How Do You Justify It?

[lordofthereef]

Gee, some of the replies to my post sounded like they thought I was trying to start an argument. I was simply asking why people feel the compulsion to purchase a new phone every year. I purchased my MacBook three years ago, and it still does everything I want it to do, so I have no plans to replace it for quite some time. I will do the same thing with the phone. To me, that works and makes sense. If anyone else wants to purchase a new phone every single year, that is fine by me. I am not paying for it. I was simply asking why.

When you use words like "compulsion", people are going to be defensive. You gave an example of why what you spent was right for you, effectively implying that these other people are somehow wrong. You may not feel you did that, but the fact that people are getting defensive say enough, IMO.

People buy what they want to buy. I dare say a lot of people even get into debt with their phones. That's the saddest thing of all; some folks just buy into consumerism at all costs.

Why do I buy a phone every year? I sell my previous model shortly before it launches (Just sold my 64GB for $600 on CL), so it's usually only an extra $250 to upgrade. That turns out to be about $20 a month over the year; that's fewer than four coffees at some places a month, just as perspective.

It was mentioned that the lack for a $500 car payment is helpful; and it is. If I were paying $500 a month for a car I would probably reconsider my phone purchases (and maybe some others).

 

[Pipper99]

Did you think about your original post when you sent it? It comes off a bit rude... Maybe it wasn't meant that way but it does. Questioning people how they justify it without giving more of your story up front can lead to a feeling of you being judgemental.
Honestly, I feel that simple logic would have given you the majority of the answers that we provided you with. They have oodles of cash to spend, they sell their old phones to offset the cost, etc. Perhaps you're not well educated on the high resale value of used iPhones. A lot of us are.
I now know that you're new to the forum. It wouldn't change my response to you, though. Had you mentioned your budget mindedness in the original post then the answers probably would have been different. I don't think you thought your post out very well. Sorry you didn't like the majority of the responses that your post received.

I agree, and I have to add that I don't think that the OP was innocently asking a question. The OP implies that he/she is wise and frugal while people who upgrade every year are foolish and wasteful. OP, whether you think so or not, you were riding into town on a high horse.

If you can meet your obligations and can buy an iPhone every year without getting yourself in trouble or harming your family or anyone else, no justification is needed. If you can't, well, then you can't justify it anyway.

 

[nerdAFK]

Hello everyone,

I am brand new to this site and to iphones. I just ordered an iphone 5s 64GB from an individual for $550 shipped. It should arrive next week. It is factory unlocked, and I plan to use it on Cricket Wireless.

I realise version 6 will soon be available, but I concluded that it will likely cost $800 or more for iphone 6 with 64GB's worth of storage, so I opted for a brand new 5s for a much lower price. It makes good economic sense to me.

My question is why would anyone who purchased a 5s at the time it first came out now want to spend close to $1K for iphone 6 just a year later just to have the newest model? How do you justify it?

"close to $1K?"
You are so bad at exaggerating

 

[bunnicula]

Hello everyone,

I am brand new to this site and to iphones. I just ordered an iphone 5s 64GB from an individual for $550 shipped. It should arrive next week. It is factory unlocked, and I plan to use it on Cricket Wireless.

I realise version 6 will soon be available, but I concluded that it will likely cost $800 or more for iphone 6 with 64GB's worth of storage, so I opted for a brand new 5s for a much lower price. It makes good economic sense to me.

My question is why would anyone who purchased a 5s at the time it first came out now want to spend close to $1K for iphone 6 just a year later just to have the newest model? How do you justify it?

I don't justify it. I upgrade yearly because I enjoy it.

 

[eoblaed]

At this point, I am not only sorry I asked the question, but I am also sorry I joined the forum. I think there are more very young people here than there ar older folks. No one I know in my life would make the sort of responses many made to my question. Many of you sound not just unfriendly but rude.

Don't read too much into it.

Many people on this forum are used to being attacked for enjoying their Apple devices, or for camping out for them, or for buying new ones every year even though other smart phones might have a better spec here and there. So, when a post comes along that could be interpreted as antagonistic, it often is, even if that wasn't the original intent. Painstaking choice in vocabulary can sometimes help.

It's tough for people to read tone when reading a post. You're doing fine.

 

[bunnicula]

I think you are wrong about that. I am one of those upgraders and there are many more especially on these tech forums. Gotta have the latest and greatest. It's even easier now with the Next program.

