
With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Threshold - Cbasedlifeform
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/10/technology/apple-iphone-price.html
======
ksec
If we take a look from a Global Perspective, US has the cheapest iPhone ( All
prices excluding sales Tax ), and everywhere else had it more expensive. i.e
The $1K Prices may be making a big waves in US, but elsewhere in the world
they have been paying that much for an iPhone already.

And in terms of iPhones / Population / Apple Store, the US has it most. While
in Japan 60% of the Smartphone are iPhone ( i.e Higher the US usage ) they
have less then 10 Apple Stores. And it is the same everywhere else, which
means any mark up in a certain countries has nothing to do with its Operation
with in, and more to do with a Sales Tax, Global Pricing structure.

For Example, HongKong used to have the cheapest iPhone around the world, it
was priced the same as US and because there are no Sales tax, it was 10-15%
cheaper. Making HK the trading ground for all of SEA region or mainly China. (
Hence Tim Cook continue to blame HK market is more of a delusion rather then
fact. ) Around iPhone 5 Apple started to put up additional $100 USD to ALL
iPhone price in HK, as a way to combat the black market trading, and if
everyone else where making money of it, why not keep the profits itself?

What has all these got to do with $1K iPhone. Well Apple already knew certain
people are buying at those prices, again why not make a product that fit those
segment? And to re balance the prices across the Globe?

And we have known for long there is no way to make the cutting edge devices
every 12 months and ship 200M+ of it. They will need a product that only
10-20% of those 200M will buy, and have the best technology in it.

And mind you, shipping cutting edge technology to 20-40M user a year isn't any
easier then the 200M+ iPhone.

~~~
grecy
> _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 people have enough
money to pay it, but they can't in the US.

~~~
leipert
Really? To me it seems like the US has a higher disposable income per
household (after taxes) [1]:

US ~41k, Switzerland ~36k, France ~30k and Germany ~32k

[1]:
[http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/income/](http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/income/)

~~~
pera
In Argentina and Brazil taxes are so high that it's often cheaper to travel to
the US just to buy a laptop like a MBP (for instance, the cheapest touch bar
model is about $3k USD). And to give some perspective: the average salary over
there is ~10 times lower than here in the US.

------
osteele
This reminds me of the arguments about whether popular bands should raise
ticket prices on the one hand, or create the conditions for ticket scalpers on
the other.

Let's say Apple wants to be as innovative in hardware as a company like
Essential – and therefore use components or manufacturing processes that
aren't available at the scale of tens of millions per quarter. What should
Apple do?

* Not innovate. Leave this for smaller companies; wait for the price to come down. Risk: lose market, engineers, and ability to build competence, to other companies.

* Release in limited supply at a low price; leave the surplus to rent seekers (scalpers). Risk: Leaves money on the table; insert middleman in relationship between Apple and (ultimate) customers.

* Release in limited supply at a low price; attempt to control scalping by limiting sales per customer and locking phones to the original purchaser. Risk: Complicated mechanism that people will hate.

* Charge a higher price, in order to set demand to supply. Risk: Bad image; magnifies effects of wealth inequality.

~~~
EddieRingle
Couldn't they also invest some of their massive cash reserves into production
and R&D?

~~~
dmix
Yes but I don't see how that would affect their pricing strategy?

Cash reserves make it easier for them to make a riskier play into the luxury
market. But in the long-run the reserve is only a temporary fallback not a
sustainable model.

Pushing the price up makes it easier to play with the price margins and add
more expensive parts.

It could also be fueled by the output of their R&D but they could also see the
value proposition they offer as justifying a higher price from entirely non-
functional aspects (ie non-software/hardware innovation), just merely the
emotional draw of the product via design and branding. The measure is whether
people still want the product as much rather than whether it does x & y better
than the competitors.

People tend to discount the utility of emotional appeal and the connection
people have to the products they use daily. Instead focusing on CPU speeds or
raw feature comparisons.

------
alkonaut
A lot of people just get the best iphone every 24 months (e.g. rich people, or
people who have a generous smartphone policy at work). Having a model that
gets another couple of hundred bucks from those people is pretty clever I
think.

This is basically the S-class phone (To make a car analogy, because that's
what we do). The S-class Mercedes costs twice as much as the "Normal" E-class,
and each time they launch a new model, it contains the most exotic and
expensive new gadgets. It's sold to the _very_ price insensitive. This
offloads a lot of the R&D costs of these technical gadgets to the S-class
customers. The following year, their E-class (Which is upscale but not a super
luxury car) sees most of those S-class features at a much lower price point.

I'm suspecting this is what will happen with a new, expensive iPhone. It will
be a testing ground for new features, and if the features work they will be
introduced at much lower risk and cost to 10x the number of customers next
year. This year it's oled screens, facial recognition etc.

~~~
Kluny
I also know a guy who made his living for many years repairing and reselling
iPhones, who simply buys the top of the line as soon as it comes out and
resells the old one to pay for it, at as close to full price as he can get
away with. Since he always gets the most specc'd out phone available, treats
it very carefully, always inside an otterbox, and is a pretty decent salesman,
he usually gets his price. He also claims it as a tax write-off - business
expense.

In that way I think he ends up paying maybe $200 every other year for his new
phone. In the last 6 years I've spent WAY more than that on the Androids I
used to get and break/lose every year or so. I've finally seen the light and
got an iPhone myself and plan to adopt the same strategy.

~~~
GuB-42
A good strategy, however he is not really the owner of the phone. He is
essentially renting it from the next buyer.

One consequence is that he has no option but treat is carefully, use a case, a
screen protector, etc.. which is kind of ironic considering how much effort is
put on the exterior design of the phone.

Selling the phone also has a non-zero cost : you have to find a buyer and make
the transaction. In that guy's case, when he sells his own iPhone, he doesn't
sell something else from his shop. And he has the advantage of being an
experienced salesman and having a shop.

As for the tax write-off, sure, but I suppose that if you write off your phone
as a business expense, you also need to declare the sale as business income. I
doubt it is as straightforward as one may think. That guy, who is presumably a
business owner, probably has an accountant to deal with such issues.

What I am trying to say is that that guy strategy probably works very well for
him but how it will work for you is another story.

~~~
Kluny
> One consequence is that he has no option but treat is carefully, use a case,
> a screen protector, etc.. which is kind of ironic considering how much
> effort is put on the exterior design of the phone.

