Tim Cook on iPhone Prices: 'We Want to Serve Everyone'

[Surf760]

Perhaps I'm the only one excited for the iPhone Xr. Given I'm coming from a launch 128 iPhone 6 that while I'm on a call will start rapidly muting and unmuting itself, sending text messages to random people in my contacts, then send an email, and maybe even conference in another caller (seriously this all occasionally will happen), but hey I think the Xr looks great.

In all seriousness as much as I'd love an OLED, I'm more than happy with the retina displays I've had. I'll watch HDR movies on my HDR tv, that's not how I use my phone. Was concerned about loss of photo quality in low light situations without second lens but sounds like that's also not an issue either. Plus potentially the best battery life of all the phones?

My better half is going to upgrade at the same time and is porting her former Sprint line over to my ATT account, so as soon as they run their first new line significant discount promo, this will be the perfect upgrade. But it all comes down to the user, after all Dual Sim is one of my favorite new functions, no more carrying a second work phone. If you're hoping for year over year massive changes I get the frustrations, I used to be the every two years guy, but nothing really felt like a huge upgrade from the 6 until the X.

Count me as excited.

 

[HacKage]

The big problem is that the Huawei P20 doesn't have iOS!

This is the main dilemma I have every time a new phone is announced. I have always been very open minded and have switched almost every year between iOS and Android, and I'm now at the point where technology has slowed down. The jump from say the S8 to S9 wasn't that big. The jump from an X to XS is even smaller. Now the desire to stick with what OS is the most comfortable matters most, and with iOS, there are things I hate, but on the whole it's pretty stress free!

 

[Lioness~]

I say it time and time again. As soon as Tim is replaced Apple will be better off. We've seen that the second CEO that comes in after a founder has stepped down is the better. Google and Microsoft are great examples. Once the old guard is replaced, I'm hopeful that Apple will not be such a polarizing company.

First time saying this, I honestly think it's time for Tim to get out of the spotlight.

Who would replace him? There’s none at Apple, is it? Heard someone mention that Jeff guy with the watches as a contender to next CEO. It must be really bad at Apple if that’s true
Someone from the outside? As much as I’m dead-tired of Tim’s hypocrisy, and would like him replaced, I don’t see it happening anywhere soon. He loves his ********ting and all the money. And the stockholder probably even more so.
Stop buying I’m saying. Vote no with your wallet. Who needs new phone every year these days?
But people pays his prices. And he rubs his hands every time he gets off with his lies, it feels like.

Tim have almost been like the emperor in 'Emperor’s new clothes' people is applauding and silently agreeing with their money. Hopefully it will change.

 

[itsmilo]

He makes it sound like in order to attract a certain type of people they had to raise the prices to make it attractive to them lol what a load of crap

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

I won't call it tone-deaf.

Rather, I think it's more due to the lessons Apple learnt from the whole 5c debacle. That's when Apple realised that for the bulk of their customers, money simply isn't an issue. The people who want the latest iPhone will get one, whatever the cost, and it shows this year in the form of an iPhone lineup where the differentiation compared to last year is fairly minimal (I mean, the iPhone Xs gets what...a faster processor and better waterproofing?).

This is the power of the iPhone. At this point, it's pretty much a license to print money, and Apple knows it.

Until it is not.
And, learning past corporate history should be telling: polaroid, kodak, motorola, leica, hasselblad, ...

[What I do not understand is that a healthy SE landscape would provide multiple more people to Apple's service offerings, which is after all being said, their long-term strategy.]

 

[baryon]

iPhone 7 is still do damn expensive. When the iPhone SE was released, it was more up-to-date at the time than the iPhone 7 is today, and it was cheaper than the iPhone 7 is today (with 2 year old outdated internals). Explain that!

The release of the iPhone SE back then was as if Apple today released an iPhone identical externally to the iPhone 7, but internally identical to the iPhone Xs, for $340.

Their prices are going up and they were already high to begin with. I don't like that. They are making the low end more expensive.

 

[PowerGala]

I said MacBook, as in the 12" laptop. You showed me a MacBook Pro. The iPhone price at $1,500 is looking absurd in any event.

If the Macbook is the baseline, then shouldn't the XR, the 8 or the 7 be the phone you should be comparing in terms of pricing and not the iPhone XS Max with 512 GBs? If you're comparing the XS Max maxed out, then wouldn't the maxed out 15 inch MacBook Pro ($6,700) be the better comparison?

