Appendix A. Signup and Setup
You gotta admit it: Opening up a new iPhone brings a certain excitement. There’s a prospect of possibility, of new beginnings. Even if you intend to protect your iPhone with a case, there are those first few minutes when it’s shiny, spotless, free of fingerprints or nicks—a gorgeous thing.
This chapter is all about getting started, whether that means buying and setting up a new iPhone, or upgrading an iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 to the new iOS 5 software that’s described in this book.
Buying a New iPhone
Just because the iPhone 4S is now the big kid on the block doesn’t mean its ancestors are suddenly worthless. At this writing, you can still buy an iPhone 4 (for $100 with a 2-year cell contract) or even an iPhone 3GS ($1 with a contract).
Of course, each newer version of the phone is faster, has a better camera and screen, and comes packed with more features. You could make the argument that the incredible camera and Siri virtual assistant of the iPhone 4S justify its $100 price premium all by themselves.
In any case, once you’ve chosen the model you want, you also have to choose which cellphone company you want to provide its service: AT&T (any of the three phones), Verizon (iPhone 4 or 4S), or Sprint (iPhone 4 or 4S).
Verizon has the best cellular coverage—the fewest dropped calls—but its Internet speeds are much lower than AT&T’s. Sprint offers some of the best deals but doesn’t cover as much of the country. Research the coverage where you live and work. (Each ...
Get iPhone: The Missing Manual, 5th Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
