# Are we over the Smartphone?



## hendo (Aug 24, 2017)

Dixons Carphone Warehouse warned of a big drop in profits today;  Shares fell more than 30% after it said profits this year would be £360m to £440m, down from £501m last year. 

Dixons Carphone warns on profit as mobile sales hit - BBC News

So what I hear you ask. I was really struck by one of their excuses because it seemed to me to capture the growing sense of so-what about smart phones. The new ones aren't advanced enough to capture most people's interest. They (and I ) are happy with the old one. And with the new ones costing a grand the outlook ain't great. Here's the relevant bit of the Dixons Carphone statement:

"However, over the last few months we have seen a more challenging UK postpay mobile phone market. Currency fluctuations have meant that handsets have become more expensive whilst technical innovation has been more incremental. As a consequence, we have seen an increased number of people hold on to their phones for longer and while it is too early to say whether important upcoming handset launches or the natural lifecycle of phones will reverse this trend, we now believe it is prudent to plan on the basis that the overall market demand will not correct itself this year. Over the longer term we believe that the postpay market will largely return to normal but in the meantime we have taken a conscious decision to invest in our margin and proposition to maintain market share and scale so we remain in a strong position as the market leader when this happens."


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## twentythreedom (Aug 24, 2017)

I bought a ridiculously expensive Google Pixel last autumn and knackered it sailing so have just bought a Samsung S8 - that's well over £1500 on phones in under a year 

The S8 is a good phone but no better (for me) than the Pixel (other than being waterproof). There's just not the motive to upgrade annually any more, and combined with ridiculous prices squishing demand I'm not surprised profits are down.


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## beesonthewhatnow (Aug 24, 2017)

New iPhone is on the horizon...


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## EastEnder (Aug 24, 2017)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> New iPhone is on the horizon...


Surely even the identikit hoards of fanboi sheeple will eventually tire of shelling out the cost of a weeks holiday every couple of years for a phone that doesn't do anything dramatically different to its predecessor?

The era of revolutions in mobile tech is pretty much over, everything now is incremental improvements in existing technology, or the occasional headline grabbing flash-in-the-pan novelty tech.


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## Pickman's model (Aug 24, 2017)

twentythreedom said:


> I bought a ridiculously expensive Google Pixel last autumn and knackered it sailing so have just bought a Samsung S8 - that's well over £1500 on phones in under a year
> 
> The S8 is a good phone but no better (for me) than the Pixel (other than being waterproof). There's just not the motive to upgrade annually any more, and combined with ridiculous prices squishing demand I'm not surprised profits are down.


dcw need more people like you to bump their profits up


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## Pickman's model (Aug 24, 2017)

hendo said:


> Dixons Carphone Warehouse warned of a big drop in profits today;  Shares fell more than 30% after it said profits this year would be £360m to £440m, down from £501m last year.
> 
> Dixons Carphone warns on profit as mobile sales hit - BBC News
> 
> ...


pls in future make your polls publick


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## cybershot (Aug 24, 2017)

No, watch the frenzy as new Samsung, Google and Apple devices all get announced over the next couple of months.

The only difference is, we expect them to last 2-3 years now before we replace them, of course companies will counter this loss of profit, but just whacking up the prices.


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## hendo (Aug 24, 2017)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> New iPhone is on the horizon...


I know, but they're saying it's a grand.


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## EastEnder (Aug 24, 2017)

hendo said:


> I know, but they're saying it's a grand.


I take it back - 2 weeks holiday.


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## editor (Aug 24, 2017)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> New iPhone is on the horizon...


It'll sell shitloads to the faithful, but the glory days are over.

Apple reports surprise drop in iPhones sales, again


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## editor (Aug 24, 2017)

EastEnder said:


> Surely even the identikit hoards of fanboi sheeple will eventually tire of shelling out the cost of a weeks holiday every couple of years for a phone that doesn't do anything dramatically different to its predecessor?


...or phones that do just about everything just as well for  half the price...


