My observation is that people upgrade too early. If folks kept their iPhone for four years instead of two, the annual cost of an iPhone would be substantially reduced. I did this when I bought my iPhone 5 in 2012 and then upgraded to an iPhone 7 in 2016, selling my iPhone 5 on Craigslist for $120. Further, when I first started out, I did not use the phone much and had a prepaid service for $16 a month where I had 100 minutes, 100 texts and 500 MB of data a month. Now I use my phone a lot more and pay $31 including taxes for 2 GB of data with unlimited talk and texts. This level of service should be plenty for virtually all blind users who can jump on WIFI every so often for app updates and downloads along with downloading podcasts and audio books. For most people, paying more for cell phone service is unnecessary.
Kelly On 5/24/17, MamaPeach <[email protected]> wrote: > That is what I did, I gave up my iPhone, and am now using a simple flip > phone that does have speech and it only costs me $25 every 30 days through > Walmart's Total Wireless unlimited talk and text plan. We cut cable and now > > only use NetFlix and Hulu for watching TV shows and movies. We pay $64.99 > for our internet each month, which allows me to do what I want and I do have > > an iPod that allows me to connect to our wifi to do anything else I want to > > do using that device. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Richard Turner > Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2017 3:18 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: the cost of staying connected > > > You cannot listen to your books outside with the computer unless you got > some kind of wireless speaker system. > But, you could do everything but the phone calls and internet stuff on an > iPod Touch. > If you have wifi at home anyway, then no extra monthly fee. > Ditch the iPhone and get a simple, inexpensive phone for times when you are > > away from home. > Or, keep the iPhone and decide all that convenience is worth the money. > Just my two cents worth. > Richard > > >> On May 24, 2017, at 8:50 AM, deidre muccio <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> In the last day, I have had cause to think of the cost of staying >> connected via an i phone. >> First off we all pay a monthly service charge perhaps starting >> around $50. Put another $7 or more on for insurance if you buy it. Then >> there is the cost of the phone which can be dirt cheap if it is your >> first >> phone provided by a carrier you have been with for a long time. Once that >> phone needs replacing however, let's say, 2 years and a few months, you >> are >> in for purchasing a new phone or a used one, or might pay a $200 >> deductible >> on one that your insurance coverage will replace due to hardware damage. >> Add >> this all up, and it's thousands of dollars over a mere 2 year period. >> I have to ask what the true value is in all this? >> On the practical, not philosophical front, I am paying for the >> convenience and portability of a phone that I can make calls on and text >> with, and I can do all the information sharing and web searching, social >> networking, watch movies, listen to podcasts, read books, etc all on the >> run >> or away from home. Other than phone service and texting, all of this I >> can >> do on my desktop computer for the price of my internet service. >> What would I be missing if I gave this all up? Yesterday, I >> seriously thought of buying a monthly phone service for $25 and giving >> the >> rest up. Has anyone tried doing that lately? I'd like to hear about it! >> Are >> you planning more hikes or tandem bike rides? >> How I love my phone! I love lying in bed or cleaning house >> and moving my phone from room to room while I listen to a podcast, a >> replay >> of a news show, or a book. Again, I could do all this on a desktop >> computer >> provided the volume on my speakers reached the far rooms. I doubt I'd >> miss >> not getting calls or texts while away from home unless I was traveling >> out >> of State. Admittedly, the cheapest cell phone service I was able to >> purchase >> was $39 per month so the additional cost to text and have a phone with >> voice >> over menus is definitely superior to that. >> I wonder if I've already nearly fully answered my question cause I'm >> sitting here smiling broadly as I write this. Still, I conclude that I'm >> crazy for putting out the money to entertain myself around the clock, not >> unlike an avid TV watcher, when I could be out gardening or I could spend >> more time at the gym, or finishing a novel and/or the few short stories >> in >> the works! I could even get some kind of volunteer job. I will say that >> when >> I do work for pay, my work being as a masseuse, I do not use my phone at >> all. >> One good thing, I guess, is that if I go silent, friends might >> inquire as to whether or not I am still alive, so for safety's sake, I >> guess >> that detail gets racked up in the plus column. >> I did not write or dictate this using my phone. I am typing away on >> a full keyboard, which is far more comfortable and affords much more time >> for thinking. If I could word process using a full keyboard or a >> dictation >> program that would allow you to dictate unlimited text, I'd trash the >> desktop pronto. Oh, no no no, having a iphone on the blink for the past >> day >> was bad enough, we'll always need back up, now won't we? >> >> Deidre >> Deidre >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone >> list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or >> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the >> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: >> [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >> [email protected] >> >> The archives for this list can be searched at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> >> "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: > [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > [email protected] > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: > [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > [email protected] > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at [email protected] The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
