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I see Apple is getting creative with the trade-in. If this fails, what's next? Revise the trade-in that will include having lunch with different Apple executives for the next 24 months?
 
Here’s something I don’t get. Back in the days of the 2-year carrier contract Apple always showed prices as $199/$299/$399.

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Then when carries went away from that and Apple started the iPhone upgrade program Apple started showing the full price on stage.

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Yet go to AT&T or Verizon and it’s the monthly installment shown in big bold font and the retail price is in much smaller non-bolded font. Why did Apple switch to showing the full price of the phone? People went from seeing $199/$299/$399 to $749, even though most people still aren’t paying full price upfront.

Why doesn’t Apple show the iPhone Upgrade program price instead? And if you say that’s deceiving, well was showing the 2-year carrier contract upfront price deceiving too? I just think because most people aren’t buying their phone outright and are paying for overtime why show the full price? Just show what the monthly fee would start at for the base model. Automakers don’t advertise the MSRP, they advertise what a monthly lease payment would be. What’s the difference?


This is part of the game of consumer retail. Temptation is the key.

It is indeed very much like how most regular consumers pay for their automobile. The auto makers know that a huge percentage of their customers can’t rub 2 pennies together so they play games with prices and payment plans. Many people “lease” their car. The ones who pay cash know what the car sells for, but the ones who lease typically do not know the actual price of the car. They know $399 per month.

***$1000 instant rebate!
*** Zero percent interest!
*** No Money Down!

This jive talk has been around for ages. It’s temptation. Look at an apartment building parking lot and you can see brand new cars that people are leasing, but they can’t even afford to own their own house! That tells the story right there. New car somehow, but paying rent!

Look at the complaining people in this thread and I think you can figure out the perspective that people are looking at iPhone pricing and the lack of financial sense.

There is a big greyzone of what a person can afford and many consumers trap themselves into a tough financial situation.
 
PLEASE BUY OUR OVERPRICED PHONES! Pretty please! If you don't we'll be forced to lower the prices, and no one wants that.
Thats the funny thing to me. Apple usually stops selling products that "don't sell well" per them. They don't reduce anything. The iPhone SE, iPhone X. The X was the most short lived Apple device to date i believe.
 
It's False & Mis-leading for AAPL to call it a "Trade-Up" from the 7+ (OR 8+) !

I've kept my 7+ since getting my XR on Oct 26th.

I'm a camera app developer & have done ALOT of testing on both.

When using the camera framework, my 7+ has SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PERF than my XR !

My 7+ acts like a "true" 3 GB DRAM device ... my XR does NOT !


AAPL should decline to sell the XR to 7+ & 8+ owners ! <----- KEY POINT !

NO ONE should be surprised if there is (ultimately) SIGNIFICANT "Backlash" over this ... as more discover what I know.

As an EE turned software developer, I am extremely puzzled as to how AAPL's VPs of Hardware & Software "signed off" on the XR !

NO WAY would this ever get out the door under Jobs !

It is a MAJOR Black Eye just waiting to happen.

AAPL should have made a single lens version of the XS, offered that with a MUCH lower price, & with 3-year monthly terms.

The XR should is a fine choice for those transitioning from any 2 GB (or less) iPhone, but NOT 7+ & 8+ owners !

Backlash is coming your way Cook ! ... another example of a Total Lack of Basic Common Sense by Cook & his team !

As someone with the 8 Plus that's been pondering getting the Xr, thank you for this. You just saved me some money!
 
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It kind of does impact you and your money. If people upgrade every year, Apple will see no reason to not keep increasing the prices.
But, that is natural for business, and this type of behavior in markets typically has the opposite affect anyways. Prices typically decrease over time when this happens.

But, Apple is selling less phones, and trying to make up for the loss of sales by increasing the unit prices.
 
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TBH, I don't want to add anymore monthly payments. I bought an iPhone 7 for my kid and I did the 24 mth payment which was lumped into my wireless bill. I have a few more months to go before it is fully paid off and I can't wait for it to be over and done with. I'd rather pay in full and be done with.

Yeah I hear what you are saying. I feel the same. trying not to cave in. I would never pay up front so reminding myself it costs the same. Decided to give up a coke anyway and buy AMD stock instead.

I am wondering if these things get any cheaper. A BOGO deal might get me to budge. Apple has the cheapest customers in the world these days. :)
 
If we continue with this pace you can imagine the conditions we (our grandkids actually) will be living in.
I am sure they will have better living conditions then we do now.

Sure, lets all upgrade our phones each year and do other things all the time because its "our" decision, right?
If that is what you choose to do. I personally wouldn't do it, and wouldn't want to waste my money on that, but other people value different things than I do.

Lets upgrade less often and make the use of what we have as it is the sensible choice.
If that is what you want to do, that is fine. It is actually what I do, I personally only used 5 different iPhones in the past 12 years.

But saying people that choose a different path, or value things differently are stupid is just silly.

Like I said, I am sure those same people you speak of could point to something that you do in your life, or something you spend your money on and say that it is wasteful.

