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Luxuries first

HansMustermann

Penultimate Amazing
Joined
Mar 2, 2009
Messages
23,741
So I'm reading elsewhere someone's complaint that an iPhone costs six months of his salary in his third world country. I'm guessing he's looking for sympathy.

Dunno... I'm probably gonna sound like a conservative -- hell, might even be one by now -- but it just makes me facepalm. Rant incoming.

I mean, I'd be up in arms if he said he can't afford food or medicine. But poor him is complaining about the cost of the latest iPhone.

If you'll pardon my Klingon,
Edited by Darat: 
Breach of Rule 10 removed.
does anyone need the latest iPhone for? I mean, I'm a well paid programmer in one of the richest first world countries, and even I don't feel like I just have to go buy the latest iPhone. I still have an ancient Android (and I really mean ancient) from a brand you probably didn't even hear about. It makes phone calls and it can browse the web in a pinch, and that's it.

To even register that I might want something costing half a year's salary, and it's not a car, it would have to maybe come with a coupon for free blowjobs for the same half a year ;)

Insert standard complaint about kids, lawn, etc...
 
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I have a relatively ancient but acceptable iPhone11, but my provider tells me they will give me a new model if I simply extend my plan. Yes I get that I’m still paying for it, but if it’s the same monthly rate and I get a new iPhone, why not?
 
Well, if you can afford it (in this case by virtue of not costing more), more power to you. I'm not ranting against the iPhone per se. Just the guy I was mentioning was complaining that it'll cost six months of his wage to buy one. In which case, like, what the hell? Why is he even remotely interested in one, at that kind of price point? I don't even care if it's Apple, Google, a butt-plug with subwoofer, or whatever.
 
Well, if you can afford it (in this case by virtue of not costing more), more power to you. I'm not ranting against the iPhone per se. Just the guy I was mentioning was complaining that it'll cost six months of his wage to buy one. In which case, like, what the hell? Why is he even remotely interested in one, at that kind of price point? I don't even care if it's Apple, Google, a butt-plug with subwoofer, or whatever.

Where does this guy live?
 
Some "third world country" apparently. It didn't mention more than that, and I'm not really interested enough to go register and ask which one of them. Shouldn't matter, though. I think.
 
I read a lot of trending Tweets saying that with the release of iPhone 14 they can now afford the iPhone 11.
 
I am in Mexico. Last time I went seriously phone shopping two years ago any iPhone was 12,000 to 27,000 pesos depending on some specs. I didn't look into exactly what.

With a weekly salary of 1000 pesos for entry level jobs average, and one is reliable to go in that's 52,000p a year with virtually no taxes if one is careful.

Add in a car, family and a home nobody is eating fancy but they can be well fed (with an old used car.) Vacations probably aren't part of thier lives.

That iPhone would be out of range.
Most here splurge big on any better brand android at about the 4,000p range if prestige is desirable or 2500p and under on lessor brands if not.

I paid 1400p for a new ZTE two years or more ago. I will run it to it's ignoble death. I have another ZTE restored from death for 900p with a new screen.
I used to run exclusively old used blackberry and android 4 phones purchased in street markets. The blackberry are off the net now and android 4 is barely holding on usually for lack of memory issues, I was forced into buying bigger to have internet access.

As most here use the phone as primary www access we need android 6 or better and 1gb ram, 16gb storage to keep it baseline usable.
An iPhone is ideal on paper because it's seriously over that.
It has big curb appeal and many of the smarter, better off will have iPhone 7-8-9 units that are years old. They will get them fixed many times if need be before updating.

My favourite the is the kids coming up that get the bling brand and model knockoff phones emulating a current Samsung, iPhone or whatever. Looks great, but is android 5 or so, 1gb/16gb storage and sometimes a place for an SD card. Usually at half the price point of a real Samsung base model.
 
If you'll pardon my Klingon,
Edited by Darat: 
Breach of Rule 10 removed.
does anyone need the latest iPhone for? I mean, I'm a well paid programmer in one of the richest first world countries, and even I don't feel like I just have to go buy the latest iPhone. I still have an ancient Android (and I really mean ancient) from a brand you probably didn't even hear about. It makes phone calls and it can browse the web in a pinch, and that's it.
I dunno, check your privilege, maybe?

My understanding is that a lot of the third world has completely leapfrogged the west's decades of "Personal Computer Culture", enabled first by a reliable power grid and later by a reliable landline infrastructure. They've gone straight from nothing to smartphones.

So this guy - and probably millions of others like him - isn't talking about yet another minor accessory alongside his PC and his laptop and his tablet and his smartwatch. He's probably talking about one of his primary communications and computing assets. And yeah, it sucks that it's prohibitively expensive to keep in current tech with one of his most important life tools.

