Will you pay a premium for an iPhone 8 (X)?

I'm sure the most profitable in dollar volume on Earth, but not the most profitable in profit margin.
Few companies consistently do a better job of squeezing money out of their customers. They also seem to rank highest among companies who sell their product to customers who can't afford them.
 
Consumer Reports has analyzed repair costs for the Apple iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ (?) and come up with the following graphic comparing the two:
Are they really comparing the screen on an iPhone 8 with that of a S8+??? The iPhone 8 screen is relatively puny in comparison to the S8 and the S8 is AMOLED.

Shame!

I think Consumer Reports has been smoking some old USB keys or something.
 
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They also seem to rank highest among companies who sell their product to customers who can't afford them.

I hope we never get to a point where some kid salesman has to do a financial background check on the buyer before he is allowed to sell us an iphone. It's none of their business what I can afford or not unless it's a lease where the company has to take the risk I can make the payments.
 
I hope we never get to a point where some kid salesman has to do a financial background check on the buyer before he is allowed to sell us an iphone.
I think we're already past that point. When you see a 12 year old with a Plus phone, you can pretty much bet something isn't right. I think I read the other day that 25% of those aged 6 now have a smart phone.

If iDevices didn't require taking out some sort of loan to acquire, I could maybe see your argument but are iPhones or iWatches really a basic need? I see them more like status symbols.

Even Apple Investors Know Kids Suffer From iPhone Addiction

Maybe we don't need to worry as much about weapons and worry a whole lot more about how smart phones and social media are impacting ourselves and our children.
 
I know this will sound far-fetched and craaaaazyyyyy, but I'm going to guess ... the kid's parents 'bought' the phone ;)
I recently asked that question of a tot who had a smart phone and the answer was the grandparents (both sets).

Then there are the split families where there's bidding for the child's favor going on. The goodies don't always come from the custodians but the custodians are the ones that have to pick up the pieces.
 
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I think we're already past that point. When you see a 12 year old with a Plus phone, you can pretty much bet something isn't right. I think I read the other day that 25% of those aged 6 now have a smart phone.
How's that? I gave both my older 2 kids Plus phones when the 6Plus came out, my daughter was 14, but the boy was 12 at the time.

The reason, it was because they used them pretty much as mini-tablet, so the Plus gave them the room to work with.

They youngest boy though, got an ipad, as he had no need for phone functionality. But in a few years, I'll probably get him a phone, and it'll likely be a Plus one for the realestate.

I do agree that a 6 year old has no need for a phone, and neither of the older kids got one until they were at least 12.
 
I recently asked that question of a tot who had a smart phone and the answer was the grandparents (both sets).

Then there are the split families where there's bidding for the child's favor going on. The goodies don't always come from the custodians but the custodians are the ones that have to pick up the pieces.
Split families is actually a good reason for a kid to have a phone. That way the non-custodial parent can communicate with the child without going through the other parent.

That's one of the few times I think a really young child should have one.
 
In 3-4 months I guess we’re going to be asking how MUCH of a premium will we be paying for an iPhone Next.

Speculation is rampant. And I’ll admit, I’m eating it up. I just wish I could get one before my August trip to MN for a family reunion with people I’ve never met.
 
Split families is actually a good reason for a kid to have a phone. That way the non-custodial parent can communicate with the child without going through the other parent.
But does it really need to be a several hundred dollar smart phone or would a burner phone not work just as well?
 
In 3-4 months I guess we’re going to be asking how MUCH of a premium will we be paying for an iPhone Next.

Speculation is rampant. And I’ll admit, I’m eating it up. I just wish I could get one before my August trip to MN for a family reunion with people I’ve never met.

I still am incredibly skeptical of face id, and can't say I am at all excited about the likely price tag for a plus-sized XI. And I doubt I'd ever go back to a device smaller than my 8 plus.
 
Split families is actually a good reason for a kid to have a phone. That way the non-custodial parent can communicate with the child without going through the other parent.

That's one of the few times I think a really young child should have one.


