The dictionary definition of “hot commodity” should be a picture of an iPhone. It is one of the most popular phones in the country with an estimated $35 million spent collectively on iPhones alone, according to Finder.
With the announcement of the iPhone X coming out in November, that number will only rise. However, it’s the astronomical price of the phone that seemingly has everyone shook; $1,000 for a 64 GB, approximately, $1,200 for a 256 GB.
This price tag was followed by an interesting factoid, which turned out to be true after doing a little math; You could buy the entire menu from Cracker Barrel, which is around $849. That is $150 less than the new iPhone. This brings up an interesting question, what else could you buy for the price of one iPhone X?
According to CNET, the most talked-about feature is its new Face ID technology, though whether it’s positive or negative is up in the air. You can access Apple Pay and animate your emojis with your face. The OLED super retina display is the largest screen ever put on an iPhone. The A11 processor is the top of the line chip running phone to send funny memes to friends at lightning speed. The camera has made a huge jump with portrait lighting and front facing portrait mode. According to Apple, the battery life far outreaches that of the 7 and the already forgotten 8 that’s coming out sooner than the X.
These things are pretty good if you’re looking at the phone by itself, but when compared to other phones side by side, it doesn’t seem to be the feature-heavy behemoth phone that it needs to be to justify that hefty price tag.
“I think it’s really expensive and it should be cheaper, but I’m still going to get it,” junior Jen Quirke said. This seems to be the general consensus for most students on the matter.
Everybody wants the latest and greatest. The iPhone X really draws the line between the tech haves and the have nots. College students don’t have a lot of money as it is, and are encouraged at every corner to make healthy financial choices.
Most students would think twice before dropping an entire grand on a phone. That’s a big investment for those who order from the dollar menu to save a couple bucks. The issue is most people don’t know how far that much money can really stretch unless some thought is put into it.
A lot can be done with $1,000. A Netflix bill could be covered for the next eight years on a basic package. The entire menu plus every milkshake flavor at Cookout, the popular spot for Virginia Wesleyan University students, could be bought three times over. After all, the entire menu only comes out to about $325, not including tax, a third the price of one iPhone X.
“The price kind of turns me off to it. I don’t have a child to sell to compensate for it,” said junior Andrew Deluca jokingly. At the idea of buying the entire menu at Cookout, Deluca said, “No one man should have all that power.” That kind of power is necessary to afford the new device. With this new iPhone, it seems only Kanye West and the Hollywood elite would buy it outright.
After reading how far $1,000 goes, it can be hard to justify buying the new iPhone and that’s understandable. However, don’t let that discourage you from getting the phone you really want, because in the end it’s up to the consumer to make the right choice for them.
Phone prices in general have been on a meteoric rise since the first iPhone came out way back in 2007 at $500, which is high to begin with. Think of the features the original Apple iPhone had versus all the features we have today and use in everyday life.
It seems only fitting that jumping 10 years into the future, Marty McFly would find a phone 10 times better at double the price. It is the future after all, but for $1,000, you’d expect your new phone to at least be your hoverboard by now.
Tony Tann
tdtann@vwu.edu
