Apple Iphone prices..

TheOtherBloke

Okay. So apple charge €600 plus euro for their latest phone... what are your opinions? A friend of mine actually forked out this money to buy pay as you go. Are mobile phone company's charging too much? I bet the manufacturing cost it way less than the purchase price.. opinions?

Tombi!

Apple are overpriced. They're overpriced because they have no competition for iOS. I spent a fair bundle on an android phone recently. But to me it was worth it. I could have gotten one of the cheaper ones for about 150 but I wanted the flagship phone.

With that being said, I honestly think people who buy iPhones at the price of 600+ just because it's the "latest" model are idiots. Unless they have an active interest in it.

jimmynokia

I got the 6 plus and wanted to fire it off a wall,iOS is too locked down for my liking so now i sport the galaxy note edge.

Digital Solitude

Premium Devices with (aside from bendgate) excellent build quality. Unlike android phones they rarely just stop working for no discernable reason.

On PAYG they're an absolute rob though, bill pay they work out pretty reasonably priced.

iirc Apple have a mark up of 56% on all their devices, (can't currently source this)

Generally upgrading because its the newest one is silly in my eyes, unless you've a big interest in the devices, or actually need one.

Digital Solitude

The fashion statement, being compared to crap androids (I've heard people complaining about how crap their Xperia J is to an iPhone 5) add to the image of premium, which will give people another reason to spend a lot of money on them

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I got the oh a 6 for christmas, bought it as payg because it actually works out cheaper than committing to a contract for x amount of years and spending double what the phones worth

Muahahaha

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Okay. So apple charge €600 plus euro for their latest phone... what are your opinions? A friend of mine actually forked out this money to buy pay as you go. Are mobile phone company's charging too much? I bet the manufacturing cost it way less than the purchase price.. opinions?

According to Time it costs $200 to manufacture a iPhone 6, so I suppose that is about €160 in our money and they sell it here for €600 of which €138 is VAT at 23% so the retailer is left with €462 in their hand and it cost €160 to manufacture so I guess there is good profit margins in them, seems to be about €300 per unit before distribution costs, etc. Apple strictly control how their iPhones get distributed and have their own retail outlets in most major cities so likely earn higher margins from selling direct to the public themselves than by selling via o2, Vodafone, etc.

At the end of the day iPhones are a desirable product to many people. Within that €300 profit on each iPhone is contained the costs of Apples multi million dollar advertising and marketing campaigns which position the phone as a luxury and desirable item. U2 got €100m from Apple for their latest album. That €100m had to come from somewhere so every buyer of an iPhone 6 has basically funded U2 to some extent, whether they know it or not.

"Why spend that money on Mercedes when you can get a Skoda that does the same thing"

Bendgate, 😅millions of people watch a video of a guy applying as much pressure as his body will allow, (white fingers, shaking arms) to prove that a thin piece of aluminium will bend if you really try!
Morons!

kneemos

It would not be a premium brand if they sold it cheap,and nobody would buy it because apparently it's crap.

Digital Solitude

Bam Bam Mickey wrote: »

"Why spend that money on Mercedes when you can get a Skoda that does the same thing"

Bendgate, 😅millions of people watch a video of a guy applying as much pressure as his body will allow, (white fingers, shaking arms) to prove that a thin piece of aluminium will bend if you really try!
Morons!

That wasn't the only iPhone 6 that bent though, if my phone got any way misshapen through no fault of my own I'd be unhappy with the product and doubt that company afterwards. Obviously Apple weren't attempting to manufacture malleable phones, but they still did.

Your car analogy doesn't work to compare an iPhone to a flagship Android by the way.

ShadowHearth

Bam Bam Mickey wrote: »

"Why spend that money on Mercedes when you can get a Skoda that does the same thing"

Bendgate, 😅millions of people watch a video of a guy applying as much pressure as his body will allow, (white fingers, shaking arms) to prove that a thin piece of aluminium will bend if you really try!
Morons!

The Problem is iPhones are not Mercedes anymore ( and for a very long time now ), they are more of a .... Opel... or Ford?


