iPhone X how is the iphone x a status symbol if 29 million have it?

[Blaze4G]

I personally don't see how anything that is available on a relatively affordable monthly payment plan can be a status symbol. Here, a pack of 20 cigarettes is around £10, so if you smoke a pack per day that's about £300 per month, way more than cost of an X.

It's about perception, not monthly price. Look at it like this, a 2014 S Class can be bought for about 30,000. A loaded 2018 Camry is about the same price. If both person drove into your driveway, wouldn't you assume the S Class owner is more wealthy? If you don't think so then don't you think majority of the population would think the S Class owner is more wealthy?

A 30k S Class will be a relatively affordable monthly payment. Same applies for the X.

You're giving the general population too much credit. When they see an X they don't see 40 dollars a month payment. The see "he/she got a 1000 phone". When the general public see a 2014 S class, they don't see a 30k car, but a 120k car.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Respect and admiration is earned through actions and achievements. Owning an iPhone that’s a household name in its own right just makes you merge into the masses. Even a Rolex is unrecognised by the majority of people who don’t have a clue about watches. People who need status symbols to feel superior to those around them lack depth and happiness more often than not.

Anybody can buy an iPhone X on a credit card. It doesn’t buy status or class.

 

[MacDawg]

I personally don't see how anything that is available on a relatively affordable monthly payment plan can be a status symbol. Here, a pack of 20 cigarettes is around £10, so if you smoke a pack per day that's about £300 per month, way more than cost of an X.

Isn't smoking a status symbol though?
Flaunting that you have more life than you need and can afford to toss it away frivolously.

*Totally not serious about that

 

[tarsins]

It's about perception, not monthly price. Look at it like this, a 2014 S Class can be bought for about 30,000. A loaded 2018 Camry is about the same price. If both person drove into your driveway, wouldn't you assume the S Class owner is more wealthy? If you don't think so then don't you think majority of the population would think the S Class owner is more wealthy?

A 30k S Class will be a relatively affordable monthly payment. Same applies for the X.

You're giving the general population too much credit. When they see an X they don't see 40 dollars a month payment. The see "he/she got a 1000 phone". When the general public see a 2014 S class, they don't see a 30k car, but a 120k car.

Yeah. You see a lot of that. People don't understand when I buy a £1000 phone that will last me a year but are happy to pay more than that for their holiday that lasts them two weeks.

 

[MacDawg]

It's about perception, not monthly price. Look at it like this, a 2014 S Class can be bought for about 30,000. A loaded 2018 Camry is about the same price. If both person drove into your driveway, wouldn't you assume the S Class owner is more wealthy? If you don't think so then don't you think majority of the population would think the S Class owner is more wealthy?

A 30k S Class will be a relatively affordable monthly payment. Same applies for the X.

You're giving the general population too much credit. When they see an X they don't see 40 dollars a month payment. The see "he/she got a 1000 phone". When the general public see a 2014 S class, they don't see a 30k car, but a 120k car.

I think fewer people look at your phone and make assumptions about you than you think
I honestly can't tell you what phone any of my friends use, much less strangers

The small sample size of a tech forum skews perceptions methinks
To be sure, there are certain circles where this may be true, fortunately I have avoided those in my life
Out in the real world on a daily basis, most people have more on their minds than "oooo look, an iPhone X, that guy is rich!"

 

[Ffosse]

Outside of these and other phone forums, Joe Bloggs doesn't care or notice what phone you use.

 

[Blaze4G]

I think fewer people look at your phone and make assumptions about you than you think
I honestly can't tell you what phone any of my friends use, much less strangers

The small sample size of a tech forum skews perceptions methinks
To be sure, there are certain circles where this may be true, fortunately I have avoided those in my life
Out in the real world on a daily basis, most people have more on their minds than "oooo look, an iPhone X, that guy is rich!"

You're thinking about it from how you view an iPhone X. For me, I don't care either or think it's a status symbol. But if you step back and try thinking about how others would think you may...or may not realize that a lot of people think this way.

Just look on instagram, you see alot of people put up pictures and pretend it's candid and ensure their iPhone X is clearly visible.

 

[MacDawg]

You're thinking about it from how you view an iPhone X. For me, I don't care either or think it's a status symbol. But if you step back and try thinking about how others would think you may...or may not realize that a lot of people think this way.

Just look on instagram, you see alot of people put up pictures and pretend it's candid and ensure their iPhone X is clearly visible.

