U.S. Consumers Losing Interest in Smartphones as Demand Falls

Discussion in 'hardware' started by ronjor, Jul 17, 2015.

  1. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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  2. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    Isn't the market saturated? Everyone and their little yellow dog has one. So now they're just selling replacements.
     
  3. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

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    Yes, I agree. No surprise that at one point, sales will start to drop. Personally I'm not into smart-phones at all.
     
  4. Infected

    Infected Registered Member

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    Yeah, when a new phone comes out, the hype is short lived for me. Then only one I would be interested in now is the S6 Active. Just that I don't care for my M8 that much.
     
  5. oliverjia

    oliverjia Registered Member

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    For an oldschooler like me, a phone is supposed to be a phone. You talk on it. You don't play on it and text on it while driving/walking/sitting. Heck, it's even bad for your eyes trying to read those tiny fonts on the tiny screen.
    I still use a flip phone that I only use to actually call people.
     
  6. Rolo42

    Rolo42 Registered Member

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    Wow...they are actually surprised people aren't buying $600 phones every year. Those who can afford a $600 phone don't do it every year (or at all) and those who cannot (but do so anyway) eventually run out of credit. And then we call it a "crisis". o_O

    Wife & I like our Nexus 5s and plan to keep'em for years. They're handy devices, the apps are free-to-cheap, and cost (Ting) is worth it (~$32/mo. for both, depending on usage. I don't like that Google went the compete-with-Samsung-and-Apple route with the Nexus and abandoned making a rational device (good quality, no novelty fluff, sane price = value).

    Besides a phone (rarely use minutes), text device (Hangouts), it's a camera (more for utility than "oh look at that" pictures), OBDII scanner/car diagnostic, car record-keeper and maintenance reminder, reading material for those idle moments (waiting), compass, level, calculator of various sorts, post-it pad that I don't lose the post-its, gaming diversion (mostly puzzles), weatherman, to-do list/reminder, calendar, tax/expense receipt-file cabinet (TaxACT app FTW), and Bible.

    Those are just the routine things that this little rectangle that fits comfortably in my pocket has eliminated sooo many things whilst adding reliability to all of them.
     
  7. Amanda

    Amanda Registered Member

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    Agreed. I'm not as old school as many (I'm only 23), but I like old things better, whent he device had one purpuse, and it did this purpuse correctly. When "playing" meant staying out in front of my parents' house actually playing with my friends... when people used to eat it, not tweet it :p
     
  8. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    I would have probably never changed any of my smartphones if they were not stolen.
    I usually keep them until they die or cannot work properly and i cant find proper replacement parts. (Like the battery for example)
    But usually they get stolen before anything like that happens. I'd say my average use for a smartphone is around 2-3 years and then some kind of **** happens. :argh:
     
  9. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    Here in Australia, I guess most people get a new flagship smartphone every two years. Flagship smartphones are usually either free or only cost a small monthly amount like $10 when you go on a plan with a 2 two year contract. With the biggest mobile network Telstra, you can get a new flagship phone every 12 months if you pay $149 and return your old phone in good condition.
     
  10. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    I pay only $20 a month and i already feel its expensive. (Voice and Data plan for $20)
    I purchase my phones at shops, you can get some insane prices unlike the phone companies offerings.
     
  11. Keatah

    Keatah Registered Member

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    Well yeh.. Did they think sales would continue to increase forever? I stopped baggie-chasing the latest and greatest phones a long time ago. Hopefully the rest of you can catch up to me.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2015
  12. Rolo42

    Rolo42 Registered Member

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    Perhaps people catching onto this scam is why sales are dropping, in part. When your carrier subsidises your phone, it is far from free: you have to pay for an upgrade (rather than sell you old phone yourself) and the service that you're locked into is higher monthly. If you terminate, you pay a fee and if you're a deadbeat, the ESN is blacklisted. You're paying a premium for service and you don't own the phone.
     
  13. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    @Rolo42 On some plans here, you pay nothing for the phone on top of the charge for the plan. It's a 24 month contract, but afterwards you own the phone, and you can get a new phone for free, if you go on another two year contract.
     
  14. Robin A.

    Robin A. Registered Member

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    The cost of the phone is included in the cost of the plan.

    Where I live this practice was forbidden by law. The carrier must charge separately for the phone and for the plan. You own the unlocked phone from the beginning, and can cancel the plan at any time without any penalty. As a result of this, phones are now more expensive. Supposedly, the plans are less expensive, but is difficult to check this, as they change all the time.
     
  15. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    Yes it is. But sadly, the cost of a plan where you bring your own phone, is quite often not much less, or even the same.
     
  16. TS4H

    TS4H Registered Member

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    Im also from Australia and roger_m is correct in many aspects. However there are still cheap data plans around if you bring your own phone. I have a nexus 4, and im paying $18/month no contract and own my phone outright. How much money have I saved in the last 3 years as a result? The marketing for mobiles is all about phone speeds on 4G (Lte) and huge amounts of data. If I consider where is use my phone its, at home, work, uni. All of which have wifi. Where do I need fast speeds and huge amounts of data? Living within means is very important in todays society and people should not get sucked into the so called "norm".
     
  17. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    @TS4H Which network are you with? I pay quite a lot with Telstra, and have my own phone.
     
  18. TS4H

    TS4H Registered Member

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    Currently with Vaya. No contract 1.5 GB data, $650 worth of calls, unlimited SMS, uses same Optus 4G network as direct Optus subscribers, albeit I only have a 3G phone.

    There are options like TPG (optus) since your with Telstra have a look at Boost mobile

    regards.
     
  19. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    @TS4H Thanks, I'll take a look at them as I'm paying too much now.
     
  20. xxJackxx

    xxJackxx Registered Member

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    Smartphones suck. I went from paying $15 a month for a phone to $110. All I really need is the ability to call and text. I don't really need email, I am near a computer all of the time. I don't need GPS, that car has it. I don't need any of the apps. The novelty has worn off a long time ago. Most of the bill is data, which I use almost none of. The big carriers are a bunch of crooks charging what they charge. Their roll-outs of updates are slow to non-existent. I may dump mine the next time the opportunity presents itself.
     
  21. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    I've always noticed cellphone plans in the USA are very very expensive.
     
  22. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    @TS4H I'm switching to Yatango (Optus network) for $25 a month, which is much less than what I'm paying now. I had a look at Vaya, but I saw lots of complaints about terrible customer service. On the otherhand it seems that Yatango's customer service is outstanding.

    My current phone actually works better with Optus than Telstra.
     
  23. TS4H

    TS4H Registered Member

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    I never really considered Yatango. As for Vaya customer service, never really had a need to call them. Either way its still better than paying than 50 or 60 for a data only plan. Glad it worked out for you.
     
  24. PallMall

    PallMall Guest

    We lose more quickly interest for technology than we do for a sunrise/set, mother nature. People are interested in the tool aspect of technology but that doesn't lead to passion. Passion in technology requires innovation more than improvement. Improvement is rational, innovation can handle emotion should it be artificial innovation (gadget), and emotion makes people buy even what they don't need. That's the whole idea of business. Masses' hysteria. On another hand, some of us as all of us here I presume prefer to have a rational approach to what they need, really need.
     
  25. Rolo42

    Rolo42 Registered Member

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    No, your carrier sucks.
    I pay ~$32/mo. for two smartphones.
    Amen to that!
    "A fool and his money..."
     
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