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

[John981]

And if people wanted to do that, they would. Why do you or OP care? Your values aren't universal, they're yours.

Also, my 14 Pro isn't $1000 to me. It's $600 because I got $400 for the phone I have. Even if I upgrade two years, that's less than $1/day. And if I do upgrade every 2 years, my trade in will be more so my out of pocket cost will be less.

You can do whatever you want with your own money, nobody‘s saying otherwise. My point is that his argument about it being worth it because of its combination of multiple use cases doesn‘t make any sense because that‘s not a unique selling point of the iPhone.

 

[Isamilis]

Your next phone would be SE then

If you spend some times for research, there are other options than buying full price, also you don’t have to get the newest version one.

 

[Abstract]

I think OP is genuinely curious about what’s the limit of expense on an smartphone for the average people.

Exactly. People are either getting offended, or saying “there’s no set limit because it provides so much value.”

Soooo….you’d pay $8000 for a 14 Pro? Or $15,000? Obviously there’s a limit for everyone regardless of income!

My upper limit is roughly the current price of a 14 Pro Max (but for a 14 Pro). If I paid that much for a 14 Pro, I’d have to keep it for 4 years. Instead, I buy the non-Pro versions. I bought the 13 Mini and love it, so will probably hang onto it until it dies. 🤷🏻‍♂️

And just FYI: I live in Australia and currently pay approx $19/month for 25GB of data, unlimited calls and texts, and unlimited international calls to around 15 countries. If I got a “free” phone included with a comparable plan, I’d be $80-90 per month, so I don’t bother.

 

[kanga1622]

I’m not sure where my stop level will be but we typically keep our phones 4-5 years and buy the lowest flagship. We are very happy with our two 12s and two 13s. Likely won’t even look at upgrading the 12s for at least 2 more years.

But if the deals and trade ins start dropping to the point where I have to spend $1000 up front for phones it will certainly make me pause. I remember getting our first iPhones (5S) for $49 each.

 

[throAU]

I haven't paid for a phone in over 10 years. I had the iPhone 6, iPhone 7, iPhone XR, iPhone 12, and I'll probably get the iPhone 14.

The carriers here in the states let us return our 2-year old used iPhones and they give us brand new iPhones for free. The only caveat is that you're locked into your carrier for 2-3 years. Doesn't matter to me. I've been on the same carrier (AT&T) since 2008.

As long as the carriers keep offering these deals, I'll keep upgrading.

If I had to pay full price to get a new phone, I wouldn't do it. I'd still have a 5-7 year old phone.

You don't get those phones for free, you pay for it with your inflated carrier fees and contract lock in.

There is no free lunch.


edit:
I buy all my phones outright.

 

[babyexercise]

If you spend some times for research, there are other options than buying full price, also you don’t have to get the newest version one.

iPhone 12 is not far from 1000 Euro now, iPhone 13 should not have 64gb and should be over 1000 Euro as the cheapest option other than SE next year.

Having a new 5g plan contract with phone discount just means you pay the phone with another way to make you feel better.

 

[bbeagle]

You don't get those phones for free, you pay for it with your inflated carrier fees and contract lock in.

There is no free lunch.


edit:
I buy all my phones outright.

I will pay the same price ($50 a month for both phone and watch unlimited cell service) whether I opt for a free iPhone or not.

 

[barbeyg]

I don’t pay $1k here in the states for my iPhones. Since my 2nd iPhone, I have opted to buy outright from Apple, with a trade in of my old phone, which was 2-3 years old. My iPhone 14 Pro Max is under $600 after my trade, no contract with my cellular company. The most I have ever paid for a computer/camera in my hand (which just happens to be a phone too) is about $700 when I first upgraded to Pro models for the additional camera function. That said, I guess my top out of pocket would be the $1k, which fortunately I haven’t had to pay yet. 🙂

 

[James3000]

I will pay the same price ($50 a month for both phone and watch unlimited cell service) whether I opt for a free iPhone or not.

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?

 

[Jeff Kirvin]

I don’t care if people get defensive. This is an interesting topic, because we are talking about money and a big investment when we are going through an economic crisis and we have companies like Apple charging more and more without really offering nothing that is a breakthrough.

People can responde as they seem fit, just like I can ask the way I see fit. All is OK.

See, I don’t agree with your premise that we’re in an economic crisis. We’re not seeing inflation. We’re seeing a correction to what prices should have been all along if not kept artificially low by a fragile but hyper-efficient global supply chain that shifts the burden to developing countries. The way to fix this isn’t to lower prices. It’s for corporations to increase their wages in line with the cost of buying locally made goods. That’s how capitalism works.

In my case, I am fortunate enough to make a fair wage (I’m in IT) and I absolutely think the always on screen and dynamic island are important features that make it worth trading in my 13 Pro Max. Upgraded my aluminum ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ Series 6 to a steel Series 8, too.