Me, I have a folding phone purely because I can, and because as ridiculous as the price is, it's still only a small fraction of my western skilled knowledge worker salary.

Sent from my custom-built cutting edge gaming PC that I use to play Overwatch, binge Netflix, and fart around on the ISF forums. While I multitask my sysadmin job from my current-gen MacBook Pro, over the same highspeed internet link. While my fancy phone sits here charging. Because for me it is a luxury. For third worlders? Maybe not so much.
 
I have trouble imagining any vital task that anyone (third worlder or not) may actually need to do, that absolutely needs the newest, just announced iPhone 14, and absolutely wouldn't run on a cheaper old iPhone 11 or an off-brand Android.
 
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I live the hand to mouth existence and really can't afford the nice things I see on YouTube. I also learned how to make other stuff work to meet my needs.
I don't need a phone that costs iPhone rates. I can make a better off brand do what I need. I would like another Samsung one day but other crap has priority.

We have a very nice home and maintain it, our son is in school and doing decent, we don't have a car because it's a private school. Still we get around quite easily.
His education aces my new laptop and our car. I wear used clothes at work, they get torn up bad anyway so style isn't important.

The 3rd world lifestyle isn't a dirty hut and eating whatever you can catch while dreaming of iPhone 14 in the patched up pockets. It's about choosing what to do first and getting by on the rest, like everyone else around you.
It is good priority choices and being creative and luxury items.

And when one does get a luxury item it's all about good choices. Get a good brand, servicable and within reach without selling the first born.

In place of a computer for school for my niece she got a new phone that will serve for online schooling. A Samsung of the mid tier with attributes that will carry her a few years.
For whatever it's worth, it was the best we could do when her desktop broke.
A good choice so far.
 
Gotta agree with HM here. I don't bitch about the price of the new Audi Spyder, because it is not an option in my price range, so what's the point?

Nobody needs an iPhone 14. Its just a top-of-the-line toy that offers nothing substantial over a cheap android. If you are making minimum wage, ya don't gets to complain about the cost of Armani suits.
 
Yeah, that's my point really. Hearing things like the torn clothes or giving up on transportation, that does make me sad. Hearing a complaint that someone can't afford the latest iPhone 14 literally within hours of it being announced, well, it's sad too but for a whole different reason...
 
the WHOLE POINT of luxury items is that they out of the price range of most people. Luxury goods are routinely priced far above the manufacturing costs, because the brand wants exclusivity.

Of course, in an inflation, prices for luxury items drop, because people who might have occasionally bought something fancy no longer do, which leads to more supply than demand.
 
the WHOLE POINT of luxury items is that they out of the price range of most people. Luxury goods are routinely priced far above the manufacturing costs, because the brand wants exclusivity.

Of course, in an inflation, prices for luxury items drop, because people who might have occasionally bought something fancy no longer do, which leads to more supply than demand.

Disagreed. The WHOLE POINT of luxury items is to say "I have so much loot I can piss it away on a watch".

If you don't have that much loot, why you pricing Rolexes, yo?
 
I am certain not going to apologise for purchasing luxury items at this stage of my wife and my lives. We had seven children which I supported on one wage, before things like maternity leave. There were times when I had nothing in the bank and had to rely on credit.

Those days are in the past, we own our home and I’m retired. So now we think nothing of flying business and going to expensive restaurants. When I go to events I only look at the top prices. I might even buy a new iPhone.

I don’t need to do these things, but it’s fun to finally have a life of luxury.
 
Thinking back, a ton of things have somehow changed status from luxury to essential. When I was in high school, it was required that you had expensive sneaks, even if dirt poor. Especially if dirt poor. Rather than be responsible with your available budget, it was expected that you had bling to flaunt. I remember quite clearly the kids who were dressed to the 9s, but didn't have a car. I opted for cheap clothes (but with a decided style) and the classic Mustang of my choice.

Hell, the freaking panhandlers around South Jersey are still often dressed better than me, and invariably have a "better" phone. The superficial trappings of faux luxury have nosed out over sound budgeting.

Then again, when we visited Hawai'i, all the clearly not-wealthy guys had killer cars/trucks. I was told by locals that the reasoning was that it would be physically impossible for them to ever buy real estate on the islands, so why not splurge on what you could? Kind of made sense. But I doubt phone customers are in such a financially un-overcomeable sitch.
 
the WHOLE POINT of luxury items is that they out of the price range of most people. Luxury goods are routinely priced far above the manufacturing costs, because the brand wants exclusivity.

I think it's more nuanced than that. Apple doesn't want purchases of its products to be limited to a small ultra-wealthy clientele. Same with Nike and its Air Jordans. They're chasing that sweet spot where the high price and perception of high quality causes even more people to buy them, even though they're priced like luxury items.
 
