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You can buy dumbphones (the old sort of bricks, in your analogy) for less than $20. They have basic cameras, small screens, and 2G connectivity. As I understand

by elil17 3y ago

You can buy dumbphones (the old sort of bricks, in your analogy) for less than $20. They have basic cameras, small screens, and 2G connectivity. As I understand it, a similar phone would have cost $100 in, say, 2007. No one is stopping you from buying the $20 phone with the 2007-era features. You will still be able to text and call just fine. You just want the features of the smart phone. That's why I think it's fair to say that the cost of mobile phones hasn't gone up. This is the case across many categories, the big exception being cars - automakers simply refuse to offer basic/inexpensive cars in the North American market for whatever reason.

carlosjobim 3y ago
> As I understand it, a similar phone would have cost $100 in, say, 2007. I remember that they cost $24 in 2008.
ClumsyPilot 3y ago
You can't just use old products today and claim they are adequate For example I cannot work from home with a dial-up connection. You need a few megabits to do a video interview and get a job, to work from home, etc. So your CPI might say internet is cheaper, but that is a fantasy, because in real life I pay 2x as much for a 50 mb connection. Likewise I cannot use a 20 year old phone - those frequencies have been shut down. There are several sitations where I was legally required to have a smartphone - one of them was registering a birth. So again your CPU will claim that phone got better, but in real life I have to spend more money to remain an functioning member of society.
- elil17 3y ago
  You couldn't have used your dial-up to work from home in the 90s either. Your internet is doing more for you, so it's not fair to call it's higher price "inflation." Companies are making new feature phones today that will connect with cell networks. And are you really required to have a smartphone to register a birth? Was there not a workaround for feature phones? State governments have to be able to let indigent people register births, so there must be a workaround.
  - ClumsyPilot 3y ago
    > Your internet is doing more for you, so it's not fair to call it's higher price "inflation." It's not really doing it for me, is it? The requirement that I pay for modern internet is forced on me against my will. Employers require that they can see my face when conducting an interview, the government requires that I apply for a visa online and upload 300 mb of documents. The hospital demands that I register online and work with their system. If you don't want to be homeless, you must pay for the modern service. And if it is more expensive, then inflation went up, your budget is less today than it was before.

by elil17 3y ago

carlosjobim 3y ago

> As I understand it, a similar phone would have cost $100 in, say, 2007. I remember that they cost $24 in 2008.

ClumsyPilot 3y ago

You can't just use old products today and claim they are adequate For example I cannot work from home with a dial-up connection. You need a few megabits to do a video interview and get a job, to work from home, etc. So your CPI might say internet is cheaper, but that is a fantasy, because in real life I pay 2x as much for a 50 mb connection. Likewise I cannot use a 20 year old phone - those frequencies have been shut down. There are several sitations where I was legally required to have a smartphone - one of them was registering a birth. So again your CPU will claim that phone got better, but in real life I have to spend more money to remain an functioning member of society.

elil17 3y ago
You couldn't have used your dial-up to work from home in the 90s either. Your internet is doing more for you, so it's not fair to call it's higher price "inflation." Companies are making new feature phones today that will connect with cell networks. And are you really required to have a smartphone to register a birth? Was there not a workaround for feature phones? State governments have to be able to let indigent people register births, so there must be a workaround.
- ClumsyPilot 3y ago
  > Your internet is doing more for you, so it's not fair to call it's higher price "inflation." It's not really doing it for me, is it? The requirement that I pay for modern internet is forced on me against my will. Employers require that they can see my face when conducting an interview, the government requires that I apply for a visa online and upload 300 mb of documents. The hospital demands that I register online and work with their system. If you don't want to be homeless, you must pay for the modern service. And if it is more expensive, then inflation went up, your budget is less today than it was before.