Yup.

I have upgraded every year at launch since the first iPhone was released. It's a "me" thing.

 

[jsmith189]

I don't really think people NEED to "justify" what they buy. People are going to spend their money on what they like. Just like some people may buy a lot of games, some people may travel, some people may buy other tech, some people just enjoy phones and like to have the latest. To each their own. As long as your bills are getting paid, I don't see the harm in buying things you like.

I personally have my own system. I'm on a two year contract, so each time I upgrade I get a free phone, and then in the alternate years I sell that phone to buy a new one so it's half paid for anyway. While I DO get the new phone each year, it's not anywhere near as costly as it may sound.

By the way, OP, I don't really see any rude comments in here. You asked people to justify it, and they're responding with their stories and such. It can be difficult to read tone, but I really don't think anyone here was offended or starting any arguments.

 

[sportsfrk214]

I enjoy having the latest tech in my hands. It's a device I use constantly, throughout the day, every day. In many ways, it's my portal to the world, my connection to my friends and family, my way of recording the things going on around me, it helps me get places, find what I'm looking for, direct my media entertainment, and even play games from time to time. It's what I use to identify music, people, events, and food. It's what I use to make sure the dog treats I'm about to buy really are made in the US. It records my trail runs with interactive, informative data maps afterwards. It also records my drum lessons, lets me write new drum tracks. I also use it from to time as an emergency portal into my work servers. With it, I know my kids are safe, where they're supposed to be, and I can keep tabs on my critical services at home, too. There's so much more, but you get the point.

In short, this is a device that is a key component to many aspects of life, is something I'm using constantly.

I really enjoy having the most capable device with me for all that and I have the cash to make that a reality. There's no need to justify it, really. Some people spend hundreds of dollars a month on cigarettes, or alcohol, or starbucks, or clubbing, new clothes, video games, whatever.

Provided we're not hurting people by it, where we spend our money for things we enjoy isn't something that requires justification.

This.

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[InternetDude08]

I don't need to justify anything. I want a new phone every year and I can afford it so I get one. I'm even able to expense part of the purchase through my business.

I have my phone on me every day of the year and use it literally all day off and on. It is literally more important to me than my kitchen and washing machine.

 

[maliu]

I am on call for work 24/7. My phone is my most important TOOL. I am also off grid 2-3 days a week and my phone is my primary internet device. I am buying the new iPhone because it's bigger and I can.

 

[MacDavidson]

I bought 1 Apple share a couple of years ago & along with selling my iPhone on eBay, it paid for itself with the profit made. Last year it was a short rather than a buy of the share, but it should work out that my iPhone 6 will cost £50-£100 this October. I love my Mini & my Apple products & its my treat to myself each year for working hard. I am unfortunately an Apple Fanboy... But I love it!

 

[ET iPhone Home]

Hello everyone,

I am brand new to this site and to iphones. I just ordered an iphone 5s 64GB from an individual for $550 shipped. It should arrive next week. It is factory unlocked, and I plan to use it on Cricket Wireless.

I realise version 6 will soon be available, but I concluded that it will likely cost $800 or more for iphone 6 with 64GB's worth of storage, so I opted for a brand new 5s for a much lower price. It makes good economic sense to me.

My question is why would anyone who purchased a 5s at the time it first came out now want to spend close to $1K for iphone 6 just a year later just to have the newest model? How do you justify it?

I justify spending over 1K for my 5.5" 128SSD iPhone 6 Pro because I had my 4S for 3 years.

 

[Bobby Corwen]

Its just money. No big deal to me.

 

[Cool Pup]

I don't really have a great answer for this. Logically and financially, it really isn't a good move to buy phones yearly. The best answer I can give is that I want the latest technology, and if there is a bigger phone in the 6, then that is a big enough (no pun intended) justification for me. There wasn't really a big reason for me to buy the 5s last year, but I did want the Touch ID system and the spec bump was appreciated.

I see a lot of people with disposable income in here and that there is a good enough reason for some. For me, and many others, who don't have an endless supply of money, the resell value of the year-old phones is probably a good enough justification. The Gold 5s I have has pretty good resell value, so that could very well pay for about half (or more) of the new phone coming out. Again, a lot of "wasted" money here, but I feel like I've gotten enough use out of my phone for this year to want to get another, new, one.

And in September 2015 we will all be having this same discussion, although the "S" line is far less exciting.