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You may also have to fork over extra coin for a plan that includes tethering, or the capability to use your iPhone as a broadband modem for other devices you might carry, such as laptops and netbooks.
Three prerequisites for enjoying the iPhone have been in place since the original release and remain – at least for most U.S. customers:
❯❯ One, unless you’re already in the fold, there’s the aforementioned business of becoming an AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile subscriber or a customer of any other company that subsequently sells the devices.
❯❯ Two, you may have to free yourself from any wireless contract that you’ve already entered into. As we’ve pointed out, such contractual obligations are getting liberalized and ironclad two-year contracts are disappearing in favor of installment pricing. Heck, your new wireless company may even pay any early termination fees due your old carrier.
Under its own trade-in program, Apple won’t give you cash for your old phone but will issue a gift card that you can use in the store. As of this writing, you can get a card valued at up to $250 if you trade in an iPhone 6 Plus. You can even get a $50 gift card for trading in a now ancient iPhone 4. Prices vary depending on the condition of the phone you're trading in. Keep in mind that you may get cash or a better trade-in deal elsewhere.
Apple has its own in-store upgrade program, based on a 24-month installment. As this book was going to press, you could get a 32GB iPhone 7 for $32.41 a month, a 128GB model for $36.58, and a 256GB model for $40.75. Pricing for the 7 Plus under the Apple upgrade program is $37.41, $41.58, and $45.75, respectively. You get to choose your own carrier. AppleCare warranty protection is included.
❯❯ Three, make sure you download the freshest version of iTunes software for syncing with your PC or Mac. Apple doesn’t supply the software in the box, so head to www.apple.com/itunes if you need to fetch a copy, or launch your current version of iTunes and then choose iTunes ⇒ Check for Updates (Mac) or Help ⇒ Check for Updates (Windows).
The uninitiated might not know that iTunes is the nifty Apple jukebox software that iPod, iPad, PC, and Mac owners use to manage music, videos, and more. iTunes is at the core of the iPhone as well because it has a built-in iPod, under what is called the Music app instead. You employ iTunes to synchronize a bunch of stuff on your computer and iPhone, including apps, photos, podcasts, videos, ringtones, and (of course) music – that is, unless you eschew your computer directly and manage all this stuff through iCloud.
Although iTunes is no longer required for the initial configuration of your iPhone, we recommend fetching it anyway, even if you don’t intend to use it for syncing with a PC or Mac. We just happen to be fans of the software.
Turning the iPhone On and Off
Apple has taken the time to nearly fully charge your iPhone, so you’ll get some measure of instant gratification. After taking the phone out of the box, press and hold down the sleep/wake button. On the iPhone SE, the sleep/wake button resides on the top-right edge of iPhones. On the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, and 7 Plus, the button is on the right edge. (Refer to Chapter 1 for the location of all buttons.) If the phone has been activated – and at least in the Apple Stores, a salesperson will happily handle this for you – the famous Apple logo appears on your screen.
Soon, the word hello and its foreign language equivalents (hola, bonjour, ciao, and so on) take turns greeting you on a screen with a gray background.
If the phone is shipped to you from the Apple Store, you get a Connect to iTunes screen so that the device can connect to your provider’s servers and perform the activation. Or you can go computer-free through iCloud. Slide your finger to the right to continue the setup, and off you go. Even if the phone is activated in the store, you have several decisions to make: Do you want to set up the device as a new iPhone, restore the phone from an iCloud backup (see the next chapter), or restore it from an iTunes backup?
Over the several screens that appear, you get to choose your language (English by default) and country or region. You then choose a Wi-Fi network, if available, or proceed using your cellular connection.
Next, you decide whether to enable Location Services. Agreeing to this step means the iPhone knows where you are, which is useful for Maps and other apps that rely on your whereabouts.
You are asked to kindly sign in with an Apple ID (if you already have one) or create one. Apple ID is the credential used to set up your iCloud and iTunes Store accounts, which include such things as the iBooks Store, Game Center, and Apple Music.
As part of the setup, you’re also asked to agree to the Terms and Conditions for iOS, iCloud, Game Center, and the Apple Privacy Policy. Apple says it is important that you read this stuff and who are we to disagree? We’ll just leave it there.
After getting past all the policy mumbo-jumbo, you’re next asked whether you want to use iCloud to access your music, photos, contacts, calendars, and more on all your devices automatically. The decision is up to you, but for what it is worth, your humble authors use iCloud because sharing all that data across all the other gear that we own is darn handy.
We also take advantage of the Find My iPhone feature and think you should too. Seems like a no-brainer to us: Why wouldn’t you want to turn on a tool that can possibly help you retrieve a lost or stolen phone? (For more on Find My iPhone, check out Chapter 14.)
You also get to choose or verify the phone number and email addresses that folks might use to get in touch with you, via FaceTime video calling (see Chapter 4) or iMessage (see Chapter 6).
The next request differs by phone and has to do with security, something no one should take lightly. You’re given the option to create a passcode to prevent anyone from getting to the contents of your device without knowing that code.
But if you have the iPhone 5s or later instead, you’re asked whether you want to set up Touch ID, Apple’s name for a nifty fingerprint authentication system. This feature is worth a deeper dive.
Apple wants you to give the iPhone the finger.
