Average US iPhone Price Hits a Record $873 (axios.com) 99
Spurred by big demand for top-of-the-line iPhones, the average selling price in the U.S. hit $873 last quarter, up from $809 a year ago, according to a report from Chicago-based Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. From a report: Apple still makes a huge chunk of its revenue and profits from iPhone sales, though services are an increasing source of both as well. "For the full quarter, the new iPhone 12 models, and in particular the most expensive ones, garnered a significant share of sales," said CIRP partner and co-founder Josh Lowitz.
Re: (Score:3)
It's newsworthy that there are still a lot of suckers with too much money.
I think my 8-core desktop PC cost about the same amount. The disadvantage is I can't carry it with me. The advantage is I won't be carrying it with me.
Stands to reason (Score:5, Funny)
Re: Stands to reason (Score:1)
Nuts people be nuts. News at 11.
From my experience, they get offended if you treat them like individual people though. So calling them "people" might be offensive to them. Though apart from that think they are "writers" on their iPads, I don't know what they prefer to be called...
For lots it's their main computing device (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
Please Don't feed the trolls. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You just might be right.
That or someone might have the day off work and sparked up early morning.
Re: (Score:2)
What exactly are you enjoying with a $1700 phone that the rest of us are missing?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Even $0.02 is too much if it's worth $0.01.
How much something is worth is what someone is willing to spend. If the Parent paid $0.02 for it, then it's worth $0.02
Just my $0.002. ;)
Unfortunately like always your post is worth more like $0.000
About $300 in 1983 (Score:2)
When I graduated high school. (You could get a used car that ran and passed a safety inspection for about $500 then.) So, yeah, about $10/month over 3 years.
Re: (Score:1)
because it's hard to grasp inflation
Sure, for some people.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:For lots it's their main computing device (Score:5, Interesting)
That's how I "rationalized" it: $1/day—over three years—for something I use constantly. I'm on year four. Like computers, phone tech just does not change as rapidly as it once did, so investing in a quality phone over a longer period of time makes sense to some.
The main selling point over an iPhone that's two or more years old is 5G, which is not nearly as widespread as 4G and is still a battery drain for not much gain. Sure, they have faster processors/graphics now, but my four-year-old iPhone X handles everything I want it to do just fine, and I've only had to replace the battery in it, which was covered under AppleCare.
And with Apple providing major OS updates to (nearly) six-year-old hardware—iOS 14 supports the iPhone 6S; Samsung and others don't even approach this—it makes even more sense to invest in an iPhone on a multi-year basis.
Finally, iPhones have better resale value. Up until my most recent phone, I was nearly able to offset the entire purchase of a new iPhone by selling the old one.
Re: (Score:1)
I'm on year 5 of my SE. Of course, I bought it used for $90. Apple doesn't sell any phones that are worth $800 (or more), imho. The 12 mini was a nice idea but Cook failed to execute, maybe I'll get one in a few years if I have no other option, but probably not, considering the battery life and that the size is still too big and basically identical to the other iPhones. My SE still gets 3 days of battery life, since I had the battery replaced last year.
Re: (Score:2)
For me, it's roughly averaging out at ~30-35cents per day over the last 18 years
Re: (Score:2)
You normally get about 3 years out of one in my experience, 2 if you're obsessed with the bleeding edge. That's about $30-$40/month which isn't all that much in the scheme of things. It seems like more to old fogeys like us /.ers because it's hard to grasp inflation. It would be the equivalent to $12-$24 when most of us were young though (give or take for your actual age). I spent way more on computing hardware in the 90s when the pace of things was faster (and I had more spare cash, being younger with fewer responsibilities).
Those of us who can't grasp inflation, don't remember how much electronic toys cost back in the day. When HP released their 12C pocket financial calculator, the $150 MSRP was equal to over $400 when adjusted for inflation. Rather obscene for a pocket calculator, but at least it was designed to take a drop onto a hard floor and not shatter into a dozen pieces. Our family paid over $1500 for an Apple IIc computer in the early 80's, which is like spending $4K today (which you can easily do, even buying a "c
Re: (Score:2)
I'm an old curmudgeon. I regularly get 5+ years out of my phones. Face it. There haven't been any significant improvements in phones in quite a while. Marginal increases in performance, memory, etc. haven't been compelling enough for me to spend big bucks on a phone.
