
The Year We Started Buying Phones Like We Buy Cars - moviuro
http://www.wired.com/2015/12/the-year-we-started-buying-phones-like-cars/
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rdtsc
> You paid $200 for a flagship, or nothing for a clunker,

Nope. I paid $170 for a Moto G a few years back and it was a great choice. I
got a fairly modern phone. Not too big, I don't like big phones. I got updates
at a pretty good rate. And the best thing, I don't have a contract. And if I
sit on the phone and break it, I'll go and try to buy another one. If I bought
a $600 and sat on it and broke it, I would be rather upset.

That's happened with a previous phone. And a family member said, "Well why
don't you buy insurance for it". I noped on that and set a new benchmark for
my mobile phone -- if I am too upset if it gets destroyed or broken then I
need to buy a cheaper model, I can't afford the expensive model. $200 is about
that price point currently.

~~~
horsecaptin
Man, I love the MotoG - it's the first generation model - it's small, just the
right feel, been dropped a few times.. everything works wonderfully. Really
wish that we keep getting small reasonably priced and reasonably featured
smart phones. My MotoG's getting old but there isn't something on the market
to upgrade to :-/

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analog31
Now I want to buy cars like I buy phones: Research it over the internet, click
a button, enter my credit card number, wait for the car to show up at my
doorstep.

~~~
Mandatum
I assume if you're spending 30K+ you'd at least want to test drive it. Also
I'm sure if you got in touch with any car dealership near you, they'd arrange
the above for you.

~~~
PakG1
Used to think that about just about anything. Shoes, clothing, electronics,
and more. You can get car accessories and parts online too, depending on the
automaker. It may not get delivered to your home, but it'll at least get
delivered to the dealer, if not your home. Some automakers have sites where
you can customize your car online, like mini.com.

If the trend continues, why just buy whole cars online too, especially if
they're well-reviewed? What was unthinkable before surprisingly changes. I
would not be surprised if buying cars became as easy as an Amazon Prime one-
click in the future. Probably not for at least a decade though.

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jdietrich
In most markets outside the US, the carrier contract model hasn't been
dominant. Some people choose to get a flagship for "free", others choose a
mid-tier phone in exchange for lower monthly fees, still others use budget
phones on a prepaid tariff or a cheap monthly deal.

I think it's notable that T-Mobile introduced diversity into the US cell
service market - they're the only truly global carrier operating in the US.

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dsfyu404ed
Not exactly...

Cars require maintenance the expectation of which greatly influences our
purchasing decisions (e.g. "Toyota tax").

People generally don't buy used phones.

Phones don't come in mutually exclusive form factors (2dr coupe, airport van,
cab and chassis, everything in-between). They're all touchscreen slabs with
one or more buttons at the bottom.

You also won't get fired from your job if you break your phone and your bosses
call goes to voicemail. If you don't show up for work because your car is
broken you'll probably be fired.

~~~
scanlimes
>Cars require maintenance the expectation of which greatly influences our
purchasing decisions (e.g. "Toyota tax").

There is a thriving phone repair industry patronized by people that can't
afford to throw away expensive electronics every few years. When the most
common "failures" are cracked screens and dead batteries, both of which are
fairly easily replaced, it makes sense if you don't "need" the absolute latest
and greatest to signal.

>People generally don't buy used phones.

Used iPhones retain their value pretty well.

>Phones don't come in mutually exclusive form factors (2dr coupe, airport van,
cab and chassis, everything in-between). They're all touchscreen slabs with
one or more buttons at the bottom.

I dunno, the difference between a regular smartphone and a "phablet" is pretty
striking to me.

>You also won't get fired from your job if you break your phone and your
bosses call goes to voicemail. If you don't show up for work because your car
is broken you'll probably be fired.

Where the heck do you work?

~~~
douche
> dead batteries

Anyone who designs battery-powered consumer electronics and doesn't make it
trivial to replace a dead battery should be slapped with a cold herring.

One nice feature of the Samsung Galaxy line (at least up to the 4S I have now)
is that it takes all of ten seconds to swap batteries.

~~~
RodgerTheGreat
The mechanisms necessary for a removable battery that doesn't fall out
accidentally cost extra weight and bulk. It's an engineering tradeoff, and
swappable batteries aren't worth it for many users. This is also why many
laptops have fewer interchangeable parts- for many people, being lighter and
thinner is better, and a 3-5 year lifespan is plenty.

~~~
gcb0
> excuses

let's just remove all features that add weight!

