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With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

nytimes.com

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Re: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

#681

Post by ixacto »

astura wrote: post #388
Retric wrote: post #367

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can buy insurance, assuming your not losing several phones a year that should not be an issue. PS: Dropping a phone should not destroy it. Over the last 20 years I have never used a case and shattered exactly one screen when fumbling it onto concrete. The new screen was not that expensive.

That's another cost. So on top of the thousand dollar phone I now have to buy ~$150+ in cases (which are dubiously effective) and insurance. Instead I buy a ~$200 phone (which is just as good to me than a $1,000 phone) and when that one breaks I get another ~$200 phone. I don't care about a broken screen though, if the screen cracks then I'll just use it until the phone isn't functional anymore.

Realistically you can just wait like 3-5 months until the price goes down a bit. Got this 128gb iPhone 7 (free unlock from att) for $570 + $10 otterbox deal from amazon + $3 screen protector + sprint 1 year "free" service for $4/mo. So that's 631$ for an iPhone and a year of service..

These phones really aren't that expensive if you look for a deal.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Apple-iPhone-7-128GB-AT-T-Refurbi...

Re: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

#682

Post by devdas »

dogruck wrote: post #664
nto8e90nt3 wrote: post #654

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Instead, the costs have been steadily rising while voters have repeatedly opted not to make changes. Have voters done that, though? I mean look at the trouble Republicans are having repealing the ACA. Voters seem to not want to repeal it. It seems like only the Republican leadership actually wants it repealed. My understanding is that when you ask individual voters of all stripes, they agree that pre-existing condi…

Look at all the congressional seats the Democrats lost (and the POTUS seat) after Obama pushed through his plan. It's always harder to repeal a law, versus blocking it from passing. As soon as a law is passed, it's the new status quo. And recall how close the recent repeal vote was. Why haven't we repealed the laws against weed and poker yet?

Look at all the votes the Democrats lost after a bunch of states effectively blocked blacks and students from voting.

Re: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

#684

Post by notfromhere »

khalilravanna wrote: post #567
grecy wrote: post #469

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> US has the cheapest iPhone It is interesting to note among Developed countries, the US has the cheapest everything . Cars, computers, building materials, clothes, TVs. You name it, it is cheapest in the USA. It is interesting to note this is because people in the US have much less disposable income than people in other developed countries. Companies can charge higher prices in other developed countries because peop…

"It is interesting to note this is because people in the US have much less disposable income than people in other developed countries." Is this a commonly known thing? First I've heard it. I would have figured it would be the opposite given our overall tax rate compared to somewhere like Sweden is infinitesimally smaller. Can you point to some analysis/citations for this? It does seem to make sense in my mind as, ane…

It's not true at all. Things are cheaper in the US because it doesn't have high sales taxes and the huge order sizes means its cheaper

Re: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

#685

Post by photojosh »

ianai wrote: post #45
nikofeyn wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

as a user of both windows and mac os x, what do you truly like about mac os x that you prefer it so heavily over windows?

For one, Mac OS does multiple displays and DPIs right. The trackpad is also solid. Plus the unix stuff that's always been there and isn't some subsystem only available with certain versions of windows. Also, the boot up and sign in process sucks in Windows vs Mac. Once I'm given a mouse cursor post-signon I'm ready to go in Mac OS. With Windows, I've got to wait for the AV to load up and do it's "routine". Then there…

Oh yes. I've had my internal 15" MBP display, an external 4K (so hi-DPI) and a 1080p TV via HDMI, and it all just works.

Re: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

#686

Post by scottmf »

virmundi wrote: post #652
PaulRobinson wrote: post #503

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because in most of Europe, sales tax (which therefore is added onto the purchase of your new iPhone), will in some part go towards the funding of universal coverage free-at-point-of-use healthcare. In the US you get your phone cheaper. But you buy your healthcare. Most Europeans would prefer to pay more for their phone and know everybody in their neighbourhood gets free medical for life in return.