Yeah, but I do that too regardless of whether I'm planning to resell it,
because cracked screens are a pain in the ass and that applies to any phone.

> Selling the phone also has a non-zero cost : you have to find a buyer and
> make the transaction. In that guy's case, when he sells his own iPhone, he
> doesn't sell something else from his shop. And he has the advantage of being
> an experienced salesman and having a shop.

He actually just sells them on facebook. He does have a shop, but he's not in
the iPhone business anymore - he has a car dealership. Like I said, good
salesman! He's the most active facebook user I've ever encountered, so he may
be paying his "shop" rent that way.

I suspect the strategy won't work quite as well for me - but I think I can
expect to pay the same $2-400 every 1-2 years that I have been paying, plus I
get an iPhone instead of a cheap Android. I didn't think it would win me over,
but it has.

~~~
YSFEJ4SWJUVU6
I, too, like to avoid cracked screens the best I can – with reasonable
precaution. I'm not going to wrap an already big phone in an even bigger case
to make it a bigger nuisance every single day.

(I also don't buy the hassle of using screen protectors. I do not mind micro
scratches all that much because I'm not trying to protect the resale value of
a consumable item. I can put it in the same pocket with keys or many other
sharp items if that's what's most convenient in a given situation. There is
indeed a cost at trying to preserve any carryable item in mint condition.)

~~~
zimpenfish
> I also don't buy the hassle of using screen protectors.

They're not really for "micro scratches", though - they're for when you drop
the phone or otherwise catch the front with something heavy/sharp/etc. My last
two screen protectors have saved my screen from damage - considering that's
£30 of outlay compared with ~£270 for a new iPhone 7 screen _each time_ , I
would say they're vital.

------
ihateneckbeards
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

~~~
yodsanklai
> Not excusing the price, but people these days spend multiple hours a day on
> their phones

That's my reasoning when I buy a new computer. I can buy a MBP for $2000, use
it for 3 years and sell it used for $1000. $30 a month is a bargain
considering I use it between 5-10 hours a day. I may pay a mac a little more
(20%?) than the competition but it's worth it considering it's subjectively
_better_ (and objectively different, Mac OS / design / size -- arguably less
and less so).

However, I'd never buy an iphone (or an expensive smartphone). Iphone users
may disagree, but for what I've seen they provide almost the same experience
as much cheaper phones (typically two times cheaper). Another issue I have
with the price is that I don't feel confortable walking around with such a
small expensive item. So easy to lose it or forget it.

~~~
StudentStuff
Much of this logic is why I stopped buying new computers or phones. I'd rather
use a $70 T440 that I've upgraded and know how to repair most everything on
than haul a MBP that I'll need to get a pro to service, that also happens to
have terrible ventilation. I mean, my last MBP literally cooked itself,
comparatively this T440 has a giant grill that it rapidly removes heat through
(though its 15w i5 doesn't make much).

~~~
pilsetnieks
You make it sound like the MBP is a weighty piece of burden compared to a
dainty T440 (use a T440 vs. haul a MBP.)

And the part about cooking itself sounds like a manufacturing defect for which
you should have gotten a replacement - in normal conditions it should just
shut down, if temperatures get high enough that ventilation and throttling
don't help.

~~~
StudentStuff
My old MBP is heavier than my T440 by half a pound. I also never said that it
shut itself down, just that it was consistently uncomfortably hot to be using,
and I couldn't imagine attempting to use it to run a bunch of VMs like I use
my T440 for.

I'm happy to have sold that MBP and put Apple far behind me, with the
inflatable battery and high temps, it was on par with the $20 x100e I picked
up last year (though that x100e was much lighter/smaller).

------
5_minutes
Previously, if you bought a Plus, upgraded the storage you also hit the $1000
mark quite easily.

Apple can't do much wrong: removed the audio jack did not hurt iPhone sales.
The new mac book pro, ridiculously priced, a very 'particular' keyboard, was
the fastest selling laptop ever.

If you see the reactions on let's say, The Verge, on any post regarding new
Apple products - it's insane.

So I think Apple is still in a very comfortable position to keep on doing this
artificial pricing for the time being, and for the foreseeable future as well
- and get away with it. Their tandem of hard & software, though much flawed,
still seems to be worth the premium price for many people.

They have me because of OSX but I won't stand another crappy laptop of them
anymore.

~~~
DigitalJack
My wife has one of the new ones with the "particular" keyboard. I think it's
okay (the keyboard), but it's pretty noisy.

~~~
eknkc
The "particular" keyboard is actually quite good to use. I like the way I type
on this one.

However it's not reliable. A single speck of dust under the keycap then you
have misfires. Keys get mushy for no reason, get stuck etc. My b key does not
work reliably now for example.

~~~
kalleboo
Yeah I really like the feel of it, but my "n" key has stopped working twice
already (within a month of purchase!) - I've "massaged" it back to life both
times with firm pressing. That reminds me I need to order compressed air from
Amazon. Can I bill that to Apple I wonder

~~~
eknkc
I disassembled "n" a couple weeks ago, not just removing the keycap, but the
entire butterfly mechanism. Cleaned up then reattached using glue. Works fine
now.

As far as I can tell, the mechanism is too fragile / shitty.

There is a single metal dome below the key which acts like the spring and
actuator. Butterfly thing is there to keep the keycap in place and distribute
pressure so if you hit a corner it directs that to the dome thingy. That metal
dome seems to have an issue with heat as most people report problems when the
device heats up. Maybe it expands. If you look at the contacts below it looks
like there is too little margin for error.

I think this keyboard is gonna create a lot of issues in the long term.

------
devwastaken
After recently doing a bit of research into a new smartphone, I begun to
understand why people buy Iphones, even if they're really really expensive.
Firstly, you can explain it away financially with monthly payments, like any
phone through a provider, but the biggest pain point I had is proven
reliability. Take any popular Android phone, and you'll see a history of
unsolved hardware problems from the manufacturer, such as boot loops. I can't
afford to have my phone just 'break' itself and have to deal with my provider
or some such nonesense. It was a real problem looking through dozens and
dozens of different phones and knowing that each one of them tried to re-
invent the wheel in some way that will probably break.

