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LOL...the sentence ended with a question mark. And regardless of your misunderstanding, there is no need to be rude.
Your sentence was a declarative sentence that ended in a question mark and was not an interrogative sentence and as such was ambiguous, meaning it wasn't asking a question in English.

If it was a question, let me spell it out what you asked and the answer will be apparent. I am sorry that it sounded rude, but it was not meant to be, I thought I put my statement mildly.

NRE cost depends on many factors, one being the length of time a particular technology implementation needed to bring to market.
For example, the FaceID technology, length of time that was in development could be years, lets say 3-5 years, the amount of human and capital resources needed to support that, in other words engineers and physical assets needed to develop the technology. The company has to spread that cost over a product lifecyle, how does a uneducated consumer like us estimate that cost spread, almost impossible. Now compare that to amount of resources went into iterating iPhone 7 to iPhone8 (development time might be 1 year), once could guess that iterative improvement cost could be far lesser than a new technology development (FaceID). Therein lies the answer as to why iPhone X is more expensive than iPhone 8.

If you are so curious, you could play with hypothetical numbers, for example - 100 engineers and capital assets needed over 5 years and spread that cost into the first year of iPhone X sales.

On a side note, Steve Jobs' supposedly phone project was in development for a long time before the first iteration of iPhone was sold. What was the cost of that development?
 
Coming from a 6, I went for the 8 plus this year instead of the X because of the following 3 reasons-

1. I didn’t want to be the adopter of a first generation product.

2. Just couldn’t be bothered to deal with the wait, waking up in the middle of the night and then the whole rumour of lack of supply.

3. Other than the Face ID and the OLED screen, I don’t think the 8 plus is missing anything that the X is providing.

I am planning to keep this device for at least a couple of years and hoping by then the X will mature to a point where it won’t have any obvious niggles.

Having said that, I do feel that the $200 extra for the tech you get in that device is definitely worth it.
 
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We all know what the X costs. Many folks do not see the price tag worthy of the X. I don't wish to debate why one feels its not worth the price tag. I am looking to discuss the new tech released and weather or not this was worth the price increase over previous phones.

With the X we got an OLED display, FaceID, True depth camera, Wireless charging.

Do you feel this new tech is worth the price increase. Considering what apple has released in the past...Better LCD screens, higher resolutions, TouchID, 3D touch, better camera......none of which drove the price to a thousand dollars. Is it the OLED display that is the main culprit? The true depth camera?

EDIT:
I am not looking to debate the justification of a purchase. That is not the point of this thread.

For many, "does the tech justify the price" is not the issue. For some, it's simply a need to have the latest, greatest. Understanding that the advance of technology is not a "big bang", but rather an evolution, it's hard to say that any "next step" is enough to justify the price. It's easier to make that leap when one only upgrades every 2-3 years... but for those who do upgrade annually, there must be some perceived value to justify the cost... and as we all know, perception is reality - of you believe it to be true, then for you, it is true.
 
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Even if you can afford the money, its not worth if if there are better options to spend that money elsewhere. So, you got to make that take stock of your situation, look towards the future and everything else in your financial life and make that decision yourself.
 
If you have listened to Chris Pirillo on Youtube, he pretty much feels the same way. Tech that makes life easier :)


Good point. In my opinion though, I don't see the jump in technology compared to the 7+, or the 8+. If I were comparing the 5s to the X, my answer would be yes.


I never had a price problem with the X either. As a matter of fact, I expect to pay more in 2018 for the X+ model. The user experience in my opinion on the X is what sold me. The gestures are so fluid, and so natural, this alone to me was worth the price increase.

I don’t really agree with the whole X a significant leap. It’s a modest leap for sure but there’s compromise with the Face ID. Like can’t unlock if it’s on the table, or can’t unlock horizontally. Screen looks good but it a giant leap that was 3g to iPhone 4.

I mean there’s a freaking notch on the thing where it intrudes on the video and games. That’s not progress. Now I can live with it, but progress and compromise don’t really add up to me.