I got my Experia Z almost 2 years ago and my contract came up recently. Problem is that there is nothing to upgrade too that would actually FEEL like upgrade. I still got quad core cpu, 2gb ram, massive screen, latest android os updates. Whats the point?

The Diabolical Monocle

A 600 euro iphone probably is 1 maybe 2 seconds quicker in processing than my imported 100 euro android. Which Ive had for about a year now.

LexieOnRale

LexieOnRale wrote: »

I got the oh a 6 for christmas, bought it as payg because it actually works out cheaper than committing to a contract for x amount of years and spending double what the phones worth

Pay as you go is the worst possible way to get an iPhone, it's almost full price but locked to a network. Spend a few euro more and buy it direct from Apple.

Also it's much cheaper on a number of Bill pay plans, I got it its bill pay and its costing me 200 euro less over 24 months than if I got it pay as you go and topped up enough to give me even nearly as good as contract as I have from a minutes/texts/data point of view.

Muahahaha wrote: »

According to Time it costs $200 to manufacture a iPhone 6, so I suppose that is about €160 in our money and they sell it here for €600 of which €138 is VAT at 23% so the retailer is left with €462 in their hand and it cost €160 to manufacture so I guess there is good profit margins in them, seems to be about €300 per unit before distribution costs, etc. Apple strictly control how their iPhones get distributed and have their own retail outlets in most major cities so likely earn higher margins from selling direct to the public themselves than by selling via o2, Vodafone, etc.

At the end of the day iPhones are a desirable product to many people. Within that €300 profit on each iPhone is contained the costs of Apples multi million dollar advertising and marketing campaigns which position the phone as a luxury and desirable item. U2 got €100m from Apple for their latest album. That €100m had to come from somewhere so every buyer of an iPhone 6 has basically funded U2 to some extent, whether they know it or not.

Don't forget the billions spent on R&D by Apple, people appear totally oblivious to this when thinking about sale prices.

qt3.14

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Okay. So apple charge €600 plus euro for their latest phone... what are your opinions? A friend of mine actually forked out this money to buy pay as you go. Are mobile phone company's charging too much? I bet the manufacturing cost it way less than the purchase price.. opinions?

I think it's pretty cheap. Imagine how much they'd be if everyone in the supply chain from the rare earth mines to the factories assembling them was paid a western wage?

safetyboy

https://oneplus.net/

/thread

TheOtherBloke

Isomorphism wrote: »

You can't blame Apple for the prices, companies are obliged by their shareholders to maximise profit. How many people would sell something for 400 euro say when they could get 600 euro.

Yes thats a fair point.. but if they sold each handset for 400 euro.. wouldnt they sell alot more?

Digital Solitude

Digital Solitude wrote: »

That wasn't the only iPhone 6 that bent though, if my phone got any way misshapen through no fault of my own I'd be unhappy with the product and doubt that company afterwards. Obviously Apple weren't attempting to manufacture malleable phones, but they still did.

Your car analogy doesn't work to compare an iPhone to a flagship Android by the way.

Thanks for biting!
The hatred for a product/company that design sleek products that are outside of some peoples price range is laughable!

banquo

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Premium Devices with (aside from bendgate) excellent build quality. Unlike android phones they rarely just stop working for no discernable reason.

On PAYG they're an absolute rob though, bill pay they work out pretty reasonably priced.

iirc Apple have a mark up of 56% on all their devices, (can't currently source this)

Generally upgrading because its the newest one is silly in my eyes, unless you've a big interest in the devices, or actually need one.

^^Agree with the build quality. I always compare them to cars. "Sure my Renault Clio does everything I need to do." Good, that's great. Not everyone wants an S-Class Mercedes. But some people just really appreciate the superior build quality and are willing to save a bit longer to get the high-end phones.

Also, a lot of the non-iOS phones are a bit like Windows machines, in that the price is kept low through affiliate marketing. I remember getting an S5 and skipping through what felt like 400 screens of "Sign up here for 02 Money! / Get Dropbox! / other things."

Other device makers compromise on build quality to get the price down, and that's totally fair. Instead of aluminium, we'll use plastic. Instead of this kind of display, we'll use a slightly cheaper one. Apple devices are of just an incredible build quality, and you pay a high premium for it.

