Apple sold 74.5M iPhones in Q4 2015

Originally Posted by jonner101

I think a lot of people buy things they can't afford hence why so many people are in debt. Also I think a lot of people don't see the true costs of phone contracts. They don't see 2k plus over 2 years they just see £12.50 a week.
Go on any of the American based apple forums and many think they are getting an iPhone for $200 they simple ignore the contract element.

Do you think the avg buyer spends time researching there phone choice analysising their budget ?

We I think there are a lot of people with no financial sense and buy stuff they can't afford. A smart phone is just one aspect along with expensive clothes, tv's and computer gear etc. I think a lot of unaffordable personal debt is concentrated amongst a relatively small but significant percentage of people.

Most studies say that a person who buys an iPhone is statistically going to be on a better income than someone who buys an Android phone so on average cost is a factor for most people.

I do think the issue of personal debt is something for another thread. I personally am a firm believer in buying stuff outright and not using debt unless absolutely needed ( like buying a house and possibly a car ). In the long run you can afford a better lifestyle if you save up for what you want as you don't pay any interest. Also if you budget and have some funds set away for a rainy day it does give you financial peace of mind. I've been skint before when I was younger and it's not nice.

slattery69 · 01-02-2015, 17:28

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We I think there are a lot of people with no financial sense and buy stuff they can't afford. A smart phone is just one aspect along with expensive clothes, tv's and computer gear etc. I think a lot of unaffordable personal debt is concentrated amongst a relatively small but significant percentage of people.

Most studies say that a person who buys an iPhone is statistically going to be on a better income than someone who buys an Android phone so on average cost is a factor for most people.

I do think the issue of personal debt is something for another thread. I personally am a firm believer in buying stuff outright and not using debt unless absolutely needed ( like buying a house and possibly a car ). In the long run you can afford a better lifestyle if you save up for what you want as you don't pay any interest. Also if you budget and have some funds set away for a rainy day it does give you financial peace of mind. I've been skint before when I was younger and it's not nice.

totally agree with you on the debt front , i agree its not just phones its the whole gambit. As for iPhones i have one and i see loads of people with them from all walks of life rich and poor.
I certainly don't see them as anything more than phones for everyone not some elitist crap that people seem to want them to be.
I don't think apple would have sold 74 million iPhones last quarter if every buyer had to pass a financial test to own one

kidspud · 01-02-2015, 17:32

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Originally Posted by jonner101

We I think there are a lot of people with no financial sense and buy stuff they can't afford. A smart phone is just one aspect along with expensive clothes, tv's and computer gear etc. I think a lot of unaffordable personal debt is concentrated amongst a relatively small but significant percentage of people.

Most studies say that a person who buys an iPhone is statistically going to be on a better income than someone who buys an Android phone so on average cost is a factor for most people.

I do think the issue of personal debt is something for another thread. I personally am a firm believer in buying stuff outright and not using debt unless absolutely needed ( like buying a house and possibly a car ). In the long run you can afford a better lifestyle if you save up for what you want as you don't pay any interest. Also if you budget and have some funds set away for a rainy day it does give you financial peace of mind. I've been skint before when I was younger and it's not nice.

I'm sure we've had this conversation before, but I don't think there is anything wrong with people buying stuff on a monthly basis rather than outright as long as they can afford it. There are many people who can afford £20 p/m who could not afford £400 one off payment.

Why should they be denied things?

slattery69 · 01-02-2015, 17:35

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Originally Posted by kidspud

I'm sure we've had this conversation before, but I don't think there is anything wrong with people buying stuff on a monthly basis rather than outright as long as they can afford it. There are many people who can afford £20 p/m who could not afford £400 one off payment.

Why should they be denied things?

i think theres a difference between been able to spread the cost and been able to afford it. Yes if you can afford £20 a month hell £50 a month. No problem but I'm sure we all know people who can't afford it and still go out and sign up

calico_pie · 01-02-2015, 17:45

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for some people yes for other no. Some people believe it or not get phones because they want that phone be it iPhone or samsung etc. A lower cost contract isn't an indicator they couldn't afford something more sometimes the phone they get is all they need it does all they want, or maybe there friends all have that model or they ve always used that brand.
Screen size may play a part. heck some people will only have a certain colour
There are many many reasons and cost is certainly one but its not the only or the most prevalent IMO

I didn't say its about being able to afford it or not - just as much how much people are prepared to spend. I agree completely that its about getting something that does all they want - that's kind of the point. For a lot of people getting a phone that does all they want / need doesn't involve spending a lot.

