iPhone XS Max This is why the new iPhones are failing

[Ffosse]

It's not possible for everyone but a lot of scimping and saving goes a long way. I wouldn't pay £3 for a coffee for example.

In my case, I don't have a car - I don't really need or want one vas I walk to work except for during a stormy, wet day when I'll get the bus.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

It's not possible for everyone but a lot of scimping and saving goes a long way. I wouldn't pay £3 for a coffee for example.

In my case, I don't have a car - I don't really need or want one vas I walk to work except for during a stormy, wet day when I'll get the bus.

Those of us with mortgages, kids and two cars, it’s not easy to have £95k in the bank as ‘rainy day money’ lol. It would be lovely but not realistic in my opinion. I do have savings though and it’s enough if I need a new car or something goes wrong with the house, but most of my money goes on maintaining our standard of living and making sure my children have what they need. Life’s about enjoying yourself too. No point going without a £3 coffee if it’s what you enjoy. Nobody is getting out of this alive so you might as well enjoy yourself!

 

[Ffosse]

True and I'm childless and single; sometimes I envy those with kids. Even though I've got cancer I'm still known to be frugal, lol but I do spend on my friends.

 

[janeauburn]

Nobody is getting out of this alive so you might as well enjoy yourself!

Nice line.

 

[The Game 161]

No, I'm 52 and use my savings. Everyone should have at least a year's savings of what your annual pay is.

That’s just not realistic

 

[dk001]

They did bring out Lisa Jackson at the iPhone keynote event to discuss their efforts in making iPhones last longer.

View attachment 810703

I read an article that summed it up as "Fundamentally, Apple is betting on having customers not selling them products."

The idea is by making phones that last longer, Apple can continue to increase its active customer base even as iPhone sales flatten or even decline by 1% or 2%.

A $1,200 phone can be cheaper than a $600 phone if you use it twice as much and keep it twice as long.

http://www.asymco.com/2018/09/13/lasts-longer/

I would think lasting longer equates to a mature market not a growth market.
Very different strategy.

 

[thadoggfather]

Those of us with mortgages, kids and two cars, it’s not easy to have £95k in the bank as ‘rainy day money’ lol. It would be lovely but not realistic in my opinion. I do have savings though and it’s enough if I need a new car or something goes wrong with the house, but most of my money goes on maintaining our standard of living and making sure my children have what they need. Life’s about enjoying yourself too. No point going without a £3 coffee if it’s what you enjoy. Nobody is getting out of this alive so you might as well enjoy yourself!

I hate the coffee comparison bc

1) Tim has used it to justify iPhone X price on air
2) your priorities are weird if coffee keeps you going regularly / is part of your routine but you value a device that will rapidly depreciate in <12 months over your lifestyle

“Let’s go get a coffee joe”
“I would but I’m on iPhone payment plan and if I cut out a coffee every other day, that’s money I can afford for my glamorous phone”

Said no one.

You may rationalize it as that to feel better about your purchase but to deny yourself what you enjoy , all the time , seems backwards

You can afford a $1000 phone but not $3 coffee. Ever? Might as well go hunting for spare change that might’ve fallen out of people’s pockets and is left on the street. If it makes you feel better.

Now doing something like actively scaling back on hefty drinking nights, and crazy tabs, for your health and wallet, to nerd out on your phone - that makes a little more sense to me. Since a couple pints or a mixed drink or two , in one evening , is your monthly bill for the phone right there

or even those $7 fraps that are straight sugar that you like in the morning and in the evening. But really, a cup of coffee?

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

That’s just not realistic

Agreed. Three months' salary is what I've always heard is the ideal goal for a savings account. Gives you a significant cushion should you be in an accident and not able to work (time for worker's comp to kick in) or you lose your job (time to find another job and start collecting a paycheck).

A year's salary in savings would be incredible but I'd rather use all that money to pay down debt and save on interest.

 

[akash.nu]

Now doing something like actively scaling back on hefty drinking nights, and crazy tabs, for your health and wallet, to nerd out on your phone - that makes a little more sense to me. Since a couple pints or a mixed drink or two , in one evening , is your monthly bill for the phone right there

This is a very personal view towards life. All those might look waste to you but can be someone’s normal life style exactly how you provided the example of the coffee. It’s all relative.

I feel the coffee analogy works better compared to drinking and spending money flamboyantly. The argument is that if you can have a coffee everyday, you can also afford an iPhone XS Max.

 

[thadoggfather]

This is a very personal view towards life. All those might look waste to you but can be someone’s normal life style exactly how you provided the example of the coffee. It’s all relative.

