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Foxbat
Foxbat
Supporting Founder Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Phone & Tablet Zone

Can’t Afford to Buy a New iPhone? Apple and Klarna will Lease you One Instead

Apple is partnering with Klarna to make it easier for more customers to use Apple's latest technology. Instead of buying your new iPhone outright, or paying monthly in installments, Apple will lease you a new iPhone for less money per month.

After the 12-month (or 24 or 36) lease period is up, return the old phone and get the new one, with possibly the same lease amount. If you want to keep the same phone, you can continue to pay the monthly rent, but if the new phone is the same price, why wouldn't you want the new shiny?
www.apple.com

Apple Upgrade - Lease iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch

Introducing Apple Upgrade, a new way to always have the Apple products you love. Lease a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch with low monthly payments.
www.apple.com
I am not the target audience for this, but I wonder how many people will do this instead of buying? Also, I'm sure the Carriers who subsidize their services with iPhones may not like it if users don't lock themselves in to their contracts.

I'll be curious to see how popular this is (plus, will Apple be open about their numbers) and will this open up a whole new round of more expensive phones since the lease is available to bring users in at a lower price point.

Also, I should point out that this isn't just for iPhones, but Macs, Apple Watches, and iPads, too. We have Software as a Service, so why not Hardware as a Service, too?
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Juan
Juan
Foxbat said:
Apple is partnering with Klarna to make it easier for more customers to use Apple's latest technology. Instead of buying your new iPhone outright, or paying monthly in installments, Apple will lease you a new iPhone for less money per month.

After the 12-month (or 24 or 36) lease period is up, return the old phone and get the new one, with possibly the same lease amount. If you want to keep the same phone, you can continue to pay the monthly rent, but if the new phone is the same price, why wouldn't you want the new shiny?
www.apple.com

Apple Upgrade - Lease iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch

Introducing Apple Upgrade, a new way to always have the Apple products you love. Lease a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch with low monthly payments.
www.apple.com
I am not the target audience for this, but I wonder how many people will do this instead of buying? Also, I'm sure the Carriers who subsidize their services with iPhones may not like it if users don't lock themselves in to their contracts.

I'll be curious to see how popular this is (plus, will Apple be open about their numbers) and will this open up a whole new round of more expensive phones since the lease is available to bring users in at a lower price point.

Also, I should point out that this isn't just for iPhones, but Macs, Apple Watches, and iPads, too. We have Software as a Service, so why not Hardware as a Service, too?
Click to expand...
Is it rent to own? Because if it isnt that's a huge scam
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comfortably_numb
comfortably_numb
Juan said:
Is it rent to own? Because if it isnt that's a huge scam
Click to expand...

There's a buyout clause, but the default is to send it back after the 12 or 24 months and they send you the next upgrade.
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Juan
Juan
comfortably_numb said:
There's a buyout clause, but the default is to send it back after the 12 or 24 months and they send you the next upgrade.
Click to expand...
But dont u get trade in credit when you buy new?... in otherwords cheap upgrades
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Foxbat
Foxbat
Juan said:
But dont u get trade in credit when you buy new?... in otherwords cheap upgrades
Click to expand...
Like every buying decision, you have to crunch the numbers to decide which method is acceptable for your situation. If you don't mind not owning your phone and paying a fraction of what the normal purchase price would be, maybe it would work out better for you. If you end up with a box full of old cellphones, maybe giving it back at the end of the lease saves you from having the hassle of this clutter.

Me, I trade in. Instead of constantly paying twice to use the phone (one payment for the service, the other to Apple or CC company), it's just the monthly prepaid service fee for me.
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Juan
Juan
Foxbat said:
Like every buying decision, you have to crunch the numbers to decide which method is acceptable for your situation. If you don't mind not owning your phone and paying a fraction of what the normal purchase price would be, maybe it would work out better for you. If you end up with a box full of old cellphones, maybe giving it back at the end of the lease saves you from having the hassle of this clutter.

Me, I trade in. Instead of constantly paying twice to use the phone (one payment for the service, the other to Apple or CC company), it's just the monthly prepaid service fee for me.
Click to expand...
Depends what the lease price is....
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comfortably_numb
comfortably_numb
Juan said:
Depends what the lease price is....
Click to expand...

