Other When will you stop? Are you okay paying 2000€ for a phone?

[NotMyName]

I find some times people don't factor in the full price. Many are on these 24/36 month deals. They say I got my iPhone for free. Oh did you really? They just GAVE you it for free & said don't worry about it? What's your monthly payment? Then they tell you like £70 per month for 36 month or whatever. Ahh so that cost you £2,520 then.

The last phone I bought brand spanking new was the iPhone 6S. Got it on pre-order. IIRC it was somewhere around £620 which to me was an acceptable price at the time.
My wages haven't shot up in line with iPhone pricing that's for sure.
I pay £8 per month for my SIM deal & buy the phone outright. I get 15GB data per month which is fine for me. I don't live on my phone.

Since the 6S, I've switched to Android. Bought a Galaxy S10 on a really good used deal. It was basically like brand new but for a fraction of brand new price. Then replaced with an S20 a few months ago - again it's like new.

Pristine condition via Music Magpie for my UK folk.

This whole £1000+ for an iPhone, where from previous experience you start noticing a not so great battery around the 2 year mark is too much for me.

If I was to buy an iPhone now, I'd wait until the 14 got released then buy the 13.

 

[RRC]

This whole £1000+ for an iPhone, where from previous experience you start noticing a not so great battery around the 2 year mark is too much for me.

Battery replacements aren't that expensive though from Apple for another 3+ years worth of usage. If you aren't using your device much then you wouldn't need a battery replacement after 2 years anyway.

There's a reason used Android devices are much cheaper than used iPhones - people don't want them (used examples, not android phones in general). You get what you pay for with tech ultimately.

 

[Sir Ruben]

I previously upgraded to an iPhone 13 Pro so my wife could have my 11 Pro and my mum could have her 10. This year I am upgrading to 14 Pro, so my 13 Pro can go to my wife and my dad can get her 11 Pro.

Now that I’ve upgraded everyone I’m probably done for a couple of years. My parents 6 and original SE we’re getting well old and they quite enjoy their iPhones so everyone wins (well except me as I didn’t sell the last couple of Phones to go towards the new one!).

 

[NotMyName]

Battery replacements aren't that expensive though from Apple for another 3+ years worth of usage. If you aren't using your device much then you wouldn't need a battery replacement after 2 years anyway.

There's a reason used Android devices are much cheaper than used iPhones - people don't want them (used examples, not android phones in general). You get what you pay for with tech ultimately.

I agree yet disagree with your post.

The only time I ever replaced a battery was the 6S with battery-gate & the free replacement but roughly speaking you'd start to notice a decline around the 2 year mark to where, for my use at least, it would start not becoming a major problem but you'd have to think more about when you charge etc.

As for get what you pay for, I don't go with that.

I've bought considerably cheaper Androids than iPhones. Are they considerably less 'good'? No, for me they're on a par. They do some things the iPhone's can't do, they don't do some things the iPhone's do do. All in all they're fairly equal.

I don't think a higher price necessarily makes a better product at all.
Apple for example, know that they could put a piece of coal on the shelf & people will flock to buy it because Apple are selling it.
In my opinion, some Apple products are reasonably priced, others are stretching it a bit and are a little dear whereas others are really just having a laugh. Watch straps for £99? Come on. Is anyone really trying to say that that's £95 better than the ones you can get on eBay?

 

[RRC]

I agree yet disagree with your post.

The only time I ever replaced a battery was the 6S with battery-gate & the free replacement but roughly speaking you'd start to notice a decline around the 2 year mark to where, for my use at least, it would start not becoming a major problem but you'd have to think more about when you charge etc.

As for get what you pay for, I don't go with that.

I've bought considerably cheaper Androids than iPhones. Are they considerably less 'good'? No, for me they're on a par. They do some things the iPhone's can't do, they don't do some things the iPhone's do do. All in all they're fairly equal.

I don't think a higher price necessarily makes a better product at all.
Apple for example, know that they could put a piece of coal on the shelf & people will flock to buy it because Apple are selling it.
In my opinion, some Apple products are reasonably priced, others are stretching it a bit and are a little dear whereas others are really just having a laugh. Watch straps for £99? Come on. Is anyone really trying to say that that's £95 better than the ones you can get on eBay?

The build quality and materials used on a lot of Android phones is below the standard of an iPhone, you don't get any plastic or sub standard displays that crease and break after just a few months of use, you also don't get any walk in store support from any other companies, no AppleCare offered and trade in values are basically nothing for the Android devices. It's much like cars, depreciation is a lot better on a brand viewed as higher class, whether or not that is the actual case is only something the buyer/owner can confirm in their ownership.
There is a reason though while Apple has so many loyal customers, and have an ever increasing market share despite their products being "expensive" and with "less innovation" etc.