I feel the coffee analogy works better compared to drinking and spending money flamboyantly. The argument is that if you can have a coffee everyday, you can also afford an iPhone XS Max.

thats true it is a matter of perspective

I just dont 'buy' the general coffee argument is all

Step out your front door, and get whacked with bills, or get a speeding ticket, or an unforeseen repair or medical bill... at which point $3 coffee becomes inconsequential and a looming $1100+ bill on your card seems like more of a hit to the gut

--

"I can afford the $39 clear case for XR guilt free, as long as I cut out on coffee for half a month"... hmmm

or 367 days, a year of not drinking coffee if youre a coffee addict, to afford an XS max before tax and only in USD.

i'd value being awake over staring at a glorious phone

As soon as you get in an accident for being sleepy or even fired for not doing the job, scaling back becomes a bigger issue

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I’ve never agreed with the coffee analogy either as it makes it sound like you’re better off not having the coffee lol. Nah, I need a coffee in the morning much more than I need to spend an extra £300-400 more on an iPhone. Tim Cook made it sound like you should justify a purchase by sacrificing something else to make it feel less expensive. I can afford an XS Max, I just don’t want to spend that much on an iPhone as my 8+ is plenty good enough. Sure, I have to go through the hardship of placing my finger on a button and waiting 0.38 seconds for the phone to open but it gets me by lol.

 

[ftaok]

thats true it is a matter of perspective

I just dont 'buy' the general coffee argument is all

Step out your front door, and get whacked with bills, or get a speeding ticket, or an unforeseen repair or medical bill... at which point $3 coffee becomes inconsequential and a looming $1100+ bill on your card seems like more of a hit to the gut

If you don't buy the coffee analogy, then don't buy it. Use some other analogy. Like cigarettes for example. Let's say you smoke a pack a day. At $5/pack, you've paid for a $1000 iPhone in 7 months. Cut back to 1/2 a pack a day (realistic goal for a smoker???) and in just over a year, you've paid for the Xs.

Just use whatever analogy makes sense in your life.

Aside - in my life, I find that I'll go and grab a breakfast sandwich and a coffee at the convenience store every so often. If I did that 5 days a week, that's $25 a week. I could make coffee at home and a breakfast sandwich too. In a year, I'd have paid off the phone.

I see lots of people in my office that come in with a large Starbucks every morning. That's $3 a day. We have free coffee in my office. A switch in habit, and a dose of tolerence for the crap coffee we have in the office and you've paid off the iphone a year or so.

i'd value being awake over staring at a glorious phone

As soon as you get in an accident for being sleepy or even fired for not doing the job, scaling back becomes a bigger issue

If coffee is that important, then brew your own if you need to save money.
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I’ve never agreed with the coffee analogy either as it makes it sound like you’re better off not having the coffee lol. Nah, I need a coffee in the morning much more than I need to spend an extra £300-400 more on an iPhone. Tim Cook made it sound like you should justify a purchase by sacrificing something else to make it feel less expensive. I can afford an XS Max, I just don’t want to spend that much on an iPhone as my 8+ is plenty good enough. Sure, I have to go through the hardship of placing my finger on a button and waiting 0.38 seconds for the phone to open but it gets me by lol.

You're on an 8+. You're not Apple's current target market for the Xs/Max/Xr. If you went out and bought one, then they're more than happy to sell you one.

Apple's got you targeted for a new iPhone in a few years. Their last keynote trotted out Lisa Jackson and she, unapologetically, stated that Apple is making phones remain usable for a longer time.

By all means, enjoy your 8+. When the time comes in a few years, Apple wants you to buy a new iPhone (as opposed to an Android). They want to make sure your experience with the 8+ be as great as it can be so that you're more likely to stay with an iPhone. And in the meantime, they surely wouldn't mind you subscribing to Apple Music or spending some money on apps or iCloud as well.

 

[dk001]

I’ve never agreed with the coffee analogy either as it makes it sound like you’re better off not having the coffee lol. Nah, I need a coffee in the morning much more than I need to spend an extra £300-400 more on an iPhone. Tim Cook made it sound like you should justify a purchase by sacrificing something else to make it feel less expensive. I can afford an XS Max, I just don’t want to spend that much on an iPhone as my 8+ is plenty good enough. Sure, I have to go through the hardship of placing my finger on a button and waiting 0.38 seconds for the phone to open but it gets me by lol.

It doesn't work. You end up rationalizing it one way or the other.

Now to curb my Starbucks, I bought a kettle and a French Press.

 

[BigMcGuire]

It doesn't work. You end up rationalizing it one way or the other.