Fashion does play a role, but in fairness that applies to Android too.

shruikan2553

banquo wrote: »

^^Agree with the build quality. I always compare them to cars. "Sure my Renault Clio does everything I need to do." Good, that's great. Not everyone wants an S-Class Mercedes. But some people just really appreciate the superior build quality and are willing to save a bit longer to get the high-end phones.

Also, a lot of the non-iOS phones are a bit like Windows machines, in that the price is kept low through affiliate marketing. I remember getting an S5 and skipping through what felt like 400 screens of "Sign up here for 02 Money! / Get Dropbox! / other things."

Other device makers compromise on build quality to get the price down, and that's totally fair. Instead of aluminium, we'll use plastic. Instead of this kind of display, we'll use a slightly cheaper one. Apple devices are of just an incredible build quality, and you pay a high premium for it.

Fashion does play a role, but in fairness that applies to Android too.

Its like a merc where the windscreen breaks if a moth hits it.

shruikan2553

shruikan2553 wrote: »

Its like a merc where the windscreen breaks if a moth hits it.

Oh yeah it really is.
Pffffttttt

smash

Come on guys, Apple bashingthreads are getting old. I have a 6plus, I got it free on my plan and I'll get a 7 for free next year. I pay €55 a month which isn't a big deal.

banquo

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Yes thats a fair point.. but if they sold each handset for 400 euro.. wouldnt they sell alot more?

Probably, but they wouldn't make nearly the margins they do now. A company like Samsung has a hugely diverse product line, from phones to microwaves and screwdrivers. Apple make 2 laptops, 3 desktops, 2 phones and 2 tablets and iPhone is by miles the best selling of the lot.

Think of it this way: if nobody bought the latest iPhone, they would lose something in the region of 35% of their annual revenue!

Also: the consumer purchasing trend is very polarised in that the majority of sales are in the <€150 and in the <€500 range (via bill pay.) The people making mid-range phones are making almost no money, and pretty much everyone except HTC are struggling to make a profit in that market.

jimmynokia

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Premium Devices with (aside from bendgate) excellent build quality. Unlike android phones they rarely just stop working for no discernable reason.

On PAYG they're an absolute rob though, bill pay they work out pretty reasonably priced.

iirc Apple have a mark up of 56% on all their devices, (can't currently source this)

Generally upgrading because its the newest one is silly in my eyes, unless you've a big interest in the devices, or actually need one.

Really. Work out the monthly cost times 24 and up front payment say if you are on a 20 euro PAYG plan.

Awkward Badger

smash wrote: »

Come on guys, Apple bashingthreads are getting old. I have a 6plus, I got it free on my plan and I'll get a 7 for free next year. I pay €55 a month which isn't a big deal.

To be fair the OP is questioning why people fork out the likes of 600 cash for them. Not why people chose them when getting a free phone on their bill plan.

hidinginthebush

I think it's funny and pretty ridiculous to see Android and Apple fanboys argue with each other over which device is better. It's like me saying my Adidas trainers are better than your Nikes, my burger king was nicer than your mcdonnalds, my xbox one is better than your ps4. aka nobody fucking cares.

TheOtherBloke

banquo wrote: »

^^Agree with the build quality. I always compare them to cars. "Sure my Renault Clio does everything I need to do." Good, that's great. Not everyone wants an S-Class Mercedes. But some people just really appreciate the superior build quality and are willing to save a bit longer to get the high-end phones.

Also, a lot of the non-iOS phones are a bit like Windows machines, in that the price is kept low through affiliate marketing. I remember getting an S5 and skipping through what felt like 400 screens of "Sign up here for 02 Money! / Get Dropbox! / other things."

Other device makers compromise on build quality to get the price down, and that's totally fair. Instead of aluminium, we'll use plastic. Instead of this kind of display, we'll use a slightly cheaper one. Apple devices are of just an incredible build quality, and you pay a high premium for it.

Fashion does play a role, but in fairness that applies to Android too.