Like, spending time on a MR forum.....
 
It’s a little weird to see Apple trying so hard to push iPhone sales. Make an SE2 for the small phone market without neutering it with less than current cameras and chip, drop price on XR to $649, XS to $899, XS Max $999. All of those models with sell. Lord knows they’ve got the capital to spend on the SE2 and can still make piles of money at reduced price points.
 
It genuinely is refreshing to see someone with such common sense. It blows my mind that people squander money each year on 1k+ devices. I'd much rather spend it on my mortgage or going on holiday.
What if people have the money to spend on both? If so and they buy a $1000 phone, they lack common sense? Okay.
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It’s a little weird to see Apple trying so hard to push iPhone sales. Make an SE2 for the small phone market without neutering it with less than current cameras and chip, drop price on XR to $649, XS to $899, XS Max $999. All of those models with sell. Lord knows they’ve got the capital to spend on the SE2 and can still make piles of money at reduced price points.
That price structure makes sense. That’s what they should cost
 
All these funky phone specials.... reeks of desperation to move inventory as they finally hit the choke point of price and technology that people no longer NEED a new phone... its back to status symbol bling at this point....


Because then it is almost free? A sucker bet.
 
They don't have credit cards in Europe? I am guessing many Europeans bought a phone on a credit card paying 26.95% or so rather than the no interest plans in the USA.

Barely any of my friends have a credit card and the ones I do only for travelling abroad. I remember my mum used to keep hers hidden in a shoe box somewhere in the basement cuz credit cards used to be seen at this dangerous thing. Most people have a ec Karte here but you can only really use the money that’s on your actual account
 
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Yeah I hear what you are saying. I feel the same. trying not to cave in. I would never pay up front so reminding myself it costs the same. Decided to give up a coke anyway and buy AMD stock instead.

I am wondering if these things get any cheaper. A BOGO deal might get me to budge. Apple has the cheapest customers in the world these days. :)
Be careful with the BOGO as you may be required to add a new line. I have Verizon and they require you add a new line, however, that is fine if you are adding a new person on your plan anyway. With Verizon, I am always skeptical and have to read everything because they are always trying to pull a fast one. Just my experience with Verizon on their wireless and residential service.
 
Wonder how all this effects their approach to this years iPhone releases. Will they be more conservative? It’s almost like people can’t stomach a new iPhone at this point
 
It genuinely is refreshing to see someone with such common sense. It blows my mind that people squander money each year on 1k+ devices. I'd much rather spend it on my mortgage or going on holiday.

People that buy $1000 phones yearly probably don't have problems paying their mortgage too neither forgo their holidays to buy them.

They can't just lower prices. They are too far invested to do that. It would be a death sentence to do so.

That being said, I think they took it as a learning lesson. 2019 iPhones will be lower cost and their reasoning will be due to their efficiencies that they are able to lower costs, hence doing consumers a favor.

If what Cook says is true, and I don't see why it shouldn't, considered that Apple being a public company lying on that would be a major offence, so let's be realistic and not driven by silly hatred, they had issues mainly in China, and in USA the problem they identified is carriers stopping the monthly instalments, while they had records sales in Europe and some other markets, therefore they are only offering the promotions in USA and China, in order to obviate to this issue. Call me a fanboy because I go with cold logic, but it seems the most probable and logic answer.
 
Thats the funny thing to me. Apple usually stops selling products that "don't sell well" per them. They don't reduce anything. The iPhone SE, iPhone X. The X was the most short lived Apple device to date i believe.

They had to discontinue the X. There was nowhere to put a reduced price one into the product list. If they cut $100 off it, no one would have bought an XS. There's just not enough points of difference. The yearly iteration just doesn't bring big enough changes any more.

This year's pricing may bring some relief. Perhaps Apple needed this wake up call. Wonder if they will hear it?
 
Look at an apartment building parking lot and you can see brand new cars that people are leasing, but they can’t even afford to own their own house! That tells the story right there. New car somehow, but paying rent!

I don't even drive, but I wonder, do you really think that giving up a few hundred dollars lease on a car means would allow these people to buy a house? Probably not, right? So if someone can't buy a house they shouldn't buy anything else cheaper? It's a weird logic.
 
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What if people have the money to spend on both? If so and they buy a $1000 phone, they lack common sense? Okay.
People that buy $1000 phones yearly probably don't have problems paying their mortgage too neither forgo their holidays to buy them.
I’d rather put the £1000 towards a better holiday than just get a 0.0005% improved phone just to prove I’m the biggest Apple fan ever.
 
Rocking my iPhone SE until it is EOL. As well as my wife's.
[Prefer to use the money to go with my lovely wife to Europe.]

My X was the first iPhone I actually regretted buying. And when they ask me why, I tell them I like the phone and all, but that price is enough for a nice little vacation in some other continents.
I make good money and I can afford the phone. But when it starts getting into price range of some nice EXPERIENCES, one can't help wonder was it really worth it... Stuff vs experiences...
 
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