Now to curb my Starbucks, I bought a kettle and a French Press.

It was a huge shocker to me to see how much going out to eat for lunch with the guys at work was costing me. Such a horrific amount of money for really crappy food. .

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

You're on an 8+. You're not Apple's current target market for the Xs/Max/Xr. If you went out and bought one, then they're more than happy to sell you one.

Apple's got you targeted for a new iPhone in a few years. Their last keynote trotted out Lisa Jackson and she, unapologetically, stated that Apple is making phones remain usable for a longer time.

By all means, enjoy your 8+. When the time comes in a few years, Apple wants you to buy a new iPhone (as opposed to an Android). They want to make sure your experience with the 8+ be as great as it can be so that you're more likely to stay with an iPhone. And in the meantime, they surely wouldn't mind you subscribing to Apple Music or spending some money on apps or iCloud as well.

I have no idea who Apples target demographic is to be honest. I used to be that guy who bought their latest and greatest but ironically as I’ve got slightly older and wealthier, I’m less inclined to buy the most expensive phone in their line up. When my upgrade is due in 2 years time I may buy a newly released device or I may buy the one from the previous year. It’s my choice I suppose and maybe by then it’ll be the norm to keep a phone 3 years so I could well do that.

I’m not interested in Apple Music to be honest. I had the free trial and used it, but I’m an amazon subscriber and for me they offer a better package of music, films and prime delivery. I find its nest not to have all your eggs in one basket and spread your services out a bit.

 

[ftaok]

It was a huge shocker to me to see how much going out to eat for lunch with the guys at work was costing me. Such a horrific amount of money for really crappy food. .

Packing lunch is a great way to save money. Probably healthier too. Now going out to lunch with colleagues have benefits too, like networking, social interaction, etc. So it's not all positives.

The point is that there are 100's of ways to move money from one pocket to another to pay for things. Apple would love you to buy an iPhone instead of a Starbucks. Starbucks would prefer you to buy a coffee every day and to continue with an iPhone 5.

Everything in moderation. Buy a good coffee every once in a while. Cut down on the cigarettes. Drink water, no soda. But by all means, splurge on the 512XsMax.

Edit - added emoji

 

[thadoggfather]

Packing lunch is a great way to save money. Probably healthier too. Now going out to lunch with colleagues have benefits too, like networking, social interaction, etc. So it's not all positives.

The point is that there are 100's of ways to move money from one pocket to another to pay for things. Apple would love you to buy an iPhone instead of a Starbucks. Starbucks would prefer you to buy a coffee every day and to continue with an iPhone 5.

Everything in moderation. Buy a good coffee every once in a while. Cut down on the cigarettes. Drink water, no soda. But by all means, splurge on the 512XsMax.

But my problem with that is things dont have to be a zero sum situation.

Yes moderate. Cut down on cigarettes and soda and boozing... but that doesnt mean you have to then turn around and hunker down on a premium phone

You can scale back on bad habits AND the bad habit of spending beyond your means, too.

 

[ftaok]

I have no idea who Apples target demographic is to be honest. I used to be that guy who bought their latest and greatest but ironically as I’ve got slightly older and wealthier, I’m less inclined to buy the most expensive phone in their line up. When my upgrade is due in 2 years time I may buy a newly released device or I may buy the one from the previous year. It’s my choice I suppose and maybe by then it’ll be the norm to keep a phone 3 years so I could well do that.

I’m not interested in Apple Music to be honest. I had the free trial and used it, but I’m an amazon subscriber and for me they offer a better package of music, films and prime delivery. I find its nest not to have all your eggs in one basket and spread your services out a bit.

I'm not saying that you're not Apple's target. I'm just saying that you're not the target for the newest phones.

Apple's happy as long as you stay in the ecosystem. In a few years, you'll be the target for the new phone. If they've done their job properly, which is to keep you happy, you'll buy the latest iPhone.

They'd would rather you stay with an old iPhone than switch to Android.

That's their strategy now that the markets been flat for years.
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But my problem with that is things dont have to be a zero sum situation.

Yes moderate. Cut down on cigarettes and soda and boozing... but that doesnt mean you have to then turn around and hunker down on a premium phone

You can scale back on bad habits AND the bad habit of spending beyond your means, too.

I wasn't advocating for anyone to splurge on a maxed out XsMax. My emoji didn't go through.

I'm basically saying the same thing as you.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I'm not saying that you're not Apple's target. I'm just saying that you're not the target for the newest phones.

Apple's happy as long as you stay in the ecosystem. In a few years, you'll be the target for the new phone. If they've done their job properly, which is to keep you happy, you'll buy the latest iPhone.