If someone only needs a fairly basic model to use for calls and texts then they're not going to buy a higher end model. But cost will be a factor. If all phones cost the same, then do you really think most people would still choose the same phone, or maybe go for something better for the same price?

calico_pie · 01-02-2015, 17:46

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totally agree with you on the debt front , i agree its not just phones its the whole gambit. As for iPhones i have one and i see loads of people with them from all walks of life rich and poor.
I certainly don't see them as anything more than phones for everyone not some elitist crap that people seem to want them to be.
I don't think apple would have sold 74 million iPhones last quarter if every buyer had to pass a financial test to own one

Well, if most phones are on contract, and people get credit scored then haven't they passed exactly that?

slattery69 · 01-02-2015, 17:51

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Well, if most phones are on contract, and people get credit scored then haven't they passed exactly that?

Not really people get offered credit cards with thousands of pounds worth of balance that if they ran it up to the max could never afford to pay it back.
Credit checks aren't perfect otherwise networks wouldn't cut people off or take people to court. Lenders all have different scoring systems so you might get a contract with say ee but be turned down by o2 or vice versa
if fact a different day can make a difference, a few years ago i got a macbook pro from apple using the barclay finance scheme (12months interest free) i applied one day got turned down, re applied the next day and got accepted. My financial situation was strangely the same on each day

slattery69 · 01-02-2015, 17:53

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Originally Posted by kidspud

. If all phones cost the same, then do you really think most people would still choose the same phone, or maybe go for something better for the same price?

They might i would have still bought the phones i have , but i can't speak for everyone. Ive a friend who was bored of his iPhone and got a samsung s5 after about 2 months of owning it he realised he was saving £15 a month. So price clearly hadn't even come into it for him

jonner101 · 01-02-2015, 17:59

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I'm sure we've had this conversation before, but I don't think there is anything wrong with people buying stuff on a monthly basis rather than outright as long as they can afford it. There are many people who can afford £20 p/m who could not afford £400 one off payment.

Why should they be denied things?

Like I said this is really for another topic, but for example I have a three sim only deal for 12.90 a month

so over 24 months this is at least a 300 pounds saving over a combined contract on a similar tariff, with the added benefit of not having to worry if my financial situation changed. My sim only deal is only locked in for a month and not 24 months

Actually the cost of ownership is further reduced as the resale value of an unlocked iPhone brought that way is higher than a network locked device.

If you apply this principle to all your purchases and budget properly at the supermarket and so on you will easily be well ahead in a couple of years of someone who buys luxury stuff on credit before they have any savings. It just requires the ability to restrain yourself and think a bit.

I recently was able to buy an expensive watch that I wanted ( funded from buying and selling collectable watches ). The top jewellers are a bit of a con as they all say they do 4 year interest free easy pay plans. All this means is the interest is included in the marked price. You would be shocked on how much discount you can get if you go in and pay in cash.

calico_pie · 01-02-2015, 18:03

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Not really people get offered credit cards with thousands of pounds worth of balance that if they ran it up to the max could never afford to pay it back.
Credit checks aren't perfect otherwise networks wouldn't cut people off or take people to court. Lenders all have different scoring systems so you might get a contract with say ee but be turned down by o2 or vice versa

They might not be perfect, but the point is they don't actually let anyone buy anything they want on credit without some sort of check.

calico_pie · 01-02-2015, 18:05

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They might i would have still bought the phones i have , but i can't speak for everyone. Ive a friend who was bored of his iPhone and got a samsung s5 after about 2 months of owning it he realised he was saving £15 a month. So price clearly hadn't even come into it for him

Well yes, I'm sure some people might do anything.

All you're really doing is looking for exceptions to the rule, as though they somehow disprove the rule.

I really don't know why the idea that cost is an important factor for most people when they buy things is proving so controversial.

slattery69 · 01-02-2015, 18:07

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They might not be perfect, but the point is they don't actually let anyone buy anything they want on credit without some sort of check.

again the check doesn't mean a huge amount as the interpretation will vary from company to company and day to day.
The banks did credit checks and were still lending huge amounts of money in mortgages to people they knew could afford to pay them.

slattery69 · 01-02-2015, 18:09

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Well yes, I'm sure some people might do anything.

All you're really doing is looking for exceptions to the rule, as though they somehow disprove the rule.

I really don't know why the idea that cost is an important factor for most people when they buy things is proving so controversial.

its not I'm just pointing out that its not the only factor and i don't believe its the most important factor. my opinion just like its your own opinion that it is the most important factor.
I wish more people did consider the cost of things and if they can afford them before buying stuff

jonner101 · 01-02-2015, 18:38

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They might not be perfect, but the point is they don't actually let anyone buy anything they want on credit without some sort of check.

