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Re 'going off topic slightly'....This will always happen when you have people who use Android or Windows phones commenting on any thread. Everyone will have a different opinion...which is good I think...
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I think there may well be a new scheme for iPhone launch this time from both O2 and Apple 
My first recommendation would be to go back on holiday 
With respect to what to do, it's always a tough one. I guess it really comes down to whether you get a better O2 contract that gets offered only with the new phones from O2. Also, if you can afford to drop the whole cost of the handset when buying from Apple.
All things being equal, the only advantage of buying from Apple is being able to buy AppleCare+ there and then (When buying AC+ for phones not purchased from Apple, you need to take it in for them to check over and run some diags on before they will let you purchase AC+), and that the handset is factory unlocked (and you can get an O2 handset unlocked anyway some time down the line).
I guess another plus for Apple could be returns/swaps with a faulty device within the first 14 days.
For me, I'll see what contracts get offered. I'm happy on my 30GB data contract that came with my 6s Plus. I'll probably wait to see what Apple have up their sleeve for the 10th Anniversary next year (curved OLED screen, 3D Touch home button etc etc, possibly!)
Just one final thing for @DinoF ... just curious why you stuck to the non-S wave and didn't switch to the S wave. Not a criticism, just most people I know replace their phones every 2 years on the "S" wave.
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@Anonymous wrote:
My first recommendation would be to go back on holiday
With respect to what to do, it's always a tough one. I guess it really comes down to whether you get a better O2 contract that gets offered only with the new phones from O2. Also, if you can afford to drop the whole cost of the handset when buying from Apple.
All things being equal, the only advantage of buying from Apple is being able to buy AppleCare+ there and then (When buying AC+ for phones not purchased from Apple, you need to take it in for them to check over and run some diags on before they will let you purchase AC+), and that the handset is factory unlocked (and you can get an O2 handset unlocked anyway some time down the line).
I guess another plus for Apple could be returns/swaps with a faulty device within the first 14 days.
For me, I'll see what contracts get offered. I'm happy on my 30GB data contract that came with my 6s Plus. I'll probably wait to see what Apple have up their sleeve for the 10th Anniversary next year (curved OLED screen, 3D Touch home button etc etc, possibly!)
Just one final thing for @DinoF ... just curious why you stuck to the non-S wave and didn't switch to the S wave. Not a criticism, just most people I know replace their phones every 2 years on the "S" wave.
...great recommendations there @Anonymous - thanks!
The only reason I am in the non 'S-wave' group is this:
My first iPhone was the 3G on a 1 year contract. When my contract expired after the first year, I stupidly convinced myself that I didn't like iPhone because I couldn't get used to typing on a touch screen (stupid - I know! 
) so moved over to a Blackberry on Vodafone. After six months or so, didn't like that either so moved over to a Nokia 97 Mini. These handsets had some kind of bugs in the Vodafone Firmware so these were replaced, free by Vodafone, to the Nokai N900 (a great handset for its time!).
Contract then expired, and I wanted to go back to iPhone on O2 so waited for the iPhone 4 to come out. I queued at an Apple Store for this ( one GREAT experience). This was on a 2 year contract, which ended when the iPhone 5 was released. Ordered this online, and again, with a 2 year contract, ended when the 6 was released.
And so here I am again...........................!!
I guess, in all honesty, I'll probably be calling O2 for an upgrade to the 7, when it gets announced - lets just hope that we don't get the same shenanigans like we did for the 4 and 5 (6 was pretty smooth sailing for me - called up, ordered on release day, plenty of stock - no problems!).
@Anonymous
I agree with you about the advatages of getting from Apple with the easier swaps,returns and Apple Care.
But with network supplied phones, it can be over 6 months till they would unlock them, which is a while if you want to use a different sim card in them, for example if you want a cheap pay as go sim card whilst abroad, to keep in touch with family/friends that are on holiday with you. Or if you go to the Isle Of Man. Manx Telecom do some good pay as you go packages and friends who have visited for the TT say they are a cheap way to keep in touch, when compared to the roaming charge they would have on their normal contract package.
Another advantage of getting direct from Apple is, for people who like to replace their phones every year. It just makes it easier than paying off some part of your contract/O2 Refresh to get the new one. Direct from Apple, its a simple matter of selling your old iPhone and using the money to offset the cost of your new iPhone.
I realise not everyone wants or can affford to get an iPhone direct from Apple at full price though. Just mentioning the pros and cons of both
@DinoF wrote:
....well, I'm back from sunny Majorca - holiday was awesome!!!!
Nice to see this thread still going, even it has now scewed off topic slighlty.....?!
Are we taking this thread as the official place to post iPhone 7 plans then?!
I generally always get my new iPhone (my contracts naturally expire when the main iPhones are released, i.e. the 4, the 5, the 6 and now the 7 - I never bother with the in between phones i.e. the 4S ,5S, 6S, etc).
So come this September, my 2 year iPhone 6 contract will naturally expire (roundabout the 11th) but I'm now in 2 minds on what to do (assuming I stay with O2, that is):
1. Take out a brand new contract with O2. No doubt, iPhone 7 will come with, again, a 2 year contract. My Current iPhone 6 contract has 2 parts to it. £25 for the line rental and £28 for the phone itself, which works out at £672 paid out for the price of the phone, over the period of the past 24 months. Lets assume that the 7 will be roundabout the same price.
or,
2. Keep my existing contract rolling onwards, so obviously will only be paying the line rental part of my contract every month, and then just buy the iPhone 7 directly from Apple? The thing is, is that, won't the 7 be roughly around £600 anyway from Apple? How much saving is there really, in buying directly from Apple as opposed to starting a new 2 year contract?!
If it was me, I would go with option 2.
Regarding option number 2:
If your contract is up with O2 and depending on if you stop with O2. You could move onto a sim only contract. These would be cheaper as you are only paying for your calls, data etc. So they would be no need to keep your existing contract rolling onwards. A sim only contract would at least half (if not more) what you are currently paying.
The thing with the saving is. If you sell your old iPhone, you could probably pull back maybe £250-£280 for your iPhone 6, depending on its condition.
For the current iPhone 6s this is £539 for the lowest capacity and the next size up is £619. So working out you got £250 for your old iPhone, that would mean your new iPhone would cost you £289. You could then move onto a sim only contract (which are a lot cheaper than a 24 month contract where you get the phone supplied). So you would see a saving every month compared to what you pay now. Also, another option would be to go on pay as you go.
When I switched networks, I went onto pay as you go so that I could initially try them out. But I later decided to stay on pay as you go, as the Free Boost scheme than the network has, means that it becomes better value the longer I stop on that pay as you go package. For example. Since moving to them last August, I now get double the data I had this time last year and I’m still paying the same amount for my pay as you go package.
Another thing to consider getting a iPhone direct from Apple is, they are unlocked, you can put any sim card in them. So if you wanted to switch network, it would be a simple matter of getting a pay as you go sim for the network you were wanting to try out.
Plus, if like its been rumoured, next years 10th anniversary iPhone is going to be a big update, you might want to get this too, next year. So getting one direct from Apple means you can sell the iPhone 7 and use the money off of it to get the 2017 iPhone. No hassle with paying off contracts/O2 Refresh. A simple case of selling your old iPhone, using the cost to off set the price of the 2017 iPhone.