I did finally replace my Nexus 5 (eight years old... it actually did work fine and met all my needs but the third battery was aging) with a cheap Android 10 no name phone. It's great! 4 GB/64 GB. Dual SIM. MMC expansion. All the latest comm prot
Re: (Score:2)
Anyone upgrading every two years is like the person who's always getting a new vehicle. It's more about vanity than anything else in a lot of cases.
I don't understand people (Score:1)
I honestly don't understand why someone would pay THAT much money for a device that is literally made of glass that they then have to cover in a bullet proof case to protect it, and will inevitably break or wear down in less than 2-years regardless. Meanwhile, you could get a one or two year old refurbished or used one that does 99% of what a new one does for half the price or less.
I seriously do not understand what it is that a new iPhone can do that is worth that price?
Re: (Score:2)
Meanwhile, you could get a one or two year old refurbished or used one that does 99% of what a new one does for half the price or less.
Or a spanking new Android phone that does at least 90% of what it does for 1/4 the price. Literally. Granted, it won't have Lidar, but it will likely have a headphone jack. My phone has 8 cores and 3GB and cost $150... unlocked.
Re: (Score:1)
Sure. But lets hypothesize that, for one reason or another, iMessages is a must have for you. Sure, okay, you personally NEED iMessages and that means you have to have iOS.
It STILL doesn't make any sense to buy an $800+ iPhone.
Re:I don't understand people (Score:5, Insightful)
It STILL doesn't make any sense to buy an $800+ iPhone.
Maybe not for you, but then you are not the sole arbiter of what does and does not make sense in this universe. It may make sense to me to drop $800 plus on a phone if the thing has the camera setup I need, a built-in 3D scanner or thermal vision. Similarly, it does not make any sense to me to drop $50k on an SUV or pickup but it may very well make sense to you.
Re: (Score:2)
Similarly, it does not make any sense to me to drop $50k on an SUV or pickup but it may very well make sense to you.
That does not make sense either for most people, though I can imagine use cases where a $50,000 SUV provides additional features that are necessary. I cannot imagine a use case for a new iPhone that cannot be addressed by an iPhone readily available for a much lower price.
Re: (Score:2)
Similarly, it does not make any sense to me to drop $50k on an SUV or pickup but it may very well make sense to you.
That does not make sense either for most people, though I can imagine use cases where a $50,000 SUV provides additional features that are necessary. I cannot imagine a use case for a new iPhone that cannot be addressed by an iPhone readily available for a much lower price.
So becase you nurture an irrational hate for Apple nobody has a right to sink $800 into an iphone by decree of you? I beg to differ, and since you apparently did not read my prevous post, here are a few reasons: a better 3D scanner resolution, better camera, higher optical zoom, better low light performance ... the list goes on. Similarly for other phones with other features like the advanced thermal camera and dual SIMs and IP68 rating on the $831 Cat S62 pro Android phone. These are all features I have mo
Re: I don't understand people (Score:1)
In what situation would iMessages ever be a must?
Everyone has either WhatsApp or Signal installed or already knows he's an outcast. ;)
Re: (Score:2)
I honestly can't think of one. It was just the only hypothetical I could think of that would justify specifically needing iOS rather than Android.
Re: (Score:1)
You quote cores and RAM in a phone as if they mean anything.
Re: I don't understand people (Score:2)
From experience, below 3GB RAM, it definitely meand something. That is where the time it takes to just load application state, especiall browser tab state, into RAM each time you switch becomes unbearable. Even 3GB sucks nowadays, with those insane "normal" websites that make a 6GB phone with 8 cores stutter.
Re: (Score:2)
None of that's a problem with Apple's A chip architecture. Their phones run just fine on 2GB of RAM.
Re: (Score:2)
Internals can matter in this particular discussion. There are definitely use cases I can think of where a $100 economy phone off of eBay is not going to cut it. But when you get over the $500 range, it starts to get really hard to justify additional expense based on particular features.
Re: (Score:1)
Specs only matter when you are dealing with inefficient architectures and bloatware operating systems.
Re: (Score:2)
If you don't do anything besides email and troll people on slashdot, then I generally agree.
