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Anybody paying $1,099 - $1,499 for the new iPhone XS Max?

Started by Sam, September 13, 2018, 11:15:33 AM

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Sam

Paying between $1,099 and $1,449 for a phone sounds a little crazy, but the iPhone XS Max caters to a specific kind of Apple consumer. The device boasts a 6.5-inch screen — the largest ever for an iPhone — a new 512 GB storage configuration and a large battery that provides up to 90 minutes more juice when compared with the iPhone X.

I feel that this pricing is getting out of hand. I don't comfortably want to carry around a $1500 device anymore because I might get mugged or I might lose it and then feel terrible.

I'd feel much better owning $200 phone so if it gets lost, not that big of a deal. It's kind of like owning a $5000 handbag, The handbag is probably worth more than the contents inside!

Note: Apple is one of my largest individual stock holdings so I'm curious as to how people perceive the products now
Regards,

Sam

Orphan

Not me Sam, I have cured myself of the fancy cell phone routine. This phone is ridiculously priced and definitely not worth it. I would rather buy a CD or some stock in a favorite company..

Also, was wondering if we could get a travel section on the forum. Members could share their current travels locally and abroad where they obtained good deals, nice restaurants and other ideas. I was recently in Honolulu and found a great little hotel that was reasonably priced, clean and an outstanding Japanese restaurant on site.  Thought it might me fun to read about other members experiences and recommendations...

Sam

Quote from: Orphan on September 15, 2018, 06:11:09 AM
Not me Sam, I have cured myself of the fancy cell phone routine. This phone is ridiculously priced and definitely not worth it. I would rather buy a CD or some stock in a favorite company..

Also, was wondering if we could get a travel section on the forum. Members could share their current travels locally and abroad where they obtained good deals, nice restaurants and other ideas. I was recently in Honolulu and found a great little hotel that was reasonably priced, clean and an outstanding Japanese restaurant on site.  Thought it might me fun to read about other members experiences and recommendations...

Just added a Travel Board under Everything Else. Good idea.

https://www.financialsamurai.com/forums/travel/
Regards,

Sam

Young And The Invested

For a while, I considered getting a new phone.  I currently rock the iPhone 6S (~3 years old) but haven't found any real reason to upgrade just yet. 

I plan to take advantage of Apple's PR nightmare a while back about intentionally slowing older phones to preserve battery longevity.  They got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and ended up making amends by offering a year-long discount to replace batteries for $29.99 instead of the usual $80-100.  Because my phone currently does everything I need, why pay for the big honker they just introduced?  I'll get another two years on the new battery and make a decision about upgrading after my battery quits holding a charge.
https://youngandtheinvested.com/

Eric

There are those that want the latest and greatest iPhone as a status symbol.

7-10 years ago cell phones were advancing at a stage where each one was much better than the last. Now, it's really hard for most people to justify the latest and greatest over something middle of the range.

Apple doesn't address the mid range market well at all and pushing for a premium cost to access their ecosystem. There are a lot of very decent Android phones in the $500 range and some very compelling bargins in the $300 range. Tack on the ability to use Google Fi as a carrier with certain phones and pay less to the cell phone carrier there are lots of dollars to be saved.

Not saying everyone should scrimp but there probably is some reasonable income to phone cost ratio that should be a guideline. Just like Sam's 10% spend on a car rule.

Orphan

Quote from: Sam on September 15, 2018, 08:38:39 AM
Quote from: Orphan on September 15, 2018, 06:11:09 AM
Not me Sam, I have cured myself of the fancy cell phone routine. This phone is ridiculously priced and definitely not worth it. I would rather buy a CD or some stock in a favorite company..

Also, was wondering if we could get a travel section on the forum. Members could share their current travels locally and abroad where they obtained good deals, nice restaurants and other ideas. I was recently in Honolulu and found a great little hotel that was reasonably priced, clean and an outstanding Japanese restaurant on site.  Thought it might me fun to read about other members experiences and recommendations...

Thanks Sam.

Just added a Travel Board under Everything Else. Good idea.

https://www.financialsamurai.com/forums/travel/

Irish247

I think it comes down to utilization justification. I use my phone all day off an on. I look for reliable functionality for the apps and calling functions. As noted earlier there has been a relative decline in innovation in my opinion. While I admit there are newer features, the overall functionality is basically the same.  I choked back when I upgraded my iPhone 4 to a 6s Plus. The phone cost was just unreal. Having made that change years ago, I haven't noticed any major decline in my service. Sure the phone slowed a bit which was noted by the masses and the never ending updates are often inconvenient, but I argue probably for the best. As I type this now, it's off my IPhone 6s Plus. I don't see a reason to spend the new fee for the newest model. I'm sure it's largely due to my use, but I can think of numerous things I would rather do with $1300.  Maybe it's because I'm getting older and decisions are made with more thought process? Who know? I think similar to others I'll have my 6S plus for another few years unless lost or stolen. Stolen? Who steals a relic phone?

Sam

Heads up, I upgraded to iOS 12.0 on 9/21/2018, the latest software for the iPhone, and it's nice, but it is SLOW now on my iPhone 7S+.

Voice recording has 3 second lag now when I do my podcast. You got to click another icon to get to your photo library etc.

