This effectively raises prices. Before, you could get your $700 iPhone for $200, and over the course of 2 years, you'd pay the subsidy off.
So without considering the cost of money, and to keep this simple, it's effectively $500 subsidy/ 24 months or about $21/month.
But here's where people stop thinking. You weren't actually paying for the phone, the phone company was. Because at the end of 24 months, you're still paying the same monthly rate, and you now own the phone. In the case of an iPhone, the value has historically worked about to be about $150-200 which you can sell yourself and get a new phone for $200.
Now think of this way. Now you get no subsidy on the phone, and they didn't lower their monthly bill by $21. So what Verizon, Spring, and T-Mobile did was effectively raise their monthly rates because you get no more subsidy, and the monthly cost of the plan is the same as it was before.
"Aggression is the human failing that celebrity scientist Stephen Hawking would most like to correct, as it holds the potential to destroy human civilization"
Without human aggression, we would have all been eaten about 500,000 years ago.
The little utility it had at one time was ruined when they decided to sell your information to salespeople so they can "link" with you and try to sell you stuff.
One thing I don't need is more salespeople contacting me and wanting to sell me stuff.
Also their random-recommendations has been a joke from day 1.
I have to ask why anybody even uses the service any more.
"We've thought about buying an iPad for guests to use, but decided it wasn't right to knowingly let others use a computing platform that may have been compromised."
So you won't get an iPad for guests because you don't like Apple's philosophy of the platform?
Also, West Virginia has a lot of small wirless phone companies that managed to grab the frequencies that were used by the larger carriers resulting in spotty service. They simply didn't invest money in infrastructure, so the citizens of WV were stuck with substandard cell service.
LTE should improve that since the feds sold those frequencies to big players like Verizion Wireless & AT&T who will likely invest a lot more in cell towers and improve service.
The state has no obligation to stop your "negotiation".
They may prosecute for your actions, but there is no legal obligation the police have to stop you from actually committing a crime, even if they know a crime is in progress.
Slashdot Mirror
That means I can get to the 250GB Comcast monthly data limit in just 4 1/2 hours!
Internet Petitions aren't worth the paper they're written on.
I agree. If you look up what programming language experience companies are looking for, you usually end up with two very unsexy choices: Java and C.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/compu...
Javascript will continue to be popular if only because it's becoming the defacto standard for cross-platform mobile development.
This effectively raises prices. Before, you could get your $700 iPhone for $200, and over the course of 2 years, you'd pay the subsidy off.
So without considering the cost of money, and to keep this simple, it's effectively $500 subsidy/ 24 months or about $21/month.
But here's where people stop thinking. You weren't actually paying for the phone, the phone company was. Because at the end of 24 months, you're still paying the same monthly rate, and you now own the phone. In the case of an iPhone, the value has historically worked about to be about $150-200 which you can sell yourself and get a new phone for $200.
Now think of this way. Now you get no subsidy on the phone, and they didn't lower their monthly bill by $21. So what Verizon, Spring, and T-Mobile did was effectively raise their monthly rates because you get no more subsidy, and the monthly cost of the plan is the same as it was before.
"Aggression is the human failing that celebrity scientist Stephen Hawking would most like to correct, as it holds the potential to destroy human civilization"
Without human aggression, we would have all been eaten about 500,000 years ago.
Well said, and very likely true.
The little utility it had at one time was ruined when they decided to sell your information to salespeople so they can "link" with you and try to sell you stuff.
One thing I don't need is more salespeople contacting me and wanting to sell me stuff.
Also their random-recommendations has been a joke from day 1.
I have to ask why anybody even uses the service any more.
"Russia did it better on less than one hundredth of the budget,"
Russia never landed a human on the moon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Computer_Entertainment_America_v._George_Hotz
He's referring to politicians who confuse magazines with a round of ammunition.
"People should study what they want."
Sure. Just don't expect to earn a living at it when you're done.
Still, I question the advice. If you really love "literature", there's no one stopping you from studying down at the local library and the internet.
Seems to me if you know you can't get a job at it, its a Hobby, not a Profession. Plan your investment accordingly.
"We've thought about buying an iPad for guests to use, but decided it wasn't right to knowingly let others use a computing platform that may have been compromised."
So you won't get an iPad for guests because you don't like Apple's philosophy of the platform?
Or ??????
Also, West Virginia has a lot of small wirless phone companies that managed to grab the frequencies that were used by the larger carriers resulting in spotty service. They simply didn't invest money in infrastructure, so the citizens of WV were stuck with substandard cell service.
LTE should improve that since the feds sold those frequencies to big players like Verizion Wireless & AT&T who will likely invest a lot more in cell towers and improve service.
"and sticking it to the man"
At $10/hour, I don't think they mind. They say "please stick it to me some more!"
""Apple's long-rumored "iWatch" could earn the company $6 billion a year"
Only if they charge $1B per copy.
Watches are for fashion. People use their phone to check for time. They won't get rid of their 4" phone screen for a 1" watch screen
"Perhaps the screw-up was on your part"
Yes, blame the victim of incompetence. Nice.
Microsoft Surface is not the name of a particular tablet, but a line of tablets which includes Windows RT & Windows 8 Pro
Windows 8 Pro Surface does not require signed binaries, it is simply Windows Pro.
They're talking specifically about Windows RT, and its not any better or worse than an iPad.
"We had a bailout because people weren't buying American cars because they were shit"
Actually, American car company's costs structure was (and is) too high so companies like GM were slowly going out of business.
The economic downturn simply accelerated the inevitable.
"Except that consumers actually prefer no-haggle pricing"
There's no rule that says you have to haggle.
Just go into the dealer, ask how much they want and pay it.
Congratulations, you've just ensured that somebody is cold because of a misplaced sense of how to get a job done.
My generator is still in my basement.
You want it? $3,000.
That's just common sense.
" not be a dick and sell it for what you paid for it when someone is dealing with an emergency."
Its my property, and I don't really want to sell it, but if you offer me enough profit on anything I own, I will sell it.
If you allow me to make $2K profit on the generator, it will go from sitting in my basement to keeping some house heated.
So if you want to prosecute me or insult me because my stuff is for sale, go ahead. But I still have the generator and you don't.
So you've doomed yourself to long lines and most people not getting the scare resource anyway.
Enjoy.
The state has no obligation to stop your "negotiation".
They may prosecute for your actions, but there is no legal obligation the police have to stop you from actually committing a crime, even if they know a crime is in progress.
But the alternative is long lines and most people not getting it anyway.
The net result is the same: Most people won't get the scarce resource anyway.
Your method ensure the distribution is essentially random, allowing price rises to what the market will bear has two advantages:
1) The people who most highly value (or can afford) that resource will get it
2) It will encourage other suppliers to step in to fill the void.
"Allowing price gouging post disaster can be very dangerous because it exacerbates any shortages."
No, it will eventually alleviate the shortage.
If you don't understand why, then you have no concept of supply & demand.