Ill happily agree with apples build quality. The last apple phone I had was the 4s and I loved the feel of it.. but you cant customise them in terms of software, apps ect as much as an android. And I think people will spend alot to buy the latest iphone because of fashion.. thats why people are buying the 'goophone I6' its identical to an iphone 6 but a fraction of the price. So people will believe they own a genuine iphone

kneemos

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Yes thats a fair point.. but if they sold each handset for 400 euro.. wouldnt they sell alot more?

People buy them because they're expensive. It's their best marketing tool.
like those jeans whose name I can't remember that sell for two hundred quid,if they sold them for seventy quid they would just be another pair of jeans .

Digital Solitude

banquo wrote: »

^^Agree with the build quality. I always compare them to cars. "Sure my Renault Clio does everything I need to do." Good, that's great. Not everyone wants an S-Class Mercedes. But some people just really appreciate the superior build quality and are willing to save a bit longer to get the high-end phones.

Also, a lot of the non-iOS phones are a bit like Windows machines, in that the price is kept low through affiliate marketing. I remember getting an S5 and skipping through what felt like 400 screens of "Sign up here for 02 Money! / Get Dropbox! / other things."

Other device makers compromise on build quality to get the price down, and that's totally fair. Instead of aluminium, we'll use plastic. Instead of this kind of display, we'll use a slightly cheaper one. Apple devices are of just an incredible build quality, and you pay a high premium for it.

Fashion does play a role, but in fairness that applies to Android too.

I think that comparing a Clio to a Droid and an S Class to an iPhone is very far fetched in fairness. But yeah, in the majority of cases Apples build quality is superior to androids. I think you're comparing them to Low to Mid range Androids though, but without vetted interest in Android that's probably fair enough, its the poorer phones android is usually slated upon, as there are a lot more sold.

Fashion is applicable to Android, but aside from the rare aluminium phone the majority are just black or white plastic so the fashion aspect doesn't hold true as much as the aluminium or glass casing of iPhones.

I'll happily slate Samsung phones with you though!

everdead.ie

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Yes thats a fair point.. but if they sold each handset for 400 euro.. wouldnt they sell alot more?

They would need to sell 3 times the amount to make the same profit margins going by the 300 unit cost another poster mentioned.

If they sold that many it would definetly lose its value as a fashionable/exclusive product.

Think if it like how Ferrari control production so they don't sell to many cars and devalue the cars.

TheOtherBloke

smash wrote: »

Come on guys, Apple bashingthreads are getting old. I have a 6plus, I got it free on my plan and I'll get a 7 for free next year. I pay €55 a month which isn't a big deal.

Im not 'apple bashing'. I chose apple as an example because they seem to be in the highest price range. I just dont understand why they charge so much and people can be drawn so easily to pay so much money for a product..

banquo

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Ill happily agree with apples build quality. The last apple phone I had was the 4s and I loved the feel of it.. but you cant customise them in terms of software, apps ect as much as an android. And I think people will spend alot to buy the latest iphone because of fashion.. thats why people are buying the 'goophone I6' its identical to an iphone 6 but a fraction of the price. So people will believe they own a genuine iphone

I'd agree with that to a certain extent. I'm not sure it's the primary reason. I'd say a huge amount of sales of the latest are via billpay from non-techie people who had an iPhone before, are comfortable with iOS and have an upgrade opportunity.

The different in price is down half to affiliate marketing (Dropbox (example) give Samsung (example) a few €€€ towards the retail price of every phone they sell hoping people will sign up to Dropbox) and half the premium tax.

Also worth mentioning that high end smartphones are super expensive to make, pretty much only Apple and HTC actually make any money, the margins on the rest are almost non-existent.

Harder thing for Apple to maintain in the long run – they'll always have to produce a superior feeling phone, and control public image so they appear as the flagship device. And they've locked themselves into this annual summer release schedule. No pressure lads...

Working in their favour at the moment is the fragmentation of other devices – Android OEMs are reliant on Google continuing to produce new versions of Android, and they don't know how it's going to turn out until Google release it, so they can't be building their phones simultaneously as Apple do. So they'll always be 6 months to a year behind the OS they run on, which gives Apple lots of breathing space to be first to market with new features / selling points.

