscription, once you start, you can never stop. After a year or so, you need to upgrade to a new one. Some people are fine with that, either to keep up with the newest thing, or because they are rough on things and a replacement is necessary anyway.
Others would rather keep theirs for years at a time and be a little me free with it, rather than being restricted by the manufacturer.

With Android, you can get a brand new unit of an older model for substantially less. That latest version of Apple is going to carry a premium price.

Peter Kelly · « **Reply #2 on:** September 13, 2023, 10:00 AM »

Go to a retailer, check out an iPhone 15 in-person and you’ll probably know if it’s right for you.

Packard · « **Reply #3 on:** September 13, 2023, 10:23 AM »

I have a moderate hearing loss. Only the Apple phones are loud enough for me to use. No one publishes db levels for phones.

In the absence of loudness specs for phones, and based on my bad experience with other brands, I have remained loyal to Apple. But it is based on that one aspect, and that probably will not apply to most phone buyers.

The_Berg_55 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 13, 2023, 10:35 AM »

As much as I love the iPhones I hate that they always tries to trick you into their system.

For example, when you change your phone there really is now easy way that I know of to export all your old photos out from the phone, other than just transfering them in bulk to the new phone (1). Instead Apple want you to pay for iCloud storage and keep them there. I just sorted all the pictures I felt was important into one album and then exported that but it took a while to sort them. Still worth it though, I really love the new iPhone 14 Pro that I got half a year ago. I also really love the Airpod 2 Pro that I got for it, both the noise cancellation and the sound quality when playing "difficult" music like heavy metal is very very good!

Another positive thing is that you definitively do not need to change every year. The phone I had before this 14 Pro was an old iPhone 7 from 2017. Still worked like a champ, except for needing a recharge in the middle of the day.

(1) What I mean is that I wanted to export the pictures in bulk to a regular file folder on my hard drive for safekeeping, and instead start the new phone without all the old pictures. But that was not possible to do without using iCloud. And the amount of pictures I have would mean that I would have to start paying a monthly fee for extra iCloud storage, which I per principle refuse to do. But if you just want to transfer everything on to your new apple phone you can do that without paying for iCloud.

cider · « **Reply #5 on:** September 13, 2023, 11:07 AM »

Apple phones have been durable for me. My current phone is five years old, and I don't feel any urgency to replace it. Nothing is holding me captive to the Apple ecosystem; I just happen to be satisfied with it.

All that said, if you're happy with your phone, why change?

MacBoy · « **Reply #6 on:** September 13, 2023, 11:11 AM »

The Contacts Widget for the Home Screen will give you the BlackBerry Hub experience for a specific person.

The widget allows four of your favorites to be quickly accessed.

Tapping on my wife shows all of this on a single scrolling summary screen:

- Buttons for quickly messaging, phone calling, video calling, emailing

- Location on the map

- Recent messages (solo and group chats)

- Links (URLs) we have exchanged

- Emails

- lots more

Apple provides updates to their products for 5-6-7 years. That makes the phone immensely useful for yourself and to whomever you hand it down.

Best luck! 😀

ElectricFeet · « **Reply #7 on:** September 13, 2023, 11:12 AM »

Quote from: Speedy48 on September 13, 2023, 07:20 AM

Smart phones confound me ….

That there is a good reason to move to Apple.

Quote from: Speedy48 on September 13, 2023, 07:20 AM

…my wife and kids are all Apple users…

And that’s another.

Quote from: Speedy48 on September 13, 2023, 07:20 AM

The main thing holding me back is the BlackBerry Hub App. I just love the way it dumps all your messages (email, Text, WhatsApp, social media notifications, etc) into one location for quick access.

I’ve never used or seen this app. From what I can see, it’s a single app, divided up into separate parts for email, texts, facebook, etc. I don’t see how that is different from having a single phone with icons/apps for email, texts, facebook etc. You can still copy/paste etc between each of them and it could be argued that it’s easier to swipe between apps than it is to go up and down a hierarchy in a single app. Get someone at an apple store (or your wife and kids) to show you how they do what you do on an IPhone.

