iPhone Oppo-inion Sought

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura) 01/21/2019 at 19:08 • Filed to: None

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Is an iPhone 7 adequate for a 60-year-old guy who isn’t savvy and who doesn’t need to be wowed? He just needs a reliable iPhone to use when he’s running his business.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:18

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that description meets the average age and technical knowledge of my office, we use a combo of 7's and SE’s

the iphones are probably the easiest smart phone for technophobes. imo

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:20

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Absolutely but the base problem is that they update the phones and software so often the 7 may only have 2 years left of relevance.

This reply typed on an iPhone 7.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:23

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I know a 52 year old guy in Texas who is using an iPhone 6S. 

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:23

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I’m still rocking a 6 but it’s being held together basically on life support. A 7 has maybe two cycles left in it, if that.

I’d say your best bet is an 8; refurbished or used is okay if tha t better fits your budget.

ttyymmnn > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/21/2019 at 19:23

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And I just bought a 6S. 

Chariotoflove > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:29

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Yes, absolutely.  I am still rocking a 6S, and it does everything.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/21/2019 at 19:31

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There are several 6s currently in the fleet.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 01/21/2019 at 19:32

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I think I met him. Perhaps my guy should buy an 8, because he’s likely to be using if for 7 years.

Ssfancyfresh > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:33

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I have a 6s and will keep it at least 1 more year (currently 2 years in) . Previous phone was a 5 or 5s. Had that one at least 4 years with no issues.

PowderHound > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:35

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If you are worried about it being old, my iPhone 4 still works and I have been using it for a year and a half or so. It’s bare bones, won’t run a lot of fancy apps but I have had the battery run for at least  2 days if you are only using it as a phone. 

ranwhenparked > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:36

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Yes, my nearly 70 year old dad got a X, and he didn’t even know how to use email until he was about 60. He took to iPa ds and iPhones shockingly fast.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:37

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Apple got busted for purposely slowing down older phones. I bet that 7 will be good for a few years. My boys are all using a 5SE. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:38

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If you’re going to hang onto it forever, it’s best to buy as much phone as you can. If you’re going to replace it every 2-3 years, a 6 or 7 should be fine. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 01/21/2019 at 19:39

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We have a few 6s in the fleet that seem to be going strong. I didn’t know that the update cycle was a thing with the iPhones like it is with the Nexus phones and such. I was on a Nexus 5 until just last year when something went kerflooey. (I was on the East Coast, in Norfolk, and hooked up with someone via Craigslist and had a pristine Pixel 2 in less than 24 hours and at a decent price from a very nice Navy couple. Of young men... Oh, how times they are a changin’)

I’ll go with your 8 recommendation.

How do you know so much about all of this? Is it your job?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Chariotoflove 01/21/2019 at 19:41

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Yes, but this matter of updates. I did not realize that this was a thing for iPhones that weren’t a thousand years old.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > PowderHound 01/21/2019 at 19:42

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Yes. I’m all about all of that, the only rub being that the 4 is such a small device.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ranwhenparked 01/21/2019 at 19:44

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I have a close friend from church who is 93 and his daughter and grandkids bought him a big shiny iPhone for Christmas. I assume it’s an X. I had to get one of the younger guys to show me how to keep the ringer off during services. I felt satisfyingly old.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 01/21/2019 at 19:46

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That would be my inclination. I went through enormous headache and heartache dealing with Apple on iPhone 6 batteries, as you know and had I known how EASY it was to change the batteries, I’d have never talked to Apple in the first place. Astonishingly simple. It helped that I’ve opened up many laptops and other devices over the years, but I wouldn’t discourage you from tackling it with a few tips and a YouTube video up front.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/21/2019 at 19:47

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I haven’t compared the prices of 7s to 8s yet. I’ll let my friend make the ultimate decision, but my inclination would be to have him buy the new 7/128 for $449.

PowderHound > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:49

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True.  I wouldn’t recommend a 4 at all.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:49

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iPhones have this wonderful habit of going strong right up until Apple decides they don’t want them going strong anymore. 

Mercedes Streeter > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:52

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I’d say a 7 is fine. A good used example s hould last a few years ( if not longer) before potentially becoming a pain (battery replacements are fun because glue!)

