Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone X all the fuss about iPhone prices...
- Thread starter razmonster
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Actually if you stop making payments on the phone you will own it because they will charge you for the remainder of what you owe ( at least that is how AT&T next would donit). They don’t really want it back.
Think you are on to something here. Since they don't want the phones back everyone should buy one and stop making payments. Since it seems that you are saying we own a product before we are done paying for it, that makes perfect sense.
Last edited:
Yea you are right. It's a topic no one wants to think about. just gimme a new phone.
[doublepost=1537143719][/doublepost]
Good point. If you finance a phone you never own, store photos in the cloud and pay a monthly service, and then subscribe to a music service, you could be spending a fair amount every single month for the rest of your life and never own the phone, or own the music. At least you get to visit your photos.
I keep my photos on a NAS. Access them any time I want from any device.
Okay, so this thread took a different turn.
I thought initially the OP was saying for those who don’t have $1000+ at the outset to purchase any of the new iPhones, then going for the IUP or carrier payment plan (in his case AT&T NEXT) is still a viable option.
So much to do over nothing.
I thought initially the OP was saying for those who don’t have $1000+ at the outset to purchase any of the new iPhones, then going for the IUP or carrier payment plan (in his case AT&T NEXT) is still a viable option.
So much to do over nothing.
I'm one of the people who "fuss". I have a prepaid carrier so if I were to buy one of the new iPhones it would cost me at least $1k out of pocket up front and no payment plan (until the "cheaper" XR comes out). Is that my choice? You betcha. Can I go elsewhere and get a postpaid plan? Yep but it'll cost me a lot out of pocket (as in several hundred...I've checked my options. So I have to stick with my prepaid plan). So not everyone has the luxury and good credit to just get whatever phone they want. If a person can obtain the latest phone and upgrade every year then that's cool. But some of us are unable to do so. You mentioned payment plans at $56/month. I say even if you break up payments you're ultimately paying ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.........for a CELL PHONE. One thousand dollars. It's like saying you drive the latest Mercedes-Benz that costs $100k but you got in on a cheap monthly payment. In the end you're still paying towards the total cost and it's downright insane.
I read an article this morning talking about how Apple is becoming more of a high-end retailer. Kinda like the Louis Vuitton of technology. Their prices are just not for everybody. I believe the prices will eventually hurt the reputation. They'll be known as "the expensive phone". Yes I know some people will buy Apple regardless. https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-xs-and-xr-mainstream-consumers-2018-9
But Tim Cook has stated he wants Apple to be for as many people as possible. It doesn't make sense to me. Charge an obscene amount of money for a device but not let every person get a chance at owning one. Apple can charge $1k or more but if they were to actually lower the prices, carriers were to go back to contract where you could get a phone for $199, and if carriers did away with credit checks altogether, they would sell more phones than ever. Just saying
[doublepost=1537144664][/doublepost]
Till they blacklist it and you can't use it any longer due to no payment.
You can clean up a blacklisted phone at a cell phone repair shop. Then you're back in business. Seen it before
People factor all of these things into their decision making. Every purchase has a risk/reward element. Ever had a mortgage on a house? I suspect people who have would be a lot less inclined to think that they don’t actually own it until they make their final payments.
It's not mandatory on a car lease either. You can pay off the balance after the lease to own it. So a car lease isn't a car lease by your definition of a lease then?
You just said, “after the lease”. The option to pay off the balance is “after the lease”. Either way, the payment option for the phone is not a lease.
Back in 2012 buying the Iphone 4s 16 GB model costed 650 euro in my country the 64 GB ended up around 850 euro. It was pretty impossible to buy one without signing for a carrier plan for atleast 2 years or being very rich since loans weren't a thing back then.
Nowdays they can get away with upwards of 1.3K only because you can loan it from the banks or pay monthly fees and eventually people go lengths to sacrifice a new born for a new branded apple device.
Without these kind of options pretty much nobody would be able to buy these especially in these harsh times we live in with the super inflation and capitalism working you to the bone and giving you back zilch. Not even gonna mention the EU tax on these things.
Either way it's a horrible thing.
Nowdays they can get away with upwards of 1.3K only because you can loan it from the banks or pay monthly fees and eventually people go lengths to sacrifice a new born for a new branded apple device.
Without these kind of options pretty much nobody would be able to buy these especially in these harsh times we live in with the super inflation and capitalism working you to the bone and giving you back zilch. Not even gonna mention the EU tax on these things.
