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I asked my kids about this. Both of them have cheap Android phones on a cheap plan, as do I. My phone is a $25 refurb. They know that they can get jobs and buy
by analog31 5y ago
I asked my kids about this. Both of them have cheap Android phones on a cheap plan, as do I. My phone is a $25 refurb. They know that they can get jobs and buy whatever they want, but it's apparently not that important to them.
I asked: "Have you heard of the green bubble?" Both of them said it was basically a non issue, kids figure out how to get in touch with the people they want to get in touch with.
The only exception was, my daughter said her violin teacher was puzzled why her texts were a different color than everybody else's.
From talking to people, I had formed the impression that people buy iPhones because they are the default, like IBM. Parents get the same thing for their kids, that they're using themselves.
- HWR_14 5y agoI think it's less "parents buy the same things for their children" and more "parents give their old devices to their children"
- Double_a_92 5y ago> From talking to people, I had formed the impression that people buy iPhones because they are the default, like IBM. Parents get the same thing for their kids, that they're using themselves. But how rich are those people, that they just spend 1000$ on a phone for their kids without any research at all?
- pixelatedindex 5y agoiPhone is pretty accessible - the SE is a bargain at $399 given the features and how long Apple supports their devices. You only spend $1000 if you are adamant about the “Pro” line.
- analog31 5y agoOuch. That's a lot more than a refurb Android. And given we have 4 people in the household, it would add up to quite a bit. My son's cell phone went missing, and showed up on the sidewalk outside the school, crushed. Buying cheap stuff is my insurance plan. ;-)
- axoltl 5y agoYou’re still paying for it somehow. Be it in security or privacy. But that’s a trade-off everyone makes, and for a lot of people it’s worth it.
- analog31 5y agoIndeed I'm also paying a price in aesthetics and marketing. I'm familiar with the appeal -- I used Apple products in the mid 90s. And I ride a second-hand bike.
- pixelatedindex 5y agoThat’s not a genuine comparison though, because you can get refurb/s&d iPhones for even cheaper. On Swappa you can get iPhones for ~$200 and still run the latest iOS version on them. I doubt an Android for $200 is something I’ll feel comfortable with on the long run. And this is coming from someone who has been on the Android train since Donut times. I reluctantly switched once the 12 mini came out.
- benhurmarcel 5y ago> the SE is a bargain at $399 It’s still twice the price of a good Xiaomi
- oefrha 5y agoKids can simply use hand-me-downs.
- vxNsr 5y agoCheap iPhones are readily available these days. You can get an SE for pretty cheap
- Nbox9 5y agoNot $25 cheap
- KMnO4 5y agoThat $25 Android is probably 3+ major Android versions behind and not getting updates. It was probably 2 major version behind when it launched. A $200 used iPhone SE is running the latest iOS 15 and will continue to get updates until at least 2027.
- whimsicalism 5y agoNone of which is relevant to the point
- KMnO4 5y agoHow is that not relevant? If you’re looking to spend a minimal amount of money for a phone that will last a while, Android is arguably poor value since you’ll be replacing it sooner. See the Boots Theory of Socioeconomics: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/72745-the-reason-that-the-rich-were-so-rich-vimes-reasoned https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/72745-the-reason-that-the-r...
- Nbox9 5y agoI don’t believe the Boots Theory of Socioeconomics applies here. It rarely applies to luxury goods. 1. A phone can easily be lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair. A $25 phone isn’t 8x more likely to break than a $200 phone, so the damage/lost/theft risk is much higher with the $200 phone. 2. People that buy $25 phones are presumably okay not having access to the latest versions of apps and the latest security updates. 3. $25 is 8x cheaper than $200. Even if we assume a rapid rate of replacing the $25 every 6 months it would take 4 years before the $200 phone pays off. That’s a poor ROI for $175, and the $25 phones will probably last longer than 6 months.
- quickthrowman 5y ago> From talking to people, I had formed the impression that people buy iPhones because they are the default, like IBM. I use iPhones for the consistent UX and single point source for the OS. There is one version of iOS that is updated by Apple. This is not the case for Android. FWIW, I use a basic iPhone 8 issued by my employer almost 4 years ago. Before that I used an iPhone SE. I’m not sure why everyone assumes you need to spend $1,000 on a iPhone.