Apple Having Trouble Signing New Carriers Because of iPhone Subsidy and Minimum Purchase Requirements

[rocknblogger]

So every tablet/smartphone manufacturer has its own boutique style store with a huge employee to customer ratio and 10 minute paperless device replacement process?

Apple is absolutely everything one would expect when it comes to a "luxury brand".

No, iPhones and iPads are not luxury items. Diamonds and fur and Tiffany bracelets are luxury items. You can argue that Apple makes high-end electronics. But high-end does not equal luxury. Especially when price is targeted at regular consumers. Apple devices are not targeted at rich people. Everyone from poor to rich, own Apple devices.

EDIT: Originally I mistakenly said that "Apple devices are targeted at rich people".

 

[apolloa]

To me, I don't consider Apple to be a luxury. High-end and/or maybe premium but not luxury. Luxury to me is something like Rolls Royce, very few can afford and is small in number relative to the segment it's in.

I agree with you on that but I would also add, extreme customer service like they will fly an engineer to you anywhere in the world, you are treated like royalty, the car can be made with any interior you want more or less, you can have other non standard options if you pay. A lot of non standard things that are never available to the mass market, and that's on top of the luxury of the car in itself.

 

[Renzatic]

Apple is not a luxury brand.

Plus the difference between slumming it with a high end Android phone and living the high life with an iPhone is...like...

...what? 50 bucks? A hundred?

 

[apolloa]

No, iPhones and iPads are not luxury items. Diamonds and fur and Tiffany bracelets are luxury items. You can argue that Apple makes high-end electronics. But high-end does not equal luxury. Especially when price is targeted at regular consumers. Apple devices are targeted at rich people. Everyone from poor to rich, own Apple devices.

It makes you wonder if they launch an iWatch, will people start to class it as a luxury item at the same level as a Patek Philippe or Rolex or hand made Breitling?

 

[AppleScruff1]

Plus the difference between slumming it with a high end Android phone and living the high life with an iPhone is...like...

...what? 50 bucks? A hundred?

Aren't some of the no contract Android phone prices were the same as the iPhone? Or maybe they give you more storage at the same price?

 

[apolloa]

Aren't some of the no contract Android phone prices were the same as the iPhone? Or maybe they give you more storage at the same price?

Yes, in the UK, Galaxy S4 is £580 for 16GB but of course it has expandable memory, the HTC One £530 with 32GB, the iPhone 5 is £530 for 16GB and £599 for 32GB.

And many have said the HTC One has better build and a nicer feel to it then the iPhone 5. I've never held one though so can't confirm.

 

[Renzatic]

Aren't some of the no contract Android phone prices were the same as the iPhone? Or maybe they give you more storage at the same price?

They give you more storage at the same price, which means they're ultimately cheaper. And since, according to some people here, the difference between a Toyota and a Lexus is apparently a few extra bucks, it's kinda like...

"See, Bobby. My car cost $21,540, whereas you only spent $19,500 on your piece of crap. This is why you'll never excel to a middle management position like me, Bobby. You don't spend cash on nice things to show off your status".

 

[AppleScruff1]

Yes, in the UK, Galaxy S4 is £580 for 16GB but of course it has expandable memory, the HTC One £530 with 32GB, the iPhone 5 is £530 for 16GB and £599 for 32GB.

And many have said the HTC One has better build and a nicer feel to it then the iPhone 5. I've never held one though so can't confirm.

The HTC One is a very nice phone. Excellent build quality and materials, quite comparable to the iPhone. I think feel and aesthetics is subjective, but IMO, the HTC is a nice looking design, something a bit different and modern. To me, the iPhone has basically looked the same with the last three releases, with the iPhone 5 looking similar but taller. The iPhone design just seems stale to me in comparison. Not a bash, just the way I see it.

They give you more storage at the same price, which means they're ultimately cheaper. And since, according to some people here, the difference between a Toyota and a Lexus is apparently a few extra bucks, it's kinda like...

"See, Bobby. My car cost $21,540, whereas you only spent $19,500 on your piece of crap. This is why you'll never excel to a middle management position like me, Bobby. You don't spend cash on nice things to show off your status".

