Re:Old Smartphones Are a Problem for Apple and Samsung
by jkira on Thursday March 01, 2018 @07:30AM
(#16491439)
I feel like this is the real reason that new phone sales are down. At $200, getting a new phone every two years is a no-brainer. At $1000, it’s more like my desktop computer... maybe I’ll buy one every 4-6 years, it requires budgeting for (or debt), etc.
About 5-10 years ago, almost everyone I knew (including myself) had the newest phone every 18 months. It was like clockwork. Because why not? The flagship phones were only $200.00, and the older models were only slightly cheaper.
Compare that to flagship prices today which can start at $800-900! I know that this was the "real" price of subsidized devices, and carriers covered the subsidies by charging more for service, but it did get the newest devices in the hands of regular people. Never before have I seen so many off-brand/cracked/falling apart phones being used as daily drivers.