Apple Abandons the Mass Market, as the iPhone Turns Luxury

Shhh! We're not supposed to talk about the increasing and all encompassing power of the rich!

I swear Apple's just pushing the price up and up, seeing how far they can push their brainless, sheepish customers. At some point people have to snap, no? Although I suppose we should never underestimate the stupidity of the American people...just look at who our president is.

And as their prices go up, their stock plummets. Enjoy!

This is a golden opportunity for a couple of engineers to create a product that's decent enough to capture the lower end of the market, with a differnt OS altogether.

It's a cult. Nothing more.

What R4 said.

Also, I have never had an iPhone that didn't start acting out after a year or so. If something is expensive it should guarantee quality.

That's what Android is all about, r4. There are a huge range of products to suit every budget. Remember, Android is 3/4 of the world's market share.

Shoot me in the fucking head if you ever see me pay a grand for a PHONE! I can get 4-5 perfectly capable Androids for that price.

A $1000 phone with no headphone jack.

I love iPhones but $1000 is ridiculous. After two years and battery replacement, my 6s just can’t keep its charge all day. I may consider an android

My Macbook Pro didn't even cost me a grand. Ludicrous.

Eh. They are basically computers now. The way people constantly stare at them now, a grand seems sort of low.

Uh, for something sold with planned obsolescence built in, a grand seems quite high. Fuck Apple.

Apple programs the rich to feel insulated and special and protected from the otherwise obsolete world with all of it's declasse evils.

It's a smart business move. And anyway, they've always been more expensive than others.

Apple trails Samsung and Huawei in worldwide phone sales.

Never thought of their products as mass market, not in the Walmart sense anyway.

Status symbol.

r15 it is for the US, but maybe not worldwide. Other companies, especially in places like Asia, might be able to build brand loyalty with up & coming creative/professional classes in emerging markets.

At to that the power throttling & planned obsolescence, and they might be shooting themselves in the foot.

Smug owners will make the robbers take pleasure in cracking them upside the head to take away the iPhones.

[quote]And as their prices go up, their stock plummets. Enjoy!

I will! Good time to buy some apple stock.

Good! I would never want to have the same phone as someone who is beneath me.

Anyone who pays more than $200 for a phone is fucking retarded.

If all you shitheads refused to pay such disgusting prices, then the companies wouldn't charge so fucking much!

Do iPhone users really walk around feeling smug about their phones? Because whenever I see someone carrying the "latest and greatest" iPhone I just think to myself, "SUCKERRRR!" And don't even get me started on what I think whenever I see some stupid douchebag/twat wearing an Apple watch. Yea, they're status symbols alright...but it's not the status you're apparently thinking.

Why Apple comes out with a new iPhone every year is silly. The minor upgrades are not enough reason to keep buying one.

R23, $200 seems really cheap for a phone. I can’t imagine you will have a very good camera at that price. My iPhone takes amazing photos.

Yes, I love apple (the watch is fantastic too), but I don’t view it as a “status symbol.” I just like the products.

Not just bitches, but raving bitches, not just raving, but dumb:

iPhone 7 (still available from Apple) = $449.00 iPhone XR = $749.00 (or $37.41 a month) Samsung Galaxy S9 = $789! (Best Buy)

You were saying...?

Wonderful. Another clueless Apple hater thread.

R21. Without a doubt. It’s never been a better opportunity.

Apple products are unwieldy. In the days of mp3 players, for example, ipods were MUCH more difficult to navigate, AND the playback quality sucked (I won't even go into their constant problems of 'freezing up'. Sony's walkman was/is far superior to theipod in each of the areas mentioned.

I bought a refurbished iPhone 7 for $375 this summer to replace my 6 from 2015 that could no longer get any cell signal. The 6 still works on WiFi so it’s a useful spare device. I also have a refurbished iPad 4 that I got for around $150 to replace a dead iPad 1 from 2010. I also have a MacMini that I bought new in 2010 as my cord-cutting Media Center - it’s plugged straight into my cheap-but-perfectly decent Vizio HDTV and I use it for streaming and music and as a mothership for the iGear and control it with an iPhone app.

I also have a second MacMini for work stuff that I bought refurbished in 2014 for a bit less than $500 to replace my nearly-dead MacBook. The Media machine is still running El Capitan OS and the business machine is running Mountain Lion which spares me having to pay for useless software upgrades. They both work fine but are probably slightly slower than their newer counterparts but not enough to really matter. It’s all backed up so even though Apple doesn’t support it anymore I can recover from a crash which I had to do once and it’s all fine.

