What We Spend

On another forum, the new iPhones are the biggest topic of conversation.

The new "X" is $1150.00.

I understand that to someone that is willing to spend that money for the phone, it's more of a hobby, it's what they enjoy spending their money on. One member explained that he loves ordering a new phone, waiting for it, tracking the shipment, leaving early for work when it arrives, un-boxing it, pulling the clear plastic off the new screen......

Kinda sounds familiar, don't it? Ordering some thing you're excited about. Tracking the shipment. Opening the box like a kid on Christmas.......

Still, $1150 for a phone?

Hmm, here in the EU, the 256Gb version of the iPhone X costs more than $1600 :doh:

$1,150.00 is a new set of PP tires. Good ones, too.

Never understood the infatuation with phones or sneakers. As long as it makes calls I am good. That's what it's for.

Kong76 said:

Never understood the infatuation with phones or sneakers. As long as it makes calls I am good. That's what it's for.

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Like how a car is just a way to get to point a to b to some people. That's what it's for.

You can't really put a cost on a passion or hobby. People who aren't into won't understand. Just like people who collect guns, watches, art, etc.

Lol and I still have my LG G3 from July 2014.

Understanding a passion vs irresponsibly spending over your means to make a material statement are very much clouded. A part time 20hr/week barista who spends more time protesting big business than working has no reason to buy a $1,000 phone...manufactured by one of the biggest and wealthiest businesses in the world.

nastang87xx said:

Understanding a passion vs irresponsibly spending over your means to make a material statement are very much clouded. A part time 20hr/week barista who spends more time protesting big business than working has no reason to buy a $1,000 phone...manufactured by one of the biggest and wealthiest businesses in the world.

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This.

I almost shit a brick when I found out the cost of my new Pixel XL. I can afford it, but there's little to no chance I would have actually sprung for it without my employer's subsidy that covers it (we need and use them in the field). I can think of many, many other things to spend that kind of money on.

It's idiotic, IMO.

FWIW, it seems like they purposely inflated the cost of that phone to drive down demand but also lessen the manufacturing strain for the 8 at the same time.

Also, if you don't like it. Don't buy it.

Easy as that.

I am about to finally upgrade old faithful. But know after seeing this post. Never Mind!

nastang87xx said:

Understanding a passion vs irresponsibly spending over your means to make a material statement are very much clouded. A part time 20hr/week barista who spends more time protesting big business than working has no reason to buy a $1,000 phone...manufactured by one of the biggest and wealthiest businesses in the world.

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Thats the american society today, people who cant afford these phones will buy it and be driving in a $500 car. Or be on food stamps/welfare.

While I agree that a $1k phone is borderline absurd (especially as differences in models become smaller each year), you have to remember that for the majority of the population, the phone is one of the few things that gets used many times per day, every day. Most people wouldn't think twice about dropping $1000 for a TV, and that doesn't travel with them all day.

I personally keep phones for 4 years or so - at that rate, $1000 seems reasonable. With that said, we know very well that many people rushing to buy the X also rushed out last year to buy the 7 for only a couple hundred less.

Two things. New tech is expensive to produce. And these cell phone manufacturers know you will pay a premium for it.

Phones aren't just phones these days. They are mini super computers. They are bank/credit cards. They are calculators. They are super cameras. Pretty much a jack of all trades, master of none type of thing. As long as the battery lasts for 2-3 years, a nice phone is worth it.

I'll bite

We've an Apple house - you won't find a PC here other then a spare Macbook Pro I have Windows installed on for testing / now screwing around with programming the Mustang. Airport Expresses control the in-wall speakers of the house; each TV has an Apple TV, we both have Macbook Pros (I have 2), we both have iPhones, we both have Apple Watches. Backups go to an Apple Time Capsule and that also controls wifi in general for the house.

I'm the guy that'll wake up at 3am on pre-order day and order a new phone or whatever came out. Or go stand in line waiting for one if I feel like it.

I'm not ordering an iPhone X this year. Our Apple Watches are Series 1 (first gen) and now that Apple Watch can take and make calls without the iPhone, we're upgrading our watches this year. How many times should I not have my phone on me but my watch is fine? Cutting the grass, blowing snow, working on the car, working on the house, on vacation sitting by / in a pool, etc... New watches this year are a no brainer for us.

So $430 for mine (42mm with cellular) and $400 for hers (38mm with cellular) puts me around 900 with tax and crap. I'm not going to spend another 2 grand on 2 new phones, every year. This rat race for the latest and greatest ends for me. Not that I can't do it - I don't want to do it.

Maybe (probably) next year we'll get new phones; by then my contract with T-Mobile will be done and I'll switch to Apple's Lease Program or go back to ATT (F' Verizon) but I very rarely leave the house without a laptop now a days just in case; and I don't need to carry a phone that costs almost as much as my laptop.

The people that complain that people with part time jobs shouldn't buy 1000 phones; don't judge. I'm sure there are members here with part time jobs or not big corporate jobs who spend money on rims or wraps or whatever. It's a Mustang; it looks good / performs good right out the showroom - it doesn't need to be changed. But we / people do because that's what we enjoy. People enjoy the latest and greatest Phone - or they need it (for app testing / developers).

NoVaGT said:

On another forum, the new iPhones are the biggest topic of conversation.

The new "X" is $1150.00.

I understand that to someone that is willing to spend that money for the phone, it's more of a hobby, it's what they enjoy spending their money on. One member explained that he loves ordering a new phone, waiting for it, tracking the shipment, leaving early for work when it arrives, un-boxing it, pulling the clear plastic off the new screen......

Kinda sounds familiar, don't it? Ordering some thing you're excited about. Tracking the shipment. Opening the box like a kid on Christmas.......

Still, $1150 for a phone?

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That's just the off contract outright cost to buy the phone. On a 2 year contract depending on contract type and and hardware credits you get that number comes down substantially.

For example I just got a galaxy s8 in June. Off contract proce the phone is $1080(cdn). I got it for 299$ on a 2 year contract and received a 170$ hardware credit and another 40$ credit for signing onto a new 2 year contract. So in the end the 1080$ phone only cost me 89$. This is in Canada with Rogers.