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No it is quite clear that some of you just want buying unlocked to mean something, to have some value, that it doesn't have. I've made the case quite clear a dozen times now. It is provably false that it is possible to save money by buying unlocked, and using a comparably-featured plan. I keep seeing people ignore that, and saying that "obviously" the person who spends $1000 in one day for an iPhone, "obviously" then signs up for the worst pre-paid no-features plan the carrier offers, and that is how they save money, as if that were appreciable.

It does mean something AND it has value if you aren't grabbing at the latest model of iPhone every year. If you're the type who needs the latest model every year, then buying outright may not be the route for you.

Clearly I'm not in that camp, so I end up spending less money than you do. Hence it's a better deal for me than your method.

Also my phone plan is just as great and feature-filled as yours.
 
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Even if you plan to keep it for 3-4 years, you're not spending LESS by paying for it in one day. FACTUALLY, you would paid less if spread over 20 or 24 months, because at the end of that you have paid the EXACT same amount for the device, minus $25/mon in service fees that AT&T takes off for devices on installment plans.

There is no way to argue that paying up front = saving money. None.
Do you actually believe the poop you're spewing? I have the phone completely paid off, not tied to a silly carrier contract, and use it for 4 years. That's something I can live with.

From your arguments it would seem you work for a mobile carrier.
 
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Thats is a really really steep price. I have recently decided to go for the iPhone SE rather than a newer iPhone 7, just because I couldn't afford it, I mean if the rumor is true you can buy a car for iPhone 8 money.
I also have a 2012 Mac Mini, which works well up to this day, Im kinda eyeballing a new iMac, but they are also so expensive, if I want better performance than my Mac Mini Server edition, and not just downgrade to a lower end mac with a screen attached. I really hope they introduce an iPhone SE 2 in a year or two, that would be great.

As for my Mac, I think I will buy secondhand, or maybe buy a PC. I mean its been a while since Vista.

Frankly I think Apple should start buying stock back to ease the pressure from stockholders to wield in yearly record breaking profits, in order to make affordable better devices again, for normale people, instead of just catering to the rich and wealthy. I really love Apple products and design, but this is getting out of hand.
 
With all the improvements they are making and starting storage at 128gb, Take my money lol.
I think i will continue to use my iPhone 5s. I have given a lot of money to Apple over the years (i started with the Mac Classic) but don't see a need to buy this proposed device that costs 1,000 dollars. Over time, Apple has learned how to produce these products for less money. In most normal businesses the manufactures lower the cost to customers as manufacturing costs decrease. while Apple makes a great product, it does not mean that we need to spend this kind of money for it. I am receiving no benefit from that huge new headquarters, I see no reason to fund its construction.
Yeah, we do not profit at all. Acctually Jony and Tim should share a tent under a bridge in SFO. I mean imagine! All the people working together in the same headquarters! Imagine a company funding workspace for a lot of people. Yeah, we do not profit at all. And well, you are free to choose where you buy your products. I prefer Apple because their products are great, are supported for 4-5 years with software updates and than I can go into the store and talk to a person whenever if I should have a problem. No other manufactor offers that.
 
Frankly I think Apple should start buying stock back to ease the pressure from stockholders to wield in yearly record breaking profits, in order to make affordable better devices again, for normale people, instead of just catering to the rich and wealthy. I really love Apple products and design, but this is getting out of hand.

And if you make a more affordable device people will likely buy other stuff from you to enjoy the ecosystem.
If one buys a Mac he'll likely chose an iPhone when looking for a smartphone and if he needs a wearable AW will be the obvious choice.
And if you have the Mac and some iOS devices iCloud is the most convenient cloud service, so you'll likely pay the subscription to get more storage. And there you go, you are into Apple's ecosystem and stay in there for a long amount of time, spending money from time to time to upgrade stuff.

But if you're not really into the ecosystem, say you have a PC and only buy an iPhone, it is easier for you to switch to Android every now and then.
They're making record profits, so they know what they're doing, but as you said is getting out of hand. They can't continue to grow, I'm not one of the folks who like saying "Apple is doom" because it's not, but they may start to shrink if they continue with their price policies, especially on the Mac
 
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Thats is a really really steep price. I have recently decided to go for the iPhone SE rather than a newer iPhone 7, just because I couldn't afford it, I mean if the rumor is true you can buy a car for iPhone 8 money.
I also have a 2012 Mac Mini, which works well up to this day, Im kinda eyeballing a new iMac, but they are also so expensive, if I want better performance than my Mac Mini Server edition, and not just downgrade to a lower end mac with a screen attached. I really hope they introduce an iPhone SE 2 in a year or two, that would be great.

As for my Mac, I think I will buy secondhand, or maybe buy a PC. I mean its been a while since Vista.