Quote from: Speedy48 on September 13, 2023, 07:20 AM

…is the iPhone worth it?

Ultimately it’s an entirely personal thing. There’s no “right” answer. Tom’s Guide has a good article on the pros and cons.

As to needing a new one every year, this is absolutely not the case. This January (2023) Apple patched a security flaw in iOS 12 — an operating system that runs on the iPhone 5s, released in 2013 — 10 years ago.

IOS 17, which was announced yesterday, is fully supported on the iPhone XR that came out in 2018. So XRs will be fully supported until at least late 2024 — and longer for important security patches. (Unlike the Galaxy S9, which also came out in 2018 and whose support was pulled by Samsung in March 2022.)

I’m ex-IT and am used to tinkering a lot with my tech, but Android just — I don’t know — makes me want to scream.

But it’s all subjective. Most importantly, remember that it’s not an irreversible decision. You can always go back to Android if you decide that you prefer it. IPhones have a better resale value, so it’ll be easy to switch back

ElectricFeet · « **Reply #8 on:** September 13, 2023, 11:23 AM »

Quote from: The_Berg_55 on September 13, 2023, 10:35 AM

What I mean is that I wanted to export the pictures in bulk to a regular file folder on my hard drive for safekeeping, and instead start the new phone without all the old pictures. But that was not possible to do without using iCloud. And the amount of pictures I have would mean that I would have to start paying a monthly fee for extra iCloud storage, which I per principle refuse to do. But if you just want to transfer everything on to your new apple phone you can do that without paying for iCloud.

If you have a Mac, you can do this easily with the Image Capture app (in the Applications folder). This allows you to transfer selected / all images from your iPhone.

I’ve been using it for years and don’t use iCloud for my photos at all. It remembers which images you’ve already copied too, so you don’t get duplicates.

It’s pretty basic in terms of functionality — it just transfers photos and does it very simply.

I use the free iCloud storage for emails access and calendar, so that I have access from all devices. I’m toying with the idea of moving to an iCloud subscription, just to save the mental hassle of transferring photos manually, but it’s absolutely not obligatory.

twistsol1 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 13, 2023, 11:33 AM »

Quote from: The_Berg_55 on September 13, 2023, 10:35 AM

(1) What I mean is that I wanted to export the pictures in bulk to a regular file folder on my hard drive for safekeeping, and instead start the new phone without all the old pictures. But that was not possible to do without using iCloud. And the amount of pictures I have would mean that I would have to start paying a monthly fee for extra iCloud storage, which I per principle refuse to do. But if you just want to transfer everything on to your new apple phone you can do that without paying for iCloud.

With a Mac, you can use AirDrop to send all your photos as files to the computer. I just transferred 1000 photos in under a minute, and I set up airdrop to put them in my downloads folder so I can move them from there to anywhere. (iPhone 12 mini, iMac 3.6Ghz intel I9 processor wo relatively modern, but not current equipment)

On a PC, download the free iTunes from Apple and you can import all your photos to the PC. If I recall correctly it sends them to the Windows Photos App and you can easily export them from there.

No iCloud or other subscriptions required for either method.

This somewhat off topic interruption is now concluded.

The_Berg_55 · « **Reply #10 on:** September 13, 2023, 11:45 AM »

Quote from: twistsol1 on September 13, 2023, 11:33 AM

Quote from: The_Berg_55 on September 13, 2023, 10:35 AM
(1) What I mean is that I wanted to export the pictures in bulk to a regular file folder on my hard drive for safekeeping, and instead start the new phone without all the old pictures. But that was not possible to do without using iCloud. And the amount of pictures I have would mean that I would have to start paying a monthly fee for extra iCloud storage, which I per principle refuse to do. But if you just want to transfer everything on to your new apple phone you can do that without paying for iCloud.

