thoughts on iPhone instead of iPod Touch?

[myhoney]

DD10 wants an iPod Touch for music and to play games like all of her friends. I don't think it's necessary, but it is the only thing she is asking for. I think she is too young for a phone, but at the same time, getting her an iPhone 4s for ~$40 would also play music and games, and be a phone, too.

We use Puppy Wireless, so we can get it set up for $10/month with 60 texts and 60 min of talk. The reason I don't want her to have a phone is to avoid the texting/bullying that can happen. But it seems you can text with an iPod Touch, too! So, at that point, I think the iPhone is the better value.

DH and I need to sit and talk it out. I don't really mind disappointing her and keep saying no, but I do know that it has been bothering her since some of the kids have had these for 2 years! We've been holding out, but I don't know if we will really make it another 3 years like we planned. And, we have started letting her stay home alone for brief periods of time, and are letting her get off the bus and be home alone for ~45 minutes, so... what am I missing between the iPhone and the iPod Touch?

 

[eeyoreandtink]

You are going to have problems with apps on the 4s. It is not upgradable to the latest versions of IOS so many apps and games will not work. My mom is starting to run into this problem and it will become more and more of an issue as time goes by.

My child got an iPhone at 10 and we have had NO problems. She does as she is told with it, no text/ talk after 8pm, needs my approval for downloads ect. If you have a responsible kid you trust, I say get her a newer iPhone. You can block anyone who sends unwanted texts very easily.

 

[ten6mom]

My kids' dad set up my 11yo's iPhone, but I am pretty sure you can even set limits on it as far as the time of day (or to whom) you can send texts, etc. My younger son has the iPod Touch still but we have to start considering a phone for him too as he will be the oldest of the cousins going to the same school (for emergency reasons).

 

[havaneselover]

You are going to have problems with apps on the 4s. It is not upgradable to the latest versions of IOS so many apps and games will not work. My mom is starting to run into this problem and it will become more and more of an issue as time goes by.

My child got an iPhone at 10 and we have had NO problems. She does as she is told with it, no text/ talk after 8pm, needs my approval for downloads ect. If you have a responsible kid you trust, I say get her a newer iPhone. You can block anyone who sends unwanted texts very easily.

The 4 is not upgradeable. I'm pretty sure the 4s still is with the latest iOS release.

I had a 4 until last month and ran a ton of apps (but not tween game apps) with no issues.

 

[havaneselover]

Dd used an iPod touch until she turned 12. Then she got an iPhone 5c. Really the only difference between the two is not needing wifi to message and call.

 

[myhoney]

The 4 is not upgradeable.

That explains why my husband's 4 hasn't been updating...

 

[havaneselover]

That explains why my husband's 4 hasn't been updating...

Yeah. The 4 couldn't get iOS 8. But I used it for shopkick and Ibotta and never had any issues with it. And there weren't any apps I wanted which I could not get.

 

[bethy]

DD10 wants an iPod Touch for music and to play games like all of her friends. I don't think it's necessary, but it is the only thing she is asking for. I think she is too young for a phone, but at the same time, getting her an iPhone 4s for ~$40 would also play music and games, and be a phone, too.

We use Puppy Wireless, so we can get it set up for $10/month with 60 texts and 60 min of talk. The reason I don't want her to have a phone is to avoid the texting/bullying that can happen. But it seems you can text with an iPod Touch, too! So, at that point, I think the iPhone is the better value.

DH and I need to sit and talk it out. I don't really mind disappointing her and keep saying no, but I do know that it has been bothering her since some of the kids have had these for 2 years! We've been holding out, but I don't know if we will really make it another 3 years like we planned. And, we have started letting her stay home alone for brief periods of time, and are letting her get off the bus and be home alone for ~45 minutes, so... what am I missing between the iPhone and the iPod Touch?

I have BTDT through two kids so far. I do not understand the bias against the iphone over the ipod at ALL. I know so many parents of kids who feel that for kids the ipod is somehow morally superior to an iphone. That's crazy. The iphone and ipod essentially have the EXACT same function except that the iphones can be used most anywhere and the ipod can't. For the longest time my oldest carried around a flip phone AND an ipod everywhere and it got ridiculous.

How is the ability to make an actual phone call from most locations soooooo inappropriate for a 10 year old versys giving them an ipod?? If you are concerned about cost, then you can turn off cellular data and then then it operates just like an ipod that can make phone calls.

We don't even have a landline anymore. Giving my kids cellphones has saved my sanity in countless ways.

