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It's your money, do what you want. I've not said otherwise.

But I still hold that the market is not going to accept $1k smartphones as well as Apple is hoping. Even the current generation's rising prices have reduced sales significantly.
 
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It's your money, do what you want. I've not said otherwise.

But I still hold that the market is not going to accept $1k smartphones as well as Apple is hoping. Even the current generation's rising prices have reduced sales significantly.

Sometimes I think it's beyond prices rising for phones today. I think phones have so much potential capability wise and there so powerful, that it doesn't require everybody to upgrade every single year. They do everything we need them to and more. Every year, iPhones are updated incrementally versus dramatically. Therefore, some consumers see their previous iPhones just as good as what they need it for the time being.
 
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Sometimes I think it's beyond prices rising for phones today. I think phones have so much potential capability wise and there so powerful, that it doesn't require everybody to upgrade every single year. They do everything we need them to and more. Every year, iPhones are updated incrementally versus dramatically. Therefore, some consumers see their previous iPhones just as good as what they need it for the time being.

This is true as well, it's a combination of factors. New phones get more expensive, but consumers see their current phones still working just fine. Furthermore, having the latest phone is no longer a fashion statement in a world where everyone has high end smartphones. What incentive is there to upgrade? Unless you're a hardcore enthusiast or a nerd who likes cutting edge technology, the answer is there isn't one. You'll just get a new one when your current phone breaks which will likely take years. There's people still happily using the 5S!
 
I just watched the short 8min version on TheVerge of the keynote. Jesus, it's different. The Apple Keynotes are like 'dreamy', they speak slower and emphasize words when they speak. It's so different, not sure how to explain.
I agree! They perform magic up there. Huge difference.
 
The Apple ones use the word truly a lot and do look better and they invent a lot of stuff, like wireless charging this year probably.

Oh yeah and I bet they will say it is the best iPhone yet several times but then I suppose it would be odd if they said it was nearly as good as last year's iPhone.
 
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A smartphone, especially the newest flagship smartphone, is a luxury, not a necessity. The market destermines the price. Buy it or voice your disapproval by abstaining, but whining does no use.
And financing has made it easier for folks to buy expensive phones. Folks on the tmobile forums are complaining about having to put $200 deposit down, despite spending 1000 on a phone.
 
I don't think the price of the note 8 will have anything to do with apple and their new device. I don't know if its the same in the US as it is in the UK but when you go to buy a new sofa you know that when they say "reduced from £2000 to £800" it was never worth £2000, they never expected to sell it at £2000 and they sold it at that price for 2 weeks in a dark corner of Scotland to appease the law.

The S8 is apparently £689 but you can buy them elsewhere for just over £500 quite easily. Carriers always discount android handsets heavily on contract.

This simply isn't the case for the iPhone. You still can't get more than perhaps £50 off a new iPhone 7 and its a year old now. The price apple put on the 8 will be its price for a year at least.

I would suggest that the price samsung put on their devices is more to do with relating it to the iPhone than anything else. If they sold it for far less than the comparable iPhone it would damage the premium impression they are trying to give. The fact that it pretty much loses a few hundred within a week of launch isn't relevant to that.
 
Smart phones are a key work tool in many industries these days, often performing many tasks a laptop would. Apps also expand their usage within certain work forces.

Their usage value's increasing even if the price of many of their components aren't.

& it's not like people put them down away from work. Work & play, they're always depended on.

They're more a part of our lives now than they ever were.

If you've got the discipline & patience to hold onto one for at least 2 years, then that's $500 per year. For some, that's worth it. For others (mainly those who just 'play', as oppose to 'work'), it may not be.

All understandable.

Justifying the costs is different for all of us.

What price needs to come down moreso than smart phones is mobile plans....in Australia, they're still pretty confusing & overpriced & have been for a while. I think this is where the price gauging happens in many (often smaller) markets.
 
I think most won't spend over 1k on a phone they will just get it on contract. That monthly payment will be very high but it's better than parting with over 1k at one go.
 
I think most won't spend over 1k on a phone they will just get it on contract. That monthly payment will be very high but it's better than parting with over 1k at one go.

I don't know about that last part because over time you end up paying more with a contract, which is why I buy my phones outright and then put a pay as you go SIM card in them.
 
I’m wondering how carriers feel about higher priced phones.

I’d speculate that they’re against them, as pricier phones mean larger installments, which means customers are less satisfied with their monthly bill....
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And financing has made it easier for folks to buy expensive phones. Folks on the tmobile forums are complaining about having to put $200 deposit down, despite spending 1000 on a phone.
Money management lost its seat at the table to immediate gratification long ago, unfortunately.
 
The Apple ones use the word truly a lot and do look better and they invent a lot of stuff, like wireless charging this year probably.