I think it's more nuanced than that. Apple doesn't want purchases of its products to be limited to a small ultra-wealthy clientele. Same with Nike and its Air Jordans. They're chasing that sweet spot where the high price and perception of high quality causes even more people to buy them, even though they're priced like luxury items.

Almost like there is a curve that they are trying stay near the top of. Optimization of brand identity and profit.

It is funny that among wealthy (top 10%) nontech people the iPhone is not a necessity, but sort of the default. It is assumed. It is a bit weird when someone doesn’t have an iPhone. A bit like a bow tie in a room of bankers.
 
Almost like there is a curve that they are trying stay near the top of. Optimization of brand identity and profit.

It is funny that among wealthy (top 10%) nontech people the iPhone is not a necessity, but sort of the default. It is assumed. It is a bit weird when someone doesn’t have an iPhone. A bit like a bow tie in a room of bankers.

That's the ideal selling model. There's really nothing better, and by only sacrificing food for six months, you can make phone calls just like the richy-rich! It should really be their ad campaign: "Don't eat yourself an apple, treat yourself to an Apple"
 
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People differ in both what they want and in what priority they order their desires. I drove the same economy model car for twenty years, my TV is ten years old and not that large, and I'm not even sure what kind of phone mine is. But I bought top-of-the-line components when I built my computer, my dental work cost more than most cars, and I just spent fifty bucks on stickers (jungle animals and sea creatures).
 
That's the ideal selling model. There's really nothing better, and by only sacrificing food for six months, you can make phone calls just like the richy-rich! It should really be their ad campaign: "Don't eat yourself an apple, treat yourself to an Apple"

I don’t know anyone who has apple stuff who is skipping lunches to buy it. Much less starving.

Although I did see an article that added up the cost if you bought every current apple product and it was staggering. Well over $100k IIRC.

I have a 3-4 year old XR and won’t upgrade until there is an iPhone without a lightning cable. USBC or nothing, either is better than another lightning cable product.
 
I don’t know anyone who has apple stuff who is skipping lunches to buy it. Much less starving.

Although I did see an article that added up the cost if you bought every current apple product and it was staggering. Well over $100k IIRC.

I have a 3-4 year old XR and won’t upgrade until there is an iPhone without a lightning cable. USBC or nothing, either is better than another lightning cable product.

I’m well into the tens of thousands of apple stuff, but can’t see how I could spend $100k unless I bought multiples.
 
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I work in a recycle centre. I find odd bits including adaptors from USB C or whatever to Apple or other odd standards. Just added the Chinese standard mini USB to the collection. It's a reminder to stay on the tried and true and not support the company going to a new type.

My old wonderful Samsung tablet has that wide plug, ten years on it works perfectly and can't be useful outside that specific plug. No accessories exist anymore.
 
Apple makes a huge profit just on the strength of its brand.

They make about 30% net profit on their devices, which is almost unheard of in the world of electronic gadgets, considering that they don't have a monopoly on smart phones. It's considered a status symbol to own a new one, like maybe a Louis Vuitton hand bag, but more useful.

But if you don't care about brand prestige, you can certainly get a functionally equivalent smartphone for considerably less than what you would pay for an equivalent iPhone.
 
I have a lower shell and boards of an early iPhone as a curiousity. Not sure what number. It's well made and the twice over the shell quality of my off brand android units easily.
I would pay a bit more for that quality but really don't want to be locked into just one company for service and accessories.

And the security on the software in them sends loads off to recycle once locked.
Every old android I have had could be reset to factory for a minimum fee, quickly.
Aftermarket batteries have revived a few also, at less than 10 dollars for some. There are some things you just don't complain about.

One of two dozen little shops in town can do any reasonable android repair, no Apple stores in town at all, gotta go to the bigger city next door to find any service center for Apple.


Quality is nice. But top quality at monster prices isn't always smart for everyone.
 
I’ve got the kits and replaced my own cracked iPhone screens and tired batteries. It is very fiddly work but not complicated. It’s not a bad way to keep up a nice phone on the cheap. It’s only a little tricky to find a very good quality knockoff screen. I don’t know if you can do that stuff with the newest ones.

The real trouble is when Apple decides to stop supporting older hardware, and eventually you can’t run apps on it anymore. But even there the only one I’ll be sad about is my giant, ancient 1st gen iPad Pro, which is still great after 10 years.

The rat race for the blingiest newest one can be ignored.
 
I watched a few videos on later model iPhone repair, it takes some very special equipment to program the various bits to the proper serial number or stuff will never work.

They really went all out starting with the 10 making cheap home repairs near impossible.
But the readers and programming units can be had if these guys had them.

I pay people to order the correct screen or battery I need. They already know the best source for stuff they can safely guarantee for me. It really is cheaper to fix an damaged free phone than buy a new one.
 
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