I've had a few Android devices but always returned to Apple because for me, and I suspect many, they just offer a better product. The watch straps that Apple sell are of a high standard, no they probably aren't worth the prices charged but they will also last you 5+ years of usage. So broken down, that's not a massive expense for what you'll get back in terms of longevity. And you don't even need to buy different watch straps, you can select any you want at time of purchase rather than be forced to have the material or style you dislike, so they aren't forcing anyone to purchase a new strap.

 

[cwwilson]

So the situation nowadays is simply this... The carriers in the US offer 0% financing on the phones and a cheap monthly payment. Ever since this became the norm, it has been easier than ever to be in a position to get the new iPhone every year for not a lot of money. You just simply pay the tax on the new phone (which for my upcoming 14 Pro Max was less than $100) and you're done. AT&T has the Next Up add-on which is $5 a month and makes it even easier to upgrade early, you need only to pay 50% of the total cost of the phone over a 12 month span to be eligible to upgrade. So for example I still owed around $200 on my 13 PM to get to that point so at the point of sale I just paid that remainder off, became eligible for the upgrade for the 14 PM and then paid the tax on the new phone and all was done for about $300 which is about what you would have paid for this phone back in the day when signing a new two year contract.

So in short, for me it was a no brainer to get a brand new, top of the line iPhone for $300 and with the promos AT&T and other carriers have going on it's literally costing me $25 a month (with AT&T Next Up) to pay for the phone and I know I'll never have to pay all of it off because by this time next year I'll be swapping for the 15 and so on and so forth.

 

[bbeagle]

I feel like there must be some sort of catch here. Is this available US-wide? Does this mean basically everyone in the US gets a free iPhone every two years as long as they don’t switch provider?

If someone hypothetically gifted you an iPhone are you sure you can’t get a cellular service for cheaper than $50 per month?

Not all carriers support the Cellular Apple Watch. If you don't need this, then, yes - there are cheaper carriers out there.

MintMobile, for example, offers a $15/month plan for 4MB of data. But the Apple Watch is not supported.

Additionally, America is huge. You need one of the major carriers if you're out in the country. They will more likely have a signal than the cheaper carriers. There are dead-spots in places I go with Verizon. AT&T has no dead-zones in places I go, which is why I use them. There are also issues with cheaper carriers when traveling to Canada. I live 10 minutes from Canada, so it's something I need.

 

[NotMyName]

The build quality and materials used on a lot of Android phones is below the standard of an iPhone, you don't get any plastic or sub standard displays that crease and break after just a few months of use, you also don't get any walk in store support from any other companies, no AppleCare offered and trade in values are basically nothing for the Android devices.

It depends what an individual wants in a device. Plastic/metal may be a vital sway for some, others may only care what the phone actually does, not what the materials are that it's made up of that they wont even be feeling inside its case.

* Yes I'm aware there's many who don't use cases.

Though I give you the customer support. Having been on both sides of the fence, it's night & day. Apple is just better in that area.

Also, for the record, I know you didn't say it or even suggest it to be fair to you, but just to put it out there - I'm no fanboy of either side. I'm a fan of what works for me at a price I'm happy with. I'm loyal to no company.

It's much like cars, depreciation is a lot better on a brand viewed as higher class, whether or not that is the actual case is only something the buyer/owner can confirm in their ownership.

While not premium on the lines of Audi, Mercedez etc. Volkswagen still have a following & fans get very defensive over a badge & for a company, like any other company, that doesn't care about them as individuals.

I mention Volkswagen because people like to tell you it's "better".
Sure the build quality of the MK4 Golf was solid vs the comparable MK4 Vauxhall Astra I had.
I picked the Astra up at 7 years old for £1400 I think it was. Maybe it was £1600. I can't remember now, I knocked the guy down £200 I know that so maybe 1800 to 1600 or 1600 to 1400.
A Golf of similar age would've cost a few grand more than that.

I owned that car 12 years. Know what it cost me beyond general wear (tyres, wipers, brakes etc)?
An ECU ... £209. In 12 years.

Why mention VW?

Because this super amazing badge, I've actually owned a few of them. Always caused me a headache in the pocket.

The masses aren't always right.

There is a reason though while Apple has so many loyal customers, and have an ever increasing market share despite their products being "expensive" and with "less innovation" etc.

I know a guy who buys the latest iPhone every single year. He has Apple everything, iPad, Macs, he's just Apple obsessed.
Then he's struggling for cash.
But he's obsessed with the latest Apple tech.

Some people just have an obsession. It doesn't necessarily mean these products are (or aren't) the best on the market because .....

I've had a few Android devices but always returned to Apple because for me, and I suspect many, they just offer a better product.

