Apple seems to be removing ‘value’ with the latest iPhones. Even the SE was better value for money.

[xanadome]

Hence, if they are willing to pay for it, ‘let’s milk ‘em!’.

Exactly. Many loyal and sensible customers of Apple have been increasingly sensing this, and it is not at all difficult to see it. Just go out and watch other forums too.
Company has to make a profit. I suppose nobody questions that. But as many people say in recent years, it has been becoming increasingly evident that Apple is in for profit as its utmost goal, more bluntly, it is also tied securely with "greed". Apple was very successful in driving its most loyal and faithful customers into their tightly close walled garden. Fine marketing, congratulations! But once that had happened and Apple became (over) confident, they are milking us without too much worry that we might defect. I for one, will pay any premium for "good" products, but also will buy what is worth my money. I have recently purchased a Pixel 2 on my other line in order to experiment, and HP PC a year ago for M$ Office intensive tasks, while still keeping the iPhone 8 and MBP Touch Bar. They actually do better jobs in many use cases, and so much cheaper and upgradable with no soldered RAM or disingenuous sealed box etc. Feels good and relieved. I might sell MBP. I was also waiting for Mac Mini update for certain purpose but Apple seems to be concentrating in One Trick Pony strategy, i.e., Apple Phone, Inc. Room for adding more features and tricks to keep the buying mind is quickly fading. I wonder how long Apple can sustain overpricing strategy.
I simply wish that Apple somehow "reward" us loyal/faithful "captive" customers (for years), rather than further punishing us by milking us. Any discount or special reward program for long time customers, who have been supporting Apple and allowed them do what they are doing now? Watch it Apple, it is a dangerous time...

 

[Just_Me_D]

With the announcement of the 3 new iPhone X models, it seems that the prices of the iPhones just keep going up, with almost no new features/innovations beyond using newer CPUs. The Lightning to 3.5mm dongle has also been removed.

Is it just me who thinks it may no longer be worth paying such high prices for an iPhone?

My SE will be my last iPhone.

Unless my current iPhone X breaks or something, I won’t be upgrading. Still, I’m not going to stop buying an iPhone.

 

[anon(50597)]

Unless my current iPhone X breaks or something, I won’t be upgrading. Still, I’m not going to stop buying an iPhone.

So I assume you still think they are of value at these higher prices? Just asking.

 

[Tpence2177]

Looking at these budget phones over the last day kinda getting a plan of which ones are worth it and which ones work with Verizon, has kinda continued to solidify that me spending $1000+ on an iPhone is not going to happen. Sure iPhones get updates for 4-5 years but I could buy 4 Moto G series phones that get better and better each year for the price of one iPhone that’s 8 years of updates

 

[Just_Me_D]

So I assume you still think they are of value at these higher prices? Just asking.

No, and that is why I’m not upgrading from my current iPhone X to one of the new models. If I were renting my phone then I suppose it wouldn’t matter, but I purchase my iPhones and then pass them down to family members when I’m done with them.

Having said that, if somehow I managed to damage my iPhone, I can either switch to my iPhone 8 or opt to replace my iPhone X with a newer version.

 

[anon(50597)]

No, and that is why I’m not upgrading from my current iPhone X to one of the new models. If I were renting my phone then I suppose it wouldn’t matter, but I purchase my iPhones and then pass them down to family members when I’m done with them.

Having said that, if somehow I managed to damage my iPhone, I can either switch to my iPhone 8 or opt to replace my iPhone X with a newer version.

Gotcha.
I may look at selling my 7 and SE for an 8 but I’m not positive. My SE still has 100% battery life and runs like a champ.

 

[grover5]

Gotcha.
I may look at selling my 7 and SE for an 8 but I’m not positive. My SE still has 100% battery life and runs like a champ.

My 7+ is pretty great with iOS 12. I might wait another year to upgrade. I would like the xs max with 256 GB but I don’t think it’s worth the money right now to upgrade to that. But you never know. I’ve caved before.

I do think Apple is pushing the boundaries with their prices this year. But I don’t like android and android has always been a horrible experience from a quality perspective for me. Both software and hardware. Plus I don’t like googles snoopiness. So I will continue to buy Apple products for privacy and quality.

