4 ms·

Doesn't work, though. An iPhone is not an "occasional indulgence". Fancy chocolates, or a meal at a mid-tier restaurant are an "occasional indulgence". An iPh

by Banthum 10y ago

Doesn't work, though. An iPhone is not an "occasional indulgence". Fancy chocolates, or a meal at a mid-tier restaurant are an "occasional indulgence". An iPhone is a massive class-signaling purchase that requires expensive ongoing payments to use.

scaryspooky 10y ago
Uh, no. Ting supports iPhones and they have $6/mo plus pay as you go. That isn't an "expensive ongoing payment" at all. https://ting.com https://ting.com
- vilmosi 10y ago
  Most people buy $200 iPhones with massive monthly bills, at least in the US. I don't know if that changed yet.
  - parenthephobia 10y ago
    Do you think it's possible that most poor people don't do that, though? Who do you think the $6/mo deals are made for?
    - vilmosi 10y ago
      I would have thought poor people are more likely to do that because they can't afford the upfront cost of the phone. I mean, I don't have any data, feel free to prove me wrong. But when I was a poor student, I wouldn't even dream of buying a smartphone outright, yet alone an iPhone. And I had a look, those $6/month contracts barely subsidise anything. I don't really get what's relevant about them.
      - scaryspooky 10y ago
        You can buy a used iphone cheap and get ting. As a bare minimum of needing a phone to get a job anymore this is one of the cheapest options.
jacquesm 10y ago
> a massive class-signaling purchase So here we have the heart of the problem. You begrudge those who you feel are not in your class their ability to lower the value of your signal. Maybe you should stop seeing phones as 'class signaling devices' but see them instead as small portable computers that you can make phonecalls with.
ceejayoz 10y ago
> An iPhone is a massive class-signaling purchase that requires expensive ongoing payments to use. It's entirely possible to use an iPhone without a service plan. Free wifi is easy to find in any city or decent-sized town.
peterwwillis 10y ago
Used iPhones (even the 6, for example) cost less than $150, and as low as $50. And you don't need a phone plan to use free wifi.
bearcobra 10y ago
Plenty of providers exist for those who are cost conscious. As an exmaple, Ting offers service for $15/month for a line, 100 minutes, sms, & MBs. Not gonna compare to a Verizon plan, but not something most people would consider an expensive ongoing payment.
- majewsky 10y ago
  Only "MBs"? In Germany, I get 1 GB of data, 50 minutes and 50 SMS for €10/month (with 1€=1$ roughly). And Germany is notorious for overpriced phone contracts.
CydeWeys 10y ago
> Doesn't work, though. An iPhone is not an "occasional indulgence". It absolutely is. You can buy a decent used iPhone for a couple hundred bucks. This is a purchase that will be used for hours each day and last years. Amortized, its hourly cost is almost nothing, a fraction of your alternate options. Purchasing a good phone is thus a rational economic decision to maximize utility, because of how often it gets used. > Fancy chocolates, or a meal at a mid-tier restaurant are an "occasional indulgence". You can buy "fancy chocolates" once a month for two years for the equivalent cost of using an iPhone over that period. As for a meal at a mid-tier restaurant, you're looking at eating out once per quarter versus getting to use a nice phone for hours each day. The poor aren't stupid. The phone is simply a much better use of their limited funds than these frivolous wastes of money that for some reason you are projecting that they should rather indulge in. > An iPhone is a massive class-signaling purchase that requires expensive ongoing payments to use. Bullshit, it's a necessity of modern life. If you don't have a phone and Internet access it's nigh impossible to even find a job. Employers of all levels expect you to be accessible, if for no other reason than changing your shift time on you.
parenthephobia 10y ago
What are these expensive ongoing payments?
michaelmrose 10y ago
I can get a used perfectly good iphone on craigslist for $40 and use it exclusively with wifi to browse the internet.

by Banthum 10y ago

scaryspooky 10y ago

Uh, no. Ting supports iPhones and they have $6/mo plus pay as you go. That isn't an "expensive ongoing payment" at all. https://ting.com https://ting.com

vilmosi 10y ago
Most people buy $200 iPhones with massive monthly bills, at least in the US. I don't know if that changed yet.
- parenthephobia 10y ago
  Do you think it's possible that most poor people don't do that, though? Who do you think the $6/mo deals are made for?
  - vilmosi 10y ago
    I would have thought poor people are more likely to do that because they can't afford the upfront cost of the phone. I mean, I don't have any data, feel free to prove me wrong. But when I was a poor student, I wouldn't even dream of buying a smartphone outright, yet alone an iPhone. And I had a look, those $6/month contracts barely subsidise anything. I don't really get what's relevant about them.
    - scaryspooky 10y ago
      You can buy a used iphone cheap and get ting. As a bare minimum of needing a phone to get a job anymore this is one of the cheapest options.

jacquesm 10y ago

> a massive class-signaling purchase So here we have the heart of the problem. You begrudge those who you feel are not in your class their ability to lower the value of your signal. Maybe you should stop seeing phones as 'class signaling devices' but see them instead as small portable computers that you can make phonecalls with.

ceejayoz 10y ago

> An iPhone is a massive class-signaling purchase that requires expensive ongoing payments to use. It's entirely possible to use an iPhone without a service plan. Free wifi is easy to find in any city or decent-sized town.

peterwwillis 10y ago

Used iPhones (even the 6, for example) cost less than $150, and as low as $50. And you don't need a phone plan to use free wifi.

bearcobra 10y ago

Plenty of providers exist for those who are cost conscious. As an exmaple, Ting offers service for $15/month for a line, 100 minutes, sms, & MBs. Not gonna compare to a Verizon plan, but not something most people would consider an expensive ongoing payment.

majewsky 10y ago
Only "MBs"? In Germany, I get 1 GB of data, 50 minutes and 50 SMS for €10/month (with 1€=1$ roughly). And Germany is notorious for overpriced phone contracts.

CydeWeys 10y ago

> Doesn't work, though. An iPhone is not an "occasional indulgence". It absolutely is. You can buy a decent used iPhone for a couple hundred bucks. This is a purchase that will be used for hours each day and last years. Amortized, its hourly cost is almost nothing, a fraction of your alternate options. Purchasing a good phone is thus a rational economic decision to maximize utility, because of how often it gets used. > Fancy chocolates, or a meal at a mid-tier restaurant are an "occasional indulgence". You can buy "fancy chocolates" once a month for two years for the equivalent cost of using an iPhone over that period. As for a meal at a mid-tier restaurant, you're looking at eating out once per quarter versus getting to use a nice phone for hours each day. The poor aren't stupid. The phone is simply a much better use of their limited funds than these frivolous wastes of money that for some reason you are projecting that they should rather indulge in. > An iPhone is a massive class-signaling purchase that requires expensive ongoing payments to use. Bullshit, it's a necessity of modern life. If you don't have a phone and Internet access it's nigh impossible to even find a job. Employers of all levels expect you to be accessible, if for no other reason than changing your shift time on you.

parenthephobia 10y ago

What are these expensive ongoing payments?

michaelmrose 10y ago

I can get a used perfectly good iphone on craigslist for $40 and use it exclusively with wifi to browse the internet.