Again, my opinion trying to be respectful here (everyone has one like they have a you know what). Not trying to get banned on the forums.

Now I’ll I upgrade to X plus, probably but I’m not gonna be OMG. It’ll wear off in 3 days and it’s gonna be a regular iPhone.
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You did, and thank you. You have also expressed some of my beliefs in that apple charges what they will and we will pay it because its apple. However, it does not necessarily mean the minimal upgrade will always be worth the price hike ;)
Sending you some good vibes for a speedy recovery from the flu :)


Do you believe the hardware is a jump in technology. More so than any other iPhone release that didn't push the 1000 dollar price point?

Ya I agree about minimal upgrade statement. It wasn’t worth it for me to go from a big screen to a smaller screen. Now X plus sign me up. I’ll start saving in a few months so I can buy it straight up unlocked.
 
He bought a warranty and case, what’s you’re point? The Samsung costs as much as the X, this isn’t news.
It looks like you guys pay more for Samsung devices than us whereas we pay a lot more for iPhones. The Note 9 is more in line price wise with the iPhone 7 in the UK. Contracts are much cheaper on it too with extra discounts. Despite that though it’s a pretty unpopular phone here probably due to its size.

0800fd9beabd6c49675d0c642b8d7e88.jpg

The iPhone X is vastly more expensive here so I can’t compare the two. The Note 9 is fairly reasonable for a smartphone.
 
Even if you can afford the money, its not worth if if there are better options to spend that money elsewhere. So, you got to make that take stock of your situation, look towards the future and everything else in your financial life and make that decision yourself.

The crux of the matter is this: it's my money, so I get to decide how to spend it. And with that said, if I make a bad choice, then I will have to live with the consequences... it's something that I learned at a fairly early age, and that has served me well for over 40 years now. #experience
 
I’m not sure if the price is justified, but something to think about is that Samsung charges Apple quite a bit for the display. Samsung has every right to, because they have the best displays. Then you have FaceID, which I’m sure costed Apple a pretty penny.
 
He bought a warranty and case, what’s you’re point? The Samsung costs as much as the X, this isn’t news.

You’re misconstruing my post. I was saying and agreeing with you in general, smart phones (Not just the iPhone) are increasingly close to $1000, but then factor in the cost of accessories to be added, Which can easily add up to $200.00. Some Just see the price as a whole for smart phones, but accessories can easily acrrue to the cost, Which some don’t add think about. That was my point, Which was rather clear from my first post.
 
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It looks like you guys pay more for Samsung devices than us whereas we pay a lot more for iPhones. The Note 9 is more in line price wise with the iPhone 7 in the UK. Contracts are much cheaper on it too with extra discounts. Despite that though it’s a pretty unpopular phone here probably due to its size.

0800fd9beabd6c49675d0c642b8d7e88.jpg

The iPhone X is vastly more expensive here so I can’t compare the two. The Note 9 is fairly reasonable for a smartphone.
$949 at Best Buy for the 64GB model. Similar prices in cell provider stores.
 
You did, and thank you. You have also expressed some of my beliefs in that apple charges what they will and we will pay it because its apple. However, it does not necessarily mean the minimal upgrade will always be worth the price hike ;)
Sending you some good vibes for a speedy recovery from the flu :)


Do you believe the hardware is a jump in technology. More so than any other iPhone release that didn't push the 1000 dollar price point?

If you consider the iPhone X as a miniaturized iPhone 8 Plus (which it kind of is, but with even better camera specs and additional features), then I think the hardware jump is impressive. Electronics manufacturers have always charged premiums for the same (or better) hardware into a smaller box. They deserve some point deductions for the camera bump (even though it matters little to me since I'm a case user), but compared to the pre-existing iPhone platform the iPhone X is a solid leap forward in terms of engineering the hardware into a tighter space while maintaining reasonable battery life.