In the end, I settled for a Moto Z Play, at the recommendation of a
programming blog, and that it had excellent reviews on the outlets I could
find it. But, even with that, I accidentally bought an international version
from Amazon unknowingly until I tried to purchase accident protection from
Motorola, and they had to direct me to Indian support, which their phoneline
was offline for all the times I tried to call. After ordering the proper U.S.
version through motorolas site, though, everything has been fine. But thats a
lot of technical stuff and throwing direct money (no monthly payments) at a
single item. I can understand why people would just go to their providers
site, and order an Iphone after trying, or not trying, to do research into
smartphones.

For reference, I was able to return the international version even though I
had used it for a week or so, and once refunded bought the U.S. one. Motorola
tries to provide a monthly payment mechanism through 'Affirm', but Affirm
was... Firm in that I didn't have a checking account in my bank, because my
bank gives it a different name (though still is a checking.). The main saving
grace of motorola is that AFAIK, their accident protection can send me a new
phone before I have to send a broken one back in the future if(when) it does
break.

And after all of this, still no 4G on it, because AT&T doesn't do that unless
you have an 'AT&T' phone IMEI supposedly.

~~~
alkonaut
> proven reliability

This. I buy iPhones because I know that every released version will be bought
by several tens of millions. I don't want a smartphone that only a couple of
million bought. If something is wrong with it I don't want to find a few
unhappy souls on some forum complaining about the same thing, and a
manufacturer that's already pushing ten new models. The "Just works" feature
is worth so much to people.

Obviously some of the the flagship android phones are also big sellers, and
also tend to "just work" \- but those also cost about the same as the iPhone.

~~~
pawadu
> I don't want a smartphone that only a couple of million bought

Not sure if serious ...

~~~
alkonaut
Dead serious.

------
AndrewKemendo
I'm wondering if Apple is going to come out with the equivalent of the Samsung
DeX (1). I mean the new phone apparently has insane 6core SoC processing and
wireless charging, which hints at a new kind of dock.

If I can replace a MacBook with an iPhone X + Apple screen then I'm definitely
going to do that. Price point is higher compared to a single phone, but lower
compared to phone + laptop. Solves almost all of the portability issues and
makes app dev easier - which is where they want to push people anyway.

If they are going hard towards AR glasses, they need people to get used to
having a single device for desktop and mobile. The glasses just become a
peripheral at that point for early adopters.

1.[http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/mobile-
accessories/phones/d...](http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/mobile-
accessories/phones/dex-station---black-ee-mg950tbegus/)

------
dannysu
Nobody looks at a top of the line PC with the best graphics card(s) and say
it's crossing a threshold. Everybody understands it's for a certain
demographic.

According to rumors, they're still going to have various models and price
points.

Also, iPhones are extremely economical because no other phones receive OS
updates for as long. My iPhone 6, which cost $749 at the time, is coming up to
3 years old. It's still flawless, no speed issues or any issues. The only
thing bad is that the battery isn't as good as before, but I still get through
the day just fine.

I might upgrade this year just because "new & shiny", but I'll probably pass
the iPhone 6 to family. And because it's still very good and receive updates,
that means if I get 4 years of life out of it, its cost is actually only $375
when compared to other phones that stop getting updates 2 years in. That's
really good!

~~~
Yetanfou
I see your 3 year young iPhone and raise my 6 year old Motorola Defy. I bought
it new in 2011 for about 1/4 of what the then-current iPhone would have cost.
It still works flawlessly, the battery is fine as well (~5 days of normal use
on a single charge or ~7 hours of screen time). If the battery were to fail I
could just replace it, no tools required.

Oh, the thing is waterproof and 'shock-proof' (although the latter is to be
taken with a grain of salt, my wife managed to break the glass on hers after
about three years).

In other words, it does not take an expensive iPhone to last longer than a
contract period. Well-built phones can last a long time, much longer than the
2 years which most people seem to consider as normal.

~~~
dannysu
That misses a key point I was making: OS updates.

Yes, I too have a Nexus 4 (bought in 2012) and it still works fine. But no
more updates. I don't consider that on par with say my previous work laptop,
which was also 3 years before I upgraded.

I also own a Moto E (2nd Gen, $60-ish) and bought a Moto G+ for my brother
this year, but I can't count on them to receive OS updates for as long.

~~~
bambax
Okay, but why do we need "software updates"? If the phone still works and is
able to do the job what difference does it make?

I had a Moto G for over 3 years that cost $150 in 2014 and which continued to
work perfectly with zero updates (Android 4.4) during that period.

It finally died last month when I tried to recharge it on an USB cable that I
wired backwards (on a motorcycle). Replaced it with a $120 Lenovo that's
fantastic, does everything I could think of and more.

I think people who are ready to buy an iPhone for over $1000 would in fact pay
any price; Apple should try to sell those for $2500 and see what happens.

For the rest of us, a $120 Android phone is more than enough.

~~~
flukus
> Okay, but why do we need "software updates"? If the phone still works and is
> able to do the job what difference does it make?

Yes, maybe not updates as such but we certainly need security patches. Any
network connected device does and phones are more connected than most,
frequently sharing networks with strangers or friends that aren't tech savy
enough to keep their environment secure..

~~~
alacombe
Most of my family members (ie. >70yo. non tech folks) skip all update
altogether, security or not. The argument is that updates introduce features
changes which bother their experience and force them to figure out where
everything is.

In layman terms, security updates are seen as trojan horse for larger updates
they don't want.

------
racl101
If those new Nokias start being sold in my neck of the woods (Western Canada)
I think I will pretty much just stop bothering with smartphones and just go
with that compromise.

If I'm being honest with myself, I just need a damn phone and an ok camera.
The rest are frivolities.

I can just continue using my table for the rest.

~~~
pilsetnieks
If by those new Nokias that aren't smartphones you mean the new 3310s (because
Nokia also makes Android phones now,) you should be weary - the camera isn't
exactly ok, not by modern standards, and most importantly, they only work on
GSM (2G) networks that are being phased out in a lot of places.

~~~
madeofpalk
> they only work on GSM (2G) networks

Haha you're kidding me? They shut down the 2G networks in Australia this year!

~~~
ghostbrainalpha
Actually, early reports look like they will be updated to (3G) when the phone
comes to the U.S. market.

[https://www.cnet.com/news/nokia-3310-3g-us-launch-fcc-
filing...](https://www.cnet.com/news/nokia-3310-3g-us-launch-fcc-filing/)

------
basseq
Two immediate thoughts:

This is going to be for the hitherto-unavailable _third_ tier of new iPhone:
we'll have iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. I expect this is referring
to the X. Which may well only be offered in a 256GB configuration. A jet black
iPhone 7 Plus in 256 GB is $969 today. So this might not be a huge increase
for the X. I fully expect 8 and 8 Plus models to mirror current pricing.

And second, we've seen this "high price" reporting with other releases,
notably the Apple Watch IIRC. Reputable outlets were floating high prices, and
Apple announced "normal" pricing at the event. Other comments here have talked
about anchoring: this may be more of the same Apple marketing FUD.

------
xutopia
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 that direction.