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## skyscraper101 (Aug 24, 2017)

I buy my iPhone over a 20 month payment plan with 0% finance (from Apple). It's been a while since I was able to shell out upfront for the price of the latest smartphone, and to be honest, if more phone manufacturers got on the 0% finance game then I'd be more inclined to consider switching back to Android.


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## Virtual Blue (Aug 24, 2017)

the last mobile i bought was the nexus 5.
the phone i'm using now is the iphone 6 on GiffGaff (i got for free as Vodafone messed up my contract).
now that the iphone 6 feels dated, I have my eyes set on the iphone 8.

i'll be expecting to pay 30% off RRP as i get most of my electronics now from watch traders.


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## editor (Aug 24, 2017)

skyscraper101 said:


> I buy my iPhone over a 20 month payment plan with 0% finance (from Apple). It's been a while since I was able to shell out upfront for the price of the latest smartphone, and to be honest, if more phone manufacturers got on the 0% finance game then I'd be more inclined to consider switching back to Android.


The longest phone contract I ever had was with my iPhone. It was 18 months long and I was counting down the months to get off the deal - I'm on rolling monthly deals now so can hop off whenever they start to go shit (hell there, GiffGaff). I always buy phones off eBay and don't mind if it's refurbished or whatever, so long as it looks OK and is saving me shitloads of cash.


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## skyscraper101 (Aug 24, 2017)

editor said:


> The longest phone contract I ever had was with my iPhone. It was 18 months long and I was counting down the months to get off the deal. I always buy phones off eBay now and don't mind if it's refurbished or whatever, so long as it looks OK and is saving me shitloads of cash.



eBay refurbished is definitely a good money saver. I just bought a relative a Moto G4 off eBay refurbished for £94 (which came to £64 after I used some nectar points).

I'm not a fan of network contracts which lock you into a lenghty term with one network, so Apple's finance plan is ideal as it's not tied to any network and doesn't work out any more expensive paying over many months. If Samsung, Sony, Google, et al got on this game then I may be up for considering alternatives.


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## mwgdrwg (Aug 24, 2017)

skyscraper101 said:


> I buy my iPhone over a 20 month payment plan with 0% finance (from Apple). It's been a while since I was able to shell out upfront for the price of the latest smartphone, and to be honest, if more phone manufacturers got on the 0% finance game then I'd be more inclined to consider switching back to Android.



I wish I could get a new phone at 0%. There's 17.9% APR on the UK's Apple Store.


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## JimW (Aug 24, 2017)

Back in China and just bought a new one so i can have my UK and Chinese numbers both on (paygo), Redmi 4x for the equivalent of about ninety quid. think the market here is still buoyant.


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## emanymton (Aug 24, 2017)

My S7 is about a year old, so I will be able to upgrade in about a year. Whether I do or not will depend on how I feel the phone is performing, if I can get a free/cheep upgrade by trading it in, and what contract I can get by sticking with the same phone.


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## editor (Aug 24, 2017)

skyscraper101 said:


> eBay refurbished is definitely a good money saver. I just bought a relative a Moto G4 off eBay refurbished for £94 (which came to £64 after I used some nectar points).
> 
> I'm not a fan of network contracts which lock you into a lenghty term with one network, so Apple's finance plan is ideal as it's not tied to any network and doesn't work out any more expensive paying over many months. If Samsung, Sony, Google, et al got on this game then I may be up for considering alternatives.


You're still paying off the phone 19 months later though. I don't like that feeling.


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## EastEnder (Aug 24, 2017)

My HTC OneX is over 5 years old. Still works, kinda. When I finally get around to replacing it, I'll be buying outright again - either brand new if I can find something truly awesome for my budget, or more likely refurbished off ebay. Don't really want to spend much over 300 notes, so the latter is most likely.


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## 8ball (Aug 24, 2017)

hendo said:


> Dixons Carphone Warehouse warned of a big drop in profits today;  Shares fell more than 30% after it said profits this year would be £360m to £440m, down from £501m last year."



Market saturation.  A couple of months ago my parents bought smartphones, so that's pretty much everyone that has one now.
I have an iPhone 5s - had it nearly 2 years and see no need to update or replace it.

Doesn't mean we're "over them", though - I use mine all the time for loads of things, as does pretty much everybody.

Also, with all the iOS updates, in some ways it's a new phone compared to the one originally bought, so it's about more than physically changing the handset.


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## purenarcotic (Aug 24, 2017)

People don't have the money, moving over to cheap SIM only deals and keeping their perfectly working phone. That's what I did.


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## hendo (Aug 24, 2017)

I remember my friend showing me her first iphone in the pub, with the app store and the friendly icons. And getting one and it changing my life, it being basically a little internet capable computer in your pocket, phone be damned. It was a quantum from the old dumb-ish phones and nothing can reproduce that immense breakthrough.


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## beesonthewhatnow (Aug 24, 2017)

editor said:


> The longest phone contract I ever had was with my iPhone. It was 18 months long and I was counting down the months to get off the deal - I'm on rolling monthly deals now so can hop off whenever they start to go shit (hell there, GiffGaff). I always buy phones off eBay and don't mind if it's refurbished or whatever, so long as it looks OK and is saving me shitloads of cash.


I update every 18 months or so on EE. But due to work I did with them years ago I get a ridiculously good deal so I'd be crazy to go anywhere else...


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## editor (Aug 24, 2017)

hendo said:


> I remember my friend showing me her first iphone in the pub, with the app store and the friendly icons. And getting one and it changing my life, it being basically a little internet capable computer in your pocket, phone be damned. It was a quantum from the old dumb-ish phones and nothing can reproduce that immense breakthrough.


It was the Palm Treo that did that for me. It wasn't as slick as the iPhone seeing as came several several years before. but at the time it was white hot technology! It's one of the few smartphones I have any fond memories of - the rest just tend to be forgettable touchscreen variations on a rectangular theme (something Apple didn't actually invent!).


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## Magnus McGinty (Aug 24, 2017)

hendo said:


> I remember my friend showing me her first iphone in the pub, with the app store and the friendly icons. And getting one and it changing my life, it being basically a little internet capable computer in your pocket, phone be damned. It was a quantum from the old dumb-ish phones and nothing can reproduce that immense breakthrough.



Although it wasn't really a _breakthrough_. It was the logical next step from the iPod touch.


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## hendo (Aug 24, 2017)

I was coming from this though!


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## 8ball (Aug 24, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> Although it wasn't really a _breakthrough_. It was the logical next step from the iPod touch.



Didn't realise the iPod Touch came first (though I had one way before I had a smartphone - in fact it was the main reason I held out on getting a smartphone for so long).  Still use mine.


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## Orang Utan (Aug 24, 2017)

purenarcotic said:


> People don't have the money, moving over to cheap SIM only deals and keeping their perfectly working phone. That's what I did.


I have a £40 smartphone that I got off contract, so it is possible.
I use mine loads - internet when out and about and I play all my music through it. Rarely use it as an actual phone.


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## Borp (Aug 24, 2017)

It's all about the batteries for me. They give out after about 2-3 years. Got a new s7 at the beginning of the year which on my plan with 3 is £40 a month. Will definitely look to get a cheaper set up once the contract is over. My general rule is never to pay over £40 a month and ideally have it in the £20something a month range.


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## Magnus McGinty (Aug 24, 2017)

Borp said:


> It's all about the batteries for me. They give out after about 2-3 years.



You can replace them though.


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## Borp (Aug 24, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> You can replace them though.



Just looked it up. You're right. Cheers


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## beesonthewhatnow (Aug 24, 2017)

8ball said:


> Didn't realise the iPod Touch came first


It didn't.


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## Vintage Paw (Aug 24, 2017)

I keep my phones until the hardware breaks or the software becomes too sluggish that even my high level of tolerance can no longer tolerate it. Him indoors has still got my old iphone 3G. The only problem he has is he can't twitter on it. My 4S had a broken home button for an eternity, which was frustrating as heck, but I soldiered on like a little trooper until everything else started to fuck up as well.