I like that all my machines automatically talk to one another and I can bounce between all 4 depending on where I am/what I’m doing. I’ve used Apple my entire computing life back to 1992 when I had a Mac LCII. You can use them and not spend a ton and because you genuinely like the ecosystem, not because you’re to try to impress the poors. But refurbished is the way to go, I’ve never been disappointed and have saved thousands.

[quote]Without a doubt. It’s never been a better opportunity.

Really? Never?

[quote]Smug owners will make the robbers take pleasure in cracking them upside the head to take away the iPhones.

Fat lot of good that will do them, given that the phones are now lockable and trackable.

[QUOTE]Apple products are unwieldy. In the days of mp3 players, for example, ipods were MUCH more difficult to navigate, AND the playback quality sucked (I won't even go into their constant problems of 'freezing up'. Sony's walkman was/is far superior to theipod in each of the areas mentioned.

This might be the most ridiculous anti-Apple post yet. The Walkman was better than the iPod? 😂 Are you guys trolling?

[QUOTE]iPhone 7 (still available from Apple) = $449.00 iPhone XR = $749.00 (or $37.41 a month) Samsung Galaxy S9 = $789! (Best Buy)

[QUOTE]You were saying...?

Nonsense, R27. You must pay $1,000 to get an iPhone according to DL. Apple has abandoned the mass market.

R35 Well you must pay 1000$ to get the latest IPhone. It doesn't really make sense to compare an old IPhone model with the newest Samsung.

No, the latest iPhone (in every sense of the word) is the iPhone XR for $749.

Apple is bad because it’s too expensive. IKEA is bad cuz it’s too cheap. People are pissed cuz fuck b take home leftovers from expensive restaurants. Folgers is too cheap while Starbucks coffee is priced perfectly. Don’t think we’ll get any consistency here.

[QUOTE]Well you must pay 1000$ to get the latest IPhone. It doesn't really make sense to compare an old IPhone model with the newest Samsung.

And how much does the newest Samsung cost?

R39 I got the newest Samsung for 499$ on EBay two months ago. Not refurbished - new.

How much is Samsung selling it for?

There are two kinds of people. Those who can afford Apple, and everyone else.

[QUOTE]There are two kinds of people. Those who can afford Apple, and everyone else.

Everyone can afford Apple.

[QUOTE]Anyone who pays more than $200 for a phone is fucking retarded.

They’re not “phones,” you nitwit. These are pocket computers. I often run my small business from my iPhone 8 Plus when I’m out on the go. These are machines more powerful than desktop computers from a few years ago, yet with no fan, no motherboard. They fit IN YOUR POCKET! It’s fucking amazing. Why should they not cost more than $200? You cheapskate. Leave it up to you and we’d never make any technological progress because you don’t want to pay for it. Early adopters like me who gave these companies a good return on investment are the only reason why you can get an inexpensive smartphone now. You’re welcome!

Have to agree with R44 that Smartphones are amazing little computers. I usually used my laptop for all media and work stuff. The last couple of years I find myself using my laptop less and less in my private time. I often only use my laptop for media stuff (aka porn) or writing long letters/papers etc. and I only watch porn on my laptop bc my phone was hacked after visiting a porn site. Everything else - smartphone.

1000$ is still too much for a phone with a very limited life span.

In other news, laptops cost more than desktops. Even at Walmart! Oh the humanity!

Anyone who pays more than $400 for a laptop is fucking retarded.

The people I know who are obsessed with Apple phones/watches are the insufferable basic bitches who use it as status symbols, and apart from silly bullshit like animojis, a $200 phone performs the same functions as a $1000 one.

Oh for fuck sake if you don’t want to buy an iPhone then don’t.

[QUOTE]The people I know who are obsessed with Apple phones/watches are the insufferable basic bitches who use it as status symbols, and apart from silly bullshit like animojis, a $200 phone performs the same functions as a $1000 one.

The only reason a $200 smartphone even exists is because of all the people who bought the expensive ones that preceded them. You cheap fucks love to act like those prices just magically came down for no reason. The technology inside these products was the same tech inside the expensive smartphones you were complaining about years ago! We bought it, kept the smartphone market flourishing by increasing scale which lowered the cost of production and now you cheapskates sit up there holier than thou bragging about your $200 smartphones. They didn’t just come from fucking nowhere!! You sat on your asses using that old Motorola Razr and waited until the fruits of our labor finally reached the bottom shelf at Walmart.

The people who buy expensive smartphones are the reason why you have cheap smartphones today!

I've had two Androids over the last six years, both of which were a fraction of the cost of an iPhone and which have lasted longer than an iPhone does. I can tell the graphics and video aren't as good as an iPhone, but for the price and longevity, I cannot imagine buying an iPhone over a comparable Android.

[quote]We bought it, kept the smartphone market flourishing by increasing scale which lowered the cost of production

Truly, you are a hero and a legend.