Personally, after I trade in my X, I'm looking at $474 for the XS before taxes and $23.70 cash back with my card (which comes out to $39.50 a month in terms of use). I won't be spending anywhere near the max. I'm not even sure what you'd do with 512 GBs on a phone. That's twice what I have on my 13 inch MacBook Pro.

 

[corebeliefs]

I like how a bunch of Macrumor comments are upset about the prices but nobody will dare mention the sub $450 dollar iPhone. You’re all a bunch of complainers

I'm complaining because this Apple has jumped the shark for what something costs vs what it's being sold for. I'm complaining about a $1,500 iPhone being a sadistic price point. This Apple is a robber baron. This is a moral issue all over again, from the supply chain abuses to the luxury price point that benefits no one more than what I'm typing this on that cost $1,000 less. I feel for the suckers who will buy this stuff, whatever their disposable income level.

 

[lordofthereef]

The market will always decide what something consistently sells for, but I can't imagine he's serious about serving everyone unless there's some real hard core cognitive dissonance going on.

These things are expensive. There's no need to pretend otherwise. And while I applaud them for the axe ootion, it's still $100 more than the entry level phone (which had far fewer compromises) was three years ago.

Imo Apple has done with their phones what they've long done with their computers. They know their market and an "affordable" device isn't really part of their sales pitch. Not s criticism, just an observation.

 

[Alphazoid]

For many people, a few hundred dollars, even $1000 is nothing..especially if you live in the major cities and work for gov/tech/etc. And for some, these devices are part of their businesses, whether creative or technical. The price points are not that much for them...and many of you are missing a key element here. They WRITE THEM OFF in their expenditures for their taxes.

That's a niche group though. Majority of sales come from the 16-35yr old group of everyday consumers whose contracts are up for renewal. Which is why the Xr and the 8 will be the best sellers.

 

[HarryWild]

I going to by buying the Xr when Apple releases the unlocked-sim free model on January/February time frame. Apple has delay the release date to October 26, so carriers now going with November, December for their protected locked models to move to their customer base. Ugh!

I might be traveling out of country in November and be able to pick up an unlocked Xr maybe sooner!

 

[M.PaulCezanne]

Please point me to the new article where Tim Cook has ordered the physical destruction of iPhone X's that were introduced last year? Because there is no Duke graduate in his right mind is going to destroy product that his company can still sell and make a profit on?

If you are talking about Apple Give Back, then the vast majority of those iPhone X models will be refurbished and sold on eBay, Woot, Boost, Cricket, StraightTalk, et al. websites as refurbished models with a limited warranty at a reduced cost. Is there something wrong with that?

A business exists to make a profit, it is up to the consumer to decide if they want to give the company their money in return for goods and services that the company offers. In fact, he has a fiduciary responsibility to Apple shareholders to pursue, keep and maintain profitability. Without it, he would be fired and employees could lose there jobs as a result of lower profitability. Basic Economics 101. Acknowledged.

A Duke grad in his right mind?

 

[Anarchy99]

"We want to serve everyone," Cook said

so all the people who want/need a headphone jack for pro level audio output and other accessories...

oh wait, you killed that years ago and then to make sure you kicked us while we were down took away the 6s(+) and SE
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but surely your serving all the people asking for thicker phones because all day is 18-24 hours of use (preferably heavy use)

oh wait, all day = 10hours (moderate use) because as you make them more efficient you keep making them thinner


not to mention all the people with small to no pockets that like a 4" screen model etc.
I could go on but you get it



yeah Tim your serving "everyone" :/
​

 

[smith4925]

I like how the low budget version is still not affordable.

 

[lordofthereef]

If the Macbook is the baseline, then shouldn't the XR, the 8 or the 7 be the phone you should be comparing in terms of pricing and not the iPhone XS Max with 512 GBs? If you're comparing the XS Max maxed out, then wouldn't the maxed out 15 inch MacBook Pro ($6,700) be the better comparison?

Yes and no. There are far more differences between maxed out MacBooks than an iPhone. Thenkiteral difference in theniohone is storage capacity. Thenliteral difference in the MacBook is, well, that and everything else.

Personally I don't think comparing the two products makes a lot of sense outside of pointing to the fact that even their base level devices are pricey. Dropping $500 on a phone isn't nothing, and to think that their price points serves everyone is truly notninderstanding the struggles of your lower middle class groups. There's nothing wrong with not providing lower income families with a product, built the way. The criticism from me is Cook's words come off like he's doing the world a favor. Imo, nah. Not so much.

