Exactly, every time some idiot talks about "Apple charges premium and is too expensive", I like to remind him that many people, including kids, have an iPhone. So apparently it's not overpriced at all.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook: iPhone X Has Been the Top Selling iPhone Every Week Since it Shipped
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Exactly, every time some idiot talks about "Apple charges premium and is too expensive", I like to remind him that many people, including kids, have an iPhone. So apparently it's not overpriced at all.
Thank you. I'm not judging. Just calling it like it is.
I mean, please, we live in a world where Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are the most popular services online, not libraries or great works of fiction. We live in a world where everyone wants everyone to know what new car they just bought, what great vacation they just took, what awesome grades the kids have, how perfect their trinkets are.
And, yes, the Notch isn't just a necessity. It's a beacon. No different than the three-pointed star hood ornament on a Mercedes Benz, it's there to tell others around you that you spent the money for the top-of-the-line iPhone. These things matter to a lot of people.
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And by the same token, that person you are describing looks at your tired old iPhone 6 and thinks you are a World Class Janitor. He thinks that someone who doesn't spend more on his iPhone than he does on his breakfast has his priorities completely backwards.
LOL "Androids and Sammy" ... You do realize Samsung phones are Android phones right? I like Apple. Love my MBP but the Pixel works better for me. Anyone that doesn't give both platforms an opportunity is missing out cause they each do certain things well depending on what your looking for. Android has gotten a lot better, while iOS has become quite stale IMO. Can't stand Samsung software though because TouchWiz and Bixby don't do anything for me. At this point there really not much of a difference and just comes down to personal preference. Display isn't a high priority and I like customization, usb-c, quick charge work regular updates and clean software. To my original point though, Samsung is Android. You sound silly when you bash a product you obviously know little about.
And in which way would your hypothetical iPhone X user differ from someone who's sporting the latest Samsung phone? (I mean we both know that you can't even source your amusing little theories, but still, just wondering)....
I wonder about that also.
Maybe the answer is that someone with the latest Samsung phone might impress different group or social clique. My opinion is that the prestige goes to one brand - Apple. I do kind of get that even if I don't agree with it.
I mean - if you drive a top end Lexus does it compare to a Mercedes? I don't know the answer. It's interesting brand psychology.
There is no status in a Samsung. It's not a luxury brand. Volkswagen once made a luxury car, quite expensive, thought it would bring prestige, surely a $120,000 VW could. Nope. Google "Volkswagen Phaeton", you'll understand Android and Samsung quite clearly.
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No, a Lexus is not a Mercedes. Why? Because everyone knows a Lexus is just a dressed-up Toyota. It's what Toyota types buy when they get a little money and can afford the badges but not much more.
Since Android is a shamelessly stolen re-badging of iPhone, it's the Toyota Lexus of the smartphone world.
The logic gets fuzzy when you consider the the VW MLB and later MLBEvolution platforms are used in a wide variety of cars from a humble VW to the upcoming Lamborghini Urus, not to mention the Bentayga. Lexus did use mostly Toyota parts years ago but they've moved away from that. People buy a Lexus because it lasts and holds its value. I've been a longtime Mercedes buyer and current owner, and also own a Lexus, and in the process of ordering another Mercedes. In the same realm, people who buy a Maserati are just buying a gimped Ferrari because they couldn't afford anything better. Or people buying a Lincoln are just buying an overpriced Ford. People buying a Land Rover or Jaguar product are just buying a mashup of hardware and control surfaces, because they couldn't afford better. People buying a top package Camaro pushing out 650+ HP couldn't afford the Corvette ZR1.
That said, the only true fact is the highest end Lexus, discounting the LC, is the LS, and when loaded it'll be over six figures. It looks nice, apart from the Predator grille, and apart from that as well, it'll last 20 years if taken care of and it'll still hold value. Meanwhile a new S class will drop 50% of its value in 4-5 years, and bottom out at around $10,000-14,000. Servicing a Lexus is 'cheap,' for odds and ends, but any serious work is going to cost you as much as a European import.
