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Sam's Club Selling iPhone 6 as Low as $99 Starting November 15
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Nobody wants that huge thing...
Then why is there still a 3-4 week wait on the Plus and only 7-10 day wait on the 6?
I have the plus. It is great. I use it like an iPad. No problem fitting in front pants pocket.Nobody wants that huge thing...
Is now a good time to lord it over you how ALL phones in Australia are zero dollar upfront cost on contracts?
Essentially true.
The only accurate way to compare prices is to see what different vendors charge for the same phone without a contract. But such sightings are rare for overpriced phones, because if purchasers were to see what they're really paying, then they might not be so eager to upgrade every year or two.
Much the same used to be a huge scam many years ago and the result was the 1968 Truth In Lending Act (USA) which curbed the worst of the abuses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_in_Lending_Act
I have done the calculations, and that's in part why I don't have an iPhone. I do have a nice Android phone from LG; not too pretentious and it cost less than US$100 without a contract. Since it does everything I need and the battery is easily swapped, I just might keep it for the rest of the decade -- if not longer.
Steve Jobs was quite right to fear Android devices; they are the anathema to Apple's walled garden of planned obsolescence.
Sure, save a couple hundred, that's great — but the upfront price is really nothing compared to what it costs to pay off a two-year phone contract. Carriers have done a great job of convincing people that the $99 is the "price" of the phone when in fact you're paying a LOT more.
Yes... the carriers have certainly convinced people to act they way they want them to.
Then again... people wouldn't exactly be rushing out to spend $700 to $1000 on a phone either.
The 16GB iPhone 6 retails for $649 if you wanted to buy it outright.
As long as you agree not to switch carriers (sign a contract) you only have to pay $99
But guess what... you'll be paying a monthly fee with or without a contract.
So if you don't plan on leaving your carrier... why not take the upfront discount on the hardware and get a new phone every two years?
for alot of people that "cost" isn't anything extra than what they're already paying for their cell phone service.
It's not like those people are in a scenario where it's like " either upgrade for this phone or just cancel my phone service "
Not any more. While hiding the true cost of smartphones used to be true, that's really no longer the case. Phone cost and plan cost are often separated, and plan cost drops when phone paid off. Many, myself included, simply buy a new phone outright, and then go contract free (even if stay with same carrier) with a monthly credit for owning phone. Some offer zero interest financing with little to nothing down, but again, phone cost and plan cost separated.
As far as "planned obsolescence", "walled garden", and fearing Android, you've been reading too many Enderle press releases. Besides the iP6, we have a 5s, 4, and original Classic from 2007. That over 7 year old iPhone is still functioning well, as obviously are all the others. I value my time, ease of use, and content safety and I would not get near a cheap (or expensive) Android phone. I wouldn't own a Yugo either.