I get it now.

 

[HenryDJP]

Huh, thanks, opens your eye's about tech media doesn't it? As they said the storys are certainly presented as hard facts across the media.



Erm no? Please don't take what I said out of context to suit your post eh but when I'm on a site where these day's it's proclaimed time and time again by posters here, that Apple will simply 'buy' ITV to use it's name or steal it for some vapourware product that doesn't exist, then I think it sums up what this place has now become? Don't you?
In fact 9to5mac is less biased and that's saying something!

When was the last time you read a story like this one on Mac Rumors?:

http://9to5mac.com/2013/03/20/macbook-pro-with-retina-display-problems-in-every-dimension/

Well, I didn't take anything out of context, those were your exact words. Here's a screenshot of what you said.
MR gets most of it's news from 9 to 5 Mac but articles like that won't necessarily make front page news for one big reason. It causes too much of a stir. Even good news about Apple doing something awesome for their customers that everyone could stand to benefit from will still end up with negative Nancys here, so you have to imagine what articles about Apple's defective products could result in. No need to add more fuel to the blaze that exists here already. Don't take away the last bit of fun this place still has.
Here's the thing, including the article link you gave me, you are showing more hate for Apple than a level playing field. I checked many of your posts and they are mostly jabs at Apple. That doesn't make for healthy discussion.

I will give you that, you're right, MR isn't what it used to be. I've been lurking for years longer than my registration date but after Apple allowed Windows to be installed on their Macs and then the invention of the iPhone this place has had way more Apple-hating registrants than ever before. Trolling does nothing more than create animosity. Not saying you're a troll, just making a point. People coming here to set the Apple Enthusiasts straight need to find better things to do.
More often than not there's tons of new registrants with negative posts just when Apple releases something new with possibly a reason for mixed reviews or even when it's nearly nothing to talk badly about. That's why people feel that there are many employees here of Apple's competitors.
If you think there are none of the sort existing here you are sadly misguided.

Once again take a look at your very own words. Nothing taken out of context here. Take care my man.

 

[mazz0]

Nor would Ferrari be a luxury brand if there were as many of them on the road as Toyota's.

I'm not sure about that. Maybe they would, assuming the quality didn't drop and the quality of the competition didn't rise to match it.

 

[thekev]

Requiring a minimum purchase seems silly to me. Having the iPhone set up with an exclusive carrier made since until the 2nd iPhone was released. After that, it is just a douche move by a major corporation. Apple should really drop the minimum purchase requirement and allow the iPhone on all carriers as long as the current hardware supports said carrier. What would the harm be in doing that?

There may be some amount of work involved validating their phones on each carrier's network.

Really!?

In the field of phones, laptops, tablets,etc., if Apple isn't a luxury brand, who is?

You could just accept the lack of a defined luxury segment here.

I think it is.

Luxury brands tend to restrict their markets by pricing to the point where only a small number of people own them. There's no sense of faux prestige in owning an iphone. It's just a very nice mass market product.

If there was a higher demand for those things, more would be produced.

BMW and Rolls Royce are obviously both luxury brands, yet there are millions of BMWs on the road and there are not millions of Rolls.

Price barriers come to mind. Even BMWs start around $33k or so IIRC. It's also possible that many people might be able to afford one yet don't want to spend that much. There are many new looking BMWs in my neighborhood. I bet many of them are leased by people who can barely afford them.

 

[lordofthereef]

if you can buy it at Walmart, it's not a luxury brand.

Lol. There is no argument that can be made better than this one. Seriously. You win, good sir!

 

[Yojimbo007]

Problem is what is imposed from external factors on one!
This is apples choice to have such requirements...
How does that get categorized as a problem? ... If they feel it is an issue, they change it on a dime.
It is not something that is out of their control .