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/21/2019 at 19:52

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relevance is subjective, an iphone running an old version is still just as serviceable for someone who only uses it for calls, emails and browsing.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:58

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Apple’s last update was very friendly to phones as old as the 6/6S, but with $100 difference between the 7 and 8, I’d probably just go with the 8 for the future- proofing. Less for future OS updates than for battery replacements. Apple has been piloting servicing older products, but they usually stop replacements at 5 years. 

Chariotoflove > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:59

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Apple tends to have a good history of support for older models. Check out this site for a quick graphic of this. The iPhone 7 will likely take the latest iOS updates for more than two more years. Also, be aware that when it no longer does, that will only mean that it won’t take feature updates meant for newer hardware. It will still take maintenance updates and function just fine for as long as the phone itself is mechanically sound. It won’t stop doing what it did to that point.

So, the answer to your original question of whether an iPhone 7 will serve a person who just needs a reliable phone for his business and doesn’t need to be wowed, is yes. Yes it will.

Rico > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 19:59

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All iPhones since the first one have a mute switch built into the left hand side of the phone. Really a great feature that I use all the time I wish everything had a mute switch.

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 20:03

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Should be fine for the next couple of years at least . The screen   is a bit small compared to modern flagships, but is still large enough to be useful (I hate the 4" screen on my dad’s phone, but 4.7" should still be good) . At some point Apple will stop supporting it with OS updates, but that should be a long way out at this point.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 20:24

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Lol I’m just an iPhone user that tries my best to keep my phones alive for as long as possible. It wasn’t until about six months ago that my 6 started acting...wonky...and about six weeks ago that it’s battery decided to give up the ghost and it’s processor slow down. I haven’t had working GPS for over a year and the Bluetooth is starting to go (apparently they’re the same part of the chip of something). My gf’s 7 was just starting to have the same issue with GPS about two months ago and then she ditched it.

As for repair , I just like to tear stuff apart and fix it myself (just like cars), even if I don’t really know what I’m doing until I’m elbows deep.  Also I read a lot of Gizmodo.

RutRut > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 20:39

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If you can swing it, go with a plus variant. My dad has sausage fingers after a lifetime in construction and going to an 8+ and upping the font seems to be the perfect balance for him. 

Boxer_4 > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 01/21/2019 at 21:14

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I ran an iPhone 5 from new until about a week ago. Just general use; web browsing, email, texting, & calls. I stopped upgrading after the last version of iOS 9.  Still worked pretty well, but it needed a new battery again, and it seemed like it was time to upgrade. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 01/21/2019 at 21:35

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The batteries are ridiculously easy to replace on those phones.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Mercedes Streeter 01/21/2019 at 21:35

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I just replaced the battery in a 6 and except for extricating the old battery, it was total cake. I didn’t even bother to tape down the new battryh.

Mercedes Streeter > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/21/2019 at 21:38

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Oh, batteries are easy! I never replaced the tape, either. The 7 has a screen that’s additionally held down with glue, adding an extra step to the process.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ttyymmnn 01/21/2019 at 21:45

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My wife has a 6s she uses more features than I do on my 7.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Honeybunchesofgoats 01/21/2019 at 21:59

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Good points. Also, battery replacement is ridiculously easy.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Chariotoflove 01/21/2019 at 22:00

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Thank you. I was leaning that way. The only things he’ll be doing are calling, calendar, contacts, photos and email. Standard stuff.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Rico 01/21/2019 at 22:01

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Including some of my colleagues...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw 01/21/2019 at 22:02

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My thoughts as well.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > RutRut 01/21/2019 at 22:03

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Good points. This friend would go insane with that large a phone. He’s using a 4-incher right now, so a 6/7/8 standard size would be a nice screen size upgrade for him.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Mercedes Streeter 01/21/2019 at 22:05

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I’ve only done a 6. Bummer that a 7's more difficult.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Boxer_4 01/21/2019 at 22:26

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Yep, and for anyone who can’t afford an upgrade, iPhone 5 batteries are cheap and replacing them isn’t as hard as some people would have you believe.

Batteries in 7’s and newer though, those little tri- lobe screws are a pain in the arse. The cheap screwdrivers you get in kits just don’t cut it.

Chariotoflove > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/22/2019 at 00:03

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Glad to help!