Sébastien Page

Sebastien is the Founder and Editor in Chief of iDB. Once a BlackBerry user, Sebastien instantly fell in love with the iPhone when it was first announced in 2007. Shortly after, he decided to start sharing his knowledge of the iPhone and its nascent ecosystem, which led to the creation of this blog. Sebastien currently owns 14 iPhones, 4 iPads, a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, a MacBook Air, 2 Apple Watches, 3 Apple TVs, countless HomePods and AirTags as well as a few pairs of AirPods.

iPhone Owners Are Richer, Younger, And Smarter Than Others

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

According to a study by independent company Forrester Research, iPhone owners are "la creme de la creme" as we say in French, or the elite upper class as you would say in English.

I found out about this study on Apple Insider, who published parts of it on their website. According to Apple Insider, the study reveals that:

iPhone users are younger. 30 percent of iPhone users in 2008 were of Generation Y, a larger portion than the rest of the smartphone market. iPhone users are more educated and affluent. 49 percent of iPhone users have a college education, and 67 percent earn more than $70,000 a year. iPhone customers spend more on their service. The average monthly phone bill for an iPhone user was $87, compared to $76 for the smartphone market, and $66 for traditional mobile phone users.

Apparently, the survey fails to prove that 93% of male iPhone owners have a larger penis and are more handsome than Blackberry users.

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Apple Dictatorship Hits Again

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 26, 2017

I try not to write too much about the app approval process because it seems to be a never ending discussion. However, some events piss me off so much sometimes that I have to vent out by writing a post about it. That's the case about a new app rejection I first heard about on TUAW.

Usually, when Apple rejects an app, it gives somewhat of a reason like "violating the SDK" or "objectionable content". This time though, the reason for rejecting an update to iLaugh Lite simply is that Apple can do whatever they want to do.

This to me is very similar to a dictatorship and it is absolutely scandalous. But what can you do? You can just shut up and hope things get better, just like the good obedient consumers we are.

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How to Buy An iPhone 3G S Without A Contract

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

If you were thinking about upgrading your iPhone 3G to the 3G S, you may have been turned off by AT&T scandalous prices for its "valued customers". Indeed, current 3G owners willing to upgrade to the 3G S will have to pay between $499 and $699 depending on the model you want and renew their contract with AT&T for 2 more years.

A smart folk over at iTalk iPhone figured out how to purchase an iPhone 3G S without an AT&T contract.

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iPhone 3G S Gets 256MB of RAM And A 600MHz CPU

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 5, 2016

Apple is pretty secretive about the specs of the new iPhone 3G S but T-Mobile Netherlands posted more information about the processor and RAM: 600MHz CPU (up from 412MHz) and 256MB of RAM, which is twice what the iPhone 3G has in its guts. These numbers can't be verified until the iPhone 3G S is taken apart but it confirms all we've heard so far.

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7 Reasons to Buy the New iPhone 3G S. Is That Enough?

Sébastien Page ∙ June 9, 2009

The long expected iPhone 3G S has finally been unveiled yesterday at Apple's WWDC. While the list price is $199 to $299, it will actually cost you much more than that if you're an existing AT&T customer willing to upgrade. But is it really worth it? Compared side by side with the current iPhone 3G, what extra features does the 3G S have that would be worth the fea extra hundred bucks?

Fellow blogger Clay put up a laundry list of features that will only be available on the iPhone 3G S. Let's have a look at them and see if it's really worth it:

Faster processor Video recording Better camera Voice control Increased memory Digital compass Better battery

That's it? Yes, these are all the extra features the new iPhone 3G S will have compared to the 3G. That's not much...

If you don't have an iPhone yet, I think you shouldn't think twice about buying the new iPhone 3G S. Sure you can get the 3G for $99, but I believe the extra $100-$200 is worth it.

However, if you currently own an iPhone 3G I really think these 7 extra features are not compelling enough to justify paying up to $699 for the 3G S. I pre-ordered the 3G S for $560.16 because I'm just an iPhone douche and I have to have the latest one. I blog about it everyday so what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't even have the latest iPhone? Besides, me and my fiance are going to be traveling for a year and I really need this extra storage, video recording and the better battery.

As a side note, I told my fiance I pre ordered the new iPhone for a lot of money. She didn't even bother asking me how much I paid because I think she didn't want to start a fight over a piece of electronics. Anyways...