Of course we can make comparisons to other Apple products, and Android products, until we are blue in the face. The only thing that matters is whether or not enough people pay the premium for Apple to decide that things were priced right. So far I'm not seeing too much reason for Apple to be concerned. In the end what really matters is if it is worth it to you. That's a subjective thing. I don't see the X as a minimal upgrade at all. I wouldn't call it a major upgrade over the 8 series, but I would call it a significant one. The miniaturization matters a lot to me though.
 
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If you consider the iPhone X as a miniaturized iPhone 8 Plus (which it kind of is, but with even better camera specs and additional features), then I think the hardware jump is impressive. Electronics manufacturers have always charged premiums for the same (or better) hardware into a smaller box. They deserve some point deductions for the camera bump (even though it matters little to me since I'm a case user), but compared to the pre-existing iPhone platform the iPhone X is a solid leap forward in terms of engineering the hardware into a tighter space while maintaining reasonable battery life.

Of course we can make comparisons to other Apple products, and Android products, until we are blue in the face. The only thing that matters is whether or not enough people pay the premium for Apple to decide that things were priced right. So far I'm not seeing too much reason for Apple to be concerned. In the end what really matters is if it is worth it to you. That's a subjective thing. I don't see the X as a minimal upgrade at all. I wouldn't call it a major upgrade over the 8 series, but I would call it a significant one. The miniaturization matters a lot to me though.

Ya I guess a middle of the road update. It’s neat but again I didn’t jump out and I’ve always upgraded each year before.
 
If you consider the iPhone X as a miniaturized iPhone 8 Plus (which it kind of is, but with even better camera specs and additional features), then I think the hardware jump is impressive. Electronics manufacturers have always charged premiums for the same (or better) hardware into a smaller box. They deserve some point deductions for the camera bump (even though it matters little to me since I'm a case user), but compared to the pre-existing iPhone platform the iPhone X is a solid leap forward in terms of engineering the hardware into a tighter space while maintaining reasonable battery life.

Of course we can make comparisons to other Apple products, and Android products, until we are blue in the face. The only thing that matters is whether or not enough people pay the premium for Apple to decide that things were priced right. So far I'm not seeing too much reason for Apple to be concerned. In the end what really matters is if it is worth it to you. That's a subjective thing. I don't see the X as a minimal upgrade at all. I wouldn't call it a major upgrade over the 8 series, but I would call it a significant one. The miniaturization matters a lot to me though.
I think what has made the X a success so far in the short time it’s been on sale is the cheaper options Apple also offer. Without these we wouldn’t be judging the X as a success but more a turn of events for Apple in a more negative direction. The X has its niche end of the market aiming itself at consumers who don’t need to worry about cost or those who will pay whatever to get something new. Unfortunately though I’d say the vast majority of consumers don’t care about that and these consumers have kept sales for Apple healthy while making sure the X has done well within its segment. If it had been the only iPhone Apple had offered this year I have no doubt in my mind this last quarter would have looked bleak.

I think we’ve entered a new era of the smartphone where one iPhone does not fit all like it used to. Certainly in my part of the world people are starting to try and save money on mobile purchases rather go for the premium market and I think the main manufacturers have been testing the water to exploit what market there is left at the high end.
 
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If you have listened to Chris Pirillo on Youtube, he pretty much feels the same way. Tech that makes life easier :)


Good point. In my opinion though, I don't see the jump in technology compared to the 7+, or the 8+. If I were comparing the 5s to the X, my answer would be yes.


I never had a price problem with the X either. As a matter of fact, I expect to pay more in 2018 for the X+ model. The user experience in my opinion on the X is what sold me. The gestures are so fluid, and so natural, this alone to me was worth the price increase.

If I felt the way you do about the gestures, I would pay $1K for the X without questioning myself. Yeah, it's a $h!tload of bucks for a phone, but it's a superior piece of engineering. My problem was that although i found a few of the gestures natural and fluid, a lot of others really annoyed me when I compared how easy the equivalent action was (for ME) on my 7. It was the user experience (again, MY user experience) that led to my returning it.
 