LOL, if people want to think I'm something that I'm not because I use an iPhone X then so be it... they are likely wrong on most other things they think about me if they make such ridiculous conclusions.

As far as Instagram, I tend to not follow any accounts that do things like that... most of my follows show pics of their kids and grandkids, or what they are having for lunch, and don't show the phone they are using to take the pic. Oh, I do follow Marriott, they have the most awesome travel pics, check them out.

I'm sure much of it is a generational thing as these types of observations seem to be far more important to teens and young folks than to others

 

[iapplelove]

Nobody worth talking to believes that a smartphone is a status symbol in 2018.

Hit the nail on the head right here. It’s just a smart phone. A good one, an expensive one. But at the end of the day it’s a smart phone. And one that can be made in installments by just about anyone with a pulse and a credit score over 600 lol

 

[Ffosse]

Or by just paying cash and buying outright like most people.

 

[MacDawg]

Or by just paying cash and buying outright like most people.

You believe most people pay cash for their iPhone and buy it outright?
I'm not sure if any data is available on that, but I would guess that is not correct

 

[Ffosse]

It's how I bought my 8, my X and my iPad Pro, all my Apple devices. Plenty of people pay up front. The availability of sim-only options is large. I don't want to be in hock to any one carrier.

I never use credit for electronics purchases.

 

[Beenblacklisted]

I agree Apple has a very powerful marketing tactic with their product line. And there is the status symbol with Apple partly because of its heritage. But your assertion about being 3 to 4-year-old hardware is not exactly accurate referencing the X. The chassis/form factor, Face ID sensors/camera and OLED display is new.

Samsung had amoled, face unlocking, 16mp cam, and ip 67 rating, in the samsung galaxy s6, released april 2015

 

[inhalexhale1]

If a $1000 shows financial stability then I really question people’s’ expectations there.

Haha, this pretty much sums it all up right there. Especially because these financially stable people are most likely paying $50 a month.

 

[bevsb2]

I'm so old that in my circle people don't notice or care that I have an iPhone X. My friends that do know just like to make fun of my obsession with Apple products and show no interest in or desire to have the product itself.

 

[44267547]

Samsung had amoled, face unlocking, 16mp cam, and ip 67 rating, in the samsung galaxy s6, released april 2015

That has nothing to do with the iPhone hardware being "Nothing new." The hardware on the X is new. I'm not comparing Samsung, you are.

 

[nia820]

iPhone X is only a status symbol to Apple fanatics.

You don't have to be wealthy to own an X. You just have to have good credit.

 

[Ffosse]

On the subject of Samsung, my S8 had way too much bloatware and little of it uninstallable, including Bixby - the button on the left was wasted.

Samsung Galaxies are nearly there but I don't particularly like android and the X just feels like an overall more premium experience...even the iPhone 8 does.

 

[rui no onna]

Status Symbol is in the pricing:
over $1000 retail anywhere in the first few months means you have the financial stability to purchase it without affecting your daily lifestyle. For those seeking a life long mate ... financial stability IS a HUGE check box that is sought after, and ranks higher than phsyical attributes and up there with personality.

Sad I know because financial stability can change for a LOT of people over a short period of time. But that's the world we've been living in since the 1990's ... or longer. Smartphones, Cars, and your home is usually a better view than jewelry which is easily faked.

It's not necessarily financial stability when a good portion of that 29 million probably got their iPhone X for ~$40-50/mo for 2 years.

It's about disposable income. The X isn't anything special over an 8. It has virtually the same specs and runs the same apps but can cost $400 more. The same way the Edition Apple Watch... It doesn't do more over a sport version but can cost several hundred dollars more.

Note, the Series 1 Edition were actually $15K+. Now those could actually be status symbols (albeit I question the wisdom of getting a piece of tech that's obsolete within a few years versus a Rolex or something).

Honestly, I just don't see much of a price difference between the iPhone 8 ($700-850) and iPhone X ($1000-1150) unless one is buying like 4 at the same time.

 

[Clix Pix]

I'm so old that in my circle people don't notice or care that I have an iPhone X. My friends that do know just like to make fun of my obsession with Apple products and show no interest in or desire to have the product itself.

Back in 2007 when I bought the very first iPhone, a lot of my friends laughed in disbelief. One told me I was crazy to buy one of those things. Time went on, the iPhone prevailed.... Over the next few years they would ask if I were buying the newest iPhone, and after a while realized they didn't have to ask -- as I always seemed to do just that. They gently kidded me about my love of All Things Apple. A few years ago I was at a party with many of them and sat there amused as I watched them taking photos of the birthday girl, each other, the food on the table, etc. -- with their (wait for it!) iPhones.....

