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What are your iPhone plans this year?

  • I own an iPhone X - Will buy the the 2019 iPhone X

    Votes: 38 7.5%
  • I own an iPhone X - Will buy the 2019 iPhone X+

    Votes: 95 18.7%
  • I own an iPhone X - Will buy the 2019 LCD iPhone

    Votes: 3 0.6%
  • I own an iPhone 8 or 8+ - Will buy the 2019 X or X+

    Votes: 42 8.3%
  • I own an iPhone 8 or 8+ - Will buy the 2019 LCD iPhone

    Votes: 5 1.0%
  • I own an iPhone 6/6s/7/SE - Will buy the 2019 X or X+

    Votes: 90 17.7%
  • I own an iPhone 6/6s/7/SE - Will buy the 2019 LCD iPhone

    Votes: 22 4.3%
  • I own an iPhone 6/6s/7/SE - Will buy the iPhone 8

    Votes: 10 2.0%
  • I will keep my current phone / not sure

    Votes: 204 40.1%

  • Total voters
    509

blairh

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2007
5,830
4,100
I will do the same thing i always do.

Run my iphone 7 until it dies, performance falls off a cliff, or it otherwise becomes unusable.

Upgrading every year is madness. As far as I'm concerned they're a 2-3 year device. Run the thing over 2-3 years, upgrade then. There's always something better coming.
Using the X since launch has made me adopt your line of thinking. I'm tired of upgrading every 2 years. My plan is to hold onto devices for as long as they will last me, with AppleCare in tow. Once I hit the start of year 3 I'll just cross my fingers it will last me longer. I'll probably want a new iPhone once I hit the full 3 year mark, assuming my iPhone still works at that point.
 

imagineadam

macrumors 68000
Jan 19, 2011
1,701
876
I will do the same thing i always do.

Run my iphone 7 until it dies, performance falls off a cliff, or it otherwise becomes unusable.

Upgrading every year is madness. As far as I'm concerned they're a 2-3 year device. Run the thing over 2-3 years, upgrade then. There's always something better coming.
I agree. I’ve upgraded every 2 years since the iPhone 4. My iPhone 7 is the first iPhone I’ve had where after I updated it to the next version I haven’t felt hardly any noticeable slowdown. And with iOS 12 promising improvements to speed there is no reason I can keep this 7 going another year. I have a family and I just paid off the $749 a couple months ago. I can’t see dropping another $1000 on a new iPhone 10S or whatever it will be. I’m sure it will be awesome but I’m sure 2019 or 2020 iPhones will really blow me away with speed improvements compared to my 7. My wife has the 8 plus and I see no difference in speed compared to my 7. I’m guessing the A12 won’t be much faster either. And does it really need to be?
 

comptr

macrumors 68000
Oct 25, 2007
1,902
470
Arizona
I will do the same thing i always do.

Run my iphone 7 until it dies, performance falls off a cliff, or it otherwise becomes unusable.

Upgrading every year is madness. As far as I'm concerned they're a 2-3 year device. Run the thing over 2-3 years, upgrade then. There's always something better coming.

I also used to only upgrade every 2 years since I felt every year was a waste of money. But since I did it last year, I want to upgrade again this year. Also it helps that iPhone resale values are quite good.
 

craigio85

macrumors 6502a
Jun 27, 2017
629
729
United Kingdom
I understand your example, but I don’t see how that’s “confusing”. That just means that there is a specific option at somebody can’t have, but my point was; I don’t think the average consumer cares that much about an OLED display given that they have a plethora of options to choose from any iPhone in the line up with different sizes and price points. You can’t fault Apple for at least providing the options they do, given not every consumer wants or cares about the iPhone X.
They’re absolutely right to cater for those not interested in OLED as it’s the vast majority of their customer base. I’m just a bit puzzled over the decision to do so by adding an additional, larger, screen size whilst leaving the ‘regular’ sized X (replacement) at the smaller size. To me it would be more logical to bump the X replacement to 6.1” or have the new LCD model at the same size.
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
12,525
23,251
They’re absolutely right to cater for those not interested in OLED as it’s the vast majority of their customer base. I’m just a bit puzzled over the decision to do so by adding an additional, larger, screen size whilst leaving the ‘regular’ sized X (replacement) at the smaller size. To me it would be more logical to bump the X replacement to 6.1” or have the new LCD model at the same size.

