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12-14-2012, 07:47 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6
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is the Apple status symbol over?
"(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Friday that it began selling Apple Inc's flagship iPhone 5 smartphone at a big discount in thousands of its stores." http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8BD1D120121215
kinda takes the premium out of a premium brand. i thought samsung made a bad move in naming the S3 mini using the premium name on a non premium device, but this has to be worse.
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12-14-2012, 07:49 PM
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#2
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Golden Member
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,438
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it might be losing its lust factor in usa. but iphone5 is still the hottest thing in asia. in vietnam, you'll see poor people carrying it. its a huge status symbol there.
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12-14-2012, 08:12 PM
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#3
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Lifer
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 14,345
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In Canada, the iPhone 5 still sells sheetloads. On a lot of carriers the only way to get it subsidized is on a 3-year contract (yes, 3 year  ) and even then, the contract is often higher cost. In contrast, I'm ordering a Razr HD at much lower cost. On my carrier, Fido:
Razr HD 16 GB
$50 on 2-year contract
Contract is $56 per month for 2 GB data and unlimited everything else, incl. nationwide long distance.
$56 plan is a front page promotion.
iPhone 5 16 GB
$179 on 3-year contract. There is no 2-year contract option at all.
$56 plan is not eligible.
Equivalent plan is $80, but you can get it to $67 if you know enough to negotiate.
Over the course of three years, that means the iPhone costs (($179-50) + ($11*36)) = $525 more. Ouch. And that's not even counting the fact that for the 3rd year, the Razr HD deal would be off contract.
Ironically, Google just made the iPhone 5 more attractive than it was last week, with the release of Google Maps for iOS.
__________________
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Android: RAZR HD | Nexus 7
Last edited by Eug; 12-14-2012 at 08:17 PM.
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12-14-2012, 08:19 PM
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#4
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Elite Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,716
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God bless the free market and competition. I hope MS makes some dent in the phone market, too, so that I can enjoy the latest and the greatest for less and less.
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12-14-2012, 08:24 PM
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#5
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Lifer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 11,328
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What's Apple retail store price match policy? I wonder if they will price match Walmart. I assume Bestbuy, Target, and others will price match Walmart.
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12-14-2012, 08:50 PM
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#6
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,586
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luv2liv
it might be losing its lust factor in usa. but iphone5 is still the hottest thing in asia. in vietnam, you'll see poor people carrying it. its a huge status symbol there.
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Shens.
Apple's launch of the iPhone 5 in China only had two people waiting in line.
The worst launch of any Apple product in history.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by MagnusTheBrewer
If you make it to age 30 and have never been arrested you're either still living in your parents basement, part of the 1% or, both.
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12-14-2012, 08:54 PM
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#7
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Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 24,684
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lothar
Shens.
Apple's launch of the iPhone 5 in China only had two people waiting in line.
The worst launch of any Apple product in history.
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Lolz. Link?
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12-14-2012, 08:55 PM
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#8
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 4,486
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lothar
Shens.
Apple's launch of the iPhone 5 in China only had two people waiting in line.
The worst launch of any Apple product in history.
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I don't think we want more people selling their kidney on black market to buy Apple products.... or do we? 
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12-14-2012, 08:58 PM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bateluer
Lolz. Link?
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http://seekingalpha.com/article/1065...me-seems-bogus
Quote:
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Today Apple (AAPL) woke up to another pre-market beating. Aside from UBS slightly lowering its price target to $700, the main issue seemed to be the lines at the Chinese stores for the introduction of the iPhone 5. Several reports - including Reuters and the WSJ - said that the lines were 1 (!!!) person long in Shanghai, and 2 persons in Beijing!
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Last edited by khha4113; 12-14-2012 at 09:00 PM.
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12-14-2012, 09:01 PM
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#10
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 4,214
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12-14-2012, 09:07 PM
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#11
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,657
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apple is still deficient relative to android when it cums to screen size. theres no reason why apple should be selling for twice what the top android phones sell for
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12-14-2012, 09:07 PM
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#12
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Golden Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,875
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shabby
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I read online in China you have to reserve your iPhone online and then pick it up whenever. They do not do the waiting in lines thing anymore as in the past it got too crazy. I think it was at engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/14/i...-china-taiwan/
It does seem like they are waiting for people in your picture though.
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12-16-2012, 11:05 AM
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#13
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: 92557
Posts: 4,410
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Apple looks to have peaked and is currently on the decline. The magic pixie dust is getting weaker by the month.
Litigation doesn't look to be working out for the best....Seems like Apple should spend more effort/time/$'s on innovation.
Guess the " Made in America " might be the next step to maintain/slow down the rate of decline.
