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Dear non-US writers: This article is specifically about US smartphones. "Google Android Captures #1 Position in U.S. Smartphone Market"

by YooLi 16y ago

ugh 16y ago
0$ phones are also not magically “free” in the US. You pay it with your monthly bills down the line. The subsidized price is never a meaningful metric for comparison, it is in itself not a reasonable metric for comparisons. I have always been puzzled by this attitude which seems to be rampant with Americans. Don’t you notice something’s up when somebody offers you something for “free”?
- detst 16y ago
  > 0$ phones are also not magically “free” in the US. Yes, they are -- the only benefit will be contract/no-contract. Pay full price and come back two years later and tell me it's not free. > The subsidized price is never a meaningful metric for comparison It's not subsidized when you pay the same monthly rate regardless (T-Mobile being the exception) > I have always been puzzled by this attitude which seems to be rampant with Americans It's not an attitude; it's an acceptance of reality. I'd like a discount with Verizon if I bring my own phone but I'm not counting on it anytime soon. Not sure what's puzzling about that.
  - ugh 16y ago
    Wow. You pay the same price even if you bring your own phone?! That’s just crazy. How is that even possible? You should get pitchforks! The phones are obviously still subsidized, you just don’t get a phone for free. It’s just that they presumably also overcharge you if you bring your own phone. Wow! That wouldn’t fly in Europe.
    - detst 16y ago
      Yes, it's screwed up but just the way it is. I think it stems from incompatible networks (GSM vs CMDA). Since you can't take an out-of-contract phone anywhere else (with some exceptions), signing a new contract for a free or reduced-priced phone is your best option. Other companies can't use reduced rates as an incentive to bring in newly-out-of-contract customers with a perfectly working phone. It's created a consumer mentality where getting your phone from the carrier is just the way it's done and signing a contract is the best value. > It’s just that they presumably also overcharge you if you bring your own phone. Sure, you can look at it that way but the average consumer here has accepted that you get your phone from the carrier so the idea of being overcharged doesn't even cross their mind. They look at it as getting something in return for signing a contract and making a commitment.
nl 16y ago
Dear YooLi: That comment specifically addressed the misleading, US only, practice of advertising phones as free when they are no such thing. That goes to the heart of this discussion. In the US, the iPhone is marketed as a premium product apparently because it isn't available "FREE". In fact, the total-cost-of-contact is pretty close between say an iPhone and an Android phone with similar specs. Obviously price (and price perceptions) affect market share.

Dear non-US writers: This article is specifically about US smartphones. "Google Android Captures #1 Position in U.S. Smartphone Market"

by YooLi 16y ago

Dear non-US writers: This article is specifically about US smartphones. "Google Android Captures #1 Position in U.S. Smartphone Market"

ugh 16y ago

0$ phones are also not magically “free” in the US. You pay it with your monthly bills down the line. The subsidized price is never a meaningful metric for comparison, it is in itself not a reasonable metric for comparisons. I have always been puzzled by this attitude which seems to be rampant with Americans. Don’t you notice something’s up when somebody offers you something for “free”?

detst 16y ago
> 0$ phones are also not magically “free” in the US. Yes, they are -- the only benefit will be contract/no-contract. Pay full price and come back two years later and tell me it's not free. > The subsidized price is never a meaningful metric for comparison It's not subsidized when you pay the same monthly rate regardless (T-Mobile being the exception) > I have always been puzzled by this attitude which seems to be rampant with Americans It's not an attitude; it's an acceptance of reality. I'd like a discount with Verizon if I bring my own phone but I'm not counting on it anytime soon. Not sure what's puzzling about that.
- ugh 16y ago
  Wow. You pay the same price even if you bring your own phone?! That’s just crazy. How is that even possible? You should get pitchforks! The phones are obviously still subsidized, you just don’t get a phone for free. It’s just that they presumably also overcharge you if you bring your own phone. Wow! That wouldn’t fly in Europe.
  - detst 16y ago
    Yes, it's screwed up but just the way it is. I think it stems from incompatible networks (GSM vs CMDA). Since you can't take an out-of-contract phone anywhere else (with some exceptions), signing a new contract for a free or reduced-priced phone is your best option. Other companies can't use reduced rates as an incentive to bring in newly-out-of-contract customers with a perfectly working phone. It's created a consumer mentality where getting your phone from the carrier is just the way it's done and signing a contract is the best value. > It’s just that they presumably also overcharge you if you bring your own phone. Sure, you can look at it that way but the average consumer here has accepted that you get your phone from the carrier so the idea of being overcharged doesn't even cross their mind. They look at it as getting something in return for signing a contract and making a commitment.

nl 16y ago

Dear YooLi: That comment specifically addressed the misleading, US only, practice of advertising phones as free when they are no such thing. That goes to the heart of this discussion. In the US, the iPhone is marketed as a premium product apparently because it isn't available "FREE". In fact, the total-cost-of-contact is pretty close between say an iPhone and an Android phone with similar specs. Obviously price (and price perceptions) affect market share.