Why you should buy iDevices on timeline, not price

All of these are for sale, but only some are worth buying

Tuesday, Gizmodo released a well-thought out (and well researched) piece on when to buy iDevices based on price. Unfortunately, in my mind, this is the absolutely worst way to buy Apple products. One of the facts of life is that Apple releases devices on a schedule – similarly, they support them according to schedule. Due to this schedule, Apple products’ life cycle is just about 2 years. After two years, the device (whether or not it still works) lacks relevance. If you took today’s iPhone 4S and compared it to the iPhone 3GS you will find the 3GS can barely play the same games, run the same apps, or even keep up (no retina display!?! ZOMGGGG!!).
I hope you don’t find this post disparaging of Apple, because it is not. Their clear schedules and cycles are perfect for consumers because they allow you to truly make informed purchasing decisions. I have a friend right now, who is in technology purgatory – she has a BlackBerry, her contract is up, yet I’m advising her not to buy an iPhone 4S. Why is this? Because I know the iPhone 5 is around the corner, and it is worth the wait. Buying a 4S right now would be like buying the Android Nexus S – sure it has Android 4.0 right now, but will it receive Android 5.0 (short answer – only in a ROM).
Smartphones have become the window through which the majority of Americans (and those in developing nations) access the world wide (inter)webs. Most people use their smartphone more than their home PC, so why should you not get the most out of it? Well the answer is you should, with solid research and the best (newest) device you can afford. This means buying devices when they are new (and will offer you the longest life cycles). Getting the most out of the smartphone (a device that rarely leaves our sides) is one of the wisest technological decisions a user can make.
So if you’re in the market for a new iPhone, please wait until the 5 releases (you’ll thank me). Also, bite the bullet and stick to GSM versions (more on them later).