....what even is "best" anyway?

Best means different things to different people. My best will certainly not be your best.
And your best I am quite confident is not my definition of best.

But at the end of the day, nobody is actually wrong. Everyone's "best" is correct for them.

The watch straps that Apple sell are of a high standard, no they probably aren't worth the prices charged but they will also last you 5+ years of usage. So broken down, that's not a massive expense for what you'll get back in terms of longevity.

I'm sorry but while I'm happy to say that our version of best isn't aligned, I think this here is just crazy talk.

I've bought some cheap watch straps & I've had them 3-4 years now. Ok not 5 but they're also doing their job just fine. They do exactly what they're supposed to do - holding my watch on my wrist in a safe and comfortable manner.

I could buy a brand new watch strap every year for 20 years for the price of 1 Apple strap.

To say that £99 "probably" isn't worth the price and talking about a strap of such a price almost like an investment

I'm afraid to be polite here, we're just going to have to completely disagree on that one.

And you don't even need to buy different watch straps, you can select any you want at time of purchase rather than be forced to have the material or style you dislike, so they aren't forcing anyone to purchase a new strap.

They're not forcing anyone to buy a new anything. Nobody has a gun to anyone's head here. Everything is a choice.

I'm talking purely about what items cost, not whether someone "has" to buy them or not.

My wife picked up an iPad recently The 10.2" 2021 model from Currys at £299.

Now I'm not Apple bashing, I'm unrealistic price bashing. I'd say £299 for that iPad is a pretty decent price. Sure you can say well if you pay a bit more you could have XYZ but then you can keep saying something like that for everything until you work up to the most expensive version of the product you're looking at. That iPad ticked her boxes & I thought the price was quite reasonable.

So they do do it, just for some things they're a bit wild with their pricing.

 

[Populus]

No, not recently. Last time I changed it was roughly 13-15 years ago. 😵 My sig hasn’t changed since 2005-2008. No idea.

It was a dog with a WTF face. I’ve always used animals.

Okay, excuse me then, I’ve mistaken you with another fellow user.

 

[Lakersfan74]

$1500 for a 256 Pro Max is my limit.

 

[Fatus_Asticus]

It isn't that expensive. I have 5 lines with a big carrier here in the United States, $160 including all taxes, fees and I never do device payments.

I just upgraded my wife from a 13 mini to the 14 because she wanted a slightly bigger screen and better battery. Cost? $100. She just has to keep her line of service for 24 months for the device credits. We weren't going to change the line anyways. She can easily keep an iPhone 14 for 24 months and most likely in 2 years she can upgrade for the exact same deal.

I bought the 14pm and my 13pm is going to go to another family member. I still have 4 lines on the account with upgrades available for when the 15 comes out or the 16 etc. If I upgrade to the 15 for USB C and telescoping camera it will cost me around $300. Again, not a big deal to have a new device.

At $32 per line all with unlimited, prioritized data, 40gb hotspot and a generous travel data plan (much less the TV benefits included) I couldn't save that much by moving to a MVNO and my service would likely be much worse given I live in a high pop area that can have capacity issues at times. With priority data I never have issues.

I hate to break it to you folks but everything is getting more expensive. Short term anything can happen and there are always fluctuations but when looking more than a few years out we are probably approaching a scarcity problem with everything from rare earth to crops yields to most commodities. Very likely we see a slightly to moderately more inflationary environment. Even if we see a world recession it will recover and demand will return, the underlying problems of climate change and 4 to 5 extra billion people starting to demand things that were normally only reserved for wealthy Europeans and Americans will cause supply tightening and scarcity will work its magic.

 

[Botts85]

The watch straps that Apple sell are of a high standard, no they probably aren't worth the prices charged but they will also last you 5+ years of usage. So broken down, that's not a massive expense for what you'll get back in terms of longevity. And you don't even need to buy different watch straps, you can select any you want at time of purchase rather than be forced to have the material or style you dislike, so they aren't forcing anyone to purchase a new strap.

To me, the watches, and the bands have always been worth the prices charged.

My Space Black link bracelet and Space Black Milanese bands are from my OG Apple Watch and still looks great. My sport bands also date back to the OG watch. In comparison, I've killed cheap sport band copies in less than a year. Either the metal spacer blocks fall out, or the band stretches, or degrades. For leather bands, the Apple ones are pretty good, but not amazing. The Hermes bands are fantastic though. They truly get better with age.

I don't update my watch yearly though. I've had the Series 0, the Series 5, and an Ultra coming. If the Ultra is too big I'll stick with my S5 for a bit longer.

Phone wise, I average out to about $30/mth after selling the previous phone, so I feel like that's a great value as well. My MacBook Pro TCO is about $20/mth so it's not too different.