With a Mac, you can use AirDrop to send all your photos as files to the computer. I just transferred 1000 photos in under a minute, and I set up airdrop to put them in my downloads folder so I can move them from there to anywhere. (iPhone 12 mini, iMac 3.6Ghz intel I9 processor wo relatively modern, but not current equipment)

On a PC, download the free iTunes from Apple and you can import all your photos to the PC. If I recall correctly it sends them to the Windows Photos App and you can easily export them from there.

No iCloud or other subscriptions required for either method.

This somewhat off topic interruption is now concluded.

Thanks for the tip, I'm on PC but I never tried going through both iTunes and Windows Photos App. Will definitively check it out!

I just mentioned it as an example of how it can be difficult to get out from the Apple Eco system while you are in, and that might be a deciding factor for some people. Entirely agree that this subject can be closed now

MikeGE · « **Reply #11 on:** September 13, 2023, 11:53 AM »

Quote from: Crazyraceguy on September 13, 2023, 09:14 AM

Personally, I'm not a fan of Apple and their proprietary ways. They treat those things as a subscription, once you start, you can never stop. After a year or so, you need to upgrade to a new one. Some people are fine with that, either to keep up with the newest thing, or because they are rough on things and a replacement is necessary anyway.
Others would rather keep theirs for years at a time and be a little me free with it, rather than being restricted by the manufacturer.

With Android, you can get a brand new unit of an older model for substantially less. That latest version of Apple is going to carry a premium price.

My experience with iPhones has been the opposite. I exchanged a Sony phone that had been replaced twice under warranty for an iPhone 4s in 2011. In 2016, I bought a 6s and gave the 4s to my wife. Last year, I bought a pair of new iPhone 12 phones from Telekom for €10 each. Maybe in a few years I'll consider upgrading again, but now Apple phones have been good for us.

rmhinden · « **Reply #12 on:** September 13, 2023, 12:58 PM »

I currently have an iPhone 11 and am considering upgrading to the iPhone 15. I will probably wait until I can see one in the Apple Store before purchasing. Besides the expected speed and feature upgrades, my main motivation is to move to USB-C. Most of of my other devices now use USB-C and that will simplify charging and cables.

I am quite happy in the Apple ecosystem. It all works together seamlessly and the rest of my family also uses Apple.

My other take on Apple vs Android (aka Google, the only other alternative?) is that Apple takes my privacy seriously. I am willing to pay more to not be the product.

Bob

Cheese · « **Reply #13 on:** September 13, 2023, 02:46 PM »

I started with the Motorola RAZR back in about 2005. That never needed to be updated because Motorola never really updated anything...just a color change or something similar.

I moved up to the iPhone 5 in 2012 and I've been an Apple fan ever since. My carrier T-Mobile, offers an upgrade service that's hard to beat. So every 2-3 years I upgrade for pennies.
I last upgraded from an iPhone 12 Pro used for over 2 years to an iPhone 14 Pro for $100. That's dirt cheap in my opinion...just the difference in photographic capabilities was worth the upgrade $$.

Holzhacker · « **Reply #14 on:** September 13, 2023, 02:48 PM »

As much as I despise Apple as a consumer company, their products work and work well for a long time. I started out with an Apple IIe and have had ongoing Mac's since then. Apple isn't a good consumer company in my opinion, just a great product company. I won't bore people with the details.
I just replaced an iPhone 6 a few months ago because it wasn't charging well enough anymore. I have another iPhone 6 that is still going strong. Don't remember how old the 6 is but its old. I do not upgrade for as long as possible. For people who say you need to upgrade a lot that's not necessarily true. Comes down to how hip and updated you want to be.
Get an iPhone, you'll be happy. Don't bother with the newest one. I think I got an 8 or 10 when I upgraded a few months ago. Yes I'm a dinosaur but it doesn't cost much.

waho6o9 · « **Reply #15 on:** September 13, 2023, 03:28 PM »

There is value in the refurbished iPhones no doubt.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/FGH63LL/A/refurbished-iphone-12-64gb-black-unlocked

We can pre-order the new iPhone15 this Friday 9-15-23 with a pick up and or delivery date around 9-22-2023

Good thread, thanks.

pixelated · « **Reply #16 on:** September 13, 2023, 03:54 PM »

My 2cents;
As others have pointed out, you can backup and restore using your computer no need to use cloud. Though, while restoring everything to your new phone is easy, if you want to pick and choose what to migrate to the new phone, it's more difficult.