That said, while the new LS is quite nice, it's no match for the S Class. The BMW 7 series is also a stunner, but it's not a great match, especially with BMW's recent actions regarding CarPlay. I won't even count the Model S as a competitor. A 2007 E Class looks nicer inside.
Fact is, Samsung (or rather Android) buyers want something else other than an Apple product, and people buying an iPhone product want a safe product and one that'll work, and won't quickly become outdated with the next gen Qualcom release. It's comparing apples and oranges.
I use a Samsung S8. My work phone is my old S7. My wife has an iPhone 8 Plus. iOS is cool, but it isn't for me. I find Android easier to use and more intuitive. And I can tinker with it. I don't honestly think Samsung could ever satisfy the wants and needs with their flavor of Android to get hoards of religious iPhone owners to migrate over.
This argument is akin to the pc vs. mac debates from the 90s and 2000s. Use what you want to use and makes you happy. Who cares what the other person is using? Arguing over the matter is fruitless. We'll all be dead one day and none of this will matter.
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The wealthy don't keep cars for 4-5 years. They lease and are always in a new car.
Here's a little secret:
iPhone people, especially those who are over 40, financially established, and buying all those iPhone X's, don't know a thing about Android at all, have never considered a Samsung, would never leave Apple. Why? Because the iPhone has satisfied us. No need to cheat on your wife when she makes you completely happy.
The only Android's I have ever seen have belonged to teens who value them for their ridiculously large screens and obnoxiously loud speakers as they use them as a gaming device and television as they don't have the space for a big TV in the tiny bedroom they share with their little brother.
Samsung and other Android iPhone knock-off brands aren't part of the smartphone stratosphere that Apple is now established in. The $1,000+ smartphone segment belongs to Apple, no different than the premium notebook, premium media streamer, and premium watch segments that Apple has dominated for so long. People struggle with this concept because they were programmed to expect a new iPhone for $0 or $99 on a two year contract for so long. Now that all phones cost real money, Apple is in smartphones what it's been in notebooks for 40 years; the top-of-the-line experience at a top-of-the-line price.
Usually people who can't afford a car long term will lease a car. Lease payments are much cheaper than financing.
Wealthy people can take the hit of depreciation and not care. Leasers usually care about depreciation when it comes to luxury vehicles.
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I fit those boxes. I still like Android. I find iOS too restrictive. I'll give you one point on the large screens. I personally see no point. The S8+ is just too big, and I've got fairly large hands. It bulges in your trouser pocket and it ruins suit pockets. I think the whole "phablet" theme is a fad anyway. People are going to want higher PPI and regular sized screens soon enough. There's absolutely no reason to have a phone bigger than an adult's head.
Oh, I have one. Would you like to tell me a bit more about how much you feel sorry for me?
This nonsense about people liking the notch because it shows how much you spent on the phone.... surely that’s just something some people have said about iPhone X owners, but no-one actually thinks that?
I kind of like the notch. It adds a disturbance to an otherwise sea of monotony when it comes to what are essentially small television screens in your hands. It may not be aesthetically pleasing for a lot of people, but the divide between two fields of information is a unique look. I'm sure if the iPhone started out that way and changed to what it actually was, people would still rebel and claim the notch added accessibility to those with bad eyes who couldn't discern fields of smaller text.
Calling someone an idiot for liking the notch or calling Pixel owners world class idiots isn't nice and is classless. How others decide to spend their money isn't and shouldn't be your concern. You do your own thing.
Calling someone an idiot for liking the notch or calling Pixel owners world class idiots isn't nice and is classless. How others decide to spend their money isn't and shouldn't be your concern. You do your own thing.
Sure, with pleasure. In the context of the previous messages, I don't feel sorry for you having a phone with a notch. I don't think it's an issue IMO.
I feel sorry for you, to have spent such an ridiculous amount of money for a phone, which in day to day usage, feels pretty much the same as previous generations speed wise. And no, I don't own one, but yes, I have tried it long enough.