 

[blurryautopilot]

I will always have an up-to-date phone. I have for twenty years (and before that it was high tech pagers). It's just what I like. It's my hobby. I don't spend money on shoes, I don't spend money on watches, I don't buy Legos, I don't buy car parts. Once a year, maybe once every other year, I buy a phone. I use it 100x every single day. I take pictures of where I am, of my wife, of my son, of our pets. I read books. I do research (not original research for the pedants out there, technically a literature review, but nevertheless, most folks consider that simply "research"). I communicate. I veg out with YouTube. I tell the time. It has become my most important tool, and spending money on that has far more value to me because ultimately it saves me money. I couldn't do what I do today twenty years ago. Smart devices, access to all the collected knowledge of humanity in the palm of my hand, that value is immeasurable. And I'm OK with some luxury being associated with it too. Yeah, I could probably get by with a year old model. But I don't want to.

 

[Jeff Kirvin]

Exactly. People are either getting offended, or saying “there’s no set limit because it provides so much value.”

Soooo….you’d pay $8000 for a 14 Pro? Or $15,000? Obviously there’s a limit for everyone regardless of income!

My upper limit is roughly the current price of a 14 Pro Max (but for a 14 Pro). If I paid that much for a 14 Pro, I’d have to keep it for 4 years. Instead, I buy the non-Pro versions. I bought the 13 Mini and love it, so will probably hang onto it until it dies. 🤷🏻‍♂️

And just FYI: I live in Australia and currently pay approx $19/month for 25GB of data, unlimited calls and texts, and unlimited international calls to around 15 countries. If I got a “free” phone included with a comparable plan, I’d be $80-90 per month, so I don’t bother.

Okay, let’s do the math. After paying off and trading in my 13 Pro Max, which cost $500, I had $300 left which is broken down to $8.30 on my phone bill every month. I tend to upgrade every year, so we’re looking at $800 over the course of the year until I do this again. That means I’m paying $2.19 a day. After taxes, my iPhone costs me 1.6% of my take home pay.

I don’t know how to quantify how much value my phone provides, but I feel like 1.6% of my income is a bargain for what I get.

 

[happyslayer]

Back when they were less than $500, I was upgrading every year. But now that they are $1200 US, I'm upgrading after 3 years. (Just ordered the 14 Pro Max to replace my 11 Pro Max) And I'll most likely keep this new one for 3 years or so. Also, there really hasn't been all that many reasons to upgrade lately. I'm not much of a photographer so the camera upgrades don't really thrill me. But the new Dynamic Island and the always-on screen did seem useful to me, so that was another reason to pull the trigger this year.

 

[NotApplicable]

I use my phone for hours per day and each year they are improving.

Net cost is under $500usd/yr when accounting for trade in. It’d have to be a lot higher than that for me to consider NOT upgrading every year.

 

[goldenarm007]

I will always have an up-to-date phone. I have for twenty years (and before that it was high tech pagers). It's just what I like. It's my hobby. I don't spend money on shoes, I don't spend money on watches, I don't buy Legos, I don't buy car parts. Once a year, maybe once every other year, I buy a phone. I use it 100x every single day. I take pictures of where I am, of my wife, of my son, of our pets. I read books. I do research (not original research for the pedants out there, technically a literature review, but nevertheless, most folks consider that simply "research"). I communicate. I veg out with YouTube. I tell the time. It has become my most important tool, and spending money on that has far more value to me because ultimately it saves me money. I couldn't do what I do today twenty years ago. Smart devices, access to all the collected knowledge of humanity in the palm of my hand, that value is immeasurable. And I'm OK with some luxury being associated with it too. Yeah, I could probably get by with a year old model. But I don't want to.

Read a Hardcover Book!

 

[babyexercise]

I don’t pay $1k here in the states for my iPhones. Since my 2nd iPhone, I have opted to buy outright from Apple, with a trade in of my old phone, which was 2-3 years old. My iPhone 14 Pro Max is under $600 after my trade, no contract with my cellular company. The most I have ever paid for a computer/camera in my hand (which just happens to be a phone too) is about $700 when I first upgraded to Pro models for the additional camera function. That said, I guess my top out of pocket would be the $1k, which fortunately I haven’t had to pay yet. 🙂

You sound like your got your last iPhone for free

 

[dmdcash]

You can do whatever you want with your own money, nobody‘s saying otherwise. My point is that his argument about it being worth it because of its combination of multiple use cases doesn‘t make any sense because that‘s not a unique selling point of the iPhone.

WHY DO YOU CARE????????????? You're bitter....get help and move on.

 

[John981]

WHY DO YOU CARE????????????? You're bitter....get help and move on.

