Other iPhones Aren't Worth More Than $600 (To Me)

[ericwn]

Because iPhone has advanced a lot since then. You got the iPhone with 4GB RAM, you got iPhone starting 64GB of storage, you got OLED, you get FaceID.

Yes, of course iPhone price has gone up dramatically, Apple isn’t give you all these thing for free.

Besides that, the market has matured and people are generally not buying this often anymore. If you are a company out there to make a profit, you’ll likely increase your prices.

 

[trillionaire]

I'm so mad at Apple. I can't plug ANY of my firewire 400 devices into my 2019 iMac. What gives?


Your hypothetical is silly. A few people being able to afford a one million dollar price tag is the direct opposite of what the market can bear. If the majority can't afford it, then people obviously aren't going to pay it and the price will have to be lowered to reach profitability.

Not to mention, the idea that one doctor will have control over a cure for cancer is actually laughable. In actuality, the team of doctors that devised the cure work for a company that will hold all IP, patents, etc in relation to the cure. That company will ultimately have the final say on drug pricing. And they're going to price it to maximize profit. A few people paying 1 million won't net as high of a profit as millions of people paying thousands will. On top of that, that doesn't even include insurance subsidization, regulations, or FDA approvals. Your hypothetical is riveted with holes and too affected by hundreds of variables to be in any way comparable to this stupid post.

Nice try.

Homework for tonight: Read up on Martin Shkreli, the big pharma owner who increased the price of the drug Daraprim exponentially, leading to the investigation that ultimately put him behind bars.

Yes, the hypothetical is exaggerated, but that's the point. I realize you don't see a commonality, I don't expect anyone so immersed in the lifestyle presented them to do so. I'm sure you can argue many points from numerous books and case studies, yet the base constructs will always be the same, and they cannot be found in any book that thinks inside the current box.

 

[Thai]

Very easy. If you guys think that it is too expensive, then buy something else. If you think that it is worth it, then buy it.

Capitalism. No need to sit there and cry over spilled milk. Talk with your wallet. Walk the walk. Make Apple listen to you by not buying their product.

I just don't understand the overly dramatic crying episodes at times on this forum.........i guess that it reflects our current society's snowflake attitude.

(As for me, i am just ecstatic about my XS. Worth every penny i spent on it.)

 

[blairh]

I wish I considered that “small” (I don’t really)

Hopefully it’s really really edge to edge and as physically small as possible.
The physical size is the critical thing to me (weight also actually)

My guess is it will be roughly the size of a 4.7" iPhone.
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And THAT is the illogic I mean. You clearly don’t know that you trade for the inferior item. Are you Maya by heritage? Do what you want but by profession I have to react with confusion and questions. It may cost you nothing but you already have the phone. It’s not that you bought it last week and gave it back the next day to buy the 8.
But I wish you all the best with your choice. I still have a 6s and time will tell when I get a newer one.

Honestly it's not really that inferior IMO. I'll get back a battery percentage icon and my eyes prefer the iPhone LCD panel over OLED.

Also the XS Max warranty is over next month. I'll be getting an 8 Plus and AC+ so I'm covered for 2 years moving forward.
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I'm gonna have to side with the likes of @iPhysicist here. I'm not sure what the point is in downgrading just so you can have a "sub $600" phone. If you sell your XS Max, you pretty much bought high and sold low and traded yourself into a phone that will be pushed out to pasture by lack of support before the phone you already owned. Cash wise, you might come out slightly ahead in the short term, but you're trading yourself into a worse long term position if your real goal is to hang onto the same phone to stretch out the total cost of ownership. Unless you hate the device, just stick with your XS Max, hang onto it until it crumbles, and then pick up something on the low end 4 or 5 years from now.

My XS Max warranty is over next month. The 8 Plus & AC+ means I'm covered for 2 more years moving forward. iOS-wise I'll be getting updates for the lifetime that I'll be using the phone.
[doublepost=1564666882][/doublepost]

I agree with you given the maturity of the iPhone market. However I don’t believe dumping my iPhone XS Max for a cheaper iPhone is a smart move because it’s just more money. It makes sense to just keep the damn phone for a few years to get the value. It’s like buying a car that depreciates. You hold on to it pay it off and keep driving it.