The logic is pretty simple. Customers who wanted to buy iPhone X for $999 would have done so already in 2017. What we saw last year was a plateau in iPhone sales units.

Bumping the iPhone X to a 6.1" display and selling it for $899 or $999 wouldn't have helped sales.

Customers wanted something less expensive to replace their iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The 6.1" model fits that requirement with the single-lens camera, LCD, and software-based 3D Touch.
 

ericgtr12

macrumors 68000
Mar 19, 2015
1,774
12,174
I own the 8 Plus and will be making the move to the bigger X when it comes out, not sure about LCD or OLED yet. My finger prints have always been messed up and it will be nice to switch to Face ID, I understand it has its own problems but currently it's so bad that I have to manually put in my passcode better than 50% of the time.
 

eoblaed

macrumors 68030
Apr 21, 2010
2,973
3,034
I will do the same thing i always do.

Run my iphone 7 until it dies, performance falls off a cliff, or it otherwise becomes unusable.

Upgrading every year is madness. As far as I'm concerned they're a 2-3 year device. Run the thing over 2-3 years, upgrade then. There's always something better coming.

(Highlight mine)

No it's not.

It may very well be something you're not inclined to do, and that's fine, but for those of us that enjoy using the best tech year after year, it's not madness at all. Yes, there's always something better coming. And I'm always using it.

It does help that the iPhone resale values are very high; I'm not paying full price every single year for an iPhone. I'm paying (full_price - resale_price_of_last_phone), which is a whole lot less than full price. And, heck, even if I had to pay full price every year (which I did before my kids were old enough to purchase their own phones instead getting my hand-me-downs each year), it's worth the few bucks to be enjoying the best Apple has to offer rather than waiting years for it.

Every September is like a second christmas for me. :)
 

comptr

macrumors 68000
Oct 25, 2007
1,902
470
Arizona
(Highlight mine)

No it's not.

It may very well be something you're not inclined to do, and that's fine, but for those of us that enjoy using the best tech year after year, it's not madness at all. Yes, there's always something better coming. And I'm always using it.

It does help that the iPhone resale values are very high; I'm not paying full price every single year for an iPhone. I'm paying (full_price - resale_price_of_last_phone), which is a whole lot less than full price. And, heck, even if I had to pay full price every year (which I did before my kids were old enough to purchase their own phones instead getting my hand-me-downs each year), it's worth the few bucks to be enjoying the best Apple has to offer rather than waiting years for it.

Every September is like a second christmas for me. :)

Bingo, You hit it. I was one of those people who waited till 2 years were up and then upgraded, but thanks to REALLY good resale value I can afford to upgrade yearly.
 

TravisPNW

macrumors 6502a
Sep 15, 2017
653
924
Renton, WA
I posted a similar poll three months ago - now we are getting pretty close to iPhone releases. I feel that buzz around features and upgrades with the 2019 iPhones is limited compared to last year. The iPhone X + seems to be in demand, but I'm not seeing a ton of organic demand for the other two models.

As an iPhone 8+ owner, I've seen more OLED iPhone X screens in the wild and now want to upgrade to the OLED screen. I'm hoping the 2019 X/X+ are $100 less expensive than the comparable prices last year. I'm undecided about X or X+; a lot of the decision will revolve around battery life. The LCD phone would have interested me if it had the dual camera setup.
[doublepost=1529416334][/doublepost]Obviously, replace "2019" with "2018" for all of the poll questions


Well.. I've got the 8 Plus... and I also have the 65" LG OLED B7. As far as televisions go it's the best you are gonna get and is totally worth the money for the ultimate viewing (from any angle) experience. Burn in isn't a threat because I vary my content. (Don't believe the hype from the OLED haters)

As far as phones go though, it's a bit riskier I would think with the static icons on screen and honestly I could really give a rats about OLED on my phone. The screen size is the reason. That being said, I'm fine with keeping the 8 Plus and the LCD another year.

A new phone is definitely not a must buy.
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
8,817
6,985
Perth, Western Australia
I can AFFORD to upgrade yearly, but it's seriously a waste of money.

My device is used as a mail/sms device, camera, makes phone calls and plays music.

There is literally nothing that an iphone 8, or X does that i care about that my 7 can not do.

Seriously. What are you using your most recent model phone for that your old phone couldn't do? Give me even one example...