TheOtherBloke

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Im not 'apple bashing'. I chose apple as an example because they seem to be in the highest price range. I just dont understand why they charge so much and people can be drawn so easily to pay so much money for a product..

So you are questioning why people who can afford them, buy them?
I agree with you they are expensive, but you get a lot for your buck.
Bundle in outstanding tech support and it's more appealing to those who will overpay for a better experience overall.

TheOtherBloke

everdead.ie wrote: »

They would need to sell 3 times the amount to make the same profit margins going by the 300 unit cost another poster mentioned.

If they sold that many it would definetly lose its value as a fashionable/exclusive product.

Think if it like how Ferrari control production so they don't sell to many cars and devalue the cars.

Thats a really good point. Fair enough you pay hundreds of thousands for a Ferrari basically for its Badge. Same goes to apple.. you pay for the name and the quality... but I still believe people arw under pressure to buy the latest model just to keep up with fashion.. its mad

Digital Solitude

jimmynokia wrote: »

Really. Work out the monthly cost times 24 and up front payment say if you are on a 20 euro PAYG plan.

I'd compare it to someone taking out a low interest mortgage really.

20x24 is 480, +600 for the phone gives 1080
Bill pay at 50 a month is 1200?
5 euro extra a month on Bill pay where you'll get a better deal than your credit.

I think I'm missing your point

NoMore MrNiceGuy

Is there anything more boring and nebbish in the world than the android anoraks wondering why people don't like their phones?

Ole Rodrigo

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Premium Devices with (aside from bendgate) excellent build quality. Unlike android phones they rarely just stop working for no discernable reason.

On PAYG they're an absolute rob though, bill pay they work out pretty reasonably priced.

iirc Apple have a mark up of 56% on all their devices, (can't currently source this)

Generally upgrading because its the newest one is silly in my eyes, unless you've a big interest in the devices, or actually need one.

Not so sure about build quality. I've had two apple devices that have recently stopped working. The home button on an iphone 5s barely responds anymore after only 10 months and will need a replacement cable, and an iMac which is badly designed for performing basic upgrades.

I look forward to checking out some Android devices, am done with Apple. They aren't worth the premium they charge, a large part of which is down to luxury good branding. Not to mention the work practices at Foxcon and the suicides of workers before a major product release!

I'll miss iPhoto though.

NoMore MrNiceGuy

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Thats a really good point. Fair enough you pay hundreds of thousands for a Ferrari basically for its Badge. Same goes to apple.. you pay for the name and the quality... but I still believe people arw under pressure to buy the latest model just to keep up with fashion.. its mad

Nobody is under pressure. There are in fact far more older iphones out there than androids which explains their popularity. The 4S is still being used by many.

banquo

Digital Solitude wrote: »

I think that comparing a Clio to a Droid and an S Class to an iPhone is very far fetched in fairness. But yeah, in the majority of cases Apples build quality is superior to androids. I think you're comparing them to Low to Mid range Androids though, but without vetted interest in Android that's probably fair enough, its the poorer phones android is usually slated upon, as there are a lot more sold.

Fashion is applicable to Android, but aside from the rare aluminium phone the majority are just black or white plastic so the fashion aspect doesn't hold true as much as the aluminium or glass casing of iPhones.

I'll happily slate Samsung phones with you though!

Ha! Yeah the Clio / Merc analogy is a bit of a stretch, I chose an intentionally wide gap to illustrate the point.

The low / mid range Androids should be left out of Apple / Android debates completely, as you're right, they're not comparable at all. The customer who buys a €200 Android phone isn't buying it because it's an Android, that's just their budget, and pretty much all low-cost phones run Android because nobody else competes in that space.

Once you get to the high end of the market, it's pretty much horses for courses. I'm nuts for beautiful typography and tiny, tiny attention to detail. And I use a mac at home and at work, so it all works together for me. But a friend got the HTC One M8 and it does have a terrific feel to it, they did a brilliant job on that device.

**** Samsung though. They're just shameless.

2Mad2BeMad

iphone is a terrible phone
every single phone they produce is awful.