 

[Rich74]

Considering here in the UK nobody is supposed to have any money and that gas and electricity prices are going up that much next month that people have been complaining they won’t be able to eat, I’m surprised that all iterations of the 14 have sold out on the store and at most online phone retailers too.

 

[CooKieMoNs7eR]

The highest I'll go is prolly the same price as the 14 pro max (128gb) which is $1099 or maybeeeee $1199...I always trade my phone in or sell it so I get around $800 value for it, finance the $300 its like 15 bucks a month.....rinse and repeat.

 

[loybond]

It strikes me seeing people accepting buying a phone (Apple or any other company) for more than 1000€. Now with the new models a Pro 128GB is 1500€, which is absolutely insane. Maybe in 4 years the Pro Max base 256GB will be 2000€, yet still (some) people will buy it.

Doesnt matter if you pay it in 24/36 months. It is just TOO much.

I always wonder if these people who keep buying have 200.000$ per year jobs. Must be rich people, because anyone who is paying gas, electricity, food, rent or whatever surely can’t see this been right.

When will you stop?

Some people seem ok with paying 1.500€ for the 14 Pro Max. So, when will you stop?

I understand what you're saying, but you have to accept the idea of inflation, otherwise, you'll have this sentiment for every single expense in life, and that'll just make you bitter and unhappy. Every single thing you pay for today will be more expensive tomorrow (figurative tomorrow that is).

I've been travelling for the last 11 months, and its actually really interesting how people earn, spend and value money differently in various countries. I've seen a few places where people make a lot less money and pay a whole lot more for anything and everything, and are more or less ok with it. It's all perspective.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Considering here in the UK nobody is supposed to have any money and that gas and electricity prices are going up that much next month that people have been complaining they won’t be able to eat, I’m surprised that all iterations of the 14 have sold out on the store and at most online phone retailers too.

I suppose we have no idea how many were available here. The 13 Pro’s were selling out fast too due to the deals. Perhaps those that are really struggling aren’t the ones buying phones at the moment. Who knows?

 

[Pezimak]

Battery replacements aren't that expensive though from Apple for another 3+ years worth of usage. If you aren't using your device much then you wouldn't need a battery replacement after 2 years anyway.

There's a reason used Android devices are much cheaper than used iPhones - people don't want them (used examples, not android phones in general). You get what you pay for with tech ultimately.

The trouble is when you replace the battery you lose the water resistance of the phone because the factory seals are broken and as far as I know can’t be replaced to be the same. So you have a new battery but also a far less durable iPhone.

 

[ebika]

The trouble is when you replace the battery you lose the water resistance of the phone because the factory seals are broken and as far as I know can’t be replaced to be the same. So you have a new battery but also a far less durable iPhone.

If Apple does the replacement, they replace the seals. I just had this done by them a couple months ago, and they were clear that the water resistance was intact.

 

[Pezimak]

If Apple does the replacement, they replace the seals. I just had this done by them a couple months ago, and they were clear that the water resistance was intact.

Fantastic I didn't know that. The only issue then is persuading Apple to replace your battery, they don't do that do they unless it's below a certain percentage? 80% is it? What was your experience with that?

 

[aok75]

Bought the 13 pro max 256 for $1100 outright. My first 3 months phone bill was $30 for unlimited on boost mobile promo. After that ported to mint mobile for buy 3 months get 3 months free. That was $120 for 6 months. Now I’m back on boost promo for 3 months @ $30. That’s $180 for 12 months of service.

 

[ebika]

Fantastic I didn't know that. The only issue then is persuading Apple to replace your battery, they don't do that do they unless it's below a certain percentage? 80% is it? What was your experience with that?

You can have them replace it at any time for the fee. If you’re within the initial 1 year warranty period and it falls below 80%, then you can have them replace it as a warranty claim for free because it failed too quickly. If you have that monthly ongoing AppleCare+, then I believe it costs less than full price (not sure how that estimate works): https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-replacement

In my case, the logic board radios on my 13 pro failed after 6 months, so they replaced the logic board and battery for free under warranty.

 

[solo118]

Phones last longer these days, so that $1k payment goes a long way. I just avoid upgrading annually unless there is a great deal that gets me the new phone with trade in at very little out of pocket. I have no problem waiting a month or two until a deal comes out!

 

[Attirex]

Why everyone here has US $30,000 in credit card debt.

 

[babyexercise]

The 1tb pro max 14 is already over right? So this is already happening

 

[bbeagle]

Why everyone here has US $30,000 in credit card debt.

Not that much, but yes - it is a problem for many Americans. Looks like Canada, the UK and Japan are catching up. Hurry, Americans! Spend more!

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