iPhone. Do You?

GregRedd · September 12, 2023, 8:04pm

New iPhone 15 was revealed today. And it’s coming with USB-C charging ports! Hallelujah! (Thanks EU!)

The Pro level phones look like modern wonder tools:

The new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are ready for action. Built with aerospace-grade titanium for our lightest, most powerful Pro models ever.

The new Pro camera system pushes the limits of what’s possible on a smartphone, giving photographers the equivalent of seven pro lenses ranging from 13 mm on the Ultra Wide camera to 120 mm on the 5x Telephoto camera on iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Filmmakers can now record video in ProRes 4K at 60 fps directly to an external drive. The addition of a USB-C connector brings superfast USB 3 transfer speeds, along with support for pro formats that massively improve the workflow between shooting and post-production.

The new design also includes a customizable Action button for quicker access to your favorite feature.

And the A17 Pro chip with a 6-core GPU introduces a whole new level of immersive mobile gaming performance.

In short, the new titanium iPhone 15 Pro is our most powerful photo-taking, movie-making, game-playing iPhone ever.

4K video recording?! 120mm zoom camera lens?! 6-core GPUs?! On a mobile device?!

As significantly “I want now!” as these new phones are, I fear I’ll probably be sticking to my trusty old iPhone 11 fora little longer… the US pricing for the new models is already scary without the added VAT and SA duties that will invariably be added to them when they arrive here.

The iPhone 15 pricing starts at $799. The 15 Pro starts at $999 with 128GB of storage, and the Pro Max at $1,199 with 256GB of storage.

The new models should be available for preorder by the end of this week and will start shipping as early as the end of next week - at least in the States.

FarligOpptreden · September 13, 2023, 6:55am

I upgraded to a 14 Pro earlier this year and the 15 Pro doesn’t tempt me at all. The performance and camera upgrades don’t seem significant enough to warrant the change. The programmable action button would’ve probably remained on the silent switch mode as well, as it’s a feature I frequently use.

Besides, I have a plethora of lightning cables in the house already, so the switch to USB-C is a nonissue for me.

oltman · September 13, 2023, 10:12pm

I dont.

murfle · September 14, 2023, 6:28am

iDont
FTFY

GregRedd · September 14, 2023, 7:59am

iDont™®
FTFY

Beo · September 14, 2023, 8:43am

As an avid Apple fan, I don’t. Simply due to cost as a barrier to entry. I love the ecosystem, its product lifecycle, and its usability focus.

FarligOpptreden · September 14, 2023, 10:13am

Once you’re in the ecosystem, it gets easier to stay current. Apple devices hold their value remarkably well. I traded in a 2.5 year old iPhone 12, which retailed for R15k back when I got it, for R9k. So it lost only R6k (40%) value in 2.5 years. That’s only a 1.3% depreciation per month.

Compared to my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which I sold after 6 months of ownership. It retailed for R28k and I managed to get R11k for it after the 6 months. That’s a R17k (60%) loss after 6 months. That’s a staggering 10% depreciation per month!

SIGSTART · September 14, 2023, 10:24am

Is that because it didn’t depreciate us much, or because the rand tanked in those 2.5 years

FarligOpptreden · September 14, 2023, 10:35am

It’s all about demand. Second-hand Apple products have a high demand, as the barrier to entry for new devices (as @Beo stated) is quite high. So, if you can stomach the price of an entry ticket to the Apple show, it’ll be easier to stay in the ecosystem and stay current. That’s my experience, anyway.

GregRedd · September 14, 2023, 11:20am

Very valid point. @Pamar and his business partner researched the resale and second-hand market for ages before they set up Ferb South Africa. Their realisation was that focussing their business exclusively on refurbished iPhones was a significantly better proposition than including Samsung and other phones in their offering.

@Beo, checkout Ferb South Africa | Shop Refurbished iPhones - may be a more affordable option for you there?

Beo · September 14, 2023, 1:12pm

Yeah, I’m all for it and don’t mind their second-hand market, they really grade their second-hand products well. The problem is, an entry point for me, even second-hand, would be the likes of an iPhone 7, iPhone SE, or maybe the iPhone 8.