Is Apple gouging customers with iPhone X price?

[Newtons Apple]

Give me an 8+ with edge to edge OLED screen and I would be happy. Leave a bit of bezel at the top and bottom for cameras and Touch ID and I will be happy. Hoping Apple will do this one day.

I do not need a phone that sacrifices things I like just to eliminate all the bezel and make it smaller.

 

[democracyrules]

but there are a lot of Apple fans who will 'just buy it' regardless of price.

And I am one of the Apple fans you noted
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Maybe, but they are a business and can price their products where they want.

Absolutely correct!! Excellent remark!!

 

[Jimmy James]

Apple is gouging customers with almost all of their core product pricing.

 

[icewolf247]

Apple is gouging customers with almost all of their core product pricing.

I was going to say much the same thing. Every apple product I have ever seen is more expensive then comparable hardware from other manufacturers. But the thing is people still pay it so it's market forces, whilst people pay it they will keep the prices high

I tend to think the innovations that they are known for is also stuff others have done earlier but packaged better. It's style over substance... But I have the iPhone and like the style and make the choice to pay more. But also for the first time this year, I am very disappointed by both lack of innovation and price increase of the iPhone, both 8 and X. But I also know it will sell high quantities and give Apple the excuse to continue on this bad path. It is a real shame

 

[nrvna76]

I was going to say much the same thing. Every apple product I have ever seen is more expensive then comparable hardware from other manufacturers. But the thing is people still pay it so it's market forces, whilst people pay it they will keep the prices high

I tend to think the innovations that they are known for is also stuff others have done earlier but packaged better. It's style over substance... But I have the iPhone and like the style and make the choice to pay more. But also for the first time this year, I am very disappointed by both lack of innovation and price increase of the iPhone, both 8 and X. But I also know it will sell high quantities and give Apple the excuse to continue on this bad path. It is a real shame

I’m sortof confused by the terminology used when discussing Apples product line. How can they gouge when it is a product where you have near infinite choices? Also, how can their new phones not be innovative? My beef is that they didn’t also include touchid somewhere on the phone, then maybe I could see the price tag. But, if faceid ends up as secure as they say, and it cannot be fooled by a picture, isn’t that innovation? Does any other phone accomplish that? (I’ve heard that Samsung’s rendition can be fooled, although I do not know if that’s been verified).

I realize that the 8 series did not add much, but it’s widely touted as the fastest phone on the market. And is competitively priced to Android offerings. I think they pursued their own wireless charging but that the tech is not there yet so they just released a phone with standard wireless charging. Same as trying to embed touchid under the screen. I’m sure they had several iterations of what the iPhone 8/X could have been and landed on this based on customer demand and available technology.

 

[now i see it]

The iPhone 7 & 8 are updated sixes. There's a pent up demand for something different. The X is it. Is it worth it's price? Hell no. OLED is common nowadays. Face ID was only chosen to be able to get rid of the bottom bezel & home button. At this price increase rate, the $1500 base model iPhone is not that far away.

 

[macTW]

I saw on Fortune tech that the iPhone 7 components were $401 with a selling price of $649.

IPhone X is estimated to have $581 in components with a selling price of $999.

Assume labor costs of assembly are the same for simplicity. The iPhone X markup is $418 vs $248 for the iPhone 7, both excluding assembly costs.

I do know R&D is more for the iPhone X, which may account for the markup.

"Oh no! A higher price on a premium product! MUST be gouging! Down with Apple!"

And regardless of how smart you are, you cannot recreate the price through component parts. Component part prices mean nothing.