 

[Premium1]

That's not even true.
Unsubsidised iPhones are much more expensive than unsubsidised 'other high end phones'
and like you say Apple's most basic laptop is 3x the price of any other company's basic laptop, it completely is a 'luxury brand'

And if it isn't, why isn't there one? There would be a market for luxury electronics if what you're saying is true, electronic devices are accessories as much as cars and clothes.

unsubsidized iphone 5 16gb is the same price as the samsung s4 16gb unsubsidized...

 

[thejadedmonkey]

No, iPhones and iPads are not luxury items. Diamonds and fur and Tiffany bracelets are luxury items. You can argue that Apple makes high-end electronics. But high-end does not equal luxury. Especially when price is targeted at regular consumers. Apple devices are not targeted at rich people. Everyone from poor to rich, own Apple devices.

EDIT: Originally I mistakenly said that "Apple devices are targeted at rich people".

Depends on your view of "Luxury item". Nokia makes $150 smartphones that run WP8, that's $150 off contract. Or you can get a flip phone for $30 and pay $10/month for service.

A lot of people own iPhones, but that doesn't make them a necessity instead of a luxury.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I'm not sure about that. Maybe they would, assuming the quality didn't drop and the quality of the competition didn't rise to match it.

If everyone has one, it's not a luxury item, again, IMO. The brand mystique is lost when the market is flooded.

 

[CShort]

Really!?

In the field of phones, laptops, tablets,etc., if Apple isn't a luxury brand, who is?

Vertu ~ $20k
http://www.vertu.com/
Apple is common.

 

[CShort]

I think they probably make about 12 and struggle to sell them, because even the snobbiest oligarch knows iPhones are better.
Look at virtually every celebrity on twitter tweeting 'from iOS', I'm sure they could all afford a Vertu but who wants to pay that for an Android.

Vertu is not just a crazy expensive phone encrusted with rare jewels, it's also services. What other phone purchase gives you a 24/7 personal concierge? Or an invitation to the Oscars?

 

[mantan]

Plus the difference between slumming it with a high end Android phone and living the high life with an iPhone is...like...

...what? 50 bucks? A hundred?

If that much...you can get an iPhone 4 for 99 cents on contract....

 

[a0me]

In other news, Tiffany & Co. is missing out on 200 billion consumers who cannot afford their high priced gold, silver and diamond jewelry.

200 billions? Are they planning on selling jewelry on Coruscant?

----------

Really!?

In the field of phones, laptops, tablets,etc., if Apple isn't a luxury brand, who is?

These are luxury mobile phones; they also cost about $ 1.8 million more than an iPhone.

 

[BashBrannigan]

Problem lies with the analysts

The problem is not with Apple, it's with analysts who do lousy analysis. I don't know why the mobile technology has such bad analysts, but they all want to come off like gurus while they are wrong so often.

 

[iChrist]

In other news, Tiffany & Co. is missing out on 200 billion consumers who cannot afford their high priced gold, silver and diamond jewelry.

You people and your non-sensical analogies

King Lear is to Shakespeare as your post is to:
a) kid who re-uses other people's memes from 5 years ago
b) grown man from US who doesn't know the population of the earth
c) person who actually buys mass produced Tiffany jewelry located in a shopping mall
d) all of the above


Answer:
d

 

[Tminusg]

Bigger screen

Just slap a 5.5" screen in a plastic casing with the same resolution as the ipad 2 and call it a day. I want a note 2 sized screen with iOS. Unfortunately I traded some guy my iphone 5 for a note 2, theres no going back to the rediculously stretched 3.5" screen.

Sorry Apple... But I do miss iMessage and all the niceties of iOS.

 

[CShort]

So every tablet/smartphone manufacturer has its own boutique style store with a huge employee to customer ratio and 10 minute paperless device replacement process?

Apple is absolutely everything one would expect when it comes to a "luxury brand".

I get that sort of service at McDonalds

 

[Telp]

The iPhone stopped being a luxury brand when the price dropped from $599 for the original to the tiered pricing they have now. They are no more expensive then buying any other phone. I bought a Nexus 4 for $349.

The difference really is minimal. Even when the phone was 600, it was still cheaper over two years than it is now. That was an upfront fee, but you ended up breaking more than even. That's still how much most phones cost off contract anyway.