Apple Iphone for teen - thoughts?

[robinb]

My daughters will simply be deprived. They will not have cell phones and will not be texting. To think that "friendships" would suffer would be an argument that would make me laugh. A friend does drop you because they have to actually talk to you on a phone.... In fact maybe if more kids were forced to communicate by voice they would be better for it... texting is too impersonal frankly allows people to say things without thinking about the consequences... the catty comment is so much easier to make when you don't have to here or see the person you've made it to.

For my family texting is not an option... not now... not in the future.

Just out of curiosity, how old are your kids?

My dd almost 16 has her dd old 3GS . Dd 12 wants one badly; but she has a plain Jane cell as her iPod touch was stolen one day after she got it.

If you pay with an AMEX card, items are covered if they are lost or stolen for 90 days. It also doubles the warranty. I plan on using my AMEX card for my next iPhone.

Unfortunately, it doesn't cover loss after the 90 days and my DD lost her iPod Touch on a red eye flight 2 weeks ago from Hawaii. It fell out of her pocket and my DH was too groggy to go through the post-flight checklist like I usually do. I was sitting across the aisle and thought that he was taking care of everything. I hope that karma bites the person is the butt who picked up and kept her Touch with the Justin Bieber skin on the back. It was obvious that it was a child's iPod. Poor kid used her own money for it.

 

[pigletto]

Dd 14 has an Iphone 4. Same reason as the OP initially. She wanted the new Ipod touch, and needed a phone. Voila Iphonem last year for Christmas.
She loves it, uses it often and takes excellent care of it. I have zero regrets on the purchase. It hasn't been the nightmare scenario that some others are sure it will be.

 

[luvthemouse71]

You can't sext if you can't text. You can have a phone and not have texting enabled. They work pretty well.

My point was that even today's "basic" phones have text capability and a camera. Kids are also very good at finding workarounds for things.

I still say that if she's a responsible kid, then why not get her what she wants, rather than some knockoff. Its not that expensive for an iphone- especially if you have the child kick in some of it.

And dont knock texting until you try it- I taught my 64 year old mom to text and she took right to it. I was very proud.

 

[bemily]

Hi

It was me that responded to your post and I apologize if you took it as a blast...While I believe in giving advice to the OP in what works for your own children, I disagree with generalized statements that basically puts down parents who feel their child is responsible enough and I guess your comment about "communicating with humans" got to me. Bottom line, it comes down to the child. If your child is "getting sucked into electronics" to the point that it affects their life negatively, then you do something about it. Take it away, put on restrictions, what have you.

Also, I wont touch your comment about the study about 50% of young couples divorcing because husband not taking care of family, video games, etc.. Im sorry, but I feel like that is straight from the dark ages so I wont touch it.

Again, sorry if you thought I was blasting, but I really was just giving a situation opposite of yours..

I was pretty sure someone would blast me for saying that. It's okay. I just meant that I really do see a lot of teens that get sucked into electronics to the point that they are not studying or doing anything productive. It doesn't mean that it happens to all of them. My older teens do have a phone to communicate. They just don't have anything fancy- basic phone that makes phone calls. We are also not a big video game house for the same reason. They did a new study that 50% of young married couples that divorce do it because the husband is addicted to video games and is not taking care of the family because of it. How sad. I see young girls texting their friends until 2-3 am on school nights and most parents think that is just normal fun friend stuff. I would think that they would do much better in school and in life if they actually went to bed instead. Every parent makes their own choices for their own family. That is your responsibility as a parent. We just make different choices than many families and I believe it has paid off.

 

[mkcp91]

Now THAT'S crazy. 15% is a number I could believe, but not 50%.

OP, I finally caved and got an iphone when my upgrade was available because I also hated carrying both my itouch and phone. Granted, I'm much older, but it was nice to have both devices in one and it was one less thing to worry about.

