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Over The Last 14 Years, iPhone Prices Have Gone Up More Than 80%
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I don't think they wonder that really. The smartphone is a relatively mature technology at this point. When the updates from year to year are a faster processor and better cameras, there's not really much impetus to upgrade on a yearly basis for most people. Yeah, every once in awhile you get something big, like when the 6 Plus or the X were released, but most changes from year to year aren't that important to most people. I used to upgrade every 2 years since the 3GS, but decided to keep my 8 for an extra year to wait for the 12 mini. Assuming rumors keep pointing to the mini being discontinued, I'll buy the 13 mini next year and use it until the wheels fall off.
I paid $399 for a refurbed iPhone (2G) with 8GB in 2008 and $1299 for my iPhone 12 Max Pro extreme ultimate ludicrous 256GB in 2020.
I’m not complainin’.
I’m not complainin’.
As someone who mostly uses my phone as a phone, the $1,000+ price tag definitely gives me pause for regular upgrades. I’m sure I’m not the only one in this boat. One wonders if Apple really makes as much money with irregular high-priced upgrades over regular lower-priced upgrades.
Did anyone look at the source for this “study”? It looks like a credit building service, and they probably put out this article for click bait.
As others have pointed out, the original iPhone started at $499, 4GB storage, 128MB RAM, 3.5” screen, sub-3G modem, 2MP single camera on the back. The iPhone 13 starts at $699, 128GB storage, 4GB RAM, 5.4” screen, 5G modem, dual 12MP cameras on back/12MP true-depth camera on front. I could on and on.
$499 in 2007 dollars is about $645 today.
Incredible that MR would even post info from this garbage article. Don’t click on click bait.
As others have pointed out, the original iPhone started at $499, 4GB storage, 128MB RAM, 3.5” screen, sub-3G modem, 2MP single camera on the back. The iPhone 13 starts at $699, 128GB storage, 4GB RAM, 5.4” screen, 5G modem, dual 12MP cameras on back/12MP true-depth camera on front. I could on and on.
$499 in 2007 dollars is about $645 today.
Incredible that MR would even post info from this garbage article. Don’t click on click bait.
I'm curious; did the first iPhones actually say Cingular in the upper left corner instead of AT&T? I remember seeing marketing material showing iPhones saying they were using Cingular, but have never seen an iPhone in person, even in 2007, that said "Cingular" next to the network bars.
It was a much different time back then. Unlocked phones were their own thing. Carrier-lock was the norm and it was very rare for anyone to know exactly what Apple charged Cingular. Was It $999? I doubt it but I could buy a $599 iPhone then call Cingular and give them I think $200 to terminate my 2 year contract early so let's call it $800?
The original iPhone was never sold unlocked so I just don't think your argument is valid here. The iPhone today is priced the same locked or unlocked.
To be fair, though, I do think the actual value of our phones has gone up significantly over the same time period. So while I don't get a new phone every year like I used to, I'm still okay paying more than I used to because there's so much value I get out of my iPhone (using the 12 mini these days).
So, yes, PRICE of the phone is up (even more than the article suggests), but I'd also argue the value is way up as well.
Wasn't surprised to see that I live in a country where iPhone prices went up by 66%, the red zone.
I believe by the time the first iPhone was out it was already att. They got bought out before that.
This is incorrect. AT&T required one of their standard voice plans, optional standard messaging plans, and a mandatory $20 unlimited data plan that was non-3G. Their standard wireless data plan was $30 per month for unlimited.
Newer features over time, sure. But the older features were also state of the art and premium tech in their time, at a lower price point for comparative consumer "tech" value.
iPhone v1 was a feature rich device in then current mobile market.
iPhone v13 is a feature rich device in the current mobile market.
There's been a transfer of value inside Apple operations, and once of the biggest changes from the Jobs era, is the products are more expensive for consumers, but the stock has more value for shareholders.
right, but when with the 4s you could buy an unlocked phone for the first time(in the u.s.), you could buy it at full price or for the $399 with a 2-year contract. so unless we're talking about different things — i think my argument is valid.
the phones may cost they same, but if you want to participate in any upgrade program with a carrier, you need to have service from them and if you stop — you lose whatever advantage you may have had.
There are so many different metrics you could look at. It’s hard to even compare features because the first iPhone lacked so match of what we have now. Performance alone has been astronomically exponential and gives you more bang for the buck today than in 2007.
Since its launch in 2007, the price of the iPhone has gone up more than 80% around the world, according to a new study that looked at iPhone prices all over the world and their increase and decrease over the years.
According to the study conducted by Self, since its launch in 2007 and subsequent annual upgrades, the price of iPhones has increased more than 80%, now costing over $400 more on average to buy in countries around the world compared to the original iPhone.
While the price increase comes alongside more advanced technology and increases in production costs, the increase also comes as a result of inflation and Apple having to sometimes increase prices to counter economic growth.