In my case it's gonna be the exact same price whether I keep the XS Max or trade it in for an 8 Plus. But I'll get a free one year warranty, and I'll purchase AC+ and get a second year.

 

[Thai]

In my case it's gonna be the exact same price whether I keep the XS Max or trade it in for an 8 Plus. But I'll get a free one year warranty, and I'll purchase AC+ and get a second year.

Are you expecting XS Max to go kaput within next few months? Remember, it is the 2nd generation of the current design...it is not a first year design.

You may get extra warranty.........but your phone functionality may not be as smooth. A11 chip is good, but it was NOT a huge leap forward when compared with A10...esp when talking about GPU power. A11 was on par with Qualcomm S835...not much better if at all, esp when talking about GPU prowess...A11 CPU was good (as always) but its GPU was not all that great.

That changes with A12. A12 was a HUGE leap forward in basically everything. The subsystem improved greatly. The GPU is worldly better than anything else. Think of this...A12 GPU sustained performance (not peak) is better than Qualcomm's S845's PEAK performance! A12 peak performance is over 2x faster than Qualcomm.

XS also has 4GB RAM. 8+ has 3GB of RAM i believe.

Sorry about going techy...but my point is that your XS Max will be a literal super computer for YEARS to come, well beyond any warranty advantage you may get by going 8+. Your (future) 8+ will see significant downgrade in performance as iOS becomes more complex in the very near future.

Don't forget...X/8+ is/was still affected by battery throttling issue. XS/Max is not. So, indeed, you may very well need the extra warranty if you get 8+!!

You will regret your decision. Not good idea. YMMV.

 

[blairh]

Are you expecting XS Max to go kaput within next few months? Remember, it is the 2nd generation of the current design...it is not a first year design.

You may get extra warranty.........but your phone functionality may not be as smooth. A11 chip is good, but it was NOT a huge leap forward when compared with A10...esp when talking about GPU power. A11 was on par with Qualcomm S835...not much better if at all, esp when talking about GPU prowess...A11 CPU was good (as always) but its GPU was not all that great.

That changes with A12. A12 was a HUGE leap forward in basically everything. The subsystem improved greatly. The GPU is worldly better than anything else. Think of this...A12 GPU sustained performance (not peak) is better than Qualcomm's S845's PEAK performance! A12 peak performance is over 2x faster than Qualcomm.

XS also has 4GB RAM. 8+ has 3GB of RAM i believe.

Sorry about going techy...but my point is that your XS Max will be a literal super computer for YEARS to come, well beyond any warranty advantage you may get by going 8+. Your (future) 8+ will see significant downgrade in performance as iOS becomes more complex in the very near future.

Don't forget...X/8+ is/was still affected by battery throttling issue. XS/Max is not. So, indeed, you may very well need the extra warranty if you get 8+!!

You will regret your decision. Not good idea. YMMV.

I'm extremely confident the A11 can handle iOS smoothly for the next 3 years.

 

[forestinjersey]

I am on a 7+ with no issues. I see where the OP is coming from, after years of spending many 1000's on the latest and greatest I have set myself a budget of 500 GBP for new phones moving forward.

 

[Thai]

I am on a 7+ with no issues. I see where the OP is coming from, after years of spending may 1000's on the latest and greatest I have set myself a budget of 500 GBP for new phones moving forward.

I get it......but he/she ALREADY has XSMax. Now trading down ONLY to have extra warranty???? There is no cost saving because XS Max is not dying anytime soon.
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I'm extremely confident the A11 can handle iOS smoothly for the next 3 years.

My son just got iPhone 6s with the A9 chip. Not sure if you remember, but A9 was pretty good back then. My son got it brand new. Battery life suck despite 100% battery capacity. On latest iOS (not beta). There is noticeable lag when doing things too fast...and just downright slow at times. Some games just don't play well, esp demanding ones. Some games just don't.

That is just the nature of software advancing at rapid rate. This is where Apple i think did a lot of forward thinking with the A12...thus, a whole segment was dedicated to A12 during the presentation. Apple went so far as to improve every memory subsystem of A12 to make it more efficient.

