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Will more people eventually start buying the $1000+ iPhone models over time?

BreakingKayfabe

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The backlash that  is feeling right now is something I’m sure they expected. It’s why they brought out the XR I’m guessing.
That may be why, but they still screwed up with pricing. I know they do more market research in 2 hours than I can do in a lifetime, but the XR would easily be looked at more as a better option for people if it started at $649 instead of what it is now.

I also think Apple overdid it with the various colors. I’ve talked to three people I know who are causal when it comes to Apple, and when the XR comes up they immediately say “5C”. That’s what people outside of these enthusiast walls think of the XR.
 

Lee_Bo

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Just like car dealers offering 7 year payment options. It makes people think they can afford something they probably can’t.

Then that falls 100% on the shoulders of the buyer.

When I go car shopping, I already know how much of a monthly payment I can afford. When I find a car I want but it's outside my payment range, I either try haggling or I compromise to find what I'm looking for at a payment I can afford. If I decide to buy something outside my payment range and then it gets repoed, that's my fault for buying it.

If Tmobile offers 24 or 36 monthly payments on a brand new $1000+ device to make it affordable to their customers, and the customers can't afford that extra $30-ish a month, then shame on them for buying it.
 

anon(50597)

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Then that falls 100% on the shoulders of the buyer.

When I go car shopping, I already know how much of a monthly payment I can afford. When I find a car I want but it's outside my payment range, I either try haggling or I compromise to find what I'm looking for at a payment I can afford. If I decide to buy something outside my payment range and then it gets repoed, that's my fault for buying it.

If Tmobile offers 24 or 36 monthly payments on a brand new $1000+ device to make it affordable to their customers, and the customers can't afford that extra $30-ish a month, then shame on them for buying it.

I fully agree. I’m the same way.
My point is, making it payable over 2 or 3 years doesn’t make it affordable, it’s the same price. Credit is too easy these days and people overspend because “what’s an extra $30 a month”. Those selling expensive items know this and just spread out the payments further.
Just my opinion of course.
 

Rob Phillips

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I also think Apple overdid it with the various colors. I’ve talked to three people I know who are causal when it comes to Apple, and when the XR comes up they immediately say “5C”. That’s what people outside of these enthusiast walls think of the XR.

I've wondered if Apple shot themselves in the feet with the color choices as well. The XR is still relatively expensive but buying it means advertising that you're using an inferior product...that looks like a creamsicle.
 

Just_Me_D

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...

I also think Apple overdid it with the various colors. I’ve talked to three people I know who are causal when it comes to Apple, and when the XR comes up they immediately say “5C”. That’s what people outside of these enthusiast walls think of the XR.
I’m in agreement with you and, until I actually took the time to see the device for myself, I, too, thought of the iPhone 5C. Thankfully, I was wrong.
 

Wotchered

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So do you think more people will be willing to buy the $1,000+ iPhone models, but not as frequently? Perhaps every two to three years?

I do think that, yes. It is after all ridiculous to dispose of a perfectly good,useful bit of kit every year just because you have fallen for improvements which are for the most part of no use. Apple and that other company rely on the all too human desire to keep up with the Joneses.
 

Ken Magel

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Apple is slowly moving from so much dependence on the iPhone for profit to services and items such as the Watch and the AirPods. I think they should reduce the prices of the current phone models by $100 as well, but do not think they will. The replacement cycle for phones is shifting from an average of about two years to three years and may move towards four years in a few years.
 

anon(50597)

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An extremely risky investment! Areas go to crap real fast nowadays & if you still have payments, you’re pretty much stuck.

Well, I guess that could be true depending where you live. I would never buy a house in a market where prices are volatile, like San Francisco. I’m talking averagetown America.
Buy low like Apple stocks, right?
 

nikkisharif

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Well, I guess that could be true depending where you live. I would never buy a house in a market where prices are volatile, like San Francisco. I’m talking averagetown America.
Buy low like Apple stocks, right?

I’m a city girl, so I always forget about the rest of the US*

But yes...definitely buy low. That’s what I do! Foreclosures only, no mortgage
 

Quis89

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I hope there are no concessions. I hope the market realizes that these prices are a little too high and it forces prices to drop. I shouldn't be able to spend as much on a mobile device as I do for a laptop. That's kind of wild, imo. And I'm not sure people, in general, are prepared to do that.

Especially when you consider the fact that our phones aren't doing THAT much more than they were a few years ago. I can honestly say that my day to day use hasn't changed with the higher priced phones that we see today. So it's tough to justify. Sales on the higher end XS and XS Plus models appear to be lower than anticipated. Apple is running more aggressive ads for trade-in's on their equipment to motivate purchases. I honestly think people will avoid shelling out this kind of money in the future if the device manufacturers aren't making compelling products to justify these costs. And imo...they aren't. This is the first year in 10 years that I haven't upgraded annually to any device. The first year in 8 years that I haven't upgraded to a new iPhone.
 

Quis89

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Just like car dealers offering 7 year payment options. It makes people think they can afford something they probably can’t.

I've never understood this. It's like some people are under the belief that if you don't have $1200 to drop on a phone so you decide to spend $50/month instead, you can't afford it? Financing is a thing is a variety of industries whether it's cars, furniture, homes, etc. Financing something doesn't mean you can't afford it, imo. Maybe you can't afford the up front cost and so financing makes it affordable for one's budget.
 

Rob Phillips

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I've never understood this. It's like some people are under the belief that if you don't have $1200 to drop on a phone so you decide to spend $50/month instead, you can't afford it? Financing is a thing is a variety of industries whether it's cars, furniture, homes, etc. Financing something doesn't mean you can't afford it, imo. Maybe you can't afford the up front cost and so financing makes it affordable for one's budget.

Well said, and a great point. Saying you can’t afford a phone because you used a payment plan is ridiculous. Those same people must have paid cash for their homes and cars then, right? I could have dropped the cash for my XS Max but I went through iPhone Upgrade Program. Why?

- There’s no interest and no fees.
- I’m removing the risk that I’ll take a loss if I paid cash and upgrade in a year and need to sell it.
- I buy AppleCare+ and it’s built into my iPhone Upgrade Program payment. If I upgrade in a year I’ve essentially gotten my AppleCare+ coverage half off (as I will have only made half of the payments at that point).

Makes perfect sense to me!
 

rebretz000

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I only see the majority of people getting $1000 smartphones if they are subsidized by their carriers in one way or another. Most families do not have that kind of money to spend on a cell phone each month.
 

Lee_Bo

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I've never understood this. It's like some people are under the belief that if you don't have $1200 to drop on a phone so you decide to spend $50/month instead, you can't afford it? Financing is a thing is a variety of industries whether it's cars, furniture, homes, etc. Financing something doesn't mean you can't afford it, imo. Maybe you can't afford the up front cost and so financing makes it affordable for one's budget.

Bingo!!!

Let me ask this.

When "you" bought your car, did you write a check for it? When "you" bought your home, did you pay cash?

No?

Then you shouldn't have bought it as you obviously can't afford it.


That's the attitude of some people.
 

BreakingKayfabe

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I don’t see any downside to making monthly payments on devices nor look down on those that do. But if carriers start charging interest on monthly payments and people sign up, that’s when I will judge people.
 

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