Oh yeah and I bet they will say it is the best iPhone yet several times but then I suppose it would be odd if they said it was nearly as good as last year's iPhone.
Side note - that line about it being the "best iPhone yet" really grinds my gears every year. What an utterly vacuous thing to say, and it's always announced in such a self congratulatory tone, as if it was a close run thing but they just got there in the end.. just managed to better the phone they put out a year before..
 
Apple doesn't have to worry about pricing at $999 as it sells to a different type of consumer. People who look for an overall experience, the sum of its parts, not necessarily just a spec sheet. It's a much easier sell this way.
 
Apple doesn't have to worry about pricing at $999 as it sells to a different type of consumer. People who look for an overall experience, the sum of its parts, not necessarily just a spec sheet. It's a much easier sell this way.
Agreed. It definitely is for them because it’s tgeir strength.
 
The monthly payment for my 7 plus is $40. I will have had the phone for 12 months when I turn it in. I paid $480 over 12 months for a year of usage. I will likely pay $540 for a year of usage for the iPhone Pro. I don't find this investment to be too much as it's a device that I use heavily every single day. The iPhone Pro will cost me about $1.47 per day.
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Agreed. It definitely is for them because it’s tgeir strength.

Some may see it as blind faith, which is somewhat true, but I feel a whole lot more comfortable investing in the Apple ecosystem over Android for a number of different reasons. Mainly quality hardware, performance, software, ecosystem, security, and support.
 
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The monthly payment for my 7 plus is $40. I will have had the phone for 12 months when I turn it in. I paid $480 over 12 months for a year of usage. I will likely pay $540 for a year of usage for the iPhone Pro. I don't find this investment to be too much as it's a device that I use heavily every single day. The iPhone Pro will cost me about $1.47 per day.
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Some may see it as blind faith, which is somewhat true, but I feel a whole lot more comfortable investing in the Apple ecosystem over Android for a number of different reasons. Mainly quality hardware, performance, software, ecosystem, security, and support.
The monthly payment for my 7 plus is $40. I will have had the phone for 12 months when I turn it in. I paid $480 over 12 months for a year of usage. I will likely pay $540 for a year of usage for the iPhone Pro. I don't find this investment to be too much as it's a device that I use heavily every single day. The iPhone Pro will cost me about $1.47 per day.
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Some may see it as blind faith, which is somewhat true, but I feel a whole lot more comfortable investing in the Apple ecosystem over Android for a number of different reasons. Mainly quality hardware, performance, software, ecosystem, security, and support.

Why was your 40 a month? Mine was 30 a month...
 
Probably cause it’s 256GB? I am not sure. I’ll likely drop down to 64 though because I moved to unlimited.
I have a 256 as well and my monthly payments are 30 a month. You have verizon? I did look into it but I backed away because the monthly payments were 40 for a 256.
 
I would suggest that the price samsung put on their devices is more to do with relating it to the iPhone than anything else. If they sold it for far less than the comparable iPhone it would damage the premium impression they are trying to give. The fact that it pretty much loses a few hundred within a week of launch isn't relevant to that.

Funny you should say that I have had a Galaxy S3/4/6/6edge, Note/2/3/4 and never had to return any of them.

I've had an iPhone 5/6/6s and I still have a 7 and 7+ and I have returned 20 or more phones, all well documented on here. I won't count my S8+ because I only have it 6 weeks but it has been flawless so far.
 
Funny you should say that I have had a Galaxy S3/4/6/6edge, Note/2/3/4 and never had to return any of them.

I've had an iPhone 5/6/6s and I still have a 7 and 7+ and I have returned 20 or more phones, all well documented on here. I won't count my S8+ because I only have it 6 weeks but it has been flawless so far.

Then you are insanely unlucky. I have had iPhones since the 4s and had to get one of them replaced. That wasn't really my point however. My point is that Samsung price a device at $1500 and it will sell for $1000. Apple price a device at $1500 and it stays there.
 
Then you are insanely unlucky. I have had iPhones since the 4s and had to get one of them replaced. That wasn't really my point however. My point is that Samsung price a device at $1500 and it will sell for $1000. Apple price a device at $1500 and it stays there.

Not really, you can see loads of problems people with faulty iPhones in the first few months hence why I didn't include my S8+ because I just got it 6 weeks ago so not on release like the others.
 
Not really, you can see loads of problems people with faulty iPhones in the first few months hence why I didn't include my S8+ because I just got it 6 weeks ago so not on release like the others.

I'd have to agree with the other guy. You have to be the most unlucky person possible when it comes to iPhones. I have had every one since the original besides the SE and I have only had one issue with my iPhone 4. It had a spec of something in the camera so i brought to them and they gave me a new one.
 
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