What would I be bitter about? I don't care how you or anyone else is spending their money, as I said. I'm just participating in this discussion and saying that the point that he made does not make any sense.

It's like saying you'd pay any price for a Mercedes E-Class because it can transport you anywhere. Which is fine, you do you, but it doesn't make any sense, since other cars will be able to do the same thing, but cheaper. So the actual reason you'd be willing to pay any price for an E-Class then wouldn't be the fact that it can transport you since that is not a unique selling proposition of that car specifically.

 

[dmdcash]

What would I be bitter about? I don't care how you or anyone else is spending their money, as I said. I'm just participating in this discussion and saying that the point that he made does not make any sense.

It's like saying you'd pay any price for a Mercedes E-Class because it can transport you anywhere. Which is fine, you do you, but it doesn't make any sense, since other cars will be able to do the same thing, but cheaper. So the actual reason you'd be willing to pay any price for an E-Class then wouldn't be the fact that it can transport you since that is not a unique selling proposition of that car specifically.

sigh.....EVERYBODY has different reasons....having lost my wife and parents in the last 15 months, I kind of haven't felt like doing anything. Sorry that THIS LITTLE JOY of upgrading my phone is troubling to you. Think before you try to rip on peoples reasons for doing things....we are all different and have different motivations for what we do and why we do it.

I feel like you are treating everybody like they have the same life experiences as you do. Hint: we don't we are all different.

 

[Populus]

Exactly. People are either getting offended, or saying “there’s no set limit because it provides so much value.”

Soooo….you’d pay $8000 for a 14 Pro? Or $15,000? Obviously there’s a limit for everyone regardless of income!

My upper limit is roughly the current price of a 14 Pro Max (but for a 14 Pro). If I paid that much for a 14 Pro, I’d have to keep it for 4 years. Instead, I buy the non-Pro versions. I bought the 13 Mini and love it, so will probably hang onto it until it dies. 🤷🏻‍♂️

And just FYI: I live in Australia and currently pay approx $19/month for 25GB of data, unlimited calls and texts, and unlimited international calls to around 15 countries. If I got a “free” phone included with a comparable plan, I’d be $80-90 per month, so I don’t bother.

Have you changed your avatar? I remember I liked your last one. But I don’t remember what it was about.

sigh.....EVERYBODY has different reasons....having lost my wife and parents in the last 15 months, I kind of haven't felt like doing anything. Sorry that THIS LITTLE JOY of upgrading my phone is troubling to you. Think before you try to rip on peoples reasons for doing things....we are all different and have different motivations for what we do and why we do it.

I feel like you are treating everybody like they have the same life experiences as you do. Hint: we don't we are all different.

I don’t know you, but I am sorry for that loss. It must have been horrible.

 

[Jeff Kirvin]

sigh.....EVERYBODY has different reasons....having lost my wife and parents in the last 15 months, I kind of haven't felt like doing anything. Sorry that THIS LITTLE JOY of upgrading my phone is troubling to you. Think before you try to rip on peoples reasons for doing things....we are all different and have different motivations for what we do and why we do it.

I feel like you are treating everybody like they have the same life experiences as you do. Hint: we don't we are all different.

I lost my wife in November. I hope tomorrow is less bad, for both of us.

 

[John981]

sigh.....EVERYBODY has different reasons....having lost my wife and parents in the last 15 months, I kind of haven't felt like doing anything. Sorry that THIS LITTLE JOY of upgrading my phone is troubling to you. Think before you try to rip on peoples reasons for doing things....we are all different and have different motivations for what we do and why we do it.

I feel like you are treating everybody like they have the same life experiences as you do. Hint: we don't we are all different.

I think you're taking this discussion a little too seriously. I've said multiple times that I don't mind what you decide to do with your money. I don't know why pointing out that one guy's argument was lackluster suddenly makes me "troubled about other people's joy" or whatever.

If you're happy about getting the new iPhone, then I'm happy for you.

 

[babyexercise]

Just buy whatever phone you want or switch to Android. Apple does not force us to use iphone.

 

[Abstract]

Have you changed your avatar? I remember I liked your last one. But I don’t remember what it was about.

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.

 

[laptech]

I already stopped paying when the prices of mobile phones exceeded $500. Apple will always test the waters to see what they think they can get away with. People need to realise that when it comes to the world of business, it is never about what the product is actually worth, it is all about how much the business thinks it can get away with. If customers feel prices are too high they will not purchase. It's as simple as that.

I have no doubt in the next few years we will see mobile phones priced as high as $3000. The world has many many rich people who will think nothing of paying such money for a mobile phone. The mobile phone world has become no different to other commercial businesses that have tier pricing as their business model. One for the rich, one for the poor, First class, second class, Business class, economy class, VIP accommodation, standard accommodation. Apple has become no different with their iphones.