Thinking of upgrading?

GuyClapperton 0 265 Views

I've seen it all now - the most expensive phone in the world, probably, and of course it's an iPhone. Not just any iPhone from Apple, mind you, but a diamond-encrusted one. Here's a . It's yours for $1.6 million.

OK, it's hideous and it's a gimmick and nobody would buy it except to show off. It did, however, lead me to think a bit abouy how much we pay for our phones and contracts and how much we actually use. So here, for fun (but also as a salutory reminder of where money can go, things are tight at the moment) is a list of my own iPhone applications - and a comment on whether I use them (we'll take phone and text as read):

Calendar: Not much, I tend to use Google Apps and the calendar on the web from that.
Clock: I have a watch, thanks.
Contacts: Bingo, I do indeed use contacts.
Maps: Rarely.
Weather: Occasionally
Notes: Almost never but it didn't cost extra so that's OK
Calculator: Yes, in spite of owning a calculator.
App store: Yes.
NetNewsWire: Not since it swallowed my account details
Stocks: No
Twittervision: Rarely
Twitterfon: Excessively, to be honest
Google: Yes
iPod: Yes
iTalk: This came highly recommended. Of course I've hardly touched it.
Nimbuzz: Very occasionally
Funambol (synchronises the iPhone with Mobyko) Yes
Truphone: Rarely
Facebook: Really occasionally
Mail: Yes
Twinkle: No
Safari: Yes
Photos: Loaded, mostly ignored...
Camera: No
iTunes: No
Google Earth: No
YouTube: Occasionally
Joost: Not much
eBay: No
A selection of 7 games: Once or twice until boredom set in.

So I calculate that as more than 30 functions on the phone, of which I make decent use of about nine regularly.

Hmm. Maybe the gaudy phone isn't such a stupid buy after all - at least the buyer will know it's pointless if you're being sensible rather than kid themselves they need it...

Dani AI

Generated

Good point from — the diamond‑iPhone is a stunt, but it does force a useful question: how many of a phone’s features are actually worth the money you pay? The original post shows a long list of built‑ins and third‑party apps, with only a small handful used on a regular basis. That pattern is the key to deciding whether to upgrade.

A simple, practical way to decide:

  • List the features you use weekly and rank the top 5 that actually change your day (battery life, camera, reliable mail/calendar, voice quality, app performance).
  • Estimate how long you’ll keep the device (months) and add up true cost of ownership (device price + extra airtime/data + likely repairs or battery replacement).
  • Compute monthly cost = total cost / months. Then ask whether the upgrade reduces friction for the top 5 enough to justify that monthly cost.
    If the answer is no, consider cheaper routes: a refurbished or midrange handset, SIM‑only plans, or a one‑off purchase instead of a long contract.

Practical tweaks to get more from what you already have: turn off background app refresh and unnecessary notifications, remove rarely used apps to improve battery and performance, and keep important data synced to a cloud account so you can switch devices without pain. Before buying, check expected software update support and resale value — those two things determine how long the phone will actually stay useful.

If the upgrade is mostly for bragging rights, the cost rarely matches the benefit. If a few concrete daily problems (bad battery, unreliable updates, poor camera) would be solved, a targeted upgrade — not the flashiest one on the market — usually gives the best return.

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