 

[Ramiusmarkdevice]

Agreed. Apple is definitely pushing the boundaries in an effort to maximise profits. I’d suggest giving Android another go. It (particularly Oreo & Pie) is now technically superior to iOS, both in stability and security (go for those manufacturers who support the Android One initiative - those phones get the necessary OS and security updates straight from Google). On the topic of Google ‘snooping’, well, it’s their business model, and so long as you aren’t doing anything illegal, you should be fine. I used to work in IT Security, and honestly, the notion that Apple doesn’t ‘snoop’ on data like Google - that’s just bollocks. They do. They just try to act ‘the good guy’. Quality-wise, Apple hardware is good, but other Android makes (Motorola, Google, LG, Samsung) are & have been just as good, so long as you get the higher-end models. User experience wise, I find both almost identical. Android is more flexible in the support of external storage (microSD) and in connectivity to PC/MAC for data transfers.

 

[grover5]

Agreed. Apple is definitely pushing the boundaries in an effort to maximise profits. I’d suggest giving Android another go. It (particularly Oreo & Pie) is now technically superior to iOS, both in stability and security (go for those manufacturers who support the Android One initiative - those phones get the necessary OS and security updates straight from Google). On the topic of Google ‘snooping’, well, it’s their business model, and so long as you aren’t doing anything illegal, you should be fine. I used to work in IT Security, and honestly, the notion that Apple doesn’t ‘snoop’ on data like Google - that’s just bollocks. They do. They just try to act ‘the good guy’. Quality-wise, Apple hardware is good, but other Android makes (Motorola, Google, LG, Samsung) are & have been just as good, so long as you get the higher-end models. User experience wise, I find both almost identical. Android is more flexible in the support of external storage (microSD) and in connectivity to PC/MAC for data transfers.

I’ve used Oreo on my nexus 6p which went into a boot loop of death after my nexus 5 couldn’t get more than two hours of battery life after the lollipop update. My nexus 9 tablet also died from the bootloop of death. My one plus 3t stopped allowing me to open the google play store. After spending four hours trying to fix it I decided I was tired of spending half my life trouble shooting buggy tech. No offense but if you think googles privacy invasions are equal to Apple then I’ve got some swamp land to sell you. It doesn’t matter if I do or don’t do anything wrong. It’s my life and my business. Not googles. That’s my take at least.

 

[anon(50597)]

I’ve used Oreo on my nexus 6p which went into a boot loop of death after my nexus 5 couldn’t get more than two hours of battery life after the lollipop update. My nexus 9 tablet also died from the bootloop of death. My one plus 3t stopped allowing me to open the google play store. After spending four hours trying to fix it I decided I was tired of spending half my life trouble shooting buggy tech. No offense but if you think googles privacy invasions are equal to Apple then I’ve got some swamp land to sell you. It doesn’t matter if I do or don’t do anything wrong. It’s my life and my business. Not googles. That’s my take at least.

I haven’t used Android for a couple of years so I can’t speak on performance.
As far as privacy goes I agree with you. I certainly don’t think Apple is flawless, but Google was built to use data they collect on you. If you’re smart you can navigate it fairly well but I don’t want to have to worry about that all the time.

 

[grover5]

I haven’t used Android for a couple of years so I can’t speak on performance.
As far as privacy goes I agree with you. I certainly don’t think Apple is flawless, but Google was built to use data they collect on you. If you’re smart you can navigate it fairly well but I don’t want to have to worry about that all the time.

I know many folks who have not had the problems I had on Android. But my experience was bad enough for me to move on. Google and privacy don’t mix. I avoid them when I can.

 

[Ramiusmarkdevice]

I guess at least there is a a way for consumers to avoid using Google - and that’s either iOS or using feature phones. Choice is important, and I’d hate to have no choice but to use 1 platform alone. So yeah...

 

[Spirit Vision Photography]

Yes, avoid Google if you are at all concerned with privacy.

 

[Furt]

I'm about to pick up an SE today and give my 8+ to my mom. I was holding out hope that a new SE would show up and save me from these giant screens, but clearly that isn't happening this year. Cricket still has a 32gb model for about $185 so at least I don't have to pay too much for the best phone I've ever had.