OP, this is not directed at you. I'm a little peeved at the many snide comments I've gotten and eyerolls when I've gotten my 10 year olds (last generation) iphones on our family cell plan. Our family situation and lifestyle is such that they must have a phone. And so we've just streamlined things and gotten them an all-in-one device - the iphone.

 

[myhoney]

The iphone and ipod essentially have the EXACT same function except that the iphones can be used most anywhere and the ipod can't.

I agree. As I'm looking into it, I'm amazed that people spend $225 for a Touch. At that point, get the phone! Of course, I'm not willing to spend anywhere near that amount of money, but I don't quite see why Apple has two products that are so similar?

 

[havaneselover]

I agree. As I'm looking into it, I'm amazed that people spend $225 for a Touch. At that point, get the phone! Of course, I'm not willing to spend anywhere near that amount of money, but I don't quite see why Apple has two products that are so similar?

I don't know what the original intention was but it became a training phone for tweens. But so many tweens have phones now. But if you don't want to pay for monthly service it's really not that outrageous when you figure what iPhones cost unsubsidized. Then again iPad minis are so darn cheap these days...

 

[eeyoreandtink]

Yeah. The 4 couldn't get iOS 8. But I used it for shopkick and Ibotta and never had any issues with it. And there weren't any apps I wanted which I could not get.

The 4s will not update any further after the current one, and the apps you are running aren't the graphics heavy games that kids want. Those are starting to have problems because you cannot load them without the latest OS. 4s users will soon have the same issues.

 

[havaneselover]

The 4s will not update any further after the current one, and the apps you are running aren't the graphics heavy games that kids want. Those are starting to have problems because you cannot load them without the latest OS. 4s users will soon have the same issues.

Okay but for $40 the op's child can get a year out of it. Honestly I don't follow the games on iPod/iPhones because my kids don't play them.

 

[zoemurr]

I agree that a 4th generation anything isn't going to support some things she wants to do. If you are going with an itouch I would get a new one. We are struggling with this too, but my DS is 14.

As for the "I do not understand the bias against the iphone over the ipod at ALL." I will gladly tell you my reasons. #1 I don't want to pay a monthly charge. His tracfone is less than $100 a year and more than suits his calling/texting needs. #2 The ipod is for relaxation when he has downtime, primarily at home or in the car. If he had the phone he would be on it every spare second of the day. (I realize this is not true for all kids.. my DD has an iphone and is fine.) I would prefer he interacts with people. (Unfortunately this is usually looking over other kids' shoulders while they are on their phones.) #3 His new ipod from last Christmas was gone by Easter (either lost or stolen.. not entirely sure. I do know we had asked him not to take it to school) If it had been a phone I would have had to replace it.

Also, while $10 a month sounds great, most kids can use 60 texts in 5 minutes or less.

If you are leaning toward the phone you can always get the 4s and see how she does. It's easy to upgrade later. My 16 year old has a 4s because it was a hand me down and it's that or nothing. She doesn't complain, but I know it glitches quite a bit. We are getting her a 5s for Christmas as she'll be going off to college in the fall and will need something reliable. She has the $30 T-Mobile plan w/100 talk minutes and unlimited data.

 

[myhoney]

We expect that she will use it for downtime, like your son. We would pick a super low plan because we don't really want her using those features a lot just yet. But we can change it on a month to month basis. DD doesn't even use the home phone to call her friends now, so we don't think it will be an issue. With our carrier, we buy the phone outright, and then pay for the monthly plan. So it's not the same kind of upgrade-every-2-years that a traditional carrier has. Of course, in 2 years, I should be back to work full time, and then we could all afford to upgrade our phones!!

 

[supersnoop]

I agree. As I'm looking into it, I'm amazed that people spend $225 for a Touch. At that point, get the phone! Of course, I'm not willing to spend anywhere near that amount of money, but I don't quite see why Apple has two products that are so similar?

When most people get an iPhone, at least at that price point, they commit to two years of service, at over $1,000. A touch can make a lot of sense. But a used or older iPhone can make a lot of sense if you don't have a service commitment.

 

[zoemurr]

Also, I assume the $10 a month doesn't get her any data?

 

[havaneselover]

Why not get the 4s without the monthly service? I use my old 4 as an iPod touch running swagbucks.

 

[myhoney]

oh...now I see. We have never used a provider with a service commitment. We have only ever paid ~$25/month for our usage, so I didn't understand why the touch would be attractive. Now I get it.

 

[myhoney]

$10/month gives her 50 mb. If we bump her to $15/month, it's 250 text, 250 talk, and 200 mb.

 

[myhoney]

Why not get the 4s without the monthly service? I use my old 4 as an iPod touch running swagbucks.

We might look into doing it that way to start...