My last cruise that was mostly Californians from the San Francisco area, the kids on the ship all had their own iphones. Most of them had Apple watches too. There were more Apple watches on that cruise ship than any prior cruise I had been on. I never asked any of them why they had their 12 year old have an Apple watch but your explanation might well be the reason. Parents with means can keep track of their kids as long as they have the Apple watch3 on. BTW- they work for tracking without having the iphone within BT range.

The cost is relative to inflation. I believe we are going to experience some severe inflation in the next 2 years due to the economic growth world wide in the developed countries. As a retired person I worry about inflation as much as the battery life of my pacemaker. You don't NEED to upgrade your iphone to the latest one out every year. However, what you have may become less functional as the new OSx gets released. My 6+ runs at about 30% of the speed it did when I first got it. I'm on my second battery so it's good on battery life but I notice the slow down in performance, especially with launching a different app not already loaded. Do I need a new iphone X+ now. No, but if the price is within what I am willing to spend, then I will go for it.

Face ID doesn't bother me because I understand it uses 3D mapping points and still has the key code backup.
 
I’m on my third iPhone 6+ battery. And I’ll put a fourth in it before I pass it to my MiL this fall.

It certainly runs slower, but I have no idea by how much. I finally realized some automiscorrect actions that I wondered if were done after I hit Send, were actually just slow to display, so I missed them until I read the original post.

I have T-Mobile, which uses band 12. The 6+ does not support band 12. My coverage is normally fine, but there are times I lose it. Getting 12 will help, a lot. And I want band 71 for some degree of future proofing.

Otherwise, I’d live with the poor battery. I’ve learned to drive with it plugged in when using Waze and Pandora. Sometimes I plug it in at my desk.

I’d like to get five years out of the next one- but that’s probably dreaming. After five years, I’ll probably be looking into a watch or such, for health reasons. And that phone/watch/health monitor will likely be bought as a package deal. Maybe specially designed for each other. I expect some future monitors- err, “watches” - will need an advanced phone, with limited use on older phone models. An incentive to upgrade.
 
My last cruise that was mostly Californians from the San Francisco area, the kids on the ship all had their own iphones. Most of them had Apple watches too. There were more Apple watches on that cruise ship than any prior cruise I had been on.
Is the point of a family vacation to get away from your family?
The cost is relative to inflation. I believe we are going to experience some severe inflation in the next 2 years due to the economic growth world wide in the developed countries.
Speaking of the Bay Area, my sister tells me that in San Mateo (South Bay) that a household income below somehwere around $107,000 is considered "low-income" and may qualify you for gubmint programs. What elderly neighbors she has are all living on reverse mortgages. Who says you can't take it with you?
 
Is the point of a family vacation to get away from your family? Speaking of the Bay Area, my sister tells me that in San Mateo (South Bay) that a household income below somehwere around $107,000 is considered "low-income" and may qualify you for gubmint programs. What elderly neighbors she has are all living on reverse mortgages. Who says you can't take it with you?

I don't know what you mean about family vacations but I can tell you that the ships all seem to have activities for kids. Disney cruise ship is the best but so was Princess with their special places for teens only, educational playgrounds with teachers to guide them through all sorts of Disney like rides and games.

As for communications, Princess has an internal messaging service that allows you to connect with your other smart phone family and friends, locate where they are on the ship and text back and forth. While Princess internet was really slow and not what they advertised, the communications was really well designed and was free.


I'm not a candidate for reverse mortgage. Don't need the money. My kids are well on their own now so I have set up private school funding and college as long as they go to a local economical school.
 
I suspect not many will go for a reverse mortgage if they do a decent amount of research.

Our goal is to live in this home as long as possible. But if the finances don’t stay solid, we will move where we must to keep on budget. JAX, Pensacola or some spots in the Carolinas or WV come to mind.
 
I suspect not many will go for a reverse mortgage if they do a decent amount of research.
Obviously you don't understand what it is to live in a place where an $100,000 annual income is
likely to have you living in something that has wheels under it (and there aren't any trailer parks).

Imagine paying $4,000+ a month on a 1,200sq ft house.
 
I don't know what you mean about family vacations but I can tell you that the ships all seem to have activities for kids.
I made the flawed assumption that family vacations are a time for the family to do things together. What you describe sounds more like summer camp where your parents/offspring are less than a few hundred yards away.
 
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