R50, bitch please! I'd rather still be communicating through smoke signals than be thankful to early adopters aka status obsessed, basic bitches who are willing to spend thousands on a phone, not because they know or care about it's technological advances, but just because they think that having an expensive phone makes them "fabulous".

[QUOTE]I've had two Androids over the last six years, both of which were a fraction of the cost of an iPhone and which have lasted longer than an iPhone does.

According to who? I have an iPhone 6 that used to be my main phone and has now become a secondary device, yet still works over four years after I purchased it. So it’s outlasted both of your little Droidy phones.

The new Minis are sexy.

[quote]The Walkman was better than the iPod?

Sony's mp3 players were also called Walkmans. And they were fucking awesome. They pwned iPods.

[QUOTE]I'd rather still be communicating through smoke signals than be thankful to early adopters

Communicating through smoke signals is exactly what you’d be doing if it wasn’t for us. From expensive flip phones of the 90’s to the iPhone XS Max today, all of the mobile technological progress we’ve made is due to the early adopters you despise so much. We push the world forward and people like you come bringing it up the rear after all the hard work is done, bragging about your cheap wares.

[QUOTE]Sony's mp3 players were also called Walkmans. And they were fucking awesome. They pwned iPods.

Look at this piece of shit. I’m really to believe that this was better than an iPod?

You just bought a very expensive phone R57. Get the fuck over yourself. Buying an overpriced phone does not make you a pioneer.

Call me crazy but I don't see it as a good thing that phones come with cameras nowadays. Not only does it increase the price of the phone, but it is used too often to film or photograph people without their consent. Worst of all, someone could be filming you and unless you could look over their shoulder, you would never know. Fuck the camera.

You would think with the proliferation of affordable tablets, there would be less desire to carry everything on your phone. If "I'm running a small business" or whatever, why not just use a medium sized tablet. As for porn, watching it on a non hands free device on a small screen where it could be interrupted at any time by incoming calls doesn't sound ideal to me, nor does watching anything else on it.

r60 are you a cop?

I had a Sony MP3 player and it was indeed bomb. 50+ hours of playback on one charge. Looked cool, too.

R20 has a point. iphones are the most snatched phone when it comes to robberies on the DC Metro.

[quote]bitch please! I'd rather still be communicating through smoke signals than be thankful to early adopters aka status obsessed, basic bitches who are willing to spend thousands on a phone

Lmfao! Yas!

There was a time when iPhones were markedly better than non-iPhones, but that is no longer the case.

Apple's problem with all their products is that they keep acting like there's a real difference in quality and usability and there is not.

Are these telephones for colored people?

My first one lasted five years, R54. Did that not occur to you? Math is tricky, I know.

My 5 year old IPhone works perfectly fine for my needs.

The phone is old. The glass is cracked a bit. So obviously I'm not interested in status.

I'll buy a new phone when it dies and it will be another IPhone.

I'll buy an IPhone because I've found it to be a well designed reliable product. I'm not interested in impressing anyone with my purchase.

Apple needs to bring out something actually new and exciting to justify the price if they want to keep the middle-income market, IMO. I could have bought a new one every rotation (or "upgraded" aka lease a new phone forever), but haven't been excited about an iPhone feature since the 5S with TouchID (and now they took it away!!!) so I haven't upgraded since the 6S.

The only thing I'd actually want is water resistance but I'm not shelling out the money for that alone. I was going to this year but they took away TouchID altogether so I refuse. The next phone really needs either an entire design overhaul, glass that doesn't shatter, or some other great design schematic to bring me back in. Or TouchID with the FaceID.

What basically boils down to "better camera!" isn't worth it to me. If I didn't own a ton of shit through iTunes, I probably would have already tried out a Samsung.

Glass that doesn’t shatter. On what alien planet should Apple retrieve this special glass from? It’s certainly not on earth.

R32 Snort. You got me there. Chuckle.

Aluminum / steel back? Reinforced bezels to lessen drop impact? SOMETHING that isn't "buy a case for $40!"

The iPhone XS is made of glass and stainless steel, which is stronger than aluminum. It’s very durable. I don’t know what more you could possibly want.

[quote]And don't even get me started on what I think whenever I see some stupid douchebag/twat wearing an Apple watch.

I have 20/20 vision and I can barely see a fucking thing on those Apple watches. And why do you need one when you already have a cell phone in your pocket that does all the same stuff? Some people are just sheep.

Iphones are horrible but MacOS is by far the best operating system that I've ever had in my life. I'm still using a 10 year old Imac and it works pretty well with the latest OS. Iphones on the other hand are horrible and you are locked with their lame apps, Android is way freer and better.