But some of us have jobs.
Re: I don't understand people (Score:3)
Those people feel so inferior, that a glass bead to show off with, is literally life-changing to them. Now they believe they are somebody Not among anyone who's got a healthy confidence, but certainly among their community of people who feel like losers.
It's because their lives are so empty otherwise. Decorating themselves with glass beads is literally the only thing they got, to give them confidence they aren't total losers. ... We're
They don't know that it's not the glass beads that make them not losers
Re: (Score:2)
I honestly don't understand why someone would pay THAT much money for a device that is literally made of glass that they then have to cover in a bullet proof case to protect it, and will inevitably break or wear down in less than 2-years regardless.
Might be because you apparently suck at taking care of phones. I usually don't use a case or screen protector and I've cracked one screen in the past 13 years. I know lots of other people who managed to not break their phones too.
Re: (Score:2)
Given the size of the market for protective cases, I think you are in the minority.
Re: (Score:2)
I honestly don't understand why someone would pay THAT much money for a device that is literally made of glass that they then have to cover in a bullet proof case to protect it, and will inevitably break or wear down in less than 2-years regardless.
Damn, I guess it's past time for me to go smash the original screen on my iPhone X (which I got when they were first released in 2017)
Meanwhile, you could get a one or two year old refurbished or used one that does 99% of what a new one does for half the price or less.
So what is it? Do phones wear out in less than 2 years, or should I spend my money on functional 2 year old phones? You can't have it both ways.
Re: (Score:2)
I can have it both ways because "refurbished" and "last years models" area a thing.
Re: (Score:2)
Because the hardware is better and Apple actually updates the OS even for older models? Like the iPhone 6 from 2014 that still gets patches for iOS 12.
Re: (Score:2)
Support, in part. Quality of construction and consistency of updates. The only iPhone that I ever had that lasted only 2 years was the 3G, and everything else has been three or four. Three in the case of my iPhone 6, which was stolen; the iPhone 7 that replaced it is still with my mother, so it's four years old. My iPhone XR is three years old and just had the screen replaced for free after I dropped it and cracked it. I'll wait until 2022's iPhone before I consider getting a new one, but my XR doesn't feel
Re: (Score:2)
I honestly don't understand why someone would pay THAT much money for a device that is literally made of glass that they then have to cover in a bullet proof case to protect it, and will inevitably break or wear down in less than 2-years regardless.
Don't know what you're doing with a phone, but I got 4 years out of my first 2 iPhones. Physically they held up fine, but at that point they were too outdated to be useful.
Meanwhile, you could get a one or two year old refurbished or used one that does 99% of wha
Re: (Score:2)
I think you overstate the fragility. I've had iPhones since the iPhone 3G and never have broken one or scratched the display. I gave up using screen protectors early on and I've never used more than a very basic cover-type case. The only recurring problem I've had is at about year 3-4, the Lightning port tends to wear out. I had this problem with a 6S plus, my wife had it with a 7, and I'm starting to get it in a very minor way on my 8 Plus.
I think if you're breaking it, you're just not taking care of i
Re: (Score:2)
I honestly don't understand why someone would pay THAT much money for a device that is literally made of glass that they then have to cover in a bullet proof case to protect it, and will inevitably break or wear down in less than 2-years regardless.
Because it doesn't. I'm using a three year old iPhone X. I will get at least another one if not two years of updates. Performance is great, battery life is fantastic, literally zero issues with it.
Meanwhile, you could get a one or two year old refurbished or used one that does 99% of what a new one does for half the price or less.
And get maybe 1-2 more years of updates, then have to replace it. And only have middling performance the whole time you use the device. Most people are willing to pay more and have a phone that lasts 4+ years instead of paying half as much every two. Obviously doesn't apply to Android devices which seem to s
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
For me, and maybe you, too, I don't know, I'd gladly
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Who wouldn't? (Score:1)
I honestly don't understand why someone would pay THAT much money for a device that is literally made of glass that they then have to cover in a bullet proof case to protect it
I honestly don't understand who wouldn't pay $1/day for a supercomputer/expert video/still camera you can keep in your pocket at all times, and be connected to everyone if you choose.
One that only requires a flimsy case to protect it from almost anything, or no case at all if you are simply a bit careful.