Actually, I have to make a correction. I feel sorry for all of us. Then after reasonable good (probably not overly great) sales, Apple feels encouraged enough to overprice their phones in future, to offset the slower sales growth.
I would trust figures more if they seperated the sales stats down. Especially with the claims Apple makes. Same goes for other companies.
As for trust, that can cover a variety of things so is hard to answer.
Wow. I’m obviously flattered to have your sympathy. I mean, if it was just a phone, and the speed at which it could operate were the only factors, you might have a point.
Hello mean yes, it’s expensive. But surely now we have to stop seeing modern high end smartphones as “just a phone”.
For a start, 10 years ago my phone didn’t also take better photos than any point and shoot camera on the market.
Those are old wives tales from the 1980s.
Wealthy people are wealthy in part because they do not invest any of their money in a depreciating asset. Leasing allows a known, fixed monthly expense with $0 towards repair or maintenence and allows that capital to be invested and earn instead of being given to an automotive financing company.
By your description a McDonald's hamburger is a luxury.
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If it was too expensive it wouldn't be the best selling phone. Just like the HomePod threads, some people say they would buy it for $300, but won't pay $350. Where's the logic. If people like it, they will buy it.
Millions of people drop billions of dollars on Nike, North Face, Rolex, BMW, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and scores of other luxury brands and you want to believe they are subtle?
The in-your-face look-at-me crowd has their status symbol smartphone and it’s the iPhone X and it’s Nike Swoosh calling card is the Notch. Better believe it.
I never said folks are misguided if they purchase a luxury brand that performs, they are foolish if they purchase one based solely on it's ability to make them appear wealthy or powerful.
This isn't a rant, simply an observation and an opinion.
Got it, definitely agree there.
But that said can you name a well-known luxury brand that doesn’t perform well? Mercedes, Rolex, Tiffany, Starbucks, Apple...the terms ‘luxury’ and ‘performance’ are somewhat synonymous today.
Smartphones weren’t being given away; you just didn’t pay the full price up front. It’s essentially the same now except the monthly fee for your phone hardware is separate from your phone/data plan. Only the uneducated thought they were getting a $600 phone for $199. It’s actually better now because in the past when your bill was raised to cover the cost of the phone it was never reduced. Now once the phone is paid of that monthly fee goes away.
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Go on AT&T’s website and you’ll be hard pressed to find list price. People were paying for that $600 phone, just over time. People are doing the same thing now. Difference is once the phone is paid off the monthly fee goes away. Also instead of the phone being listed at $99/$199/$299 it’s listed at $33-$38/mo.
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I really don't dabble much in luxury brands to give you an honest answer other than *"high-end" audio equipment most of which underperforms horrendously compared to less expensive well-engineered counterparts. FWIW, I don't consider Apple a luxury brand but the definition of the term seems to vary so...
My point again was some folks think purchasing some inanimate object will empower them with the same abilities, wealth or power of whoever they admire that owns the same. I consider it a recipe for disaster if you have a limited income.
If you're rich and can afford to throw away or set money on fire, by all means...
* I have no wish to derail this thread (or piss off fellow forum members) mentioning brand names considering we have many audiophiles here including myself.
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Not this again. Completely false.
You are using today’s pricing model to compare with the old subsidized model for which cellular providers were willing to lose money to gain subscribers to ensure long term success in a very competitive environment. AT&T and Verizon destroyed other players in the space because they gave iPhones away and it made them worth billions more and protected them from obsolescence.
And if you know what you’re doing you can still get subsidized iPhones today, I just got 2 iPhone X’s for my sons for the price of 1 through my carriers loyalty department. My monthly price for service didn’t go up a dime.
Without any hint of irony?
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I think the trouble is that many people seem to like to assume that a lot of people who buy iPhones buy iPhones for that reason.
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I don’t doubt that people like to have good products ore are brand conscious.
But putting the iPhone X in front of people’s faces, in the belief that people will notice the notch, and somehow be impressed? Not so much.
You could be right but I suspect it's just another dig like the term "Sheeple" from the opposing team. (I doubt many of the general public come into a specialized forum like MR)