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The thirst for knowledge is never quenched
Desktop...Under construction currently
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12-16-2012, 11:09 AM
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#14
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Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 15,411
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Every product rises and falls. The question is, will the new hotness come from Apple or someone else.
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12-16-2012, 11:16 AM
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#15
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 2,194
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The RDF cannot last forever and there are some truly competitive products out there.
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12-16-2012, 11:19 AM
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#16
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Golden Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 1,802
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lopri
God bless the free market and competition. I hope MS makes some dent in the phone market, too, so that I can enjoy the latest and the greatest for less and less.
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I'm with you on this. Competition is king.
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12-16-2012, 12:05 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 310
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Apple is the poor man's status symbol. Always was and should continue for at least few more years.
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12-16-2012, 12:58 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 388
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Quote:
Originally Posted by openwheel
Apple is the poor man's status symbol. Always was and should continue for at least few more years.
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? lol
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12-16-2012, 02:22 PM
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#19
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Golden Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 1,802
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pakotlar
? lol
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I think he's right. (By the way, I don't think so as a slam against Apple or the products per-se, just the idea that consumer electronics are or ever have been in any way a 'status symbol'.)
Not that I usually am, but I'd be much more impressed by (for example) a $100,000 exclusive sort of car as a status symbol that announces someone is rich (or just borrows/spends a lot of money.)
Buying a laptop or desktop computer (I don't care how much it cost) just isn't a status symbol. It merely says: you borrowed/spent money and bought a laptop or a desktop. Whoopidy.
A phone or tablet? Forget it, even less of a 'status symbol' and looks even sillier if a person is ever acting as if they think it is. An MP3/media player? Beyond silly.
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Z68X-UD3H-B3 | 2600K | 16GB 1600 | HD6870 1GB | OSX 10.8.2 + Win 7 x64
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12-16-2012, 03:10 PM
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#20
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 174
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A phone isn't a high end status symbol but having the latest technology is obviously part of what many people want. If the idea of a status symbol is to convey that you are doing well financially then I can see why people would want to have an iPhone and a Macbook instead of a $500 laptop and a flip phone. Kool kids at school have Retina Macbooks, whether they have money or not I'm envious of their laptops and that may well factor into why they bought one.
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12-16-2012, 03:39 PM
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#21
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,833
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Apple owners will always carry with them the 'douchebag' stigma so no need to worry about that going away any time soon 
For the record, I own a Macbook Pro and a couple of iPod Touches (I have claimed on this forum before that I'm the #1 iPod Touch fan in the whole world) and if Apple ever got to their senses and ditched the US carriers and sell the iPhones direct to customers factory unlocked on release day, I'll get one as well. So I'm definitely one of these DBs and I don't care 
__________________
it's called the speed limit, not the speed suggestion
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12-16-2012, 04:10 PM
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#22
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 735
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I don't know about status symbol but people sure are dumb enough to pay a premium even if its used, so i buy an ipad/iphone/macbook in the USA, whenever i go to asia or europe i can sell it for the same price i paid after using it for 9-12 months, then with that money i'll just buy the latest generation and i rinse and repeat.
It just makes me so happy that i get to use the latest and the greatest fashion and status symbol in electronics for free because there are plenty of people ready to pay my asking price whenever i want to upgrade
I however get the opposite reaction with my android devices, don't get me wrong they are cool and everything but once you are ready to wave them good bye, it becomes a buyer's market.
__________________
When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people that weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.
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12-16-2012, 05:10 PM
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#23
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 327
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Not in the UK. Samsung is unfortunately gaining a foothold, I'll only buy their televisions, but Apple is still going from strength to strength and I can see this continuing for years to come.
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12-16-2012, 05:11 PM
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#24
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 8,285
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joshhedge
Not in the UK. Samsung is unfortunately gaining a foothold, I'll only buy their televisions, but Apple is still going from strength to strength and I can see this continuing for years to come.
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Curious, but why is this unfortunate? Wouldn't you want to have more competition?
I'm an Android fan and I greatly prefer it over the other mobile OSes, but I sure would not want Android to have complete control of the market. Competition brings out the best in us, and really pushes for more innovation.
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12-16-2012, 05:15 PM
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#25
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 327
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Storm
Curious, but why is this unfortunate? Wouldn't you want to have more competition?
I'm an Android fan and I greatly prefer it over the other mobile OSes, but I sure would not want Android to have complete control of the market. Competition brings out the best in us, and really pushes for more innovation.
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I just dislike them, don't like how they feel, I also agree that they have copied Apple in numerous areas. Just my personal opinion, I'm an HTC owner though, although they've dropped hugely in popularity since the desire series.
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