I would agree with 15% as well.
Source: http://gamepolitics.com/2011/05/30/divorce-online-15-percent-divorces-due-game-addiction

I have an iPhone 3GS and don't have it in a fancy cover - just a rubbery Paul Frank one - and it has been fine. I've dropped it multiple times with no problems. Of course it has never been dropped in water. OP - I say go for it!

 

[robinb]

While I believe in giving advice to the OP in what works for your own children, I disagree with generalized statements that basically puts down parents who feel their child is responsible enough and I guess your comment about "communicating with humans" got to me.

Yeah, that rubbed me the wrong way too. As if parents who allow their kids cell phones (especially with *gasp* texting) don't value family time or education.

 

[beaucoup]

Kids are so lucky. I was 46 years old when I got my first smartphone, an iPhone. And we are a very geeky, gadgety couple.

I have the cheapest data plan and the least amount of minutes and my monthly bill is about $60 after a military discount.

 

[starbird]

My other point is, why an iPhone? Does she want it because it's an iPhone, or because it has some feature that she wants that a Droid or some other smartphone can't do? My point is I wanted an iPod and my dad gave me at 13 for Christmas a more reasonably priced competitor's model with superior features, and a little chat about how the "it" brand isn't always the best thing and it's important to shop around for any electronics purchase to make sure you get the best value for your money. That's a good attitude to have about electronics and I lesson I think more kids should be taught given how they're EVERYWHERE. But that's my personal soapbox, take or leave as you will.

From the OP's other posts, it is clear that the kid has an iPod touch and some investment of sorts in apps already, therefore, going to a "cheaper" android doesn't seem like a wise investment. They would still need to carry around 2 devices to access the apps they already have. Yes, many of the same apps are available for android, but for simplicity sake, trying to get from 2 devices to 1, an iPhone is the way to go. I was one of those stubborn "I will never get AT&T no matter how much I want the iPhone (only use Macs at home and have for nearly my entire life, got the first iPod touch the week it came out, etc) - I was also online at 3 AM on 2/3/2011 preordering my iPhone on Verizon...

OP here. i don't have an iphone myself and just gravitate towards that namebrand b/c it seems easy and cool to use! She doesn't carry a purse and is about as big as a string of spaghetti and looks comical with a touch in one back pocket and a phone in the other. Looks like a repairman! LOL. So she just tends to carry the itouch. If she has a current phone now (bought last Christmas but it ended up being close to free at costco) - I have Verizon - am I able to trade the phone in towards credit towards the iphone? Though if it is a surprise for Christmas that won't work so well as I would need to surrender the phone at trade in...Hmmm....Is that how a verizon trade works, I have never done it....She does so well in school - new school this year with demanding academics - and has been so organized and so on top of stuff. I want to reward her at the holidays! Thanks for the info....I know nothing about the iphone price/phone so hearing 200 was a nice surprise. Not as bad as I thought!

The 16 GB is $199 (if you are eligible for an upgrade) and the 32 GB is $299. Off contract it is $650/$750. As a side note, if you are close to an Apple Store? You can get one there and they will get you all set up. However, being as this is for Christmas? I would hold off, because...

Hang on a while before buying anything. The new version of the iPhone is on the way any day now, and the 4 should drop in price once it's launched. Of course, then if she wants the iPhone 5, you are likely in for sticker shock and a heck of a wait to get your hands on one, judging from the fervor that past models have generated.

Here is what we do know. iOS 5 is due this fall. Current rumors are pointing toward the first week in October. The way things have been done the past few years is that the iOS update is available on Wednesday of a week, with the new iPhone being available that Friday. Apple is notoriously secretive on future product releases - IMHO if they didn't need to have developers test their apps ahead of time to ensure they worked on the new updates, I don't think they would even give any details of that out - so we won't know for sure until Apple announces it. I would say that if the first week of October rumors are true, then there will be an Apple special event the last week of September. We will all find out together what is coming next.