~~~
TCM
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.

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

------
exodust
Planned obsolescence is my biggest gripe with Apple and other brands that do
this.

My 2012 iOS device is now stuck on iOS9. I wouldn't mind except they bundle
web browser updates with the OS. This is wrong.

The web browser on iOS9 does not support javascript ES6 features such as the
"Let" statement. Any web sites that use let statements will fail on iOS 9. I
discovered this recently when browsing on my iPad3, 2012 model. Apple doesn't
care, they just want people throwing their old hardware in the trash and
buying latest product.

I understand why I can't have iOS10 on an iPad3, but the web browser should be
given updates separately.

~~~
idonotknowwhy
Apple have a lot to answer for, and there are a lot of flaws with iOS devices,
but this isn't one of them.

5 years of updates for a smartphone is pretty good. From Android, I think only
certain Sony phones even come close to that.

By now, the battery cells will be damaged, the CPU/RAM too slow or limited,
the flash memory wearing out. Time for a new phone :)

~~~
problems
If you run custom ROMs on Android that situation is currently better than
anything - you can still get updates for a Galaxy Nexus from 2011. Xiaomi is
also currently providing official updates for 4+ years on some devices.

The official situation should change too - with the release of Android 8 there
is now a more defined layer separating the HAL from the rest of the OS,
allowing updates to be pushed out universally.

~~~
dep_b
Yeah I'll totally bet the farm on the hope that in five years shady_dude_1998
will upload a nice ROM for me on some kind of site that forces me to watch an
add for 15 seconds first.

I'm not against the idea of customizing your phone with a custom ROM but let's
not pretend that it's a genuine option for regular consumers.

~~~
problems
I'm not suggesting that - look at big professional projects like Lineage,
Paranoid and others.

I'd say it is a quite genuine option - you just need to know one person who
can set you up once, updating is simple and streamlined.

------
kid0m4n
Funny thing. We in India pay regularly close to $1000 (oh the irony there) for
a regular iPhone 7 - and they sell a lot here.

~~~
King-Aaron
Yep, Australia too.

 __iPhone 7 32 GB __

Australian price: AU$1,079 ... US Price: $649

~~~
kid0m4n
No offence :P but we are paying > US$1000

~~~
King-Aaron
No offence taken! That's pretty outrageous, do you know if they have a
justification for that price in your country?

~~~
mlnj
It's mostly due to custom duty on electronics and gadgets, which can be
upwards of 25%

------
lisper
"The imaging system can then stitch the patterns into a detailed 3-D image of
your face to determine if you are indeed the owner of your smartphone before
unlocking it."

So I pay an extra $300 to save me the trouble of putting my finger on the
touchID sensor? That doesn't sound like a compelling value proposition to me.

------
acjohnson55
$1k? Wow, they must have figured out a way to add the audio jack back!

It'll be interesting to see how this works out. I'm in the minority amongst my
social group as an Android user, but I can't imagine many of the iPhone users
I know shelling out $1k. But I'm sure there's a mid-range model. Right?

~~~
moonbug22
It says something about your social group that you even know that fact.

------
Friedduck
The $1k price might be easier to stomach if iPhone managed content as well as
it used to. I've stopped using the apple ecosystem for photo + music
management, and now find it isn't managing contacts well across devices any
longer.

For all the truly amazing capabilities the basics are lacking.

~~~
yladiz
I'm not sure about music, but what's wrong with the default Photos or Contacts
apps? Contacts works fine for me, and Photos works very well considering I
have nearly 9000 photos. Syncing over iCloud is also fine, between my phone
and my laptop.

------
TazeTSchnitzel
Is the new iPhone _really_ going to be $999? I wonder if Apple are seeding
rumours like this to make a smaller price increase seem more reasonable.

~~~
Simon_says
Or they seed rumors to test the waters of what people will accept. Based on
this thread, it looks like $999 is acceptable.

~~~
c0nducktr
Most people on this site are well paid tech folks.

------
jaxondu
Apple's 1k pricing will be doing just fine as Samsung is also pricing Note 8
around the same.

~~~
Gaelan
I believe the Note is equivalent to Apple's Plus models.

~~~
danielrmay
Is it? I think the S8 Plus is the equivalent - unless the new iPhone comes
with a stylus.

~~~
Gaelan
Ah, wasn't aware of the S Plus models. You're probably right.

------
skywhopper
The author of this article has soaked up the conventional wisdom about Apple's
pricing. Yes, they don't sell cheap phones, and sure they make a healthy
profit, but it doesn't then follow that the product is overpriced. The iPhone
has always been an extremely high-quality product and has always been
competitively priced versus comparable models from other phone makers. So why
do they have the reputation of premium pricing?

This $1000 iPhone X may be nearly as expensive as a Macbook Air, but that's
entirely reasonable: it's a far more powerful and sophisticated computer in a
much smaller package. Why would you expect it to cost less?

~~~
Yizahi
Not extremely. Merely high quality. Numerous cases with broken buttons even on
brand new devices, wi-fi failure issues, gps failure issues. Yes, it is
anecdotal cases but so are all others for different brands.

------
circa
I don't know why this is such a shock to everyone. The iPhone 7 Plus 256GB was
not much cheaper than $1,000. I guess because most people don't go for that
model? Even so I'm not surprised at all.

------
throw2016
There has to be some technology to justify the price or we revert to the old
Nokia model of adding some RAM, upping the megapixels and releasing a new
model and we know how that ended for Nokia. Brand can only take you so far.
Nobody thought a company as entrenched as Nokia could suddenly disappear, and
they did.

The bigger issue is at the moment its just taking productive income from the
economy that could drive real economic activity and job growth and dumping it
in Apple's already inflated bank balance which they don't know what to do
with.

------
grecy
The first iPhone was announced at $599 in mid-2007.

That's $704 2017 dollars, and look how much more of a device you will be
getting.

