One-Third of U.S. High School Students Now Own an iPhone

[faroZ06]

I remember my cell phone in high school:

Image

That was my cellphone for a while... It was a lot better for calling than any smartphone. I'd really rather have that plus an iPod touch than my iPhone alone.

Sadly, it was too easy to ignore calls on the flip-phone, so my parents made me sell the iPod and get an iPhone.

 

[3dflyboy1]

A lot of assumptions here, but they're not always applicable.

It all depends on how the student acquired the device. If it was new from the carrier and subsidized, I agree that's a big 2 year commitment - $1,200 or so if the line is on a family plan, even more if not.

But if a parent upgrades to a 4S, gives their 3GS to their kid, and adds a new line for it to their contract... well, the picture changes a bit.

At AT&T, that new line is about ten bucks, plus a one-time activation fee, and a data plan (So assuming 3GB of data, maybe $50/month total with tax).

That's not beyond the resources of a student with a part time job.

And.. because the device is a hand-me-down, there's no subsidized phone, no 2 year contract, no ETF. The line is month-to-month, cancel anytime. It's more affordable than people think, if done right.

Dangnabbit, now you got me thinking I can afford one.

 

[Konrad]

I had a bunch of girlfriends in high school. I had few fake ids and a fast car. No need for a phone of any kind.

 

[Michael Scrip]

this low cost of entry crap - is crap.
It matters little if the phone $49, $149, or 1 penny.

It's the life-over-contract that matters - what's that about $2000?

Any student who doesn't understand the long term contract consequences ( in USA) of the phone, and not the initial price, is in for a lesson!

That's correct.

$1000 over the life of the contract for a flip-phone... or $2000 over the life of the contract for a smartphone.

Good thing you get quite a bit more with a smartphone than you do a flip-phone.

To some people... it's worth it.

 

[grahamwright1]

This guy again... I would actually call him an Apple hater. Watch him call me a blind worshipper for disagreeing.

30% is not a monopoly. The disgusting part is the competitors' phones.

I'm more interested in why he considers it a good thing up to a certain point, and then suddenly decides it's a bad thing at some arbitrary level. Seems like a strange thought process to me......

 

[Konrad9]

Amazing. It is the phone to have. And I keep reading about how impoverished Americans are. Something isn't adding up.

Yeah, people still spend money they don't have every single day.

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I thought only the kids of the 1% could afford these! Oh well, might as well have your government subsidize even more stuff so everyone gets an iPhone.

What?

 

[firewood]

Where are the old timers?

"When I was in school, there was only one phone on the entire campus for students, the pay phone by the principals office".

 

[swordfish5736]

The financial ignorance this implies is deeply disturbing. That the down-payment for an very high priced device has encouraged so much wasteful spending should bother us all. That this is happening to our children is atrocious.

Unfortunately, advertisements as well as this forum, continue to obscure the true price paid for Apple's iPhone by ignoring the monthly loan payments incorporated in the carrier's bill.

As you may have read, the iPhone is no where near as popular in Europe where carrier subsidies are rare and users have to pay for the phone upfront.

The iPhone is excellent technology, but it does come at a real price. Obscuring its price adds to Apple's sales but hurts our fellow citizens and, in this story, our children.

Yes because only the iPhone has carrier subsidies and a required data plans.

Where the surveys were taken would add more meaning to this data. Were they private schools where most families are wealthier.

 

[Bensalama21]

See

Almost every kid at my school has at an iPhone 4 or 4s... Americans are by far not poor. If you really try, you can make any amount of money you want..

 

[japasneezemonk]

This is cool and all but wouldn't the money spent on iPhones be better spent on some good books, indy movies and documentaries, or art classes( ex: photography- learning to develop real film in a darkroom, figure drawing, printmaking, etc...)? playing angry birds on the iphone is cool but it doesn't compare to learning how to etch on copper. Even setting up the chemicals to develop B&W film is infinitely more interesting than logging in to update ones facebook status. IMO, learning technique and skill is best done at a young age and i just think some of these kids might be missing out on some hands on learning while playing with their iphones.​

I remember the highlight of my teenage years was finally being able to afford to buy some Koh I Noor pens and a set of 120 prismacolors. It sounds lame but man was I happy.