Frankly I think Apple should start buying stock back to ease the pressure from stockholders to wield in yearly record breaking profits, in order to make affordable better devices again, for normale people, instead of just catering to the rich and wealthy. I really love Apple products and design, but this is getting out of hand.

Hate to break it to you, but even if Apple were privately held, they would still charge $999 for the iphone.
 
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No it is quite clear that some of you just want buying unlocked to mean something, to have some value, that it doesn't have. I've made the case quite clear a dozen times now. It is provably false that it is possible to save money by buying unlocked, and using a comparably-featured plan. I keep seeing people ignore that, and saying that "obviously" the person who spends $1000 in one day for an iPhone, "obviously" then signs up for the worst pre-paid no-features plan the carrier offers, and that is how they save money, as if that were appreciable.

Still waiting.
 
Where? Where has this ever happened? The only time I have seen a great discount was at a provider and only if I traded in a smart phone that was 2 years or less in age. You will never see these discounts at APPLE, NEVER. As for Walmart, BestBuy, etc, there is always a catch. So, your really not getting it for that much off. As for "Patience" as you put it, here we sit, 4 or so months from the announcement of the next installment of the iPhone, yet, the prices are exactly the same, EVERYWHERE you look for the 7/7+. The only deals you can get is Buy 1 Get 1...(they will give you 24 equal payments back to you until the phone is paid off).

Also, you actually believe the 7+ and all previous iPhones were priced too low? What are you smoking, please share it with everyone else. The reason Apple has long lines is because of all the HYPE & more importantly, they never have enough iPhones, plain and simple.
I bought my iPhone 7 at Best Buy in a week-long Black Friday promotion for $200 off. Admittedly it was a $200 gift card, but that's as good as cash to me.

The iPhone 7 was $300 off at Best Buy last week. I verified it immediately before writing my post.

And yes, I agree, you'll never get a discount at the Apple Store. It's how they maintain the perception that the product is worth its high price for an entire year. That deliberately drives demand through 3rd parties by making the 3rd party discounts appear to be unmissable deals on a premium product.

To your final point; if a product is in such high demand that no retailer can keep it in stock, then it really is priced too low. For example, if you advertise your house for sale and immediately get a rush of 100 offers at your asking price then, yes, you've priced it too low. Even the buyers would recognize that fact - although they would still hope that you'd accept their lower offer.

Depends on your perspective.
 
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I bought my iPhone 7 at Best Buy in a week-long Black Friday promotion for $200 off. Admittedly it was a $200 gift card, but that's as good as cash to me.

The iPhone 7 was $300 off at Best Buy last week. I verified it immediately before writing my post.

And yes, I agree, you'll never get a discount at the Apple Store. It's how they maintain the perception that the product is worth its high price for an entire year. That deliberately drives demand through 3rd parties by making the 3rd party discounts appear to be unmissable deals on a premium product.

It is happening in my country as well. Apple never give discounts on its stores, but 3rd parties and carriers do all the time.
Last week they gave a $150 discount on the 7 and it was really easy to find (I didn't buy it) while in the past you had to rush to the store the first day of the promotion to be able to buy one.
And my carrier offered me about $200 discount on the iPhone 7 about a month ago and $150 on the SE.

I usually buy iPhone at full price to avoid being stuck with the same carrier for 30 months (in Italy some carriers offer 30 months plans instead of 24) and prefer the Apple store, since in Europe we have 2 years warranty but the second year is up to the seller, so if you buy it via a carrier you have to bring the iPhone to them and wait a few days to get it back, way slower than bringing it to an AS.
But if prices are going to rise again I'm afraid I'll start buying iPhone only when I find a deal to save a few hundred bucks.
 
To your final point; if a product is in such high demand that no retailer can keep it in stock, then it really is priced too low. For example, if you advertise your house for sale and immediately get a rush of 100 offers at your asking price then, yes, you've priced it too low. Even the buyers would recognize that fact - although they would still hope that you'd accept their lower offer.

Depends on your perspective.

To compare a product in which Apple sells millions to selling a house, not even close, but I understand your point. So, to go along with your original assessment, why does apple today, 4 months before the announcement of the next iPhone, still sell them at the same price as they did on the original release date and they have plenty of stock? Because now the price is too high? There is plenty of Supply and Demand is probably at an all time year low, why not lower the price at APPLE? Like I said, that I will never happen.

But, I don't want to get into a marketing discussion with anyone, as that is not my forte in life. I will just agree to disagree with your view point on the cost of the iPhone and Apple's marketing strategy.
 
I don't think it will be $1k i think they will try to stay competitive with the s8 and it's $756 the iPhone might be around $800 but I don't think it will be much more.
 
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