Unless you're an "iPhone power user", there is no reason for you to upgrade and potentially get raped by AT&T. Now if like me you can't live without the latest iPhone, pre-order now, or spend a few hours in line on June 19th.

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Apple WWDC 2009 Keynote Video

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 4, 2018

Apple has posted the video of the 2009 WWDC keynote. Watch Philip Schiller and the team unveil the new iPhone 3G S, the new MacBook Pro family, and Mac OS X Snow Leopard. If you're only interested in the iPhone, jump over to around minute 45.

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I Just Spent $560.16 On the New iPhone 3G S

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 5, 2016

I ragged about how AT&T is raping iPhone 3G owners who want to upgrade to the iPhone 3G S earlier today but I couldn't resist the temptation... When I first tried to pre-order this morning, it said I would have to pay $699 for the 32GB. I tried again a few minutes ago and it was saying "only" $499.

So I cracked and pre-ordered the new 32GB iPhone 3G S. Total price including taxes: $560.16. Nowhere it mentions anything about activation fee and upgrade fee although it wanted to charge me an extra $36 for this when I first tried to pre-order this morning. I assume AT&T will charge this to me at some point, in which case I will ask them not to as this bill clearly doesn't say anything about these fees.

That's an expensive purchase and I really didn't plan on spending that much but a couple things make me feel better about it. First, I will probably be able to get a couple hundred bucks from my current iPhone 3G as I will sell it unlocked. Second, my accountant will write this off of my taxes next year, so all in all, it shouldn't cost me too much.

There were several delivery options. I took the free one as it said it would be delivered by June 19th. This or waiting in line for 3 hours like I did last year at the store? It's a no brainer.

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TomTom Brings Turn By Turn GPS Navigation to the iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

xGPS kinda pioneered the turn by turn navigation for the iPhone but you have to admit it was a little buggy.

TomTom's co-founder demonstrated TomTom’s navigation software in combination with a specially designed car kit on the iPhone earlier today at the WWDC, and it looks good!

There is no cost information or release date announced yet but according to TomTom's website, we should learn more about it in the next couple weeks:

The TomTom navigation application for iPhone will be available via the Apple iTunes App Store, following the release of Apple’s OS 3.0 operating system. Details regarding pricing and availability for both the application and the TomTom car kit for iPhone will be made available in advance of the products’ launch later this summer.

As Engadget puts it:

We can't imagine this being cheap. You think TomTom wants a $19 app undercutting its $300 navigation systems? Doubtful.

Apparently, you'll be able to get a special car kit with it.

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iPhone 3G S Guided Tour Video

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

So you think you know everything there is to know about the new iPhone 3G S? Think again! Apple released a guided tour of the new iPhone and as usual, it's pretty amazing. Check it out over at Apple's website.

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Once Again AT&T Is Screwing iPhone Users. Wants to Charge You $699 For the New iPhone 3GS

Sébastien Page ∙ June 8, 2009

AT&T is once again showing proof of how much it sucks. The new iPhone just came out with two basic features that we've been waiting for a long time: MMS and tethering. Unfortunately, AT&T sucks so much they were not able to get their shit together on time and we'll have to wait to be able to use these features. How long do we have to wait? Well, we don't know... As Jason Kincaid from TechCrunch says:

At launch on June 17th, MMS is going to be supported by 29 carriers, and tethering will be supported by 22 of them. So when can we finally expect these stateside? MMS is apparently coming “later this summer”. And tethering? A much more nebulous (and ominous) “later”.

This is ridiculous, plain and simple. AT&T has almost certainly known about Apple’s plans for many months if not years, and was probably involved in determining when these features would be launching in the first place.

Want to hear even more ridiculous? I tried to pre-order the new iPhone 3GS on Apple's website and I can't get it for under $599... Yes, the price tag says $299 but you have to qualify for it. Here is what the fine print says:

Requires new two-year AT&T wireless service contract, sold separately to qualified customers; credit check required; must be 18 or older. For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB).

This is far beyond scandalous. I switched to AT&T to get the first iPhone. I renewed a 2 year contract to get the iPhone 3G last year, and now, I have to pay full price - $699 - for the new iPhone 3GS. Are you serious? I hope this is a mistake and it will be fixed quickly.

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