As part of its research, Self has created an interactive map that highlights the changes in iPhone prices in real-world terms as a percentage of GDP over the last 14 years in more than 30 countries around the world. According to that map, the United Arab Emirates has witnessed the largest increase in the price of the iPhone, with the latest model costing more than double what it did when it originally launched.
Article Link: Over The Last 14 Years, iPhone Prices Have Gone Up More Than 80%
It's true.
The product called iPhone became the first merging of the human to the computer machine. It became worth more as the ecosystem expanded. Now many Uber drivers depend on the device for their career, and so many other people have become more efficient in their work too! So many new categories of work have been created. It's mindblowing to think back to January 2007 and watch Steve Jobs show it off. I still have the original iPhone kicking around somewhere - it was so small
.
Everyone doesn’t and Apple never intended for them to. A very tiny fraction of iPhone owners do, but that’s not a market Apple has ever actively targeted. Most customers in western countries don’t pay full price and finance a phone that is 3 to 4 years more advanced than their last one in small, easy to make, payments.
The original iPhone was subsidized by the carrier. Yeah, it was $399 and $599, but the carrier paid for $400 of that with a 2 year contract. Pricing today isn't subsidized at all. As it turns out, the original iPhone was pretty much the same price as an iPhone 13 is now, more if you adjust for inflation. Not sure where the 80% comes from.
I also think for a couple weeks (maybe a month) it was also $699 but Apple did cut the price and offer $100 refunds. The phones were not technically subsidized but were carrier locked (AT&T) and required a data plan when activated. It was kind of weird because it was kind of an honor system. When you bought them, they would ask if you were a customer or had an account and not force you to activate them in the store. I lived overseas at the time and relied on unlocking the phone to use with a local sim with an edge data plan that never foresaw smartphone level data usage.
Apple announced the deal while it was Cingular but they changed the name to AT&T before they went on sale. I only ever saw “Cingular” in Apple’s pre-launch promo art.
No need to wonder. Apple is making more money on iPhone than ever before. They report all of their numbers every three months.
According to Wikipedia for the page describing the history of iPhone:
It seems to me that we are just looking at inflation for the entry price of iPhone *and* it is even cheaper to get into iPhone if getting an iPhone SE.
Apple just offers higher-end iPhones as well which raises the ASP.
The original iPad was actually more money than the new iPad. But now we have iPad Air, iPad mini and the most-expensive iPad Pro.
iPhone also has Pro models.
Just because Apple decides to offer higher-end iPhones doesn't mean that iPhones have gotten more expensive -- they have actually gotten cheaper since the iPhone SE is $399.
It seems to me that we are just looking at inflation for the entry price of iPhone *and* it is even cheaper to get into iPhone if getting an iPhone SE.
Apple just offers higher-end iPhones as well which raises the ASP.
The original iPad was actually more money than the new iPad. But now we have iPad Air, iPad mini and the most-expensive iPad Pro.
iPhone also has Pro models.
Just because Apple decides to offer higher-end iPhones doesn't mean that iPhones have gotten more expensive -- they have actually gotten cheaper since the iPhone SE is $399.
I've always paid full price for my phones and to diminish me paying full price by arguing that I didn't pay full price for my first,2nd or 3rd iPhones because they were subsidized by Cingular...we're getting pretty semantic here. The iPhone 1 was $599. Apple later gave me a $50 or $100 iTunes gift card when they lowered the price like a month or two after they went on sale. There was no way for me to spend more on an iPhone so yes, subsidized but because the real price of the 1st ben iPhone has never been revealed, everyone who bought an iPhone in 2007, paid 'full price' even if $150-$200 was covered by Cingular in exchange for us signing a 2 year contract.
When the iPhone 3G and 3GS came out, I actually paid the ETF and upgraded early so I could get the new iPhone and it ended up being something like $100 early termination fee because the price of the ETF went down every month you stayed a subscriber.
Let's just agree that I paid $599 and whatever Cingular had to pay Apple on the back-end is their business. No one paid full price for an iPhone but no one saved money either. There weren't any deals.
and I'm with you, I first hand saw hundreds of these things leave USA and go to Europe in 2007. Cingular didn't activate you in the store after launch and the activation happened only on iTunes via the 30-PIN USB so these could easily leave the country and it wasn't being monitored.
My iPhone 4GB was $499, which is $660.17 in 2021 dollars. My iPhone 12 mini was $829 with 128GB. That's definitely not 80%...and there are substantial qualitative differences between the two.
So for effectively 25% more money than day 1, you get a device that does WAY more than 25% more stuff.
Not just 25% faster or more powerful. But so much more capable with exponentially more features and tools.
And yet if you are okay with last year’s tech, you can still buy an iPhone for effectively the same price as the original…
Not just 25% faster or more powerful. But so much more capable with exponentially more features and tools.
And yet if you are okay with last year’s tech, you can still buy an iPhone for effectively the same price as the original…