Apple knows we want cheaper phones with large screens...so they increase prices.
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/06/consumers-want-larger-iphones/
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/06/consumers-want-larger-iphones/
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Apple Reportedly Negotiating with Carriers for $100 Price Increase on iPhone 6
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I agree with everything that you stated. Though, I am not sure it is due to exclusivity. Every retailer increases prices at some point (as you stared with Rolex). Brooks Brothers increases the price of their shirts fairly often. Amazon is even increasing its Prime membership. Inflation, manufacturing costs, etc.
I'm not a fan of huge phones either. I thought the same thing...keep my 5S until it falls apart. Hopefully, apple will continue to produce a smaller phone.
LordVic
Cancelled
except the iPhone 6's release wont suddenly cause your iPhone5's to stop working. In All likelihood, even with Apple's limited long term support, the 5 will continue to get the most recent and up to date software and support for another 2 years. (Apple tends to go on 3 year cycles for product support).
Even the 4s is still supported by iOS7 and the latest software and it will be approaching 3 year old device this October. (Given that though, i Wouldn't expect the 4(s) to receive iOS8
Of course that will increase too. Otherwise Apple would be negotiating to lower the subsidies, that's not in their interest.
MacHiavelli
macrumors 65816
With the 5S and 5C, a lot of people were happy to pay the 5S's premium price.
Increase the price of the 6 and use the income to lower the price of whatever becomes the second-tier iPhone.
Plenty of people who will pay extra...the resale values are so fantastic.
Couple this with a premium-priced iWatch in the thousands of dollars and the appointment of luxury-brand expert Angela Ahrendts...it gives Apple a differential that Samsung and others cannot copy. Apple is about being the best and most prestigious. Not the cheapest and most easily purchased.
Profit is sanity. Turnover is vanity. Better to have modest sales and great profits rather than great sales with limited profits.
Increase the price of the 6 and use the income to lower the price of whatever becomes the second-tier iPhone.
Plenty of people who will pay extra...the resale values are so fantastic.
Couple this with a premium-priced iWatch in the thousands of dollars and the appointment of luxury-brand expert Angela Ahrendts...it gives Apple a differential that Samsung and others cannot copy. Apple is about being the best and most prestigious. Not the cheapest and most easily purchased.
Profit is sanity. Turnover is vanity. Better to have modest sales and great profits rather than great sales with limited profits.
store this time.
MisakixMikasa
macrumors 6502a
Oh please... The price of iPhone 5C is hardly justifiable... Only $100 difference, most people would go for the iPhone 5S. If the price difference is $200, then let us see which one sells better.
*sigh* that is the point of increasing the price of the contract phone so then carriers can decrease their subsidy on the phone. The unlocked off contract phone will remain the same and the new contract price will be $299 rather than $199. The only people affected are those deluded into thinking they're getting a 'great deal' by paying $199 up front on contract.
skywalkerr69
macrumors 6502a
Like most people if they did this I think a lot of people would jump ship, 100 dollars is a lot of money, especially considering most other cell companies are selling their new phones for less, or even giving an extra one away for free (S5), that on top of a 5" screen at least, and usually at least 32 gigs of storage. Right now the iPhone has 16 gigs of storage and only a 4" screen, even if they went to a 4.7" screen and 32 gig storage it wouldn't justify the cost. I could see them though raising the price of the 5.5" model, while I don't think it justifies a 100 dollar increase, maybe 50 would be more acceptable. But it would have to come with at a minimum 32 gigs of storage if not 64. If Apple puts anything less then 32gb of storage in any of their phones they are going to jump the shark.
LordVic
Cancelled
While similar, I think you'll see it slightly different. One thing Apple does like to do is contineu the previous model as a "cheap" alternative. I can't see them stopping this plan jsut yet
$0 - 8gb iPhone 5s
$99 - 16gb iPhone 6c
$199 - 16gb iPhone 6 w/ 4.7 inch screen
$299 - 32gb iPhone 6 w/ 5.5 inch screen
Abazigal
Contributor
The way carrier subsidies work in my country (Singapore), there is very little benefit to not recontracting to a new phone every 2 years.
Late last year, I just upgraded from a 4s to a 5s. A 32gb 5s would have cost $368 (I ended up with a 64gb iPhone with Applecare+) and sold my 32gb 4s for about $300 (might have been able to fetch a better price, but I am not the haggling sort).
Based on this, my biannual upgrade is practically free of charge, I pay the same monthly phone bill regardless of whether my phone is purchased via a carrier or unlocked from the Apple Store, and the added features and improved performance more than outweigh whatever small extra I shell out every 2 years.
Even if my 5s is still working great 2 years from now, I would still upgrade to the 6s because...why not?
So Apple will (at least for now) have an OS that needs to work on 4 different screen sizes...
Abazigal
Contributor
The thing is that there are in fact people who opt to go with an older-generation iPhone simply to save that $100. That's why the 5c existed. It made the iphone5 cheaper, which earns Apple more margins when someone buys it. And if they are dissuaded by its "cheap plastic casing" and opt to go with a 5s, all the better for Apple, who earn more profits this way.
Either way, Apple wins.
toughboy
macrumors 6502a
4.7" = 199$
5.5" = 299$
thats where the 100$ increase is coming from. Can anyone not see?? 😕
BTW; if I'm ever going to jump off the iPhone ship, it'll be for LG G2 (or the new G3) not for the Samsung S5 crap. Both HTC One M8 and LG G2 runs circles around the S5, I'm sure G3 will be far far better than both.
So, I'm waiting for Apple to release the new iPhone 6; by that time the crazy release prices for G3 should have been neutralized, if Apple cant deliver a bigger screen and decent battery life, we'll see hows the life on Android land..
5.5" = 299$
thats where the 100$ increase is coming from. Can anyone not see?? 😕
BTW; if I'm ever going to jump off the iPhone ship, it'll be for LG G2 (or the new G3) not for the Samsung S5 crap. Both HTC One M8 and LG G2 runs circles around the S5, I'm sure G3 will be far far better than both.
So, I'm waiting for Apple to release the new iPhone 6; by that time the crazy release prices for G3 should have been neutralized, if Apple cant deliver a bigger screen and decent battery life, we'll see hows the life on Android land..
macfacts
macrumors 603
May be the $100 increase is only for 5.5 inch which is what samsung has been doing, the Note X is $100 more than the Galaxy SX
It's the same way here. Smart or dumb, I renew the 2 year contract THE DAY I am eligible.
Why would Apple want to negotiate to lower costs *for carriers*? Your post makes no sense.
Apple wants to increase the price and increase the subsidy so that (in the US) the price stays the same.
samcraig; "Carriers realize that the iPhone 6 will likely be the only headline-worthy high-end phone launched this year " Really? The HTC and Samsung phones haven't gotten headlines? [/QUOTE said:
