Why do you think people spend so much money on phones?

[MarkKol]

People pay top dollar to get the newest phone every year. I noticed that my colleagues from work have iPhones, since I know how much iphones cost and how much they get paid... I found it strange that a grown ass man (seemingly smart, has a family) spends his entire monthly pay on an iPhone.

Surely you don't value taking pictures that much?

Currently I have a $100 samsung, and it gets the job done. I think about buying a crazy expensive one from time to time like the newest iPhone 14 pro. But everytime I think about it a quote from einstain pops into my head, "when everybody goes right, go left" basically telling me it's a dumb idea because the majority is always dumb. 

I also find it interesting how everybody wants iPhones specifically, I read Steve Jobs' Biography and the guy was clearly a hobo, he had money but he barely ever showered, he was literally that guy digging through trash cans at the bus station looking for plastic bottles... (this was prior to Apple) he didn't seem like a guy who would pay $1500 for a status symbol? He was closer to a homeless person than a billionaire. And the reason why I'm bringing this up is... well, because he built Apple from the ground up.

It's ironic! You want status! So you turn to a hobo to get it!

Offer your wisdom lads

 

 

 

[Lila9]

I don't understand the obsession with apple and the newest apple's model either. I asked people who are Iphone owners and no one could give me a satisfying answer. I have a cheap chinese smartphone that I bought in 2017 and I won't replace it as long as it works well.

[Phil King]

Most Americans spend 3+ hours a day on their phones. If youre gonna spend thousands of hours using something, people are more willing to spend $1000+ on it.

 

[MarkKol]

1 hour ago, Phil King said:

Most Americans spend 3+ hours a day on their phones. If youre gonna spend thousands of hours using something, people are more willing to spend $1000+ on it.

 

But won't owning a worse phone decrease usage? Kinda sounds like you're paying to procrastinate easier?

[StarStruck]

I used my iPhone 8 for 5 years so paying top dollar for something I use for so long I don’t mind. 

Now I have the iPhone 13 which I will use for couple of years. I couldn’t manage with a shitty Samsung phone. I’ve tried and they are just not reliable, slow and buggy. And after couple of years they stop giving software updates lol. No thanks. I value my time, energy and privacy. 

If you buy a new iPhone every year. That is going to be expensive. But my iPhone 8 wasn’t expensive. I paid 700 and I used it for 5-6 years. That is very cheap in my eyes.  I get best of the best and the safest of the safest of technology for such a cost. It is a steal in my eye. I would pay double to price if Apple charged it. 

[MarkKol]

13 hours ago, StarStruck said:

I value my time

Sounds counter intuitive

13 hours ago, StarStruck said:

and privacy. 

iPhones aren't better at privacy than Android, Apple has been sued for violating user privacy and security countless times, In fact one such story just made the news (this was literally 17 hours ago).  I studied Operational Security very thoroughly a few years back, Internet privacy is very much a joke. especially Phone privacy and security its extremely brittle and unreliable.

Apple joined the NSA Prism data collection program back in 2012.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XKeyscore <- Global data collection program, Implemented and licensed by pretty much every country out there

[StarStruck]

@MarkKol safety is relative and not an absolute. Android is like titanic in terms of privacy compared to iOS simply because Android doesn't get frequent updates

[Ulax]

it aids their survival strategy

[Yarco]

Same thing with vehicles. Arguably worse because you're talking about sums of money that are 10x as much as a phone or more.

My neighbour has a $40k+ base model, 2022 truck in his driveway. He doesn't work outside the house (I think he's on disability which makes it even dumber), only his wife has a full-time job and she has her own car. I've never seen him leave or drive anywhere for more than 15 minutes at a time. I've never seen both of their cars gone at the same time. The truck sits there doing nothing 98% of the time. The few times he does go out, it's like he's made an excuse to drive it to pick up takeout or something. It's a $40k paperweight. $40k they could've put in their kid's college fund or something useful instead, and just shared and planned around having one vehicle.