Their build quality, they are locked to their own IOS, you have to use safari instead of google chrome,

ITUNES - no need to say anything their....

its a terrible phone, from a greedy company, which idiots in our society continue to fork over 600 euro for it every year thinking the newer version is better.

When in truth it might be better by half a second? its a bigger phone sure but how big can they possible make it until you need to hold it with too feckin hands to make a call.
I laugh at anyone who bought one, and laugh when they say "its after getting bent in my pocket"

who the hell would pay 600e upfront for a phone? Their is something seriously wrong with people if they think a phone is worth that much.
600e for a phone that can do everything the same as a 100e phone can do, but can do it a little faster.

TheOtherBloke

Bam Bam Mickey wrote: »

So you are questioning why people who can afford them, buy them?
I agree with you they are expensive, but you get a lot for your buck.
Bundle in outstanding tech support and it's more appealing to those who will overpay for a better experience overall.

Thats true you do get alot for your money. And you do get a good product. But the price is high. And as I mentioned in another post I think some are under pressure to buy the latest model.. (weather they can afford it or not) just to keep up with fashion. OnlyApple seems to have that influence

2Mad2BeMad

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

iphone is a terrible phone
every single phone they produce is awful.

Their build quality, they are locked to their own IOS, you have to use safari instead of google chrome,

ITUNES - no need to say anything their....

its a terrible phone, from a greedy company, which idiots in our society continue to fork over 600 euro for it every year thinking the newer version is better.

When in truth it might be better by half a second? its a bigger phone sure but how big can they possible make it until you need to hold it with too feckin hands to make a call.
I laugh at anyone who bought one, and laugh when they say "its after getting bent in my pocket"

who the hell would pay 600e upfront for a phone? Their is something seriously wrong with people if they think a phone is worth that much.
600e for a phone that can do everything the same as a 100e phone can do, but can do it a little faster.

I've got an iPhone 6plus 128gb.
You mad bro?

TheOtherBloke

Bam Bam Mickey wrote: »

So you are questioning why people who can afford them, buy them?
I agree with you they are expensive, but you get a lot for your buck.
Bundle in outstanding tech support and it's more appealing to those who will overpay for a better experience overall.

Thats true you do get alot for your money. And you do get a good product. But the price is high. And as I mentioned in another post I think some are under pressure to buy the latest model.. (weather they can afford it or not) just to keep up with fashion. OnlyApple seems to have that influence

SpaceTime

I don't really see the big deal.

HTC and Samsung produce phones at similarly huge price points.

Apple don't really compete with mid to cheap end of the market stuff at all. Their whole strategy is about premium.

The iPhone 6 is a decent phone, the HTC One M8 is a decent phone, top end Sony etc are all good. LG too!

I think Samsung tends to make cheap looking phones that have huge specs and an awful UI laid. Never understood the attraction.

I genuinely think Apple has a few advantages, but they don't lend themselves to customising your phone.- very tight hardware - software integration, less of a tendency to data mine you than Google etc.
I get a bit fed up with Google+ integration and Google Now deciding to read my email and stick flights into my calendar and so on... Handy but creepy.

What I've liked about Apple for both Mac and iOS is that they'll support hardware for much longer and more heavily. Even after the warranty runs out, they've extremely good online support and I've really been impressed by that.

I also prefer that you get instant access to latest OS upgrades. Android has serious issues with manufacturers taking way too long to rollout patches and then you've also got carriers (Three being the most notorious in Ireland) holding up software updates for tweaking.

On the other hand android gives you more flexibility, more choice of hardware and much more customisation.

To me it's down to choice. They've both got their up and down sides.

I get a bit tired of tribal Apple or Google bashing. They're both decent mobile platforms.

Bigger risk right now is that Google will become so dominant that it'll be like MS Windows on the desktop in the 90s and 00s.

Apple is very necessary competition, even if it's only targeting a top end niche.

banquo

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

iphone is a terrible phone
every single phone they produce is awful.

Their build quality, they are locked to their own IOS, you have to use safari instead of google chrome,

ITUNES - no need to say anything their....

its a terrible phone, from a greedy company, which idiots in our society continue to fork over 600 euro for it every year thinking the newer version is better.

