7 ms·

I'm not so sure we'll see the price of phones come down as component costs come down. The niche part of the market for mobile phones has always existed... the p

I'm not so sure we'll see the price of phones come down as component costs come down. The niche part of the market for mobile phones has always existed... the phones just get better. You can see this exact trend in microcosm in the iPhone. The price has been pretty much constant but the tech available has rocketed.

metageek 16y ago
>I'm not so sure we'll see the price of phones come down as component costs come down. You can already get a low-end Android for free on contract: http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/?WT.ac=0941HOM21#LG-Optimus-T-Black http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/?WT.ac=0941HOM21#LG-Opti...
deleted 16y ago
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brudgers 16y ago
The issue for Apple is that the iPhone has gone from competing with features (Touchscreen and App Store) to competing on specifications (Highest resolution and Most Apps). On features these days, they are playing catchup to some extent (video chat, file structure, and multi-tasking). What is happening overall is that yesterday's smartphone is becoming today's feature phone. As the iPhone's feature set ages, it increasingly competes as a commodity rather than as a separate class of product.
com 16y ago
I just picked up a pre-pay (no contract) Orange San Francisco for GBP89 + GBP10 calling credit. This is starting to be in almost disposable territory for the rich-world's middle class and absolutely affordable on a monthly hire-purchase for subsistence farmers with a cash crop on the side in the poor world. Broadly-available Internet in your hand to check market spot-prices, research farming or fishing innovations, with a GPS and compass for farmers taking cattle to new markets or bringing fishing boats safely to port could be profound game-changers. I'm really excited about grass-roots use amongst entrepreneurs in the poor world at this price point. I don't doubt that prices won't dip lower still.

metageek 16y ago

>I'm not so sure we'll see the price of phones come down as component costs come down. You can already get a low-end Android for free on contract: http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/?WT.ac=0941HOM21#LG-Optimus-T-Black http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/?WT.ac=0941HOM21#LG-Opti...

deleted 16y ago

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brudgers 16y ago

The issue for Apple is that the iPhone has gone from competing with features (Touchscreen and App Store) to competing on specifications (Highest resolution and Most Apps). On features these days, they are playing catchup to some extent (video chat, file structure, and multi-tasking). What is happening overall is that yesterday's smartphone is becoming today's feature phone. As the iPhone's feature set ages, it increasingly competes as a commodity rather than as a separate class of product.

com 16y ago

I just picked up a pre-pay (no contract) Orange San Francisco for GBP89 + GBP10 calling credit. This is starting to be in almost disposable territory for the rich-world's middle class and absolutely affordable on a monthly hire-purchase for subsistence farmers with a cash crop on the side in the poor world. Broadly-available Internet in your hand to check market spot-prices, research farming or fishing innovations, with a GPS and compass for farmers taking cattle to new markets or bringing fishing boats safely to port could be profound game-changers. I'm really excited about grass-roots use amongst entrepreneurs in the poor world at this price point. I don't doubt that prices won't dip lower still.