Either way it's a horrible thing.
no, but that's what we're being told is normal.
hardware, software, media, etc...you have to “subscribe” aka rent these days instead of owning outright.
it's basic capitalism: guaranteed profit and growth for the buisness, predictabilty from quarter to quarter, unless people reject the product and/or plan.
But it sucks for consumers. No ownership = no power and no recourse.
I save up to always pay my phones outright. Id rather pay it all once and keep my monthly expenses low for when unexpected expenses come up.
Looking at my retirement gut, that ain't gonna happen any time soon.
That’s not even a substantiated factor what’s causing it, you have to factor in the amount of technology that Apple puts into these phones with R&D, engineering, parts components, Face ID, camera upgrades, larger OLED displays, all glass design, marketing, those are all things that are factoring into the cost to manufacture/sell a phone, and then mass produce the Phone for an exorbitant influx to make a profit based off Apples pricing strategy.
It's much easier to justify the expense when your boss preorders the best new iPhone every year for you. I can't remember the last time I paid for a cell phone. I like to switch it up a little, so I get the new Galaxy S? every year as well as the new iPhone.
Payment plans just spread the cost and from a finance point of view are very beneficial to a persons credit rating as long as they keep to the plan. I currently work with a guy who is struggling to get a mortgage because he’s never had a phone contract, a car/personal load or a credit card. To a lender he’s an unknown quantity and a high risk borrower. It’s not always good practise to save for everything.
I could afford to buy phones outright but I’d rather have the money in my bank longer and earning interest and spread the cost which is more convenient for me.
I've been with O2 in the UK since the original iPhone launch (they were the only carrier for the iPhone in the UK) and for the last few years they've been offering their devices on split contracts where the device contract is separate to the airtime contract.
The idea is you pay for your device (interest free) over 2 years and when it's paid off that part of your contract stops being charged and you just pay for the airtime.
It sounds very attractive and without a downside - you get the device on interest free credit and only pay the cost of the device. However, it's not as straightforward as it seems at first:
Here's an example for an iPhone Xs 256GB
Device plan (for 2 years - you can set your plan duration between 6 months and 3 years): £52.50 a month + £30 initial payment(interest free)
Airtime plan 50GB: £33.00 a month
There are a couple of major issues with this though - firstly, the cost of the iPhone itself is £1289.99 compared to a sim free price of £1149 from Apple so that's £140 more right there and then the airtime is more than O2 themselves will charge you for a sim only 60GB plan (which is £30 a month)
So, over 2 years you are paying over £200 more for 10GB less per month simply for the convenience of paying monthly...
The idea is you pay for your device (interest free) over 2 years and when it's paid off that part of your contract stops being charged and you just pay for the airtime.
It sounds very attractive and without a downside - you get the device on interest free credit and only pay the cost of the device. However, it's not as straightforward as it seems at first:
Here's an example for an iPhone Xs 256GB
Device plan (for 2 years - you can set your plan duration between 6 months and 3 years): £52.50 a month + £30 initial payment(interest free)
Airtime plan 50GB: £33.00 a month
There are a couple of major issues with this though - firstly, the cost of the iPhone itself is £1289.99 compared to a sim free price of £1149 from Apple so that's £140 more right there and then the airtime is more than O2 themselves will charge you for a sim only 60GB plan (which is £30 a month)
So, over 2 years you are paying over £200 more for 10GB less per month simply for the convenience of paying monthly...
The mortgage issue is solved in the US with a down payment and / or PMI. That person should be on prepay with a $100 older phone and dumping the rest into the DP if they truly want a home.
Stats show most people will not be holding the funds in the bank so they put themselves at risk from future unknowns. I disagree that such trivial purchases should be financed. In your example, you show how one's credit can just as easily be destroyed if an unexpected expense or job loss gets in the way of the monthly payment.
There’s no right or wrong way of purchasing something as long as you’re responsible. I prefer contracts as I don’t want to pay hundreds of pounds in one go. I pay £30 p/m for myself and my wife’s employment protection insurance as I’m no stranger to be made redundant in the past. I’m quite lucky I have a job that’s in demand and live in an area where my qualifications are not common. For people not being sensible and getting into expensive contracts, I agree they should buy within their means. You do get credit checked anyway though.
I agree with you... we do the 24 Month thing with ATT, pay off half and upgrade, with trade in. It’s a better deal. We did skip 6s I think, also.