The terms are pretty clear if you read the link.
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Juan
Juan
comfortably_numb said:
The terms are pretty clear if you read the link.
Click to expand...
Right..but compare that to a monthly payment with a credit for an existing phone...it starts looking like a scam...kinda like the way that sprint used to lease phones...or better yet rent a center and their triple the price tv sets...you pay less monthly but your out the door price is horrible
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comfortably_numb
comfortably_numb
Juan said:
it starts looking like a scam
Click to expand...

I don't see any evidence of a scam. Might be a poor financial decision for many, but not a scam. If anything is "scammy" about it, it's the language calling the phones "unlocked," but they aren't really. Even if there's a loophole, the restriction to the Big 3 is shady IMO.
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Juan
Juan
comfortably_numb said:
I don't see any evidence of a scam. Might be a poor financial decision for many, but not a scam. If anything is "scammy" about it, it's the language calling the phones "unlocked," but they aren't really. Even if there's a loophole, the restriction to the Big 3 is shady IMO.
Click to expand...
You have to look at the out the door price...see how much they are overcharging someone who can't afford to just buy a phone...at the end of the rental agreement..is it really cheaper to rent?
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cp2k
cp2k
Juan said:
You have to look at the out the door price...see how much they are overcharging someone who can't afford to just buy a phone...at the end of the rental agreement..is it really cheaper to rent?
Click to expand...

It really doesn't look like they're overcharging. I gave an example earlier of a MacBook Air, but the same can apply to the phone. You pay the lease price for the term you choose (24-36 months) which in all the cases I've looked at so far comes out cheaper than a typical monthly installment arrangement with a carrier. At the end of that you send the phone back and get another one, or you pay the difference between what you've paid already and the original retail price of the phone. If the trade in value is higher than what that lump payment would be you can just pay the lump payment, trade in the device, and go that route if you wish. It doesn't cost any more than a typical carrier installment plan would.

I agree there are better deals to be had on phones than what this offers (IF you have a device that commands a high trade in value), but I think for other devices like MacBook's it's a decent arrangement.
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comfortably_numb
comfortably_numb
Juan said:
at the end of the rental agreement..is it really cheaper to rent?
Click to expand...

As long as you give the device back at the end of the term and it is in "acceptable condition" (subjective) then it would appear to be cheaper.
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EarDemon
EarDemon
In a round about way, I treat my cell phone purchases as a lease. I get new Pixels every year since the Nexus 6 days. I always trade in the previous years model, if the final out the door price after the trade in and 10% id.me discount is lets say $700 for a Pixel Pro XL. In my mind, I'm leasing it for $700/year or around $60/month when broken out and I'll be getting a new one in about 12 months.

I really hate paying for things on a monthly basis, if I can pay for a year or more at a time, I'm happy as a clam. So charge me $700 for a Pixel 11 Pro XL, and I don't have to spend money on hardware for another 12 months until I get the Pixel 12 Pro XL.
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Former member 209992
Former member 209992
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center

Site is slooooow

For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
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Foxbat
Foxbat
Yeah. It's probably something going on with the MacBook as my iPhone has been pretty snappy.
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Scott Greczkowski
Scott Greczkowski
I have been optimizing the site the past few days... and got us here now. :) We are rocking now!

Screenshot 2026-10-15 144737.webp
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Foxbat
Foxbat
Foxbat said:
Yeah. It's probably something going on with the MacBook as my iPhone has been pretty snappy.
Click to expand...
I rebooted my MacBook Air and it's zipping right along. Sorry, but it was taking over 20 seconds to load pages, with the pulsing blue bars so it was munching on something.
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Scott Greczkowski
Scott Greczkowski
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
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Foxbat
Foxbat
Scott Greczkowski said:
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
Click to expand...
WTF… …What the Foxbat!😱
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in Internet Television (IPTV) Discussion Forum

Hughesnet cancelling email addresses

Wasn't exactly sure where to post this. Just had a customer come in inquiring about internet. He has HughesNet and had heard good things about mine. He asked if we provided email addresses and it kinda caught me off guard. I said he should be able to keep whatever email he had been using....my sister in law is still using a BellSouth email addy and they haven't been around here for many years. He said he had gotten a letter from HughesNet stating that they had until Nov 16th to save, move, forward, whatever, their Hughesnet emails because they would lose them after that date.