[QUOTE]I have 20/20 vision and I can barely see a fucking thing on those Apple watches.

You might need a second opinion. If you can’t read an Apple Watch screen then you damn sure don’t have 20/20 vision.

R74 You can’t read anything on the new Apple Watch Series 4 but have 20/20 Vision? I think you might need a new eye exam. The display is huge and very sharp. Please STFU.

Oh it’s so small.

R74-- as with your phone, there's a setting on your Watch to make the type bigger

These posters with their hate of Apple seem mentally ill. I track my workouts with my Apple Watch so actually there is something I can do with my watch that I can’t do with my phone. I like to see what my heart rate is while lifting weights and running on the treadmill. I previously used a Samsung Gear Sport and the Apple Watch Series 4 is much more accurate at tracking my gym workouts in terms of heart rate accuracy.

[quote]Apple trails Samsung and Huawei in worldwide phone sales.

And yet Samsung and Huawei trail Apple badly in phone sale profits. Apple has always been about profit, not marketshare.

Awww R58/R62. All this talk of mp3 players is making me nostalgic for my old media-playing devices.

I had like three CREATIVEs back in HS. Admittedly their software was glitchy af and uploading anything onto them took fucking forever, but I still liked them better than copy-protected endless-scroll iPods (I had one iPod that died after a light fall to a carpet floor, and I did not mourn it).

As a teen I remember I carried the cheap little CREATIVE NANO+ everywhere in my pocket ready for listening to my favorite tracks/singles out & about (running, riding public transport or whatnot), and the bigger touchscreen MX to watch MP4 or listen to albums (of whatever I had Lim e wir ed that week) when stationary/at my desk. Back then I only used my cellphone, an early touch LG or Samsung iirc, for texts & photos. I loved the simple life.

[quote]Apple has always been about profit, not marketshare.

Translation: Shit's overpriced.

R86. You type poor.

r86 is the voice of reason, r87. You STFU. ^^^^^

R88 oh my sides...

If only you knew how wrong you are, R87.

I could buy hundreds of thousand-dollar iPhones, but I don't even want one. Because I'm not stupid. It's not about being rich or poor, it's about whether or not you're a sucker. Also I should point out that many rich people are rich because they DON'T frivolously waste money on stupid shit, and many poor people are poor because they do. But by all means, keep that nose up in the air!

[quote]it's about whether or not you're a sucker.

I've had very good and long service from my Iphone. And I appreciate it's design, graphics, ease of use and the fact that it works seamlessly with my Mac computer.

My phone, as I wrote above, is 5 years old as is my Mac book... which I use heavily for work every day. In 5 years it has been absolutely trouble free. And I find the design pleasing.

Sucker? I think I made a very good investment with these products. And I'll stay loyal to the brand.

And one other thing: my Mac book is still in great condition. I wonder how it's resale value has held up compared to other similar computers. My guess is that it's with more and would be easier to sell.

Five years ago Apple wasn't charging $1000 for their phones.

*worth more

I don't need or want a large size phone...I find them cumbersome ... so I'd go for a less expensive model. But it will definitely be an IPhone after my positive experience with my current one.

I'm happy to see that the company makes a top-of-the-line model but no one is forcing me to buy it.

Sorry I should have signed that: R92

I got my lovely Nokia 7 Plus for less than $600 CAD.

Nokia is back.

[quote]These posters with their hate of Apple seem mentally ill. I track my workouts with my Apple Watch so actually there is something I can do with my watch that I can’t do with my phone. I like to see what my heart rate is while lifting weights and running on the treadmill. I previously used a Samsung Gear Sport and the Apple Watch Series 4 is much more accurate at tracking my gym workouts in terms of heart rate accuracy.

You seem a bit OCD.

[quote]Do iPhone users really walk around feeling smug about their phones?

I think most of them are.

My douchetwink nephew (he's not buff or popular enough to be a douchebro) actually BRAGGED to me and my parents (his grandparents) that he spent $1k on his iPhone Red. He thought we'd be impressed, the fucking dumbass!

I love all the people on here with 5-10 yr old devices acting like martyrs because they don’t upgrade regularly. Bottom line I prefer to have a new phone every couple of years. You aren’t better than us because you’re using a Nokia from 1995. I like to take high quality pictures of my pups, niece and nephew, shoot me.

[quote]I love all the people on here with 5-10 yr old devices acting like martyrs because they don’t upgrade regularly.

Acting like a martyr? Because I carry a 5 year old IPhone?

I'm happy with my phone. I could not care less about what others think. Use a pay phone for all I care.

[quote]Do iPhone users really walk around feeling smug about their phones?

Smug? Maybe they're people that just like their phones.

Anyway...why care about other people's possessions?

[quote]shoot me.

When and where?