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A comment on Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation. Parent comment

Re:Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation by troupo on Tuesday February 13, 2024 @12:09PM (#39359925)
Yes, but that doesn't make them "status phones for middle class people". The latest iPhone 15 can be had for 30 EUR/month even in Sweden (Sweden is very expensive) [1]. That's a single lunch for two.

[1] https://www.tre.se/handla/mobiltelefoner/apple/iphone-15

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Re:Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation by FirmwareBurner on Tuesday February 13, 2024 @12:20PM (#39360073)
Sweden also has some of the highest salaries in Europe/the world, that's why they're not a status symbol, because even a pizza delivery boy can afford an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

But they very much are a status symbol in less developed countries with lower wages: Eastern Europe, Latin America, etc. Lower and middle class people there will save for over a year just to get the latest iPhone, which is why there's a huge market there for clones.

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Re:Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation by troupo on Tuesday February 13, 2024 @03:06PM (#39362174)
The original claim was about "the EU" as a whole. Now it's "less developed countries with lowest wages".

Even in Eastern Europe it's much less of a status symbol than let's say 10 years ago: installment plans are much more affordable to a larger part of the population. Source: am from Eastern Europe (though I live in Sweden now).

> Lower and middle class people there will save for over a year just to get the latest iPhone

Yup, because the poor unwashed masses don't have discounts, instalment plans or phones included with subscriptions. Oh wait, they do.

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Re:Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation by FirmwareBurner on Tuesday February 13, 2024 @03:19PM (#39362324)
Affordable doesn't mean financially sound. Going in debt to buy a phone you can't afford outright in cash, means you're too poor to afford it, that's why is a status symbol.
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Re:Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation by troupo on Wednesday February 14, 2024 @02:24AM (#39367401)
> Affordable doesn't mean financially sound.

I can't keep up with goalposts moving speed in this conversation

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