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Old 04-20-2011, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Sputnik Planitia
7,826 posts, read 11,718,900 times
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Here in LA it seems virtually everyone is carrying an iPhone. Many of these people I notice are also students with part time income or those that are in lower end jobs. I am truly surprised just how many people have one considering how expensive a device it is, especially the monthly service. Do you think this is just a reflection of our society living above their means?
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Old 04-20-2011, 03:08 PM
 
Location: North Carolina
1,318 posts, read 3,884,637 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k374 View Post
Here in LA it seems virtually everyone is carrying an iPhone. Many of these people I notice are also students with part time income or those that are in lower end jobs. I am truly surprised just how many people have one considering how expensive a device it is, especially the monthly service. Do you think this is just a reflection of our society living above their means?

Those students have parents.
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Old 04-20-2011, 03:09 PM
 
Location: Florida
2,336 posts, read 7,005,542 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k374 View Post
Here in LA it seems virtually everyone is carrying an iPhone. Many of these people I notice are also students with part time income or those that are in lower end jobs. I am truly surprised just how many people have one considering how expensive a device it is, especially the monthly service. Do you think this is just a reflection of our society living above their means?
Absolutely it is. If you listen closely, you'll be able to hear those same people complain incessantly about the economy and the fact that they just can't seem to get ahead.
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Old 04-20-2011, 03:09 PM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX, USA
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People sell them for half price on craigslist, signing up for a contract and purchasing a refurbished phone are possibilities.
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Old 04-20-2011, 03:12 PM
 
Location: West Orange, NJ
12,546 posts, read 21,335,675 times
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eh. the real cost is the monthly data plan, not the phone. think about it. virtually everyone has a phone these days. many people also have an mp3 player. so to pay $99 or $199 or whatever the current price is depending on the model...you're getting an mp3 player and phone in one. the real expense though is the $30/month you'll now pay for data plan.
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Old 04-20-2011, 03:12 PM
 
Location: Sputnik Planitia
7,826 posts, read 11,718,900 times
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Originally Posted by skeet09 View Post
People sell them for half price on craigslist, signing up for a contract and purchasing a refurbished phone are possibilities.
Even so, it's still extremely expensive... and the expense doesn't stop with the phone. What about the monthly service fees of almost a $100? How many of these people have savings in emergency incase of a job loss?
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Old 04-20-2011, 03:13 PM
 
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Some are also given as gifts like mine was ;-)
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Old 04-20-2011, 03:20 PM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX, USA
5,142 posts, read 13,068,103 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k374 View Post
Even so, it's still extremely expensive... and the expense doesn't stop with the phone. What about the monthly service fees of almost a $100? How many of these people have savings in emergency incase of a job loss?
I've seen iphones on craigslist for $50 and refurbished ones on AT&T for $70. I dunno about what they do about the phone plan as I don't have an iphone.
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Old 04-20-2011, 04:45 PM
 
1,096 posts, read 4,515,182 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k374 View Post
Here in LA it seems virtually everyone is carrying an iPhone. Many of these people I notice are also students with part time income or those that are in lower end jobs. I am truly surprised just how many people have one considering how expensive a device it is, especially the monthly service. Do you think this is just a reflection of our society living above their means?
I don't like apple products or at&t however I recently had a big battle with myself over whether to get a smart phone. I thoguht it would be a nice luxury but not a necessity, was only paying $39 for a pretty good plan with us cell.

I decided to get a evo with sprint. I finagled the highest corp discount they have so my bill is only like $51 per month which isn't much more than what I was paying

I go to a lot of auctions and am into resale so being able to research prices will actually save and make me money in the long run.

There are also a barcode app where you can scan something see reviews, see online prices and where and see a map of local stores and prices. Since were in the frual section you can see how valuable that could be.

Obviously alot of it is convenience and fun but I justified it b/c I was able to figur out a way to get a large discount, and because I can make money and sav emoney with it.

As for iphone I think its a ripof I think most of my frioends are spending $100-$130 a month on their place plus the expensive phone which you cant buy insurance for plus apple makes you pay for most apps unlike android.

You can however find iphones for pretty cheap, you can also get them flashed or jailbroke so you can hook them up with other providers besides at&t
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Old 04-20-2011, 04:57 PM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX, USA
5,142 posts, read 13,068,103 times
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- Corporate discounts (tons of large employers offer discounts somewhere around 10 to 15%)
- Spending less money in other areas
- Work pays for it
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