I think what has made the X a success so far in the short time it’s been on sale is the cheaper options Apple also offer. Without these we wouldn’t be judging the X as a success but more a turn of events for Apple in a more negative direction. The X has its niche end of the market aiming itself at consumers who don’t need to worry about cost or those who will pay whatever to get something new. Unfortunately though I’d say the vast majority of consumers don’t care about that and these consumers have kept sales for Apple healthy while making sure the X has done well within its segment. If it had been the only iPhone Apple had offered this year I have no doubt in my mind this last quarter would have looked bleak.

I think we’ve entered a new era of the smartphone where one iPhone does not fit all like it used to. Certainly in my part of the world people are starting to try and save money on mobile purchases rather go for the premium market and I think the main manufacturers have been testing the water to exploit what market there is left at the high end.

I think you're right. The Android market has always been more diverse and offered more options at different price points. That's good for tech savvy users, but the average user just wants the cheapest option that will meet the most basic needs. The average iPhone user doesn't pay attention to the latest models and specifications, but they do care about ease of use and reliability. Apple gained the upper hand by being the best first option in the smartphone world. Many people have paid more for iPhones in the past than they would have paid for Android phones, because iPhones had a reputation for being easier to use and more reliable. As more people bought Androids because of the price, and Android phones got better, quite a few consumers decided that a $300 Android phone would meet their needs just fine. Even in iPhone families you sometimes see parents who are iPhone users buying their teenager a less expensive Android model (of course some of that is also because some teens see the iPhone as an old person's smartphone). Apple has kept many customers because they were willing to pay more for what they perceived to be superior ease of use. When their current iPhone starts to run out of battery too quickly, and they realize they are eligible for an upgrade, they visit their cellular provider and ask for the current model of what they already have. As an example I like to use my mother's reaction to the 8 Plus vs her old 6 Plus: "It's exactly like my old iPhone, but it has a better camera!" I gave her a wireless charger for Christmas and she really likes that feature as well, but mostly she was just happy that there were no major changes she would have to deal with and learn about.

As much as I love the new gesture driven home-buttonless interface, I don't think that change will be a welcome one for people like my mother. The iconic home button is what made the iPhone a device that "you already know how to use." It's mere presence, and the fact that it is just one button, makes technophobes feel comfortable using the device. I've helped Android users with their phones on many occasions and some of them have no idea what the menu button is and they never touch it. They only use the home button, back button, and search. I suppose the fact that even iPhone 8 users have to learn a few gestures means they will probably adapt to the interface of the X just fine, but many would grumble about not having an option with a home button if Apple gets rid of it entirely. Most people hate change when it comes to technology. I think Apple realizes this. They already offer the smaller SE, and they offer basic or pro options in their Macbook and iMac lines. The future iPhone product lines will probably be iPhone and iPhone Pro offered in three sizes (SE, standard, and Plus).
 
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My problem was that although i found a few of the gestures natural and fluid, a lot of others really annoyed me when I compared how easy the equivalent action was (for ME) on my 7.

Oh yes. There are a few things that annoy me as well like accessing control center or notification center. Seems un-apple like to place these entry points way up at the top left and right corners in order to invoke. Makes much more sense to me at least to have placed the entry points at the bottom right and left of the screen. We have been pretty much trained to swipe up to invoke control center. So this took some getting used to with the X. Also, why have the extra step to long press an app in order to delete it? Why not just swipe up on the app once in app switcher? A simple jailbreak accomplishes this. So it can be done. I have faith though that apple will fix this in iOS12.
 
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iOS alone is worth that $50 difference.

Actually, I would make the argument that I don’t even care much about the hardware with Apple, as that’s expected to always have a high standard. iOS is the sole reason why I choose the iPhone.
 
Probably yes, there was a notable increase in component costs including:
  • oled screen
  • more complex L shaped battery
  • More complex logic board
  • added wireless charging components
over and above the usual R&D, shipping, marketing etc etc.

Now, whether the overall package is worth that much money to the consumer over an 8+ or 8 is a matter of debate, and I suppose down to personal preference (in particular how much value you put on having the latest and greatest).
 
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