Re: (Score:2)
I honestly don't understand who wouldn't pay $1/day for a supercomputer/expert video/still camera you can keep in your pocket at all times, and be connected to everyone if you choose.
Because you can get one that is virtually identical feature for feature for half the price or less. A criticism of the price was the point, not the device.
Not identical, and price close over time. (Score:2)
Because you can get one that is virtually identical
Not in terms of camera, screen, or computing power (which equates to smoother UI)... basically all of the things that matter. Who cares if I'm paying $0.50 cents a day vs. $1?? If it's such a small difference over time, why not get the one that is more capable and yields 3+ years of much better photos/video?
Saving $0.50 to sacrifice three years of image quality and user experience, is not a savings I find makes any sense. There are lots of things it's be
This is better proof for the idiocracy, (Score:1, Troll)
than even Trump.
If somebody pays that much for a 90% pointless piece of jewelry, he seriously need to get a life. And a brain to help him with that.
Re: (Score:1)
Most, if not all, jewelry is pointless but that hasn't hurt sales.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't follow jewelry stocks much. But DANG Tiffany is a buy!
Re: This is better proof for the idiocracy, (Score:2)
I hope you are not arguing it is a good thing.
Because my point was about if it is a good or bad thing. Not if it has lots of "sales".
Because otherwise, Covid has lots of "sales" too. ;)
Re:This is better proof for the idiocracy, (Score:5, Insightful)
You can't fathom spending $900 on a device that'll be used multiple times per day, every day, for several years? On a site filled with 'nerds' that dump thousands into gaming rigs, AV setups, or whatever other niche hobby?
Re: This is better proof for the idiocracy, (Score:2)
No, above $150-200, I do not see a single function that actually takes enough work to make, to justify me working an equal amount to pay for it.
Go ahead: Tell me one. (And I will tell you, what I say at the bottom of this comment.)
In simpler words: I can very comfortably do everything I want on a $180 device. And so can you, because regular users don't even attempt to do a tenth of the things I do on my phone.
I mean come on, this was a geek site once. Apart from video editing, and webBloat, you should know
Re: (Score:3)
I wasn't (rhetorically) asking whether you personally would spend that much on a smartphone. The answer to that was clearly "no" from your original post.
What I'm getting at is that "proof for the idiocracy" is an overdramatic reaction to people spending $900 on a discretionary purchase that they will very likely get heavy use. It's a drop in the bucket compared to what people spend on gaming PCs, home theaters, watches, cars, kitchen equipment, housing, furniture, RC planes, clothing, food, whatever, be
Re: (Score:2)
Mostly I want the best camera that I can afford squeezed into a smartphone.
That said, I didn't buy an iPhone of any sort, I bought a used Galaxy S10+ dual SIM, because it has the SD card slot, a 3.5mm jack, and good LineageOS support for longevity. Paid about $450, which seems reasonable to me for a portable computer with a very high resolution monitor, excellent camera, a passably fast processor, 8gb of RAM, and 384GB of storage that I use frequently every single day. I definitely wouldn't pay over $500, b
Re: (Score:2)
Go ahead: Tell me one. (And I will tell you, what I say at the bottom of this comment.)
Application performance, camera quality, screen quality, Wi-Fi and cellular performance, storage performance, storage capacity ... shoudl I keep going?
Re: (Score:2)
You can't fathom spending $900 on a device that'll be used multiple times per day, every day, for several years?
I can't fathom using such a compromised device multiple times per day. Web browsing is dreadful on such a small screen, typing is fucking annoying (I can touch type on my computer, accuracy on my phone is below 90% which means every word has a typo, and the iOS autocorrect is such a pain that I've had to switch it off), not enough space to store everything I have, not enough screen space to work on anything, and most of all, I have a vastly superior device within reach for 99% of the day.
The device I'll spe
Re: (Score:2)
I used to see (pre-COVID) lots of people on the bus reading news and books on their phones. I tried it a few times and found it to be a miserable experience. I have a nice 7" tablet that makes a pleasant e-reader and could carry more books than I could read in a year, and the on-screen keyboard is not horrible to type on (not good, but at least an order of magnitude better than a phone). My ideal setup would be a nice tablet that I could plug into a docking station to swap between portable functionality
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You don't see $900 of value in a smartphone - and that's OK! Some people do. Many would see the purchase of a $900 PC as an extravagance. No need to get on a high horse, like OP did, and criticize others' preferences. Live and let live!