I've worked on credit score checking software.

One of the issues is that net income is not really factored in. A persons net income as far as I know is not known by the agencies. The score is based on historical data. A proper check should involve some sort of affordability test based on incomings/outgoings and net income.

Also I guess for a mobile contract you probably don't have to score too high. It's a statistical risk calculation from the credit lender and I guess they don't want people to have to go through all the hassle of doing a proper affordability test if it would put people off.

btw I still think most people still will carefully check to see if they can afford the contract, but there are a minority of people who lose control when they get given too much credit.

calico_pie · 01-02-2015, 19:08

Sure - I'm not saying that no-one buys things they can't afford. Just that, for most people, cost is a big factor in their purchasing decisions.

calico_pie · 01-02-2015, 19:11

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again the check doesn't mean a huge amount as the interpretation will vary from company to company and day to day.
The banks did credit checks and were still lending huge amounts of money in mortgages to people they knew could afford to pay them.

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its not I'm just pointing out that its not the only factor and i don't believe its the most important factor. my opinion just like its your own opinion that it is the most important factor.
I wish more people did consider the cost of things and if they can afford them before buying stuff

I never said it was the only factor.

I still think that most people consider what they can or can't afford. That a minority rack up debts they can ill afford doesn't mean that that is something that most people typically do.

If, as you seem to think, most people don't, then its surprising to me that far more people have

Faust · 01-02-2015, 22:59

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About these Apple products you own.

Why didn't you buy cheaper equivalents? Was is because you think the Apple products are cool, all your mates have them, and you want to be part of that collective?

If you had bothered to follow the thread you would know I paid no where need list price for my iMac, iPad was bought for me as a present, ATV was also a bargain as was my iPod, which btw is years old.

No one pays list price for products if they have any sense.

I know of people who cannot afford a winter coat and yet they go out and get an iPhone on a £51 per month contract. If that sort of thing isn't utter madness then I don't know what is.

kidspud · 02-02-2015, 06:21

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Originally Posted by kidspud

If you had bothered to follow the thread you would know I paid no where need list price for my iMac, iPad was bought for me as a present, ATV was also a bargain as was my iPod, which btw is years old.

No one pays list price for products if they have any sense.

I know of people who cannot afford a winter coat and yet they go out and get an iPhone on a £51 per month contract. If that sort of thing isn't utter madness then I don't know what is.

your weekly food shop must be a riot

Faust · 02-02-2015, 09:03

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your weekly food shop must be a riot

The beauty of cash is you can always negotiate a good deal -nvitatio ad offerendum.

kidspud · 02-02-2015, 09:41

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The beauty of cash is you can always negotiate a good deal -nvitatio ad offerendum.

Yeah, I can see you now standing at the tesco checkout asking for 10% discount for cash

Discounts on Apple products are very rare and considering your initial issue seem to be the 40% profit figure, I very much doubt you get that much of a discount.

However, that seems to be your justification for owning the product, so you are obviously very sensitive to price.

jonner101 · 02-02-2015, 09:56

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If you had bothered to follow the thread you would know I paid no where need list price for my iMac, iPad was bought for me as a present, ATV was also a bargain as was my iPod, which btw is years old.

No one pays list price for products if they have any sense.

I know of people who cannot afford a winter coat and yet they go out and get an iPhone on a £51 per month contract. If that sort of thing isn't utter madness then I don't know what is.

This is an utterly nutty comparison as you can get a winter coat from ASDA for £30 or you can pay 100's. Or you even get a coat from a charity shop.

calico_pie · 02-02-2015, 10:28

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If you had bothered to follow the thread you would know I paid no where need list price for my iMac, iPad was bought for me as a present, ATV was also a bargain as was my iPod, which btw is years old.

No one pays list price for products if they have any sense.

OK - I'll bear that in mind and see what bargains I can pick up next time I'm in an Apple store.

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I know of people who cannot afford a winter coat and yet they go out and get an iPhone on a £51 per month contract. If that sort of thing isn't utter madness then I don't know what is.

I'm sure it is madness, although people are free to spend their money as they choose.

But what about people who cannot afford a winter coat, but go out and get a Samsung, or Nokia, or Sony, or HTC phone on a £51 a month contract?

The argument isn't really about what people spend, its about this bizarre notion that it somehow only applies to Apple products.

d123 · 02-02-2015, 10:57

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