As far as device rumors, they run the spectrum. From not a big refresh/redesign of the current iPhone (speed bump, better camera) to a complete redesign (bigger screen in addition to the speed bump/better camera). No one knows for sure. What is likely to happen, though, is that the iPhone 4 will become the entry level iPhone, similar to how the 3GS is now (though only available on AT&T). Chances are that when the next iPhone is announce, there will also be a price cut on the current iPhone 4 to $99 (with contract) - The only thing is they will only offer one size. Currently the "budget" iPhone (the 3GS) is only 8 GB, but that was also the entry level iPhone when it was the current generation. There are rumors that an 8 GB iPhone 4 will be the $99 iPhone, but I tend to think it will be the 16 GB as this is the current smallest storage one. Again, nothing in this paragraph is anything more than speculation.

Thanks Lara! I know DH and Iare both long overdue on a phone so maybe if I get the Iphone 5 under my contract I can give it to her? Not sure! but thank you!!! And yes my DD is very into the music videos too. Thanks for the advice!

Generally speaking, this can be done. The issue will come with data plans. Do any of you already have data? If she is under contract, you will have to pay full price, but you can order the phone under a different/eligible line, then switch the numbers during activation. But you might want to talk to a Verizon rep how this would work if none of you have data today.

Wonder what the diff is between 4 and 5 version? Anyone know? Skype would be awesome...video cam another added bonus...147??? I can handle that! I will check Costco when I am there tomorrow. They gave me an incredible deal on her cell last year...Wonder though if I buy it now if they make me activate now or Ic an wait for Christmas? Will find out! Question for dataplan people that are in the know.....40.00 was for I THINK enough for 100 pages a day. I have no idea what that means but I was told it is the lower pkg but she could use wifi at home for free and not go against her data package. So I was advised to have her look at her videos, etc. here at home or with wi fi...meaning don't browse the internet just walking around town for no good reason. Does this make sense? For example if she loves videos can she watch one and download it onto her phone thus not going against her data package when she views it each time or does it not work that way?

Not sure about what the changes will be (see above). Skype is cool, and also works over 3G, but does chew through data. As fare as data plans, I think it is 2 GB for $30 (not eligible for employee/corp discounts), 5 GB for $50 (but eligible for the corp discounts, which makes it $40). I have unlimited data (grandfathered in). That being said? I use wifi only at home. During the day at work, and anywhere in between, I use 3G data. I live in SC, but am from MA, and still listen to (streaming) the radio stations from "back home." I listen about 2-3 hours a day, 4-5 days a week. I also have been known to go outside at lunch and watch an episode of "That 70's Show " streaming on Netflix. Maybe a couple times a month, so an hour or so of streaming video. My average data use is just about 2 GB, generally a bit over (I am currently at 1.8 GB with 7 days to go in this billing cycle). There is a My Verizon app that you can get in the app store to check usage (voice/text/data) and adjust your usage as needed. I do this now with texts. (Oh, and this month's data also includes about an hour of Monday Night Football streaming). The My Verizon website also has good tools to monitor your (or her) usage.

Ah and I have iPhones with 2g data each and unlimited texting and free wireless to wireless calls and we pay about $160 a month. If we added another line it would go up $35 a month with data.

I'd get the kid the iPhone. I was one of those people with an iTouch and a cell phone, so I feel her pain! If she is already used to the touch, the iPhone is perfect! You could also look at the option of her selling the iTouch to get money for the phone. The touch becomes pretty useless once you get the phone!

Try gazelle.com - I sold my old smartphone there for more than I paid for it!

Given that she carries them in her back pocket that is a cracked screen waiting to happen therefore not responsible enough. IMO.

Denise in MI

I have always carried my iPod touch and now iPhone in my pockets, never have had a cracked screen. My two tween daughters have iPod touches, and never an issue, either. The glass is pretty strong, but if her iPod touch has never had an issue, chances are her iPhone won't, either.