I'm hoping it's slow b/c I have an older phone. For those with an X, XSMax, or 8.... is the iOS 12.0 slow for you?
Regards,

Sam

TravelGirl

I have to agree Sam, carrying around a phone that costs that much is making you a target for thieves and muggers.  I spend a lot of time traveling and that's the last thing that I want to happen on vacation.  I feel like a backup of my life is on that phone with all my travel schedules and booking information. 

I begrudgingly upgraded from a 4s to an 8 only because Apple made it so I could no longer update my apps.  I still miss some of my 32 bit apps that were really helpful.  I don't feel like the new releases of the iPhones are anything to get excited about either and that Apple isn't keeping up with the competition.  I've thought about buying Apple stock several times, but I just can't bring myself to do it since I don't see the increased value of their new products.

Irish247

Well it almost happened... the other day my iPhone 6s Plus started acting up. It was opening apps and calling people, and texting randomly. At first I was freaked out thinking hacker or something but shortly came to my senses when I realized what was happening. After talking on the phone with Apple and trying all the troubleshooting - hard resets, factory reset, among other items I found nothing was working. So I started looking at the new phones. This process took me several hours off an on between looking at used phones and comparing the features to the newest XS Max. I was close several times to just hitting order. I could have the new phone in days and my problem would be solved. I was actually just about to do it when I had a work call interrupt me. Saved by the meeting I suppose. After the pause I began thinking again about what I would rather do with $1400. It also occurred to me that $1400 would mean $2800 because my wife would want an upgrade as well.  At the near end of my wits I decided to try one more thing...  I went to the mall. Yeah hard to believe because it had been years! Who goes to the mall when you can amazon everything. At the mall I went to a fix it store and told the clerk of my issues. He said - 99% chance it's a hardware issue and not a system issue. He said I'm sure you updgraded to the newest IOS and are having doubts. Then he said don't worry it's not the system it's your screen. They go bad and the digitizer fails. It's an easy fix give me 15 minutes.  So I said go for it. 15 minutes later and $50 I had a new screen and no more problems.  Unreal how close I was to paying $2800 for a damn phone.  Thankfully $50 was all it took.  I guess malls are still useful after all. 

Money Ronin

I fully support the purchase of the new iPhone, iPad, iWatch, MacBook and anything else Apple produces.  It's a competitive world and you need to stay on top of your game with the latest technology.  In fact, please upgrade as quickly and frequently as possible.  Also, don't forget your significant other or kids because you wouldn't want them to feel left out.  If you're worried about theft, loss or breakage, buy Apple care or get a credit card that offers cell phone insurance.  Stop making excuses and get it done.  You deserve it!



(Did I mention Apple is my largest stock position?  I get a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I pass a crowded Apple store.  Sometimes, I walk in just to bask in the physical manifestation of my investment).

stevesheets

I took the advice from your post about only buying luxury products from gains in the stock. Bought 100 shares in October and now I owe apple 5 iPhone X's!

Kidding aside, I still have a 6s, it does the job and I try to resist Apple's "feature not a bug" strategy of making old phones run slow when they update the iOS..

Sam

Quote from: stevesheets on February 08, 2019, 08:05:10 AM
I took the advice from your post about only buying luxury products from gains in the stock. Bought 100 shares in October and now I owe apple 5 iPhone X's!

Kidding aside, I still have a 6s, it does the job and I try to resist Apple's "feature not a bug" strategy of making old phones run slow when they update the iOS..

Hahaha, nice. Apple to $0! No more iphones for you ever again.
Regards,

Sam

Somewhere In Between

My personal phone is a 6S and I have a 8 work phone.  I don't see any difference between the two other than the occasional performance lags others have mentioned.  I can live with that for not having to part with the cost of a new phone.  I've had the battery and screen replaced by Apple with the discounted program and have a good quality case to protect it.  Am hoping to get at least another two years from the 6S. 

My iMac has also reached the vintage where its not getting the full OS updates  due to older hardware.  Am also going live with that for a while longer.  My hard drive was starting to fail and had it replaced with a faster/larger drive and also upgraded the memory.  It's as snappy as it was new in 2012.

Money Ronin

Quote from: Money Ronin on October 14, 2018, 06:52:08 PM
I fully support the purchase of the new iPhone, iPad, iWatch, MacBook and anything else Apple produces.  It's a competitive world and you need to stay on top of your game with the latest technology.  In fact, please upgrade as quickly and frequently as possible.  Also, don't forget your significant other or kids because you wouldn't want them to feel left out.  If you're worried about theft, loss or breakage, buy Apple care or get a credit card that offers cell phone insurance.  Stop making excuses and get it done.  You deserve it!

(Did I mention Apple is my largest stock position?  I get a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I pass a crowded Apple store.  Sometimes, I walk in just to bask in the physical manifestation of my investment).

Despite my earlier tongue-in-cheek response, I did go out and buy an iPhone XR before Christmas which is the cheaper option to the XS.  I took advantage of a Costco deal that in theory reimburses me the entire cost with a iPhone 6S trade in.  Although I'm not terribly impressed with any new features, the photos do look noticeably better and everything runs a little faster.  The thing that I've become most enamored to, unexpectedly, is the larger screen.  I find it uncomfortable to look at a smaller iPhone screen anymore, liking watching a VHS tape.

But seriously, guys, go out and buy more Apple products.  My shares have done terribly over the last few months.