 

[corebeliefs]

If the Macbook is the baseline, then shouldn't the XR, the 8 or the 7 be the phone you should be comparing in terms of pricing and not the iPhone XS Max with 512 GBs? If you're comparing the XS Max maxed out, then wouldn't the maxed out 15 inch MacBook Pro ($6,700) be the better comparison?

Personally, after I trade in my X, I'm looking at $474 for the XS before taxes and $23.70 cash back with my card (which comes out to $39.50 a month in terms of use). I won't be spending anywhere near the max. I'm not even sure what you'd do with 512 GBs on a phone. That's twice what I have on my 13 inch MacBook Pro.

I agree, yeah I'm not the user for the top spec. But I begin to question when a phone costs more than a laptop. I'm sure someone can make a case for phone components being more expensive than laptop components, but I'm not buying that since phones have been less expensive until now and Apple isn't in the business of subsidizing hardware costs.

 

[lambertjohn]

I cant believe he said this
"We always thought ... that if you provide a lot of innovation and a lot of value, there is a segment of people who are willing to pay for it," Cook said. "For us, it's a large enough group of people that we can make a reasonable business out of it."

a reasonable business lol.

the last 3 years iphones have almost come to a peak in performance and features, after wireless charging and face id what else are they going to do to get us to buy another phone. I can see me keeping my iPhone 8 256gb for 5 years if I don't drop it or smash the screen

First rule of a free enterprise system: charge what the market can bear...Apple lives and dies by that rule.

 

[arkitect]

The market will always decide what something consistently sells for, but I can't imagine he's serious about serving everyone unless there's some real hard core cognitive dissonance going on.

No, I think you hit the nail on the head right there.

People like the Apple management live in such rarefied atmosphere that as much as they can spout clichés about the proles and serving, they have no idea. Apart from squeezing every last buck out of a loyal customer base.

A lot like politicians…

 

[cajun67]

Apple has never been cheap, but it did not used to be a luxury brand either. Tim made it a luxury brand, so he should be honest enough to admit it. (Courage)

Tim didn't make Apple a luxury brand. That was Steve Jobs in 1984, selling the original 128k Mac for $2500.

 

[BigDO]

I am very amused by all teeth gnashing about the prices, as if we are all somehow entitled to iPhones at affordable prices. It's almost like complaining about Porsche pricing because BMW sells similar performance models for less.

FTR, I think that the pricing is ridiculous, so I simply won't buy. But I'm sure as heck not going to bleat that it is too expensive - they seem to sell enough of them to suggest that enough people don't think so.

 

[arkitect]

Tim didn't make Apple a luxury brand. That was Steve Jobs in 1984, selling the original 128k Mac for $2500.

No. That's what computers cost back then.

Tim Cook brought in Louis Vuitton and Hermés and solid gold Apple Watch… that wa snot Steve Jobs.

I'm not saying that Jobs wouldn't have "gone there" had he lived, but Cook & Co. turned Apple into a "luxury" brand.

Read these forums… some people have really bought into that big time.

 

[TheRealDGD]

It all works until it doesn't.......... even the Mighty fall one day.

 

[Zdigital2015]

A Duke grad in his right mind?

Duke University Fuqua School Of Business 1988...MBA

Originally an Auburn University grad.

 

[corebeliefs]

I am very amused by all teeth gnashing about the prices, as if we are all somehow entitled to iPhones at affordable prices. It's almost like complaining about Porsche pricing because BMW sells similar performance models for less.

FTR, I think that the pricing is ridiculous, so I simply won't buy. But I'm sure as heck not going to bleat that it is too expensive - they seem to sell enough of them to suggest that enough people don't think so.

I don't want one of these phones, so that's not the reason for my hurting teeth. The iPhone is becoming a loot box issue (see video game monetization controversy) preying upon the weaknesses of its fan base. The interest free loans being given support this. Frogs don't jump out of the warming water pot, but I hope people do because there isn't a good reason to give Apple that money that could go to helping your own life (or your kids) in tangible ways.

 

[cajun67]

No. That's what computers cost back then.

Tim Cook brought in Louis Vuitton and Hermés and solid gold Apple Watch… that wa snot Steve Jobs.

I'm not saying that Jobs wouldn't have "gone there" had he lived, but Cook & Co. turned Apple into a "luxury" brand.

Read these forums… some people have really bought into that big time.

My first computer was an Apple II+. I've been following Apple for almost four decades. Tim Cook has done very little to change Apple's brand image. Steve Jobs is the one who wanted Apple to be to computers what MagLite was to flashlights (i.e., the premium brand).