I have never heard of a company simply mass-deleting email accounts (the customer still has his HughesNet service). From what I understand, in the past, the company who was ditching their email service simply sold the customer base to a company like Google.

Anyone else getting this letter. He said he would show it to me tomorrow when I go out there and set up his internet.
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Foxbat
Foxbat
Doing a Google of the HughesNet Email notice, it seems that HughesNet has been trying to eliminate hosting emails since 2019. And with HughesNet filing Chapter 11 back in August, it would be a smart move to switch to a more stable Email provider. Even AT&T farmed out their Email to Yahoo! years ago.

SpaceX's Starlink and the Cellular 5G Home Internet solutions have pretty much relegated HughesNet and its high latency, low bandwidth Internet service to History. If Earth had shorter days, maybe a Geostationary Internet Solution might have stood a fighting chance…
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Well, I helped him set up a gmail acct....I actually wanted to see what the new process is for setting up a gmail acct since it had been years since I set mine up. Anyway, I showed him how to forward the emails he wanted to keep over.
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navychop
navychop
Foxbat said:
If Earth had shorter days,
Click to expand...

Wouldn't we then die of old age sooner?

🙄
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Foxbat
Foxbat
navychop said:
Wouldn't we then die of old age sooner?

🙄
Click to expand...
Still the same number of years, just more Sunsets…😉
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Man falls to his death on roller coaster at 6 Flags in GA

Can't help but wonder if a worker overlooked checking the harness. I rarely ride a roller coaster anymore but when I do I check the harness myself pretty aggressively.
Can't imagine what the son is going through.

www.dailymail.com

Dad levitated and bled then fell to his death from coaster

Eyewitnesses have shared fresh details of the horrific accident that happened at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday afternoon.
www.dailymail.com www.dailymail.com
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Jimbo
Jimbo
Back on the Goliath Roller Coaster ... I'm interested to find more details as well ...
Like where on the track did this happen (somewhere I read that it was on the climb up the top), which is impossible ...

They really need to take that ride and add at the very least, seatbelts ...

The Park is opening back up on Friday, the ride will Not be opening ... personally, I would keep it closed until different type of restraints can be designed and installed (over the winter).

I find it hard to believe that this ride is even allowed to be running with the restraints that exist at the moment, there are other rides that use the same type and they have been shut down across the country.

You got to believe that every ride has at least 2 types of restraint systems in place.

I wonder what and when we will hear from the Manufacturer ... and whatever governing bodies control these ...

Just think, this is a Major Amusement Park .... I would not have any problem getting on the Roller Coasters I have rode ...

Imagine what these County Fairs and others like them, I would not be caught Dead on one of them ... they get put up and tore down every other week, where is the safety for those rides ... No Thank You.
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Jimbo
Jimbo
bgtsafari.com

Could B&M’s Patent on the “Clamshell” Ride Restraint Design Offer Clues as to What Happened on Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia?

Incredibly sad news out of Six Flags Over Georgia as it’s being reported one man was killed after being ejected from Goliath, the B&M hyper coaster. Many news outlets have posted pictures of pe…
bgtsafari.com bgtsafari.com
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navychop
navychop
Jimbo said:
I would not be caught Dead on one of them
Click to expand...

Yet IF you were on one, you might be caught dead.
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Jimbo said:
bgtsafari.com

Could B&M’s Patent on the “Clamshell” Ride Restraint Design Offer Clues as to What Happened on Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia?

Incredibly sad news out of Six Flags Over Georgia as it’s being reported one man was killed after being ejected from Goliath, the B&M hyper coaster. Many news outlets have posted pictures of pe…
bgtsafari.com bgtsafari.com
Click to expand...
Had no idea there were that many redundancies built into those restraints.
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Jimbo
Jimbo
dishstaller said:
Had no idea there were that many redundancies built into those restraints.
Click to expand...
It makes sense, however, I would want more types of restraints, so if one doesn't work, the other does ... the restraints coming over the shoulder I would have expected ... with a Seat belt as last resort.

Fwiw, I inquired with what they use on Coasters at Cedar Point, various Coasters, different restraints according to what the car and track requires ...