Seems perfectly find to me. If people want to spend it, of course a company
will make it.

~~~
jononor
Competition is a hell of a lot better these days. A phone at 1/5 the cost will
cover the same needs.

~~~
visarga
I voted with my wallet since iPhone 4. I was an early enthusiast with iPhone
and owned the first model, as soon as it came out, and the next 3 models after
that. But at some point it started becoming so expensive I was put off. I can
afford it but I was just disgusted. I have gone through 3 Android phones since
and now use a Nexus 6P, which is a very nice phone.

~~~
nebabyte
"vote with your wallet". I'll never stop being amazed at how readily americans
buy into the "democracy = consumerism" equation. Or the number of things they
happily apply that formula to.

I suppose that 'we're here to change the world' soda commercial isn't nearly
as absurd when you consider the audience.

------
hoorayimhelping
The thousand dollar iPhone is the BMW 7 series of iPhones. Apple at this point
is constrained by their supply chain. They have the capacity to introduce new
tech, but the tech isn't capable of being produced at the scale to put in a
couple hundred million iPhones, so they put it into a more expensive phone and
sell fewer of them. Then they put the tech that works into the regular iPhones
a couple of generations later when the supply chain matures. Seems like a good
long term strategy.

~~~
tosser350
I've always thought they should do a 10k+ iPhone. Plenty of elites would buy
it as a status symbol even if the hardware really wasn't any different.

~~~
supermdguy
I've seen premium gold-covered "styled" iPhones being sold for thousands by
third parties.

------
tagurit
It's interesting how in this forum people are concerned more about
functionalities that don't justify its price point. But not so much on the
aesthetics which is what the regular consumer really cares about. For the
average Apple customer, the bezel change is HUGE. It's enough to justify the
1k even though it's not an innovation or some crazy performance boost. People
are definitely still going to buy it.

------
csomar
I already paid $1,000 for my iPhone 7+ though it would cost $869 if I was
living in the US (I don't know though if the prices in the Apple site are pre-
VAT).

Apple next challenge is not making people pay $1,000 for an iPhone. People
already do that. Apple next challenge is bringing globalization, breaking the
VAT, and putting profits in safe havens away from the fiscal preys.

People already pay thousands, dozens and hundreds of them for luxury. Apple
upping its price might have the reverse effect: People line up to buy the
highest price iPhone because it is not "accessible for everyone". Apple always
got your back with a cheaper version but you really want the expensive one
otherwise you are out of line.

We are getting close everyday to the confrontation between IT giga-multi-
nationals and the traditional countries/governments of the world. We are
probably still too far from the real battle but everyday is showing more why
these two are not friends.

------
csours
For $1,000 can it be durable as well as good looking? How about a serious IP
(Ingress Protection - dust and water) rating?

~~~
millstone
Honest question, what does the rating actually mean? The Galaxy S7 was IP68
certified but did not survive immersion
[https://www.consumerreports.org/smartphones/samsung-
galaxy-s...](https://www.consumerreports.org/smartphones/samsung-
galaxy-s7-active-fails-consumer-reports-water-resistance-test/)

This might be a case of under-promise, over-deliver.

~~~
Veratyr
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code)
is a decent summary.

IP68 means absolutely no dust whatsoever and:

"The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions
which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of
equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it
produces no harmful effects. The test depth and/or duration is expected to be
greater than the requirements for IPx7, and other environmental effects may be
added, such as temperature cycling before immersion."

In the S8's case, the manufacturer specified conditions were "submersion in up
to 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes", from
[http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxy-s8/performance/](http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxy-s8/performance/).

------
featherverse
It isn't crossing a threshold. The old iphones and their "affordable" price
tags was crossing a threshhold. Apple was dipping their toes in the middle-
america Market in order to grab market share. And now they're returning to
what they've always sold, overpriced gadgets aimed at a specific niche demo.

~~~
millstone
Can't it be both? Apple sells upmarket but also mid-market phones, like the
iPhone SE. Features are introduced on the high-end models and then migrate
down. Of course Apple will continue to compete in the mid-market range.

~~~
girvo
> iPhone SE

Which is the best phone I've ever owned -- Nokia N9 aside, anyway. Excellent
size, great performance, latest updates and I got it second hand (but BNIB,
was her insurance replacement for a lost phone) for $350AUD. I get to use iOS
with a reasonably modern day chipset, an excellent camera, but for the cost of
a midrange android phone. Excellent, really.

------
iFelon
No mention of a cell phone pushing over the bar of what constitutes a felony
in terms of dollar amount. I'm in no way for raising this limit further, but I
also don't think stealing a cellphone should be a felony.

Older articles, but they cover what I'm talking about:
[https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/03/09/why-stealing-
ip...](https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/03/09/why-stealing-iphone-
felony/qgTlkhQ8AnMS7OO7xtsWmI/story.html)

[http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-
brie...](http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-
briefs/2016/02/the-effects-of-changing-state-theft-penalties)

------
christophilus
I highly recommend all web developers buy a crappy old phone like mine and use
it often on their own sites. That would improve the mobile web tremendously, I
think.

(I'm still running a 4-year old, super under-powered Android phone. I shelled
out $150 for it when it was brand-spanking new. That was unsubsidized.)

------
omnimus
From europe > many people have iphone. The iphone 7 plus costs around 1000usd
here already. Amazingly many poeple have it including people i know that are
making around 1000usd month. It is amazing, they dont even use apps, just for
calling and facebook.

I dont get it its like somebody in US buying it for 5000 usd.

But it is changing. With companies like xiaomi putting up phones for 100usd
that do the same for those people and look nice... I believe apple is going to
be going down if they increase prices even more. These people dont want second
class iphone. They want THE iphone. If they cant afford THE iphone they wont
buy the shitty 500usd one. They might aswell buy the 100usd xaomi then.

I think aple is not going right way with this.

------
dep_b
I think Apple hit a point where producing an exclusive phone with top features
in every department wasn't really possible anymore at their scale. We've seen
them stuck at 16GB for a really long time simply because upgrading all phones
to 32GB would consume another whopping 15% of the SSD market. OLED screens in
that quality and format aren't produced in enough quantities to put on every
iPhone - yet. But people expect an iPhone to be the best of the best given the
price.

So there's a new X line that will have all the best of the best and the
regularly numbered ones below it will have more mainstream features / design
and will be produced in greater numbers.