I get it. You like/want the new shiny. But it's a waste of money. If thats what you want to do with your disposable income, fine - go nuts. I'd personally get far more enjoyment out of spending the money on beer or whatever instead.
 
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akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,818
16,897
I can AFFORD to upgrade yearly, but it's seriously a waste of money.

My device is used as a mail/sms device, camera, makes phone calls and plays music.

There is literally nothing that an iphone 8, or X does that i care about that my 7 can not do.

Seriously. What are you using your most recent model phone for that your old phone couldn't do? Give me even one example...

I get it. You like/want the new shiny. But it's a waste of money. If thats what you want to do with your disposable income, fine - go nuts. I'd personally get far more enjoyment out of spending the money on beer or whatever instead.

The value of money is very subjective. Whatever you’re doing with your money could very well be waste for another person.
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
8,817
6,985
Perth, Western Australia
The value of money is very subjective. Whatever you’re doing with your money could very well be waste for another person.

Sure. Lets get rid of the word madness then.

What is the value proposition for ditching a 12 month old iphone 7 for an iphone 8?

Pros:
Wireless charging?
Minor performance improvement (I'd argue only an issue if current performance is a problem)

what else?

vs. the changeover cost.

Are those pros worth $X (for change-over) is what it comes down to. And my point is that when jumping from year N to year N+1 the value just isn't there.

Sure, again, if you're a die hard who just has to have the latest and greatest "just because" - fine. The majority of the population probably file you under "crazy" anyway.... but for the normies....
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
16,357
24,075
Wales, United Kingdom
The logic is pretty simple. Customers who wanted to buy iPhone X for $999 would have done so already in 2017. What we saw last year was a plateau in iPhone sales units.

Bumping the iPhone X to a 6.1" display and selling it for $899 or $999 wouldn't have helped sales.

Customers wanted something less expensive to replace their iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The 6.1" model fits that requirement with the single-lens camera, LCD, and software-based 3D Touch.
But the issue is customers like myself who don’t want to pay an obscene amount of money for a phone also don’t understand why the option for us needs to be a huge 6.1” screen? Why not make a device the same size as the current 6 or stretch it to the size of the X? I’m not thinking about Apples sales when I make my upgrade choice. I’m more interested in why Apple are throwing in so many compromises to their biggest customer segment.
 

akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,818
16,897
Sure. Lets get rid of the word madness then.

What is the value proposition for ditching a 12 month old iphone 7 for an iphone 8?

Pros:
Wireless charging?
Minor performance improvement (I'd argue only an issue if current performance is a problem)

what else?

vs. the changeover cost.

Are those pros worth $X (for change-over) is what it comes down to. And my point is that when jumping from year N to year N+1 the value just isn't there.

Sure, again, if you're a die hard who just has to have the latest and greatest "just because" - fine. The majority of the population probably file you under "crazy" anyway.... but for the normies....

The same value proposition why people buy Gucci / Armani or any other more expensive products when the same can be achieved with cheaper products.

There’s a reason why everyone doesn’t look for the cheapest option. “Value” is not always just equates to money.

Personally - the cost of buying these phones can go as pocket change for some people who couldn’t give a toss. Again, value and worth is incomparable between 2 people.
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,491
I own the 8 Plus and will be making the move to the bigger X when it comes out, not sure about LCD or OLED yet. My finger prints have always been messed up and it will be nice to switch to Face ID, I understand it has its own problems but currently it's so bad that I have to manually put in my passcode better than 50% of the time.

Biometric security in general has its problems. It’s not just face ID. Touch ID had its issues with unlocking at times and Face ID will always never be perfect either, even if it’s improved for the 2018 iPhone X. Technology with biometric security is always a refinement, never a perfection.
 
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JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
12,525
23,251
But the issue is customers like myself who don’t want to pay an obscene amount of money for a phone also don’t understand why the option for us needs to be a huge 6.1” screen? Why not make a device the same size as the current 6 or stretch it to the size of the X? I’m not thinking about Apples sales when I make my upgrade choice. I’m more interested in why Apple are throwing in so many compromises to their biggest customer segment.

6" displays are the norm for 2018. Look at the mainstream smartphones from Samsung, LG, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc. They're all using 6" displays.

With the 6.1" model, Apple is simply targeting as many customers as possible.