NONE of the Coasters at CP use THAT particular system :)
I'm glad to see ...
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Jimbo said:
with a Seat belt as last resort.
Click to expand...
According to the article, when you see a seat belt on a ride like this, it is basically used as a way of making sure the rider isn't too large/fat to safely ride the ride.
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Ham Radio 2.0
· posted in Ham Radio 2.0

Kenwood TM-D750 vs ICOM ID-5200: Don't Buy One Before Watching This!

Time for another AWESOME video from Ham Radio 2.0!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGlC_BDgwZo


Direct YouTube Link - Kenwood TM-D750 vs ICOM ID-5200: Don't Buy One Before Watching This!
Ham Radio 2.0 Website
Ham Radio 2.0 on Facebook
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H
Houston Rockets
Last reply · posted in FTA Receiver / Equipment Support

OTHER  Mini Multiswitch

I just received 6 receiver 2 port mini Multiswitch and it work great, no external power need it, and you can connect 6 receiver instead of 4 on most Mini Multiswitches... If anyone is interested in where they can get one PM me....
IMG_1786.webp
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Titanium
Titanium
Have you tested using external power? Over the years, have found unpowered polarity switching to be unreliable. Especially problematic when used with DiSEqC motors or switch stacking.
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H
Houston Rockets
No I have not. I just got it the other day and it is connected to six receivers working just fine. What I do is non power mini multi-switches work best with LNBF's and with LNB's
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Tech News Weekly 459

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CELCVXF_wXA


Direct YouTube Link - Tech News Weekly 459
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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TheRatPatrol
TheRatPatrol
Last reply · posted in TV Shows

NCIS

Anyone else watch this show? Any guesses as to what was in the box Gibbs gave to Abby that was on her desk? It look liked it was glowing.

I also heard that someone was leaving the show at the end of this season. Any guesses as to who thats going to be?
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TheRatPatrol
TheRatPatrol
Wait, Tony is the director now? Apologies, I stopped watching a while ago.
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Jimbo
Jimbo
TheRatPatrol said:
Wait, Tony is the director now? Apologies, I stopped watching a while ago.
Click to expand...
Was Gibbs still there when you quit watching ?
If so, A Lot has happened ....

It's been pretty good all along , once you get use to Gibbs being gone.
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Jimbo
Jimbo
Jimbo
Jimbo said:

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BIdMzUBHvjw?feature=share
Click to expand...

Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
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Howard Simmons
Howard Simmons
Jimbo said:
Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
Click to expand...
Tony as the director.🙄
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Jimbo
Jimbo
Howard Simmons said:
Tony as the director.🙄
Click to expand...
Would you rather have LaRoche ???
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iJustine
· posted in iJustine

Meet up in San Francisco! NVIDIA RTX Spark Meet & Greet 10/16!

Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Qd-RuBfiRUM


Direct YouTube Link - Meet up in San Francisco! NVIDIA RTX Spark Meet & Greet 10/16!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Apple's New Smart Home Ecosystem

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VzOS-cQ-WkM


Direct YouTube Link - Apple's New Smart Home Ecosystem
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club

4 ft LED tube bulbs now come with color selector

I bought the fixed color version of these bulbs for my store several years ago...work great and no more replacing ballast. Finally had one go out and when I went back to Amazon I saw that now they come in selectable versions so no more guess work as to what color light would do best in a certain area. They are now double OR single ended...used to be strictly one way or the other. If any of you are looking at replacing the old style 4 or 8 ft bulbs, you might want to give these a try. The 8 footers are BRIGHT. I put 5 in my shooting/target shed and you can get a decent tan if you are in there long enough.

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Foxbat
Foxbat
When we re-lamped my in-Laws' house for sale last year, we were able to get all the Edison bulbs and a few fixtures with switch-selectable Color Temperature. We tried a few and settled on 3000°K as the best fit for the house. Matching the lighting in all the rooms made for an inviting experience. The Shop was the only place that we went with 4000°K for the LED 4' fixtures.

The house was sold within a month of going on the market, so we must have done something right.

The other advantage is if the new owners decide that they prefer a warmer light, they can unscrew the bulbs (I think it was close to 70 bulbs) and set them to the 2500K/2700K settings.

I'll have to check these out. Thanks!
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