It's now been over three years since the 3GS was released, and there's essentially zero difference between the 3GS and the iPhone 5. I honestly don't see any point in upgrading unless I drop my current one, which isn't likely.
Are you kidding? I'm no iOS fan, but I think that statement is a bit ridiculous.
All of the most popular apps still run on the 3GS, and run well, with the exception of a half dozen or so.
The internet browsing speed is effectively identical, regardless of whatever the specs claim.
The new cameras are supposedly slightly better, but probably not enough to be noticeable unless you've got a highly trained eye.
The only features that the new iPhones have are things like Siri and Facetime, which are largely gimmicks with no real use case.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuSYkdyfuTA
I expected it to be more of a blowout on ALL sites. I can't tell if this proves you right or wrong.
And based on the video, it looks like the 3GS is as fast or faster than the 4S for sites that are text-based or optimized for mobile.
Because it sounds like you just don't need more than a basic phone. There's nothing wrong with that, but for people who are looking for a high end phone it's a clear upgrade in many ways (for example a larger, higher pixel density screen).
One phone uses LTE, while the other uses 3G. I'm also ignoring how the 5 is easily faster than the 3GS, which requires more power.
All of the most popular apps still run on the 3GS, and run well, with the exception of a half dozen or so.
This will change as the 3GS doesn't get iOS 7 and other apps start requiring it (or a full-featured iOS 6).
The internet browsing speed is effectively identical, regardless of whatever the specs claim.
By virtue of the faster processor + GPU, this is patently false. Also, you'll get fewer Safari reloads since the 5 has 4x as much RAM.
The only features that the new iPhones have are things like Siri and Facetime, which are largely gimmicks with no real use case.
You forgot a faster cellular connection and a high-definition screen.
With that said (I won't speak to the camera, since I don't have an eye for that sort of thing), I agree that iOS updates since iOS 4 have not introduced gamechanging features. Still, it's nice to Facetime with my family given that we don't live in the same city.
NYC is notorious for its poor Verizon LTE coverage. Right now, the US LTE market is "Verizon," however, as AT&T has rolled out slowly and Verizon LTE covers some high double-digit percentage of the US.
I used to own an 3G and a 3GS and I use my iPhone 4S WAY more often for taking pictures of anything and everything. It is my preferred go to for taking pictures because it is always with me. I own a point and shoot but it has largely been sitting on my desk at home and is rarely used.
I want to take a look at the iPhone 5 specifically for shooting more pictures with, my iPhone 4S's lens has a slight scratch in it (which doesn't seem to affect the picture quality, thankfully) and something harder that can't be scratched as easily would be fantastic.
Although, if I had maybe invested in a case it wouldn't have been scratched, I prefer to not have a bumper/case around my devices, it makes them feel bulky and larger than they have to be.
This is completely nuts. The camera on the 3GS was the first acceptable camera in an iPhone, but it was nothing special. The 4S camera rivals dedicated point-and-shoot cameras for quality, and the 5's should be even better. The difference between the 3GS and the 4S (I've had both) is extremely noticeable.
And the idea that internet browsing speed would be unaffected, when the 5 has a way faster CPU and fricken LTE is so bizarre I can't even begin to understand how you make that statement. Are you somehow under the impression that internet browsing speed on the 3GS was already being bottlenecked by the remote server?
Good enough to replace vs. rivalling for quality aren't the same thing. I'm not sure what you said (i.e. "rivals") is true, given how much larger the sensor is in a dedicated point and shoot.
And keep in mind, that in good light, even a camera phone produces really nice images. Once you get into adverse conditions, things start to get dicey.
As a 4S user (having also owned the 3G and the 3GS), I'll admit that I wasn't blown away at all by the announcement, but I'll still pressure my wife into giving me her upgrade so I can get one. It's simply not possible for a company to completely revolutionize a market with every single device, especially on an annual release cycle. We were blown away by the iPhone in 2007 because the market was so different. But the market landscape has changed so much in the past 5 years that the kind of change we expect is just not possible.
4S/5 are easy to justify from a security perspective, and the retina display on 4/4S/5 really is a huge improvement over the 3GS. LTE in the 5 also is a big win -- I'm going to try doing VoIP over LTE (G.722) so I don't have to play with Google Voice anymore.
I am amazed that the 3GS supports iOS 6, though -- I wonder if it will support the next big iOS now that it's no longer being sold.
At least on AT&T it's only supported in a handful of random town in the middle of nowhere. Not only does it not work in NYC, there aren't even plans to get it working any time soon. By the time it's actually up and running with a reasonable amount of coverage the iPhone 6 will be out.
I suppose they might be lying, but that would be pretty egregious even for a cell carrier.
I'm going Verizon since they have better coverage in Yosemite and some other areas where no other network seems to have coverage.