For smart shoppers and true phone fanatics who can really look for value, watching Apple succeed is actually a blessing in disguise to anyone. The fact they are clearly 2nd place at under 20% of global marketshare adds to the obsession and envy...
The iPhones no longer have the highest ppi on a display, fastest SoC, camera, and longest battery life. But people can keep buying them year after year. Suckers are born every minute. Which is great for sellers like me. Just a couple weeks ago, I sold the 2.5 year old iPhone 5 for about $200. I had options like a Huawei Honor 4X and Meizu M1 Note at under $200. The latter offers UNBELIEVABLE value in my country. More value than the affordable Zenfone 5 and Redmi 1S. Probably the best value since the Xiaomi Mi 3 for under $250. I also had my eye on the Meizu MX4 and Asus Zenfone 2 (CL550). But I eventually chose LG G3 Beat in gold because I trust LG more with a tap to wake feature several other OEM's copied from (moreso than dual front speakers and Active Display) and the already proven Qualcomm Snapdragon 400...
Imagine I basically replaced a 2.5 year old slate iPhone 5 for a 2014 G3 mini with HD "5 screen + 2540 mAh battery that looks better in a gold faux metal plastic and feels more comfortable to hold? And other than the GPU, the iPhone 5 wasn't exactly the most powerful in 2012 either. Perhaps in AnTuTu, iPhone 5 still gives me higher scores (10K more) than a G3 Beat since Adreno 305 isn't exactly a GPU powerhouse but I also get LONG TERM value like removable battery and micro-sd slot. You don't know how many times I run out of memory and also worry about a sealed battery degrading quickly after two years like I saw with my M7. Apple creates phones for obsolescence and replacement. I want phones that I know I can keep longer than 2+ years. I want longevity. Prior to iPhone in 2007, almost every OEM offered removable battery and expandable storage. Eight years later, only LG and maybe Oppo offers both on flagships.
So the idea here is watch all these clueless iFans keep updating their iPhones every few years for incremental upgrades to get their Apple fix. Let them give me their old ones. I sell them to keep other iFans salivating for the Jesus phone even with its degraded battery and closed system like Nintendo kids loving proprietary standards and higher priced games. I buy a newer Android which offers better longer-term value and flexibility. Some can go for style. I go for substance. Everyone is happy. It is no different than people who sell their older iPhone every year to buy the newest one. Except I turn around and get phones that is easy to fix, doesn't pollute the ocean after a couple years, and can last a decade for me if I want to. People get their preferred platform. I get mines. Everyone wins here.
. Nice thread, Jamezr