~~~
trimbo
> OLED screens in that quality and format aren't produced in enough quantities
> to put on every iPhone

Apple's scale is amazing but I don't really get this observation. Is this is
because Samsung has been shipping OLED at Apple-level volumes for years, so
they've already sucked up most of the supply?

~~~
ascagnel_
It's that Samsung/LG don't have the production capacity to make OLED screens
at the volumes Apple will need to put it on a mass-market phone.

To give you an idea of the discrepancy: Samsung's two flagship phones (S8/S8
Edge) sold roughly 12MM in their first quarter of availability (April-June
2017), while the current iPhone models sold 40+ million units in their third
quarter of availability (same time frame).

------
on_and_off
In the country I live in (France), most smartphone sales are packaged with a
subscription and the price of the phone is hidden.

Is that an exception ?

Because I see why Apple wants to sell the idea of the iPhone as a luxury
product, but subsidization runs opposite to luxury.

~~~
bdcravens
Most (all?) carriers in the US have shifted from subsidization to a leasing
model (with ability to trade in your leased phone typically at 12 months).

However, it's still smaller monthly payments; few I suspect buy the device up-
front.

------
mstolpm
First of all, Apple don't need to sell many of these models: We're all doing
an incredible job for Apple discussing the price tag of an unannounced phone.
That alone is worth millions and millions for Apple PR.

Nonetheless I believe they will sell lots and lots of these models: It will be
a status item.

Moreover, in a lot of countries, most people don't but smartphones fully
upfront to own them, but pay monthly with their phone bill. So, its not $1k or
$1.5k, but perhaps $50 more upfront compared to other high end smartphones and
another $15 monthly surcharge on the phone bill. Doesn't seem sooo incredible
that way, isn't it?

------
imaginenore
I have no idea what people do with $800+ phones. I'm on Nexus 5X (<$180), and
it's perfectly fine, the camera is great, apps run just fine.

I doubt most of these people are doing phone based VR and play high end phone
games.

------
pdimitar
...So?

I knew plenty of people who buy a new Android, priced anywhere from $400 to
$700, every year, more often than not it was once every 9 months even.

So I might spend $1100 or so on the iPhone Pro / X / whatever the moniker is.
But I'll use it at least 3 years.

Annual cost of owning an iPhone makes it cheaper than almost any Android.

Not everything is about upfront cost. iPhones get updated for 5 years and they
don't start lagging in 8-12 months like almost all Androids do. If you don't
bust it, you might sell it for 75-90% of its original cost even 3 years down
the line.

Mostly philosophical article without much economical substance.

~~~
stevoo
I disagree with this.

Although the iPhones might get updated for 5 years that does not make them
fast. Each update makes the older device slower which at a point it becomes
unusable. A 3 year old device just cant compare with the increase in features,
how a newer device can.

But for Android, it all comes down to the provider. This has always been the
issue. I have a Nexus 6 running 7.1 and working just fine. I could use it for
another year if i wanted but it does show signals of getting old.

People used to change iphone every year as they did with Android. I believe
that this is coming to an end and people will keep there phones longer as they
become much more expensive (X:1100+, note8:1050, etc) and the increase in
hardware is not that massive any more.

~~~
pdimitar
We both have anecdotal evidence so we can disagree all week without each of us
being right globally.

I am yet to ever see a slow iPhone in my life though, anecdotal evidence or
not.

Maybe you were looking at iPhone 5 or 5S. From 6 and on, they are quite long-
lasting and many people hold on to them for a long time without complaints.

Nexus is not a good example from your side. It's more the exception than the
rule. Have you looked at the wild landscape of most of Android land? Phones
get abandoned in less than a year. That's the norm in Android.

Nexii and Pixels are the outliers.

EDIT #1: Nexus 6 should theoretically now be abandoned by Google in terms of
new Android versions, same as 5X and 6P. Last two should have one more year of
security updates though.

EDIT #2: "increase in features" in smartphones hasn't been happening in a
while. It's been mostly rebranding of a little bit more battery-efficient
SoCs, at least in Android. Apple is showing gradual increase in single-core
performance, and I can't deny that my Mi 6 (using Snapdragon 835) is snappy as
hell. So IMO you're half-right: people will hold on to devices for longer
since they're very expensive now, but there's another half: many people, me
included, feel the smartphone hype is over and that the OEMs have nothing to
show except flashier displays, maybe faster SoCs, and prettier outer shells.
Thus I want to buy a longer-lasting device. And that ain't any device in
Android, sadly. I am not a huge fan of Apple but the durability and high
performance retention (the point you're questioning) seem to be an accepted
fact, so I'll go with them.

------
zalq
The OnePlus 5 grows ever more attractive, eh?

------
chadcmulligan
Does the actual price matter? I thought about buying one outright when I
bought mine, but it worked out more expensive than buying one on a plan, I
can't think of anyone who bought their's outright

~~~
Tsiklon
Personally for me and my usage in the UK, a mobile phone plan is more
expensive over the course of 2 years.

Yes the initial outlay is more painful, but i find £25 a month much more
palatable than £74 (for the same plan with the phone)

back of the napkin maths says the following; iPhone 7+ 128G (my current phone)
- £819 phone plan (unlimited data - 600mins - unlimited texts) - £25/month
Over 2 years - 819+600 - £1419

phone + plan (unlimited data - unlimited minutes - unlimited texts, closest to
what i currently have) - £74/month Over 2 years - £1850

~~~
chadcmulligan
Yes I'm in australia and the maths has probably changed - plans are a lot
cheaper now. Still I stand by my comment, a large percentage of iphone buyers
don't look at the price, they look at the monthly rate - if the difference is
$10 a month then it probably won't change things much imho.

------
chemmail
I'm surprised its taken apple this long to realize a phone is more of a
fashion statement than any clothes/jewelry/car. Esp to the poor. They should
of had multiple teirs to begin with.

------
dagw
Outside the US the latest top of the line iPhones have been over $1k for a
while now. I guess Apple figured if other people are willing to pay that much
then why wouldn't people in the US?

------
FussyZeus
> From the iPhone’s introduction a decade ago, Apple has always priced it as a
> premium product — a more refined and polished alternative to the legions of
> cheaper smartphones available in the market.

And not only is it priced that way, thats _actually what it is_ which is why
in all likelihood I'm buying one tomorrow.