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
You can't fathom spending $900 on a device that'll be used multiple times per day, every day, for several years? On a site filled with 'nerds' that dump thousands into gaming rigs, AV setups, or whatever other niche hobby?
On bleeding edge of performance capability I could see. On bleeding edge of performance, hampered by a very small package and battery, just not for me.
Re: This is better proof for the idiocracy, (Score:2)
You are right. You playing along with that is quite idiotic. ;))
Re: (Score:2)
If somebody pays that much for a 90% pointless piece of jewelry, he seriously need to get a life.
You think that's a sad indiciation of society, you should see the people who jump online and complain about the things other people buy. A true sign of insanity.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Pft... (Score:1)
"Pff, stop complaining about being raped! Have you seen concentration camps?"
"Pff, -1.57 is not smaller than zero! Have you seen -12.98?!"
Re: (Score:2)
> Have you seen the unholy price increase on video cards?!
Don't mine crypto on your iPhone; it's not cost effective.
Fashion product (Score:1)
Re: Fashion product (Score:2)
I *seriously* should sell $10,000 "anciEnt-wiSdom spiRitial spaiCe energi criSstal" pocket miRrors! In the exact shape as an iPhone, but razor-thin so you can cut yourself.
Easily wipable, for after asturbating onto them after staring at them for too long.
I only have to figure out how to make them halve their usable time each day every year, even in the case they manage to not break it! ;)
How many phones total? (Score:2)
Re: How many phones total? (Score:2)
Losing everything else. Their share of the market approaches single digit percentages in many markets.
'Get a free iPhone on us' (Score:2)
And... (Score:2)
You don't even get power with it.
Lifetime cost? (Score:3)
Lots of people are saying "$1/day" but what is the average actual spend per day, after bringing the device in for service, replacement ("moisture detected!") and purchasing essential apps? This is the average number that matters for a budget or economic calculation.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Having used the iPhone for over 10 years, I have never experienced "moisture detected" issue, perhaps putting down the phone before going into washroom helped? Nor have I paid anything for any service. What kind of service have you paid for your phone?
I have bought on average $10-20 worth of apps every month on the first year or two, then once I got everything I needed, it dropped to about maybe $30-40 every year including the apps that are on subscription model.
Over the long run, the cost of app is quite
Profits you say? (Score:2)
Apple still makes a huge chunk of its revenue and profits from iPhone sales, though services are an increasing source of both as well
Not according to some people! [slashdot.org]
'Conspicuous consumption' (Score:2)
I'm stuck with an iPhone 7+ by my employer, and let me tell you, there's no way I'd ever buy one of those at any price, I wouldn't even want it as a personal phone if it was FREE, I can't stand the thing, the user interface is infuriating.
Hey what about Android here? (Score:2)
Spurred by big demand for top-of-the-line iPhones
The article summary only talks about the iPhone, but all of the most popular Android phones are pretty expensive also. Even if most people are getting $500 phones that is still helping to drive up the average price.
Samsung deserves a mention here also for offering popular premium phones.
pepperage farm remembers (Score:2)
for $126.00 more you can get (Score:2)
a Macbook air ? It is just me or is it crazy that a phone costs as much as a laptop ? More than some laptops. Apple fanboys are crazy!
Helping keep that average down (Score:1)
Bog-standard base-config iPhone SE (2020) here. My wife has one too. So $873 is a bit more than the selling price of both of ours.
But my wife does TV and video production, so she's pretty sure she could justify all the extra cameras and whiz-bang doodads in the 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max...
but my $100 phone does everything I need (Score:2)
Back in 2014, I bought my first "smart" phone, mostly because many of my associates texted more than called, and texting on a flip phone is far too limited and laborious. The phone has a couple of features I valued, such as a replaceable microSD and battery, and Android (so I could access USB storage). It worked well enough that I bought a second one as a spare.
Finally, in 2020, the worn USB port and failing microphone prompted me to break out the spare. It's 4G, so will usable for a while.
The first phon