Oh i forgot one more thing...i am sure you know this...but XS Max camera is light years ahead of 8+.

Anyways, sorry...you do what you have to do. I am done trying to convince you otherwise. Good luck. 🙂

 

[blairh]

I get it......but he/she ALREADY has XSMax. Now trading down ONLY to have extra warranty???? There is no cost saving because XS Max is not dying anytime soon.
[doublepost=1564669635][/doublepost]

My son just got iPhone 6s with the A9 chip. Not sure if you remember, but A9 was pretty good back then. My son got it brand new. Battery life suck despite 100% battery capacity. On latest iOS (not beta). There is noticeable lag when doing things too fast...and just downright slow at times. Some games just don't play well, esp demanding ones. Some games just don't.

That is just the nature of software advancing at rapid rate. This is where Apple i think did a lot of forward thinking with the A12...thus, a whole segment was dedicated to A12 during the presentation. Apple went so far as to improve every memory subsystem of A12 to make it more efficient.

Oh i forgot one more thing...i am sure you know this...but XS Max camera is light years ahead of 8+.

Anyways, sorry...you do what you have to do. I am done trying to convince you otherwise. Good luck. 🙂

I don't game on my iPhone. Yes I think trading down right now is worth it for 2 years of warranty versus none. The 8 Plus camera is still excellent. I prefer the LCD of the Plus over OLED and welcome the battery percentage icon on the menu bar where it should be. I have zero concerns with the A11 being great for the next 3 years potentially.

 

[bigjnyc]

Work on your reading comprehension skills. I clearly stated in my OP that I will be trading in the XS Max next month once it is 50% paid off.

Are you going to get the iPhone 8 for free by trading in your XS Max? Because that's the only way that strategy makes sense.... Otherwise you are better off holding on to the XS Max which will last you longer at this point and thus providing a lower average cost basis.

 

[blairh]

Are you going to get the iPhone 8 for free by trading in your XS Max? Because that's the only way that strategy makes sense.... Otherwise you are better off holding on to the XS Max which will last you longer at this point and thus providing a lower average cost basis.

No, I'll be purchasing an 8 Plus from AT&T. I believe it will cost $550 post-keynote. It's the same price as paying off the remainder of the XS Max.

No, what I'm doing does make sense for several reasons. I'll have a warranty moving forward, plus there are features I like about the Plus over the Max.

 

[bigjnyc]

No, I'll be purchasing an 8 Plus from AT&T. I believe it will cost $550 post-keynote. It's the same price as paying off the remainder of the XS Max.

No, what I'm doing does make sense for several reasons. I'll have a warranty moving forward, plus there are features I like about the Plus over the Max.

So you've already paid $550 for the Max and you will be paying another $550 for the 8 plus.... in total you will be spending $1100 and getting an inferior phone that will become obsolete quicker? what am I missing here?

 

[blairh]

So you've already paid $550 for the Max and you will be paying another $550 for the 8 plus.... in total you will be spending $1100 and getting an inferior phone that will become obsolete quicker? what am I missing here?

Your missing the points that I will have an actual warranty moving forward, I will have a battery percentage icon once again in the menu bar, I prefer the LCD panel of the Plus over the OLED of the Max, and the Plus will not become obsolete in the next 3 years as it will obtain all iOS updates and I'm confident the A11 chip will be plenty fast for them all.

 

[bigjnyc]

Your missing the points that I will have an actual warranty moving forward, I will have a battery percentage icon once again in the menu bar, I prefer the LCD panel of the Plus over the OLED of the Max, and the Plus will not become obsolete in the next 3 years as it will obtain all iOS updates and I'm confident the A11 chip will be plenty fast for them all.

No your point was that you did not want to spend more than $600 on a phone... But yet you are essentially spending $1100 in a one year period on iphones. So you kind of made your original rant null and void. You ARE willing to spend the extra money as long as you have the features you like and are comfortable with, which you detailed in your post above. I think we just had a breakthrough here, I'll send you my bill in the mail.

