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I think they run a real risk of diminishing returns. To use a car analogy; first they were the BMW of phones, then the Ferrari and maybe soon the Bugatti. Alon

I think they run a real risk of diminishing returns. To use a car analogy; first they were the BMW of phones, then the Ferrari and maybe soon the Bugatti. Along the way consumers will start to tap out and leave Apple's ecosystem altogether. Maybe that's already set in motion, people are keeping their phones for much longer so it will take a while for the effects to be noticeable.

cyxxon 8y ago
O, definitely. Anecdote, but count me among these people. I had 4 or 5 iPhones, and 1 Android phone sometime in the middle (before my 6s). I am currently on the Xs, but if Apple keeps this pricing strategy I will not buy another iPhone again. Outside the US it is really hard to justify with the added tax and "export fee" on top. I just hope it will be ok for 3 years.
- arihant 8y ago
  This is true. I bought the X in India but with assumption that I’ll use it for at least 3 years. Maybe more. This doesn’t sound hard to achieve given how long Apple continues to provide upgrades.
  - simonh 8y ago
    I'm still on a 6s and it's absolutely fine. I can't see myself upgrading in the foreseeable future, but when I do it will almost certainly be another iPhone. They've been really good to me and lasted many years as hand-me-downs, sometimes with a battery refurb just before they go out of support. The value proposition is just excellent.
simonh 8y ago
Selling 200m+ phones a year and owning 44% of the US domestic market is hardly 'Bugatti of Phones'. What's tapping out is the pool of first time iPhone buyers, but fortunately for Apple, iPhones are very 'sticky'. Existing users are very highly likely to replace an iPhone with a new iPhone, and in fact the bulk of sales have been to previous iPhone owners for several years. When people talk about iPhone sales slowing, they're taking about growth slowing. Actual sales are just levelling off. From here on out we'll see some ups and downs, sure. It looks like we're in for a period of economic risk and uncertainty too which isn't good for anyone, but I don't see any good reason to expect a sustained decline compared to the rest of the market.
bitwize 8y ago
The Bugatti of phones is Samsung's upcoming fold-out model, which will cost over $2000 -- more than a high-end tricked out PC you could run a decent sized neural network on.

cyxxon 8y ago

O, definitely. Anecdote, but count me among these people. I had 4 or 5 iPhones, and 1 Android phone sometime in the middle (before my 6s). I am currently on the Xs, but if Apple keeps this pricing strategy I will not buy another iPhone again. Outside the US it is really hard to justify with the added tax and "export fee" on top. I just hope it will be ok for 3 years.

arihant 8y ago
This is true. I bought the X in India but with assumption that I’ll use it for at least 3 years. Maybe more. This doesn’t sound hard to achieve given how long Apple continues to provide upgrades.
- simonh 8y ago
  I'm still on a 6s and it's absolutely fine. I can't see myself upgrading in the foreseeable future, but when I do it will almost certainly be another iPhone. They've been really good to me and lasted many years as hand-me-downs, sometimes with a battery refurb just before they go out of support. The value proposition is just excellent.

simonh 8y ago

Selling 200m+ phones a year and owning 44% of the US domestic market is hardly 'Bugatti of Phones'. What's tapping out is the pool of first time iPhone buyers, but fortunately for Apple, iPhones are very 'sticky'. Existing users are very highly likely to replace an iPhone with a new iPhone, and in fact the bulk of sales have been to previous iPhone owners for several years. When people talk about iPhone sales slowing, they're taking about growth slowing. Actual sales are just levelling off. From here on out we'll see some ups and downs, sure. It looks like we're in for a period of economic risk and uncertainty too which isn't good for anyone, but I don't see any good reason to expect a sustained decline compared to the rest of the market.

bitwize 8y ago

The Bugatti of phones is Samsung's upcoming fold-out model, which will cost over $2000 -- more than a high-end tricked out PC you could run a decent sized neural network on.