They'd would rather you stay with an old iPhone than switch to Android.

That's their strategy now that the markets been flat for years.
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I wasn't advocating for anyone to splurge on a maxed out XsMax. My emoji didn't go through.

I'm basically saying the same thing as you.

I suppose Apple has no target market as such even for the newer iPhones. They market them for what they are and it’s down to us to choose whether we like them enough. I’m sure they’d prefer it if I was still buying their flagship device but they have no power over that. I’d like to think I’d buy an XR variant next time around, but I could be as disappointed as I was this year and buy the previous years device again.

As you say they need to do their job properly yet it’s impossible to please everybody. The market is flat, new phones are slightly better than old phones although there’s often a vast difference in price points. It’s the era of multiple choices where the latest and greatest isn’t always number one for everyone. It’s also an era where generally nobody takes any notice of what phone you use so it’s certainly a challenging time for marketeers.

 

[ftaok]

I suppose Apple has no target market as such even for the newer iPhones. They market them for what they are and it’s down to us to choose whether we like them enough. I’m sure they’d prefer it if I was still buying their flagship device but they have no power over that. I’d like to think I’d buy an XR variant next time around, but I could be as disappointed as I was this year and buy the previous years device again.

As you say they need to do their job properly yet it’s impossible to please everybody. The market is flat, new phones are slightly better than old phones although there’s often a vast difference in price points. It’s the era of multiple choices where the latest and greatest isn’t always number one for everyone. It’s also an era where generally nobody takes any notice of what phone you use so it’s certainly a challenging time for marketeers.

Totally agree with you. Apple is making choices available to anyone looking for a mid-high end phone.

However, I personally think that I was the target market for the current lineup. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was limping along with my iPhone6. It was 4 years old and definitely on it's last legs ... 1GB of RAM will do that to a device. Apple probably intended for the X to be the replacement for me, but I wasn't ready and the 6 was still OK. But man, iOS11 did a number on the iPhone 6 and I was ready to upgrade, even with iOS12 bringing back some performance, I was ready.

My upgrade choice was either an Xs or Xr. The Max is just too big for my tastes. The key feature that pushed me to the Xs is the dual camera set-up. I've been wanting the dual-cam setup on a "smaller" sized phone since the 7plus. The Xr was never really in contention for me.

 

[44267547]

I think Apple is struggling to find out who their target demographic is, because seemingly with these inflated iPhone prices, the consumer is thinking twice about keeping the current device longer then they intended to, because they don’t want to spend that much on a smart phone. Now with the XR, it was a much-needed move this year for a cheaper phone under the XS, but given Apple’s promotional trade in’s as of late, it’s clear they are pushing the marketing and trying to capture for those who are considering to upgrade.

 

[reggavegga]

Maybe it has been stated before. IMHO I think the battery gate has something to do with lack luster sales. People that have the 6's and maybe even the 7's went with the 30 dollar battery and extended the life of their current phone by a year or 2 instead of upgrading.

 

[joeblow7777]

$1,535.94​

That's approximately how much you'll fork over for the high-capacity XS Max, a phone that doesn't perform much better than your current model.

The bottom line is that the price is too high.

That’s part of it, and as you say, it doesn’t perform much better than the last model. I think what’s really hurt this generation is the fact that virtually nothing distinguishes the Xs from the X. I truly believe that this generation offered the smallest improvement over the previous year than ever in iPhone history. It’s not sensible to pay that kind of money just to get a somewhat faster model of last year’s phone which is still more than fast enough.

 

[I7guy]

$1,535.94​

That's approximately how much you'll fork over for the high-capacity XS Max, a phone that doesn't perform much better than your current model.

The bottom line is that the price is too high.

FWIW, my max performs much better than the model it replaced.

 

[Shiro_Simba]

And that’s why there are choices. Who’s making you buy it?

There have always been options .

The fact is that from iPhone 8 and 8 +, toXS , top spec units I looked at.

We are back on the two size option with the XS, and cook has raised the price of flagship iPhones by 50%.

The options excuse is meaningless, if for the last 10 years you have been purchasing flagship units and are now looking at 50% increases.

iPhone 5 to 8...... check out the price

New iPad Pro, also over 50% price hike over the last gen top spec....
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Samsung not much better. Note 9 $999.00, and if you want 512 mircroSd that's another $150.00-190.00.

Given Cook raised the prices since 2016 to 2018 by 50% on flagship phones , yeah the rest of the industry decided to cash in on it, flashship phones all went up, and are still cheaper than iPhones. Everyone can thank Cook for setting this ridiculous price point.