So last night I was out for dinner with one couple after seeing their beautiful new home. Something came up and I pulled out my iPhone X to check the info. Neither of them had seen one in person, close-up, and they were struck by the beautiful screen and the colors that really pop. The woman remarked, "should have known you'd get the new iPhone, you always get all the new Apple stuff!" As she started thumbing through my photos, she kept ooh-ing and ahh-ing and then compared her iPhone 6 Plus' size to the iPhone X and her husband's regular-sized iPhone 6 to it, and asking questions about Face ID and such..... I have the feeling that she and her husband will be visiting the Apple store soon......

 

[naturalstar]

It’s only a status symbol if your social circle puts some kind of importance on it. There are also some misguided people who believe that if a person has the latest and greatest iPhone, then that person must have money. Maybe in some markets this is true because a person would have to pay full price for each iPhone purchased.

In the US, where 0% financing is available through both Apple and the major carriers, all you need is good credit. Or, you can use a credit card you already own with just enough limit to purchase the phone. Or a person could wait for their tax refund. Or, even further, if your credit is jacked up and you don’t get much of a refund, you can ask a relative to add you to their plan, open a line, and use their credit (good payment history) to get an iPhone for you on the monthly payment plan. Heck, sell enough stuff on eBay or whatever and you can pull together $1000. I’ve seen college students take their student loan refunds and get an iPhone.

An iPhone can be obtained in a number of different ways that aren’t traditional “all cash from the huge pile of reserves that I’ve just got waiting in the bank” so when an X is seen in the wild, the thought is either, “oh, must be their time to upgrade” or generally, no thought at all. It’s not too hard to pull together $1000-1500 and it’s not too hard to make $100-$130 (plan+device payment) a month payment.

No status symbol here. You’re at most broadcasting that you prefer Apple over all of the other Android phones available and probably own other Apple products.

 

[rui no onna]

Yeah. You see a lot of that. People don't understand when I buy a £1000 phone that will last me a year but are happy to pay more than that for their holiday that lasts them two weeks.

That's where you get into intangibles. I've sacrificed tech for vacations before (and by vacation, I mean expensive family reunions/visiting our 85+ year old grandmothers overseas). Sure, I may have derived longer utility from a new iPhone but the time with family isn't something I can get back.

Anyway, live and let live. Do what makes you happy.

 

[Vermifuge]

It's not necessarily financial stability when a good portion of that 29 million probably got their iPhone X for ~$40-50/mo for 2 years.


Note, the Series 1 Edition were actually $15K+. Now those could actually be status symbols (albeit I question the wisdom of getting a piece of tech that's obsolete within a few years versus a Rolex or something).

Honestly, I just don't see much of a price difference between the iPhone 8 ($700-850) and iPhone X ($1000-1150) unless one is buying like 4 at the same time.

The point is more so that the $400 Sport + LTE does the exact same as the $1300 Edition or $1400 Hermes. That's a $1000 difference. Even more so compared to the non LTE Sort at $329

 

[Makayla]

A status symbol has nothing to do with being “cool”. It has everything to do with projecting wealth.

There is nothing particularly cool about a mechanical wristwatch, in fact most would say they’re decidedly uncool in the era of the smart watch. But when I enter a boardroom with my $20,000 Rolex peeking out of my sleeve people immediately know who they’re dealing with.

The iPhone X is the most exclusive and expensive smartphone offered by the worlds top luxury mobile device company. Of course it’s a status symbol.

$1,500 is far far from wealth.

 

[boltjames]

$1,500 is far far from wealth.

You can't look at the price and make that determination; you have to look at it in context.

If you're the mop man at McDonald's and you are cleaning up around a table of 6 people and 5 of them have iPhone 3GS's and 4's and 5's and 1 of them has an iPhone X you're making a quick judgement of those people and you are very impressed with the owner of the iPhone X, you assume he has more money and is more successful than the others.

If you're a CEO hosting a meeting where your 10 summer interns are presenting their accomplishments and are pitching for the 1 full time position you have open, the one with the high-end iPhone stands out as "sophisticated", "worldly", and "polished" and has an advantage over the others with their shabby Android's and cracked-screen iPhone 6's.

A $1,500 iPhone X is certainly "wealth" when its out in the real world surrounded by crappy old smartphones. Visit a college campus. Visit a Starbucks.