When in truth it might be better by half a second? its a bigger phone sure but how big can they possible make it until you need to hold it with too feckin hands to make a call.
I laugh at anyone who bought one, and laugh when they say "its after getting bent in my pocket"

who the hell would pay 600e upfront for a phone? Their is something seriously wrong with people if they think a phone is worth that much.
600e for a phone that can do everything the same as a 100e phone can do, but can do it a little faster.

A flawless and well-informed argument.

Digital Solitude

banquo wrote: »

Ha! Yeah the Clio / Merc analogy is a bit of a stretch, I chose an intentionally wide gap to illustrate the point.

The low / mid range Androids should be left out of Apple / Android debates completely, as you're right, they're not comparable at all. The customer who buys a €200 Android phone isn't buying it because it's an Android, that's just their budget, and pretty much all low-cost phones run Android because nobody else competes in that space.

Once you get to the high end of the market, it's pretty much horses for courses. I'm nuts for beautiful typography and tiny, tiny attention to detail. And I use a mac at home and at work, so it all works together for me. But a friend got the HTC One M8 and it does have a terrific feel to it, they did a brilliant job on that device.

**** Samsung though. They're just shameless.

Its like comparing one Merc to another at the top end IMO, some people will like one and others will like the other. And almost everyone will argue that their choice was the the right one.

Have you every used a Nexus 4 by any chance? None of the bloatware that comes with android, and a beautiful device, though I think the M8 is the best looking device around at the minute.

There's too many straw man arguments about this topic, as Bam Bam Mickey so kindly illustrated in reply to my fourth post, and 2mad2bemad is doing above me.

Larry Wildman

I have an iPhone and I've tried Android devices. The latter are a complete pain. Apple stuff just works...it's simple and straightforward. And they look great. There an element of wanting to be a non conformist to much of the Apple bashing that goes on.

TheOtherBloke

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Thats true you do get alot for your money. And you do get a good product. But the price is high. And as I mentioned in another post I think some are under pressure to buy the latest model.. (weather they can afford it or not) just to keep up with fashion. OnlyApple seems to have that influence

I disagree totally about pressure, you will find those that have the latest iPhone every year also get a new car every chance they can or always want the latest of everything in their lives.
So the pressure is self created by their own lifestyle.
If your friend has an iPhone 6 plus 128gb, and you want one just because it makes you feel bad that your phone is older then you have lots of social problems

banquo

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Its like comparing one Merc to another at the top end IMO, some people will like one and others will like the other. And almost everyone will argue that their choice was the the right one.

Have you every used a Nexus 4 by any chance? None of the bloatware that comes with android, and a beautiful device, though I think the M8 is the best looking device around at the minute.

There's too many straw man arguments about this topic, as Bam Bam Mickey so kindly illustrated in reply to my fourth post, and 2mad2bemad is doing above me.

I haven't tried a Nexus 4, but I'm keen to. I'll be sticking with iOS for the meantime because I use OS X all the time and it just makes life a lot easier, but the one thing I could never stand about Android devices is the icons, I just think they're hideous! But I'm into that kind of thing, most wouldn't be.

But when you've been using an Android phone, and then go back to iPhone, the lack of the back button makes you crazy...

Hitchens

you never hear iphone people talking about android phones..................while android people never shut up about iphones

kneemos

Any iPhone I've ever seen was encased in a fairly tatty looking leather case.So much for the quality finish.

MyPeopleDrankTheSoup

I spent €900 to buy my 6 Plus direct from Apple. I last had an iPhone in 2009 and been Android since.

After using for 2 weeks, I'm convinced it has become more than a consumer electronics product and is now a luxury/veblen good. Teenagers and Instagram people need to buy it in the same way they need Givenchy and Louis Vuitton, to show they're cool or whatever. An iPhone is not a rational purchase NOW when you can get a OnePlusOne for about €350. Back in 2010, iOS was far superior to Android but now the tables have turned.

I jailbroke my iPhone which makes it alright. Without that, the restrictions would be infuriating. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent phone, just vastly overpriced and restricted, and Android OS is marginally better than iOS.

I only bought it as I'm an app developer, need it for testing.