My current phone is an iphone 13 bought earlier this year, it replaced a iphone 6, because the 6 ran out of memory capacity and battery charge lifetime. If it wasn't for lack of memory, I'd probably have just replaced the battery and kept using it.

Iphones, and macs are easy to use but have frustrating aspects, as do PC's. I prefer macs for my personal systems. mileage varies.

There is nothing about android based phones that is less proprietary than Iphones. The only difference is that android is licensed to third parties by google and IOS is not. Either way it's all IP owned by the various companies selling the hardware or software.

Bencan · « **Reply #17 on:** September 13, 2023, 06:20 PM »

Quote from: Crazyraceguy on September 13, 2023, 09:14 AM

Personally, I'm not a fan of Apple and their proprietary ways. They treat those things as a subscription, once you start, you can never stop. After a year or so, you need to upgrade to a new one. Some people are fine with that, either to keep up with the newest thing, or because they are rough on things and a replacement is necessary anyway.
Others would rather keep theirs for years at a time and be a little me free with it, rather than being restricted by the manufacturer.

With Android, you can get a brand new unit of an older model for substantially less. That latest version of Apple is going to carry a premium price.

Absolutely not the experience I’ve had with iPhone, I have found them to extremely durable, long lasting (I’ve never kept one less than 5 years) and functional for the entire ownership experience. I recently went from 8-14 and there is minimal difference beside a fresh battery.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

kurtww · « **Reply #18 on:** September 14, 2023, 10:46 AM »

All the reasons listed here have been my experience as well. A few more:

The Find My app for when you lose track of a headphone bud or case, or your wife needs to find her phone.

The location sharing so you can find her at the amusement park without having to try to call her. You can share your location always, or just for the day if you want to keep track of your kids on vacation but not otherwise.

If you want/need more storage for photos, you can share the storage plan with your whole family (this is true for Google as well, I believe, but not if you're on different systems).

Agreed about the Apple ecosystem sucking you in and them wanting to keep you there. This is like Festool, though. Yes, they're doing it to sell more tools, but as a consumer you benefit. All the stuff works super well together. If I can't find the TV remote I just use the widget on my phone. I can see the battery level of my headphones on the phone. Etc, etc.

Also like Festool, iPhones hold their value much better than Android phones. I'm on a 12 Pro Max that I bought 3 years ago. I can get $450 trade-in or $600+ selling it, which makes the cost for the new one $200-250/year. Considering how much I use it, that's a bargain. I bought a couple of Samsung units a few years ago but those didn't hold their value very well, and the quality of the experience was definitely lower. To me it's a no-brainer, but if you just use it for calls and basic stuff then it's probably not worth it. Or if you're super rough with it--iPhones are expensive to repair. If that's you then get the Apple protection plan.

Author Topic: iPhone 15 (Read 1933 times)

Speedy48

iPhone 15

Crazyraceguy

Re: iPhone 15

Peter Kelly

Re: iPhone 15

Packard

Re: iPhone 15

The_Berg_55

Re: iPhone 15

cider

Re: iPhone 15

MacBoy

Re: iPhone 15

ElectricFeet

Re: iPhone 15

ElectricFeet

Re: iPhone 15

twistsol1

Re: iPhone 15

The_Berg_55

Re: iPhone 15

MikeGE

Re: iPhone 15

rmhinden

Re: iPhone 15

Cheese

Re: iPhone 15

Holzhacker

Re: iPhone 15

waho6o9

Re: iPhone 15

pixelated

Re: iPhone 15

Bencan

Re: iPhone 15

kurtww

Re: iPhone 15