Apple Rant...

[tooqk4u22]

Today must be the day when the new iphone comes out as when I was walking to work there was a line wrapped around the block waiting to get into the Apple store. Not to mention that all these people waiting in line were playing on their existing iphones.

In my view this company is the most anti-MMM establishment around as it is based completely on the constant upgrade of unnecessary consumerism. 

That said Apple is a more than anything else a marketing genuis....they took a brand that has been long loved but more niche-like in status, which really contributed to its early cult-like following, then expanded/exploded the brand so it is now part of the masses.

-Yet they still maintained a niche-like/cult-like feel. 
-you can still be told in the store that it is less suceptible to viruses and such....complete BS as this was only true because there wasn't enough users out there for anyone to chase Apple stuff - not the case any more but they still sell it and people still believe it.
-They have been able to convince people to spend three times as much as a comparable product from other companies.
-They have been able to sell endlessly to people who are job protectionists yet they offshore almost all of their operations.
-They are able to sell endlessly to the green set yet their environmental record is questionable.
-I could go on....but you get the point.

Apple is the great equalizer - democrat/republican, environmentalist/oil exec, frugal/consumerist, etc. - it just seems they have figured out how to sell to everyone...marketing genius.

I just don't get it, and it reminds me of how stupid people are and how entrenched our country is still entrenched in consumerism.  But it has been very good for Apple and its investors.

[arebelspy]

I'm not going to bother to respond point by point, as I don't feel this community needs a flame war, but I disagree.

In fact I disagree with most of the points.  I do have a few big problems with Apple, the main two which you didn't even mention.  One main one, and the reason I feel it can be anti Mustachian (and most anything can) is that many people buy them as status symbols, which is a complete waste of money.  Some of us, however, buy them for their functionality.

If you want to call me stupid for spending some of my discretionary funds on Apple products (when I have a 75% savings rate, don't go out to eat, yadda yadda, and I consciously choose this is what I want for certain reasons), go for it.  I'm stupid, entrenched in consumerism, and only helping Apple and its investors. 

/shrug

[tooqk4u22]

You are certainly entitled to disagree, and you are right about the status symbol thing being a biggie - I guess I view that as a cause of my other points and the reason why Apple's marketing efforts are able to be so successful. 

As for the "stupid" comment, you know as well as I do that if they expect to sell 10,000,000 phones in the first day or two that most (and I mean the great majority) are not like you with a 75% savings rate as such I  meant stupid in the general population sense - there is always an exception (you in this case) so please don't be so sensitive.  All of us here have things we spend more on than we should but do so because it is something we value, can afford it and the purchase is mand thoughtfully and limitedly.

[arebelspy]

Then I guess I just don't see the point in generalizing and attacking a large group of people, among which there will be many exceptions.

Attack the behavior of buying something they can't afford, or buying something as a status symbol, or buying something without thought, or whatever.

But narrowing it down to "Apple" and attacking all of those purchasers when some will have valid and deliberate reasons is silly.  It's not the Apple that's the problem with behavior, it's certain behavior itself.

[James]

My iPhone 5 arrives today and I'm pretty excited about it. 


I could have a 1% higher savings rate if we didn't have iPhones and upgrade them every two years.  That is a decision I can afford to make because of choices I've made elsewhere.  For others that same decision may be foolish and stupid, just like many things in life.  I fully accept that I am delaying FI by a certain length of time.  Understanding the consequences, intended and unintended, is critical to making choices in life.  My purchasing one doesn't make me responsible for stupid financial decisions others make in buying one.

[sideways8]

I'm curmudgeony about phones. My phone is a 5-6 year old flip phone and I really don't want to pay for internet twice so I'm not about to get tablety phone any time soon. I do have to admit that one thing about it does tempt me- being able to deposit checks with a picture. That would be awesome since I'm usually paid in personal checks for my side hustle.

I know just as many people who foolishly buy smart phones they can't afford so this is definitely not limited to Apple. A friend of mine tried to complain to me once about being out of money because she and her partner had just bought new android phones. I don't think she got the sympathetic response she was looking for :P

[Jamesqf]

Some of us, however, buy them for their functionality.

Unless you are developing Apple-specific applications (in which case the iPhone counts as a business expense), what functionality does Apple offer that can't be found better, faster, and cheaper elsewhere?

[arebelspy]

Some of us, however, buy them for their functionality.

Unless you are developing Apple-specific applications (in which case the iPhone counts as a business expense), what functionality does Apple offer that can't be found better, faster, and cheaper elsewhere?

The apps.

/I have owned multiple android devices, tablets and phones. For what I want, they do not compare.

[joerocklin]

Another thought to consider on the Apple spending spree that surrounds new products like this is that their stock takes another step upwards with all those purchases. Since AAPL is currently the largest business by stock valuation on the planet, that assits in bumping up the overall markets. Take a look at your index funds, AAPL is there.

So whether you buy Apple products or not, if you follow the advice here or on similar blogs and have index or mutual funds, look at those long lines and think that part of each one of those purchases will come back to you in the form of higher yields and dividends :)

[Paul der Krake]

I don't believe Apple is that bad regarding the constant need to upgrade, in fact their products seem to remain relevant for quite a while... The iPhone 3GS from August 09 is still around on the streets and their owners can still upgrade to the latest iOS6. Assuming iOS6 won't be replaced before next year, that's a 4 year life span.

My main gripe is that they are heading in a direction where their computers are next to impossible to service yourself.

[jpo]

http://youtu.be/GXr1kmuqGcU

[$_gone_amok]

Could you still use iphone with pay as you go plans or are you stuck with the $100+ month unlimited plans offered by ATT and Verizon?

I never had an iphone and probably never will but I own a few other mac products and find it pretty nice to use. However I get bored easily so after the novelty wears off it is just another electronics in the house.

[JamesAt15]

Could you still use iphone with pay as you go plans or are you stuck with the $100+ month unlimited plans offered by ATT and Verizon?

I never had an iphone and probably never will but I own a few other mac products and find it pretty nice to use. However I get bored easily so after the novelty wears off it is just another electronics in the house.

If you want the new iPhone 5, there are a couple carriers (Cricket and C Spire Wireless) who have announced they'll have it available for prepaid plans. But you'll have to buy the phone at a retail unsubsidized price, so it'll be $500 or more.  (Edit: whoops, Cricket will do prepaid but C Spire won't yet. Reading comprehension fail.)

I haven't heard yet if anyone has got the new iPhone to work on prepaid plans for bigger carriers like AT&T, Verizon, etc. I imagine some folks will try and get it sorta working, given time. The 5 uses the new smaller SIM card so you'd probably have to buy a micro-SIM for the prepaid carrier and then cut it down further and file it down some to make it small enough to fit in the iPhone.

Previous versions of the iPhone have worked with prepaid plans and I'd think they probably have most of the kinks worked out by now. Hopefully the prices for the phone hardware have dropped or will drop now that the new one is out, but I would expect them to still be fairly pricy.

[reverend]

I tend to agree that most people buy them for status or "want" instead of an actual need. They are slick phones but I bought apple stock instead so I am enjoying the meteoric rise there :)

Yep, you can use the iphones on other carriers like Verizon prepaid and such, and often you're better off buying a phone for full price and getting a cheaper plan than locking yourself in for 2 years somewhere.

For me, though I get a free '5 from work, the Android is better suited for what I need (international travel and stuff), but I am also a sucker for gadgets. hehe