[throwaway_45]

I am surprised cell phones are still selling for 650 bucks. You can get a Chinese cell phone for 200 dollars which will do 90% of what latest apple or Samsung will do. Maybe it will be a little bit slower, but not 450 dollars slower.

[microtonal]

Simple: (1) my iPhone's screen had some discolorization along the edges, I took it to the Apple store last Saturday; two hours later I pick up my iPhone with a new screen at no cost. (2) the day a new iOS is released (typically with security fixes), I can download it.

After trying some cheaper phones and two Android flagships (support was terrible), I realized that a great phone, with good warranty, and quick updates is worth more to me than the price hump.

Same for laptops. Why would I cut on a device that I use every day?

(Apropos laptops: we usually sell our MacBooks after ~3 years, I usually recoup 2/3rd of the cost and have a high-end laptop for 300-400 per three years.)

[grecy]

I'm in West Africa and just bought a fully-functional phone for $20 - that was new price, in the box, no haggling. For another $10 I could have got a much bigger screen and better specs.

It does absolutely everything I can think of a cell phone can do, even has dual sims. I'm tethering to it off 3G right now.

It's running Android 5.1, and to be honest I have not even tried to upgrade it because it just doesn't matter. It does everything as it is.

It's this http://www.naijainformation.com/2016/06/itel-it1355-price-fu...

[EduardoBautista]

4G is a big missing feature.

[grecy]

Only one or two countries here even have 4G towers.

[op00to]

When the $200 phone bursts into flames, are you able to sue the Chinese manufacturer for damages? When your $200 phone breaks, do you have to simply buy a new one rather than get it replaced? When there are security holes in your $200 phone, will the cheap skin over Android get patched?

I buy Apple phones for one reason, and that's the fact that my business lives and dies through communication. With my $800 phone, I can walk into any Apple store in the world and get support, a repair, or replacement. When I had a Nexus phone, all I got was runaround and BS from whoever support was contracted out to.

[madeofpalk]

To be fair, the $800 phone is currently bursting into flames everywhere and people are having lots of trouble getting help from Samsung.

[op00to]

Ha walked into that one.

[_0w8t]

In Norway in Apple-certified stores you will have to wait a week or more for reparation. And they do not provide a replacement in the meantime...

[madeofpalk]

Huh really? I wonder why it's different in Norway? Apple-cerified service providers offer on-the-spot replacements elsewhere in the world (at least in the UK, US and Aus)

Apple in Norway offers IT departments (which manage over 1000 iOS devices) boxes of replacement iPhones so they can swap devices immediately themselves. I would be extremely surprised if this wasn't also available to AASPs http://www.apple.com/no/support/programs/ssa/

[eridius]

Apple-certified retailers aren't the same thing as Apple stores. That said, http://www.apple.com/retail/storelist/ doesn't list any stores in Norway, so I guess you don't really have much choice.

[Shivetya]

that is a large amount of FUD and baseless too. the majority of the world gets by not having eight hundred dollar phones just fine.

Apple marketing simply has succeeded in convincing you and others that there is no viable alternative which in turn keeps you from accepting such a possibility

[matwood]

> Apple marketing simply has succeeded in convincing you and others that there is no viable alternative which in turn keeps you from accepting such a possibility

Speaking of FUD. Marketing only gets you so far, and at some point you have to have a product. I have tried to switch to Android. First with an HTC One and another time with the Nexus 5 (I also have a Nexus 7). Android definitely wins on open and customization, but on overall system it continually failed. My Nexus 5 would randomly get system processes spinning out of control and if I didn't notice, I would have a dead battery in ~10 minutes. I don't remember which, but there was an Android update that made my Nexus 7 completely unusable.

I went back to the iPhone, and only then fully realized Apple's advantage of controlling the hardware AND software. I think Google is finally recognizing this, and attempting to replicate it with the Pixel.

[schwarze_pest]

> I think Google is finally recognizing this, and attempting to replicate it with the Pixel.

They are still not there with Pixel. As long as they don't have their own SoC, there won't be proper long time support for their phones.

[madeofpalk]

I don't buy this. Apple didn't always have their own SoC, and support didn't miraculously get better with the iPhone 4 when they introduced it.

[schwarze_pest]

Apple has complete control over their OS. They can keep their kernel interfaces stable if they want.

Google can't do this with their current development model. They are not in charge of the Linux kernel interfaces. Let's say it's 2019, Android Quaker Oats is here and Google would like to bring it to the Pixel. Quaker Oats is based on Linux 5.0. Qualcomm develops their drivers out of tree and the latest kernel that gets support for the Snapdragon 821 is Linux 4.69. Well, tough luck, Google and Pixel owners, Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich is all you get.

[jonknee]

The majority of the world gets by without air conditioning, personal vehicles, Netflix memberships and all other sorts of luxury items and services. The iPhone is no different, but it's not marketing that Apple's support is better than a random vendor off Alibaba.

[izacus]

That still doesn't mean that your phone will burst into flames if it doesn't have an apple drawn on it.

[nixy]

For me I'm paying the premium for a number of reasons, mainly Apple's stance on privacy and security. You'll be hard pressed to find the same security and privacy commitment from any manufacturer of Android or other competing devices.

[samfisher83]

Apple was more than willing to give up one of their users when it benefited them:

https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/21/kickasstorrents-apple-fa...

Android is open source. You can get rid of all the google bits if you really want to.

[eridius]

I don't know how you're reading that article, but to me, it sounds like Apple was likely complying with a legal court order for the information. And it really wasn't very much information, seems to be just the IP address that was used to make an iTunes purchase on a particular day. Not particularly privacy-invading, since this is something that falls well within the information that courts can order Apple to turn over.

[vbezhenar]

There are cars for $65000 and for $20000 and they have their audiences. I wouldn't pay $45000 for slightly more powerful engine and slightly better interior, but many people do. Different people have different priorities.

[simonh]

* Free immediate access to patches and OS upgrades

* Security and privacy

* The best range of high quality apps

* Pythonista

* The camera(s)

* Calibration - I don't trust Android devices to be correctly quality controlled in this regard

* Continuity and the universal clipboard

* System performance

* Product support / Apple Stores

* Device longevity. My daughter just upgraded from my old 3GS, which still even works with the app store!

[inimino]

That last ten percent makes a difference when it's something you use frequently every day.

[georgespencer]

I am surprised [any item] sells for [perceived high price]. You can get [lower quality version of item] for [lower price] which will do [not the same things, and not as well] that a [luxury manufacturer's item] will do.