Before the ACA a family of 4 could get health insurance from the private market for 350 a month or 4200 a year and it's tax deductible. In Germany, a family of 4 making 75k$ a year pay 7.5% or 5,625$. The US system was cheaper and comparable. Now it's dramatically more expensive for the same cost. All we got from the government is expense. This is why many here are not pro-single payer.

You can't make comparisons like that.

Take a look at the U.S. public healthcare expenditure per capita. It's higher than countries like the U.K. (with fully tax-funded healthcare), probably even Germany. And that's before accounting for private funds.

Again your example is a poor way of comparing things, but you didn't even factor in how much you pay towards Medicare/Medicaid.

Last time I checked, in the UK I pay less towards the NHS and the best private health insurance I could find, combined, than I'd be paying in the U.S. in taxation towards healthcare alone.

All these comparisons between the US and Europe regarding healthcare are useless. The common suggestion that the US would need a 20% VAT or higher income tax to afford universal healthcare is absolutely false.

Re: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

#687

Post by dkonofalski »

kobeya wrote: post #657
dkonofalski wrote: post #651

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not hogwash when actual, documented cases exist of people not going to the emergency room for fear of being crushed to death by the debt from an ER visit. And COBRA doesn't just give you free insurance for 18 months, you have to pay the full premium for it. If you're unemployed, how in the hell do you expect to pay the full premium as opposed to the premium that you were paying before that was subsidized by your…

> You've clearly never, ever been in a position where money was an issue for you. I have.

Oh, ok. /s

If you had been, you wouldn't be handwaving away legitimate concerns over the system of healthcare. Considering you didn't even address any of the points I mentioned, I have a feeling you have no response.

Re: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

#688

Post by SOLAR_FIELDS »

TCM wrote: post #514
xutopia wrote: post #510

No one has mentioned the possibility of using UCB-C as a docking station. Phones are already powerful enough for the kind of work an executive does (email, word processing, spreadsheet). Now if their computer is in their pocket and they can plug into any screen at all they don't need a computer at all. The progression of the smartphone is evidently to replace the personal computer and the iPhone X should be a step in…

I think the iPad pro is more targeted for the kind of work that an executive does. Docking stations / plugging into any screens don't seem like something that has been well thought out and I don't think that Apple's strategy right now is to market to that kind of audience.

It's sad that Windows totally had the opportunity to own and drive that kind of market but it never worked out for them.

Re: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

#689

Post by remir »

samat wrote: post #428
mattmanser wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had nexuses for the last 5 years and have been very happy and certainly not spent the sums you're alluding to. Unfortunately the nexus is now no more, it's the Pixel which just seems like a rip-off, if I'm going to spend that kind of money I'll go back to iPhones.

Consider Mi A1 - it's Google's android and more than decent hardware for 200 eur. http://www.mi.com/in/mi-a1/android-one/

Wow, quite impressive specs for 200 eur! Also 2 years of OS updates minimum.

Re: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold

#690

Post by remir »

funnelsgun wrote: post #158
ihateneckbeards wrote: post #5

Not excusing the price, but people these days spend multiple hours a day on their phones. Phones are as important as cars for example. How high prices can go ? Even higher imo People are ready to pay for expensive cars for a better experience and higher "social standing". Phones are not that different in this regard

I must be the exception here as I spend no more than an hour on my iPhone (6s) each day. I use Apple Music, WhatsApp, and the camera. However, WhatsApp is available on Android and the camera on the iPhone 6s still doesn't even come close to that of an SLR so I tend to use that and keep the iPhone in my pocket. When I take photos, I have gone out with the intention of taking photos, so there is no convenience factor o…

Give me a $300-$400 Android phone with support for Project Treble and an unlocked bootloader and we're talking. I'll put LineageOS on it: regular security updates, yearly OS updates and no crapware!
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