 

[Bensalama21]

its starting to get the opposite here in germany. i always get teased for my iPhone at uni. everyone goes like "can u send me this song ... oh wait"

You can just tell them that you aren't poor and you can buy your own songs

 

[japasneezemonk]

Almost every kid at my school has at an iPhone 4 or 4s... Americans are by far not poor. If you really try, you can make any amount of money you want..

This is true only if your educated and/or well connected. Ask an immigrant laborer or high school dropout how much they're making working 60+ hours a week and you'll find most are barely making enough to make the rent and feed their children, obviously anomalies do exist. I'n mot defending any side of the argument but let's not be naive either.

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Where are the old timers?

"When I was in school, there was only one phone on the entire campus for students, the pay phone by the principals office".

We had a phone in every classroom, but it connected to an operator in the schools main office which then connected you to your parents, etc...

 

[Ryth]

There is obviously a lot of people, especially that one, that has no clue what an monopoly is.

But what's scary is that we are moving towards something similar to a monopoly due to just a superior product(s) that no one can seem to compete with.

Sooner or later, someone is going to 'edit' the term monopoly to change what it means so Apple can't dominate.

 

[faroZ06]

You can just tell them that you aren't poor and you can buy your own songs

And you don't need to pirate them off of Grooveshark (which finally got shut down).

Well, with jailbreaking, anything is possible.

 

[bobobenobi]

That number really is disgusting. I'm all for success, but not a monopoly.

Please consult your nearest dictionary for the definition of "monopoly".

 

[WatchTheThrone]

Wirelessly posted

I graduated in 05 and my first cellphone was in my Senior year and it was a Samsung flip phone that was baby blue with silver and looked like an egg!! Lol I wish I had an iPhone back then I think school would of been a little easier specially with only 1 small computer room which classes had to practically make appointments to get research.
But at the same time maybe it's a good thing as cellphones would be more of a distraction ( I noticed my senior year) more than anything else!!

 

[bobobenobi]

Obscuring its price adds to Apple's sales but hurts our fellow citizens and, in this story, our children.

Won't somebody please think of the children?

 

[thetexan]

Amazing. It is the phone to have. And I keep reading about how impoverished Americans are. Something isn't adding up.

I'd rather be poor in America than rich in many other countries in this world.

In the past I had a part time job for a local social services provider and I had to go to peoples homes to have them fill out forms to receive social services if they weren't able to make it to our office to fill out forms. I lost count of how many "poor" people had a big screen TV, xbox, decent car and enough money to stock up on cigarettes and alcohol.

 

[Konrad]

In college we used to rig pay phones with Zener diodes to get the money back. We would also fool extension lines to get a clear outside dial tone and call Australia to check the local time. Just for the hell of amusing ourselves and to piss the crap out of the administration. We would make absynthe, hang naked by the campus pool, drink everclear, break into faculty offices with stolen keys to leave porn pictures, we would land a helicopter and inflate giant penises at the podium. What are todays kids going to be talking on the phone about?

 

[Boomchukalaka]

That number really is disgusting. I'm all for success, but not a monopoly.

How does this equate to a monopoly? It's teenagers making a choice to purchase a device or being grandfathered a parent's older iPhone at the time they upgrade.

 

[iScott428]

Oh how the times have changed. I remember my parents actually caring about minutes, now it is data. I got the original iPhone as a senior in HS, talk about a $600 game changer, now you can get one FREE!

 

[Ingot]

When my kids go to high school all I'm gonna give them is a roll of quarters

Your kids will get beat up.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I am more interested in the percentage that have a smart phone. I know among HS kids Apple is much more about status. The cool kids all use iPhone and you have to use an Apple product to be cool so I would expect a higher than rest of the standard smart phone market but still want to know the break down of each OS.

 

[Konrad]

I'd rather be poor in America than rich in many other countries in this World.

When you are poor in America you don't get to go anywhere and this thinking is the result of it.

 

[Mister9]

66% of high school students don't own an iPhone?