iphone question
April 17, 2014 1:06 PM   Subscribe

Okay, i need some advice on what is my best move. My new company just gave me a new iphone 5s (verizon) 64 gb. I had a iphone 5 (at&t) 64 gb. right after i got my new phone, i dropped my old (at&t) phone & the screen shattered. But thanks to applecare, i got a brand new one for only $50. (Go me!). Okay... my daughter has a 32gb iphone 4 with a slight crack at the bottom right of the screen... generally it operates kinda slow & she is having some problems with her home button (we had her screen replaced before) My son has a 16 gb iphone 4 ... his home button also isn't working great... (also, the screen has been replaced before). That's the summary of our situation.... So my question is... (seeing how i'm good with my new company phone) ... what is my best move to both upgrade both kid's phone & to maybe bank some money?

Easiest thing for me to do is take my old iphone 5 (64gb) and give it to my daughter... but she's 14, and it's brand new... does she need such a thing? I'd prefer to get her and Iphone 5 that's 32 gb.. (less money)... (also, mine is black, she'd prefer white, but in her words, "it's not a deal breaker...") Then take her's... reset to factory settings, restore to my son's phone... & just keep or sell his.

However, would my old Iphone5 64gb (black) be worth more if i took it to someone to jail break it? then sell it, sell hers, bank some money, and buy her a new or used iphone 5, 32 gb? or sell his, and give hers to him?

I just don't know the best move (economically). We can all be patient, so it's not like it needs to happen immediately, but i want to get my game plan & start the ball rolling.

I appreciate all advice!
posted by foodybat to Technology (7 answers total)
 
If you specifically meant iPhone 4, not 4S, note that they have a well known issue where their home button becomes unreliable with age. (We're talking about a phone released in June 2010.) The 4S button is much improved.

Also, while iOS 7 was pushed out to the iPhone 4, it really is underpowered and it almost certainly won't be supported on iOS 8 (due out probably in June 2014).

So you might want to consider trading in or selling or otherwise getting rid of the iPhone 4 units while they still have some value.

As for the rest of your question: it might help to know your contract / prepaid situation.
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:26 PM on April 17, 2014


Response by poster: My contract/prepaid situation ? I have the family on an AT&T shared plan... but this is moreso a hardware question... i can sell both iphone 4's... & get whatever i can for them (I know it won't be much)... Then sell my new iphone5 64gb (at&t)... will i get more if it's jailbroken? if so, does it make sense to do it, as i'll then need to buy my daughter a new (or lightly used) iphone 5 32gb... & maybe the same for my son... or at least another iphone 4 for him? (or perhaps a iphone 5, that's 16 gb ... if they even make those).... I could just take my black iphone 5 64 gb, give that to my daugher... & sell both the 4's and with that money try to get my son the best iphone i can?
posted by foodybat at 1:39 PM on April 17, 2014


Then sell my new iphone5 64gb (at&t)... will i get more if it's jailbroken?

You'll get more if it's unlocked, which is different from jailbroken. If the phone is out of contract and on AT&T, you can request that it be unlocked.

Gazelle.com offers $75 US dollars for an unlocked iPhone 4 16gb, $85 for 32gb.

Give one of the kids the iPhone 5, sell the two iPhone 4 phones to Gazelle and buy the other kid a 16gb or 32gb 5c.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:51 PM on April 17, 2014


You could definitely sell off your old iphone 5 (64gb) and use some of the funds to acquire an iphone 5 (32gb) for your daughter, and then hand-me-down her iphone to your son. That is most likely to result in upgrades, the phone your daughter wants (ie: a white one) and money in your pocket. The cost of having someone jail break the phone may negate the profits from its sale, so I personally would just sell the phone off as-is. Even without the phone being jail breaked, you stand to make an ok profit (based on price differences between the two iphone 5s).
posted by stubbehtail at 1:53 PM on April 17, 2014


Were I you, I'd sell the 5, try and dump the 4s, and use the upgrades you should have on your contract for two 5Cs.
posted by General Malaise at 2:07 PM on April 17, 2014


Response by poster: does anyone know the difference in price between the iphone 5C & an iphone 5 32gb & 16gb?

When i moved my number from the AT&T phone to the new company phone... now my AT&T phone is no longer being used... will at&t "unlock" the phone for me? What is the difference between unlocked & jailbroken? Does unlock mean it can be used with any carrier? & jailbroken means independent apps. & 'unauthorized' (by apple) things can be used on it?
posted by foodybat at 3:21 PM on April 17, 2014


To answer your last question... Yes, unlocking lets you use the phone with other carriers. Jail breaking gives you access to a wider range of apps.
posted by Telpethoron at 7:11 PM on April 17, 2014


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