Every Android I've ever used has felt like cheap shit in my hands, and works
like crap after 10 months or so. My current iPhone is knocking on 3 years old
and works as well as the day I took it out of the box.

------
eagletusk
The should just call it by it's price tag.

iPhone $1k iPhone $1.2k iPhone $2k ...

------
TekMol
I don't get what it is about the iPhone that people are willing to pay a
premium for. Is it all just in the marketing?

I would not mind paying $1000 for a phone if it offered any additional value
over my $200 Android phone.

But I cannot see anything better in the form factor of the iPhone line.

And for the software - I have an iPad and I hate the software. It is so
restricted. You cannot even do basic tasks like download an mp3/pdf/whatever
in your browser and then open it in the app of your choice.

~~~
kk_cz
So, why did you pay a premium for iPad when Android tablet at roughly half the
price would give you the same functionality?

(btw I don't get it either. But I don't see anything special about iPad, hence
my question)

~~~
TekMol
Two reasons:

1) It had the best form factor these days. It was the lightest 9.7inch tablet.
Nowadays, a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 scores better.

2) iOS is a popular OS, so I wanted to have at least one device running it.

------
norea-armozel
I can't see myself buying another phone after buying an iPhone 6 in 2015. I
just don't see a reason to replace it until the battery can't charge anymore.
By then I don't have plans on getting an equivalent phone. Maybe something
cheaper but I think purchasing phones every two years or the like is bad from
an economical standpoint. I'd rather spend my money I'm better food than a
fancier phone but I'm weird.

------
tareqak
I wonder if the iPhone upgrade program will have these:
[https://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-
program](https://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program) .

(I'm not affiliated with Apple. However, I do think that it's kind of neat
that Apple has way for people to get the latest iPhone each year without
having to buy it outright, or be locked to a specific carrier).

------
eksemplar
I'd pay $1000 if I could throw it in to a wall without breaking it.

Until then I'll stick to buying previous generation hardware for 70% the
price.

~~~
StavrosK
I hear you, I can't find a car I can drive through the bottom of a lake
either.

~~~
eksemplar
I don't crash my car once a week.

~~~
SentientNo4
But you throw your phone at the wall once a week? I think your problem
requires a different solution.

~~~
scrollaway
How often do you remove your pants every week? Or pull your phone out of a
loose pocket?

~~~
mlnj
I've never had this problem. Perhaps I am more careful with my phone in
general.

------
rb808
The real expensive part in the US is the cell plan. Excluding the phone, the
mainstream plans are $60+/mo with taxes. If you're paying $720 a year for cell
service a $1k phone really isn't that much.

(I would never pay $60/mo but lots of people do)

~~~
furyg3
Wow, I forgot how bad it was. I have unlimited data, unlimited calling/sms,
and (as of recently) free roaming in all EU countries for €30/month ($36),
with T-Mobile in NL. So that's $432/year.

A $1k iPhone on it's own would cost ~ $40/mo if you spread it out over 24
months.

------
scarface74
I fully expect that the high end phone will start at $1000 but why is NYTimes
publishing this story as if it news? Apple hasn't published the prices of the
phone and for now, the whole article is based on speculation.

------
Havoc
Price - yeah fine whatever.

My issue is I can't see the benefit I'm getting extra. My 7+ seems to be about
the same really. Lifestyle wise this latest black rectangle is going to change
literally nothing as far as I can tell.

------
noncoml
From the so far leaked rumors I don’t see anything to justify the price. If
anything there is a regression with the absence of TouchID. But I guess we
will have to wait and see in two days.

~~~
bluthru
>If anything there is a regression with the absence of TouchID.

FaceID fulfills that role.

~~~
noncoml
Will it be as reliable and fast as TouchID?

~~~
taternuts
TouchID is amazingly reliable and fast, unless your hands are sweaty or greasy
at all. In this case, almost every single time I have to click the home button
multiple times until it stops trying to read my print and show the pin prompt
for manual entry. Even then, it'll sometimes register the previous click
(which is supposed to just bring up the pin screen) as a fingerprint unlock
attempt, and will attempt to fill in the pin again right in the middle of me
manually entering it, making it fail 3 or more times before I can enter my
pin.

I've tried disabling it completely in favor of the pin, but in all honesty the
90% of the time my hands aren't sweaty or greasy it works so much faster that
I just deal with the 10% and keep it enabled.

These could just be sweaty guy problems, but I'm definitely looking forward to
face unlock.

------
1ba9115454
This is a very good strategy in my opinion. The iPhone will be the Rolex of
the smartphone market and purchased as a fashion item and a status symbol.

~~~
mynewtb
Finally!

/s

------
sidchilling
Aren't phones supposed to get cheaper every year?

~~~
sklinger
They do, an iPhone 6s is cheaper now than when it was released.

~~~
shaan7
lol

------
Jean-Philipe
AFAIR, when the iPhone hit the markets, they were coupled with pricy
contracts, totalling easily north of 2k EUR in fixed costs.

------
Tepix
Another way to look at it:

$1000 for two years. After two years, sell the phone for $300-$400.

That's $25-$29 per month. Around $1 per day.

~~~
bfred_it
You can make that excuse for everything. I don't want to pay "Just $1 per day"
on overpriced items. I'd rather pay $0.7 per day on a ok-priced item.

I hope all of this hostility from Apple will result in lower marketshare and a
slow fade into oblivion. I use Apple products because they're the best, but if
I have to spend $1.4k for a phone and $3.5k for a computer I'll hope MS and
GOOG have somewhat caught up to the quality because it's getting tiring.

~~~
Tepix
I wasn't making an excuse. I think $1 per day is quite a lot, especially when
comparing it to a $200 phone. They are almost identical.

------
ForFreedom
As the Apple increases the price of the iphone, people purchasing it is
becoming far less. Since the number of people purchasing the iphone decreases,
increasing the prices keeps Apples profits up.

Apple is not an innovative company anymore, but trying to be a Bentley in the
phone market.

------
scurvy
Why couldn't they build iPhones in Brazil? What happened there?

~~~
swah
I didn't even recalled they wanted to make iPhones here, but this article [1]
basically says that "its more expensive than building them in China" and that
some tax incentive laws were being disputed by the World Trade Orgnization.

[1] [https://www.tecmundo.com.br/iphone/118381-decisao-foxconn-
ip...](https://www.tecmundo.com.br/iphone/118381-decisao-foxconn-iphone-
deixar-fabricado-brasil.htm)

------
jasonmp85
This headline makes no sense. Apple has no $1k phone.