Does 6.1" fit everyone's preferences? Of course not. Some people also want a headphone jack. Others want an SD card slot.
 

Lyn2012

macrumors 6502a
Dec 26, 2007
675
267
6" displays are the norm for 2018. Look at the mainstream smartphones from Samsung, LG, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc. They're all using 6" displays.
Apple used to lead but now they follow everyone else. They could “think different” and bring a flagship 4.5-5” phone to market…but they won’t.
 

akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,818
16,897
Apple used to lead but now they follow everyone else. They could “think different” and bring a flagship 4.5-5” phone to market…but they won’t.

Easier said than done. Apple is good at creating new product categories or make something new within similar product category but make it easy and user friendly for people to use.

These days Apple is clearly focussing on services more in terms of business model.

A product can be sold once, a service can be sold multiple times to the same customer.

Although predominantly Apple is still a hardware company but hardware manufacturer business is very costly and hard to carry on as the times pass.

Creating someone brand new is more of a Google thing and they abandon such projects as quick as they start. Just different dimensions of business.
 

PowerGala

macrumors regular
Aug 26, 2016
201
272
I really like my iPhone X and I don't really have a need to buy another one so soon.

I said the same thing about my 6S before I bought the X, so I guess we'll see what they produce.
 

ericgtr12

macrumors 68000
Mar 19, 2015
1,774
12,174
Biometric security in general has its problems. It’s not just face ID. Touch ID had its issues with unlocking at times and Face ID will always never be perfect either, even if it’s improved for the 2018 iPhone X. Technology with biometric security is always a refinement, never a perfection.
Fair enough. Although my case is unique in that my fingerprints have always been very difficult to read, even before the iPhone came out. I regularly consult with secured facilities and most want fingerprints and I've had to go back several times to get re-printed and then go through other avenues to get clearance when they weren't readable. I am one of the few who has always had an issue with them. By any measure, I can't imagine FaceID being worse in my case.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
16,357
24,075
Wales, United Kingdom
6" displays are the norm for 2018. Look at the mainstream smartphones from Samsung, LG, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc. They're all using 6" displays.

With the 6.1" model, Apple is simply targeting as many customers as possible.

Does 6.1" fit everyone's preferences? Of course not. Some people also want a headphone jack. Others want an SD card slot.
I want a smartphone that fits into my pocket and fits the criteria of mobile. I don’t want an iPad sized phone that I have to hand to my wife every time we go out. Where I live isn’t the norm, larger phones are in the minority so I can only read on the internet ‘what everybody uses’.
 

comptr

macrumors 68000
Oct 25, 2007
1,902
470
Arizona
I can AFFORD to upgrade yearly, but it's seriously a waste of money.

My device is used as a mail/sms device, camera, makes phone calls and plays music.

There is literally nothing that an iphone 8, or X does that i care about that my 7 can not do.

Seriously. What are you using your most recent model phone for that your old phone couldn't do? Give me even one example...

I get it. You like/want the new shiny. But it's a waste of money. If thats what you want to do with your disposable income, fine - go nuts. I'd personally get far more enjoyment out of spending the money on beer or whatever instead.

Some of Us Sell our iPhones so if we factor in the purchase cost minus what we sell the iPhone for we not out as much. Plus if one is part of the iPhone iUP Program they are more inclined to upgrade yearly.
 

mnsportsgeek

macrumors 601
Feb 24, 2009
4,378
6,847
Currently have a 6. Planning to wait and see. If the primary difference between the LCD and OLED is just the screen size, type of screen and camera, I'll probably go with the 6.1" LCD.
 

Glideslope

macrumors 604
Dec 7, 2007
7,926
5,359
The Adirondacks.
Using the X since launch has made me adopt your line of thinking. I'm tired of upgrading every 2 years. My plan is to hold onto devices for as long as they will last me, with AppleCare in tow. Once I hit the start of year 3 I'll just cross my fingers it will last me longer. I'll probably want a new iPhone once I hit the full 3 year mark, assuming my iPhone still works at that point.

My wife just had the battery replaced in her 7+ for $29. She will easily get another 2 years out of it barring an unforeseen event. :apple:
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2007
5,830
4,100
My wife just had the battery replaced in her 7+ for $29. She will easily get another 2 years out of it barring an unforeseen event. :apple:
Makes sense to me. Might as well milk these devices until they absolutely need to be replaced.
 
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