OP here. You guys were soooo helpful. I get my best info on these boards! I thank you all so much. I agree that all kids are different and as a parent, DD so far (knock on wood) has demonstrated maturity in never misplacing either phone or itouch and taking good care of both. Both have covers but a few times that touch has slipped out of a pocket and hit the floor. So I absolutely will get the best cover I can find for it and might even consider insurance? I guessjust being a little paranoid maybe! She isn't so much into texting nor really using it as a phone (heck I can't remember the time she talked on it!) but she sure does love those APPS on a 40 minute bus ride to school etc. We have a WII that only gets used in the winter I think when totally bored and she isn't much for the computer.....but loves those ITOUCH applications!

You just answered the best reason for an iPhone over an android/BlackBerry/Windows 7 Phone - she is already invested in the iOS apps!

My (then) 15 year old son wanted a smartphone last Christmas. I said are you sure? Don't want to wait a bit? He didn't, so he got a Droid Incredible. It is a nice phone, but he carries his iPod touch around more consistently, and uses those apps much more. Of course, he is now waiting until August 2012 until he can get an iPhone...

 

[Singinglizzie]

To OP - the Iphone is a great product and I love mine. Want to mention that you can buy I-Care for the phone directly with Apple. It's an extra service that provides training on how to use the phone and helps with the I-phone care. 10 days after I got my I-phone, it fell out of my purse when I opened my car door and slide across an icy parking lot. You can imagine my horror when I picked it up and the screen had cracked - it must have hit on an odd edge. Verizon was of absolutely no help, so I went to Apple and they helped me by giving me a new phone -and suggested the I-Care, which I immediately bought. I'd recommend I-Care especially for a teeneager. It is about $60. I love my I-phone so much that I think it would be useful for my High Schooler - but believe it or not, he doesnt want one. You can keep schedules, alerts, alarms, etc. I think it would help with his productivity at school.

 

[starbird]

To OP - the Iphone is a great product and I love mine. Want to mention that you can buy I-Care for the phone directly with Apple. It's an extra service that provides training on how to use the phone and helps with the I-phone care. 10 days after I got my I-phone, it fell out of my purse when I opened my car door and slide across an icy parking lot. You can imagine my horror when I picked it up and the screen had cracked - it must have hit on an odd edge. Verizon was of absolutely no help, so I went to Apple and they helped me by giving me a new phone -and suggested the I-Care, which I immediately bought. I'd recommend I-Care especially for a teeneager. It is about $60. I love my I-phone so much that I think it would be useful for my High Schooler - but believe it or not, he doesnt want one. You can keep schedules, alerts, alarms, etc. I think it would help with his productivity at school.

Apple Care is great. Allows you two years (three on their computers) unlimited service, basically. Call, go into a store. Great service, and a good value n

 

[heartsy77]

Just out of curiosity, how old are your kids?

If you pay with an AMEX card, items are covered if they are lost or stolen for 90 days. It also doubles the warranty. I plan on using my AMEX card for my next iPhone.

Unfortunately, it doesn't cover loss after the 90 days and my DD lost her iPod Touch on a red eye flight 2 weeks ago from Hawaii. It fell out of her pocket and my DH was too groggy to go through the post-flight checklist like I usually do. I was sitting across the aisle and thought that he was taking care of everything. I hope that karma bites the person is the butt who picked up and kept her Touch with the Justin Bieber skin on the back. It was obvious that it was a child's iPod. Poor kid used her own money for it.

Good to know! I ordered it on my Visa but I will know better next time!
Thank You!

 

[mindyd]

My daughter has one she is 12 and does great with it. My daughter had the Ipod Touch and was carrying that and her old phone. She had the old phone for two years when it broke. I decided to just get the Iphone and then she would only have to carry one thing. I think every child is different and my younger daughter would never have gotten one she loses everything and is not very careful with things.