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Ask Slashdot: Why Would Anyone Want To Spend $1,000 on a Smartphone?
Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the $1,000 sticker price for the base model of iPhone X, the latest flagship smartphone from the company which goes on sale next month, is "a value price for the technology that you're getting." An anonymous reader writes: I simply don't understand why anyone would want to spend such amount on a phone. Don't get me wrong. Having a smartphone is crucial in this day and age. I get it. But even a $200 phone, untethered from any carrier contract, will let you install the apps you need, will allow you to take good pictures, surf the web, and listen to music. That handset might not be as fast as the iPhone X or Samsung's new Galaxy Note 8, or it might not be able to take as great pictures, but the difference, I feel, doesn't warrant an additional $800. The reader shares a column: When considering a purchase, comparing the value a product will add to our lives, and its cost is wise. Subjective perceptions affect how we value possessions, but let's consider the practical value of how we use smartphones. Smartphones aren't used for talking as often as the phones that preceded them were. In fact, actual "phone" use ranks below messaging, web surfing, social media and other activities that dominate smartphone usage. Furthermore, statistically we use only six core apps regularly. [...] My point is, smartphones have't changed all that much relatively speaking. Sure they're bigger, faster, more powerful and have awesome cameras. But the iPhone X is fundamentally the same device the earlier iPhones were, and provides the same basic and sought after functions. It's a glass-covered rectangular slab mostly used for messaging, web-surfing, music and social media activity. An individual's perception of self, financial resources, desired or actual social position and love for tech will likely play a role in his perception of the value of a $1,000 smartphone.
An observation though: that $2400 camera lens can last you a lifetime. An iPhone X you probably wouldn't use more than 4 years. Even if you take good care of it and replace the non-user-replaceable battery down the road, it's likely that it will no longer receive iOS version updates starting in 4 years time (based on the fact that the iPhone 5S was released in 2013 and doesn't support iOS 11, the current version). For many, of course, they'll be looking to upgrade in 2 years. Between the two purchases, the income used toward a $1000 smartphone seems truly more "disposable".
www.gaiageek.com
Yep.
Why would anyone buy a pair of Mike Jordan sneakers at $400?
Why would anyone pay $1000+ for a bottle of wine?
Why would anyone pay $100,000 for a car?
Why would anyone pay $1,500 for a suit or any other piece of clothing?
"Need" is nowhere in this picture.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Where lifetime is until Canon changes the mount interface again.
Canon introduced the FL mount in 1964 and replaced it with the FD mount in 1971. However, an FL lens would work with an FD camera. The FD mount was replaced by the current EF mount in 1987 mainly due to auto-focus. So the mount has not changed in 30 years. You can purchase an FL/FD to ES adapter and continue to use those lens from 1964 if you wish. So at the moment it's fairly simple to use many of their lenses from the last 54 years.
They have introduced the EF-S lenses for use on APS sensor cameras that won't work on full frame cameras. But the standard EF lenses will work on APS cameras. They did something similar with their new mirror-less cameras as well. They will work with both EF and EF-S as well as whatever they call the new ones too. But the mirror-less lenses won't work with the older camera bodies.