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Tl;DR: Upstarts given early access will probably (unjustifiably?) laud the phone moreso than reviewers and sites who actually try to give a fair review, useful
by eganist 9y ago
Tl;DR: Upstarts given early access will probably (unjustifiably?) laud the phone moreso than reviewers and sites who actually try to give a fair review, useful when your phone now costs as much as mid-powered laptops.
My guess: Apple needs to justify a 4 figure pricetag after taxes. This isn't necessary with the other devices, but since the X probably needs a hand, this was the strategy: fish for higher odds of good reviews from the upstarts and ones who'd stand to gain traction by claiming "First to review!"
Source: I've been through this exercise in the late 00s with other hardware vendors.
- valuearb 9y agoThe cheapest smart-phone you can buy right now costs $1,100. That’s the 2 year cost of a typical service plan, assuming you replace your phone every 2 years and the phone costs near zero. By comparison, an iPhone X costs $1,700, only $600 ($25 per month) more than a “free” phone . The reason is in two years, you’ll be able to sell your used X for around $400.