~~~
ovrdrv3
Keynote is tomorrow where it is rumored to be announced.

------
gigatexal
Is anyone planning on getting the phone at 1k?

~~~
YCode
Millions of people, most likely.

~~~
gigatexal
Any of us in HN though?

------
jondubois
What's wrong with people that they would pay $1000+ for a phone that is maybe
only 5% better than a $200 one?

------
lafar6502
iPhone has lost its glamour

------
erikb
You may think this price is ridiculous, but iPhones are slowly dying for two
to four generaltions already. The only people still on iPhone are the ones who
consider it too hard to switch to Android (low IT skills), or the ones who
feel some fan-like loyalty. The price matches that perfectly, exploiting the
weak and stupid.

PS: Why do I call fans stupid? The company isn't 1% as loyal to you as you are
to them. If you still continue to be loyal, it can't be a smart decision.

~~~
otalp
Eric Schmidt has said he uses an iPhone. Elon Musk uses an iPhone 7. Mark
Zuckerburg uses a MacBook Air. Travis Kalnick uses an iPhone. Most people who
I know that work as engineers at Google and Facebook in the US use iPhones.
But sure, they are weak and stupid and you are enlightened.

The iPhone 7 which released last year is more powerful than the Galaxy S8.
Android phones lag embarrassingly behind in terms of CPU performance, disk
write speeds, and software updates. If those things don't matter to you, I
suppose you could get an Android phone for the AMOLED screen(though the new
iPhone is reportedly going to have that too) or customization.

But to say that the only reason people buy iPhones is because they're stupid
is embarrassing, really. I mean Apple weren't the company that have customers
refusing to give back a phone which literally catches on fire.

~~~
erikb
A) You don't know what an engineer is, obviously. So your examples had exactly
zero impact. lol.

B) The Galaxy S4 with Android 2.2 is more powerful than the iPhone 7.

C) There are two reasons. Both may apply to you, though. Reality is really
hard to accept, I know.

D) Macbooks are really good. That doesn't give any additional points to the
iPhone, though. I use one myself and am happy with it. It is well designed and
combines strong features from both Enterprise and Opensource world.

~~~
yladiz
A) I am an engineer, and at my previous company almost every engineer (9/10)
had an iPhone. You should also know better than to insinuate that Elon Musk,
Mark Zuckerberg, or Eric Schmidt aren't engineers, considering the companies
they've created.

B) Citation needed.

C) What are the two reasons, specifically?

The biggest argument I hear about using Android is that it's customizable, but
I would argue that 99% of people, engineers or not, wouldn't customize their
phone enough to matter. I would much rather get an iPhone because, even
disregarding or accepting the customizability argument, iPhones are less
intrusive on your life (I don't want Google to know where I am at all times or
know my phone habits), and get updates and work years after they are released.
Those two _objective_ reasons alone are enough to warrant me buying an iPhone.

~~~
erikb
Look. Think about a guy. He stands behind a horse. The horse kicks him in the
face. For most people this would hurt. But he doesn't process that feedback.
How do you explain to him that it's a bad idea to get close to that horse from
its back side?

If you can show me a strategy, maybe I can explain to you why iPhones are
badly designed. it should be obvious by using it.

Examples:

a) you get a notification that you have a new mail, whatsapp message or
similar. You open the app. Only then the App is able to actually start
downloading the content. This is an example of Apps not really being able to
work in the background. 80% of what you want to do with a computer you can't
do with an iPhone.

b) The keyboard has no features to write more quickly, e.g. by swiping. Also
the suggestions aren't learning from your input. This means each interaction
is very painful instead of being done quickly.

c) Click on a Youtube link in FB or Twitter. It will not open the Youtube App,
but it will open an app internal browser. From there you can manually redirect
to the browser and only then you can open it in Youtube. There is no real
event mechanism, or it isn't opened to App developers.

d) The costumizability results in you being protected by default, because App
developers already have more freedom to provide sane defaults. Even if you
never use customizibility yourself, you already gain from it.

~~~
yladiz
Have you used iOS or are you making assumptions based on what you think you
know? If it was obvious why iOS was badly designed then I wouldn't have to
ask.

a) It depends on how the app works but in general you are right. But this is
to save data, especially in cases where there are a lot of images. Some apps
do download the content when it receives the notification as well.

b) Are you suggesting typing is that much more difficult than swiping on a
keyboard? Even if that were the case, you can download a keyboard from the App
Store that allows you to use a swiping motion on the keyboard.

c) That's more Facebook or Twitter's fault for not handling the same events as
the built in browser, not the failing of the OS.

d) That doesn't make sense. You're protected because app developers have the
_freedom_ to provide sane defaults? What about the bad actors that don't
provide sane defaults or add malware? I'd rather trust the OS to enforce sane
defaults than trust the app developer to, because at least the people that
make the OS are generally competent, whereas app developers are more likely to
not be.

------
zaroth
I like paying $1,000 for a device like this because I want Apple (and
competitors) to know I would absolutely spend $1,000 - BUT it had better hold
up, perform beautifully, bring me something technologically compelling, and do
some damn cool stuff.

At $1,000 sets a very high bar. Excited to see if they meet it!

------
StreamBright
1000 USD phone, still no audiophile option to listen to music. I am extremely
disapointed with the direction Apple is going with all of this "we remove X
because you do not need it anymore" approach.

~~~
Tsiklon
I always thought the Audiophile option was an external DAC? Though the DAC
that iOS devices have shipped with was traditionally quite strong.

I have an Oppo HA-2 and it works great with my iOS devices (though i use it as
a portable amp for my work computer).

There's also the likes of Audeze who are shipping Headphones and Earphones
with a Lightning cable DAC in addition to the usual 3.5mm TRS jack.

~~~
StreamBright
Quoting from the article I linked you:

>>Analysis & Recommendations >>As expected, the analog audio output of the
iPhone 6S Plus is extraordinarily good. It has only >>half the distortion of
the already extraordinary iPhone 6 Plus.

>>Apple has more smart people and more resources than any other audio company
on the planet, so as >>we see when it comes to audio engineering, the iPhone
easily outdoes many so-called "audiophile" >>products.

>>For enjoying music, you will probably get poorer performance if you waste
your time and money >>with outboard DACs or headphone amplifiers; the iPhone
already has the best there is.