To make things even worse, the truck is actively hurting him and adding more stress to his life. He clearly has OCD or something and will come outside walking around inspecting his truck for tiny scratches, trying all the handles to make sure it's locked, just admiring it, or sitting in it with the engine running for 30 minutes at a time and not going anywhere. Sometimes multiple times a day, for hours a day in total.

People waste their time and money on the dumbest shit.

[StarStruck]

@Yarco I would never buy a new car but I do like fast and beautiful cars. You only live once so I really enjoy my BMW every time I sit in it. I only use it couple of times per week and probably my neighbors are thinking the same thing lol. 

[Yarco]

35 minutes ago, StarStruck said:

@Yarco I would never buy a new car but I do like fast and beautiful cars. You only live once so I really enjoy my BMW every time I sit in it. I only use it couple of times per week and probably my neighbors are thinking the same thing lol. 

For people driving to work every day, I can't fault them for wanting a comfortable and luxurious ride. Just in the specific case I mentioned it's an infuriating waste of money lol. Also for someone who really loves cars then maybe it's not a waste.

For some careers like if you're a doctor or lawyer, I think it's expected that you have to drive a minimum quality of vehicle like a Lexus or BMW or Mercedes, or you'll be looked down upon by your peers.

For specific careers like a real estate agent where you're constantly meeting clients and they're seeing your car, or you're taking clients out for lunch all the time, then I think you almost need to have a fancy car to make a specific impression. Especially if you're selling high-end homes, you better at least be driving a Corvette. It's a big cost, but necessary to make you more money in the long run. Nobody's gonna buy a $2M house from some guy pulling up in a beat-up Hyundai.

Personally I'll just experience nice cars in Gran Turismo . Or if I really want to treat myself, maybe rent a Lambo for a day for $1k or something and go on a road trip, or pay for a track experience to race one for a few hours. But I'm already so anxious driving a normal car around that I don't think I could even enjoy it lol.

Edited November 16, 2022 by Yarco

[Average Investor]

I have a s21 ultra. I had a second hand iphone 7 for quite a while. I bought the s21 used on ebay for about $700 a year ago. For my own usage it is like a pc in my pocket. The upgrade to 5G was massive as well with the coverage. Typically, in the past I would always run my cheap phone until it caused me serious issues. Now, I would probably update it every 4-5 years with last years best model. I no longer want to buy a camera for recording videos because of it and I have benefited a lot from the speeds. 

I think a lot of people typically would just blow their money without really needing a new one though. I couldn't consider upgrading fast for no reason myself. 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Average Investor

[eos_nyxia]

Don't ask me, haha. I use old ass shit until it breaks down.

[Carl-Richard]

If it's something you're going to use every day, you might as well get the best version of it if you can. Life is short. I did that with my phone, my PC and YouTube premium. I don't spend money on anything else anyway. That said, I don't buy the newest version every year. Every piece of electronics I've ever bought I've used until it basically broke apart.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Carl-Richard

[Blackhawk]

I usually buy the best Samsung phone every 3 years. Mostly because the battery is pretty shit after 3 years.

Yes I know that the battery can be replaced, but still.

I don't like iOS.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Blackhawk

[StarStruck]

I’m using my iPhone for audiobooks, taking notes and multitasking between apps. Besides that I use them for photos and videos. That can’t be done on a crappy phone. Being cheap is not a good trait. You are undervaluing yourself. If you don’t have money to buy a good phone take an extra job for a month or two and buy something you deserve. 

[Jodistrict]

The Pixel 4a does everything I want and has plenty of memory.  

[UnbornTao]

I want to brag about not having used any phone for two years, approximately between 2015-2018.

Good times.

Addiction, mostly. We've made our jobs to be entertained and distracted at all times. 

Edited November 19, 2022 by UnbornTao

[Basman]

It's not hard for many people to spend good money on a smart phone, considering most people spend a 3 hours and 15 minutes every day on their device. 

It's useful. And better, more luxurious models cost more. Hence the demand.