 

[blairh]

No your point was that you did not want to spend more than $600 on a phone... But yet you are essentially spending $1100 in a one year period on iphones. So you kind of made your original rant null and void. You ARE willing to spend the extra money as long as you have the features you like and are comfortable with, which you detailed in your post above. I think we just had a breakthrough here, I'll send you my bill in the mail.

I am not spending $1100 in a one year period. I will have spent $550 on the XS Max for one year. I will pay $550 over 30 months moving forward for the 8 Plus.

While using the Max I came to the realization that I would not be spending more than $600 for an iPhone in the future. Your conclusion is nonsense.

 

[Lankyman]

Yes. I don't think we will stop getting iPhones, but they will be more like cars now where you pay off the installments and then go without payments for a while. It's insane when installments cost more than the plan.

Whatever happened to paying in cash up front. That's certainly how I make my purchases. My rule of thumb is that if you can't buy it cash then you simply can't afford it.

 

[rui no onna]

I am not spending $1100 in a one year period. I will have spent $550 on the XS Max for one year. I will pay $550 over 30 months moving forward for the 8 Plus.

While using the Max I came to the realization that I would not be spending more than $600 for an iPhone in the future. Your conclusion is nonsense.

You've still already spent $550 on the XS Max which is money down the drain if you trade in and will be spending another $550 (same as if you kept the XS Max). All you're doing now is downgrading your phone (granted with warranty) to lower the monthly payments.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Whatever happened to paying in cash up front. That's certainly how I make my purchases. My rule of thumb is that if you can't buy it cash then you simply can't afford it.

Were you fortunate enough to do that with your house?

 

[blairh]

You've still already spent $550 on the XS Max which is money down the drain if you trade in and will be spending another $550 (same as if you kept the XS Max). All you're doing now is downgrading your phone (granted with warranty) to lower the monthly payments.

Again, it's really not a downgrade IMO. I prefer the LCD panel of the Plus and I welcome the battery percentage icon in the menu bar. I'd rather have that experience, with a warranty, for the exact same price as keeping the Max. Plus I'll have a second year warranty with AC+.

 

[rui no onna]

Yes. I don't think we will stop getting iPhones, but they will be more like cars now where you pay off the installments and then go without payments for a while. It's insane when installments cost more than the plan.

What's really insane is that with current plans + device installments, the monthly bill can be significantly higher than a car payment. 😛

 

[Thai]

What's really insane is that with current plans + device installments, the monthly bill can be significantly higher than a car payment. 😛

Did you include car’s insurance payments in your comparison? Car payments over 24 months? Or 60 months?

 

[Lankyman]

I am on a 7+ with no issues. I see where the OP is coming from, after years of spending many 1000's on the latest and greatest I have set myself a budget of 500 GBP for new phones moving forward.

I got my XR from MusicMagpie for £575 in 'pristine condition'. App download revealed it had been charged 4 times before I purchased it. Still under Apple warranty plus another 12 months from MM - what's not to like?
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Were you fortunate enough to do that with your house?

Almost - paid it off in 10 years instead of 25 years. Moved 7 times after that, always trading up and always bought for cash.

 

[ruiinplano]

well, a phone will stay in you hand at least 3 hours per day.
How many hours you hug your wife?
And how much you paid to make her happy?
Easy answer!

 

[rui no onna]

Did you include car’s insurance payments in your comparison? Car payments over 24 months? Or 60 months?

36-month lease. I tend to keep my cars forever (or almost). That's how I can afford my tech habit (mostly spent on iPads and storage). I just saw lease offers on Civic ($130/mo?) and HR-V ($190/mo?) while I was clearing out my junk mail. 😀

In any case, I'm still on iPhone 7. Need a new spare so will probably end up upgrading to iPhone 8 if Apple doesn't release a smaller version of the XR this year.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Almost - paid it off in 10 years instead of 25 years. Moved 7 times after that, always trading up and always bought for cash.

So “no” at first.
Lots of people will live that reality forever, no matter what they do or job they have.

Like the sentiment of only buy it if you can pay cash, I just wish that were a reality for a lot more people in the US. Really tough world for a lot of people nowadays, sadly.