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## 8ball (Aug 24, 2017)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> It didn't.



Ah, right.  I always figured it came about around the same time as the iPhone, as a kind of 'gateway drug'.


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## Magnus McGinty (Aug 24, 2017)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> It didn't.



Actually you're right, I think. They were released the same year. I've got my timelines wrong.


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## Magnus McGinty (Aug 24, 2017)

8ball said:


> Ah, right.  I always figured it came about around the same time as the iPhone, as a kind of 'gateway drug'.



It did. Both in 2007.


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## skyscraper101 (Aug 24, 2017)

iPhone came out first. The iPod touch came out later.


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## Magnus McGinty (Aug 24, 2017)

The same year.


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## skyscraper101 (Aug 24, 2017)

I didn't get an iPhone until 2014 because I didn't like the look of them and preferred Nokia, and then Android. The first one didn't even have 3G and only had 4GB of storage which was laughable even in 2007. I already had an iPod classic capable of 128GB of storage. No way was I going to fit all my music on a 4GB phone, and Spotify etc wasn't a thing then.  It couldn't even do copy/paste. I remember my mate showing me how great it was and trying to get some kind of acceptable connecting using 2.5g EDGE. Load of shite.

It wasn't until the iPhone 5s that I was convinced it was good enough to switch to.


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## cybershot (Aug 24, 2017)

hendo said:


> I know, but they're saying it's a grand.



The top end version will, it wouldn't surprise me if we still end up with 7S models and the 8 won't be an 8 at all and will be called the iPhone X, as been it's supposed to be an 10 year anniversary edition, and this will be the one that will cost a grand!


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## cybershot (Aug 24, 2017)

mwgdrwg said:


> I wish I could get a new phone at 0%. There's 17.9% APR on the UK's Apple Store.



It's kind of an inside secret, here's how you do it: New iPhone 7 interest-free deal is far cheaper than mobile network contracts

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/iphone/payments/overlay

Or, if you know someone who works in education or is a student, you can get it cheaper (for full upfront cost) by showing NUS card or staff ID card (they usually accept these in the store as proof that you work in education)

Also worth speaking to your IT departments, who probably already have a deal with Apple or an apple supplier. Ours allow personal purchases.

I get my Apple kit through my IT dept, about 20% cheaper, and comes with 3 years Apple Care. Again, this will involve full upfront cost.


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## EastEnder (Aug 24, 2017)

hendo said:


> I remember my friend showing me her first iphone in the pub, with the app store and the friendly icons. And getting one and it changing my life, it being basically a little internet capable computer in your pocket, phone be damned. It was a quantum from the old dumb-ish phones and nothing can reproduce that immense breakthrough.


I had a vaguely similar experience - I was first introduced to an iPhone in the pub by an urbanite (who shall remain nameless). He was trying to impress me by showing how you could play one of those games where you get the silver ball to go around the maze, showing off the phone's accelerometer. In a moment of genuine prescience, I had a sinking feeling that over the next few years I would often myself having to feign interest in someone's iPhone in the pub. Sadly my instincts were spot on & iPhone bores went on to dominate the world...


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## mrs quoad (Aug 24, 2017)

I blame this thread for my phone appearing to've totally bricked about half an hour ago


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## mrs quoad (Aug 24, 2017)

cybershot said:


> Or, if you know someone who works in education or is a student, you can get it cheaper (for full upfront cost) by showing NUS card or staff ID card (they usually accept these in the store as proof that you work in education)


Here's the normal apple storefront for the iPhone 7:



Here's the academic pricing / educational storefront for the iPhone 7:



I might be missing something, but I took the edu iPhones through to checkout (and no discount appeared any time before then).

The educational savings - IMU / IME - tended to be on the products with some educational purpose, increasing as devices become more educationally useful. Last time I bought something big - which was, admittedly, 2013ish - there were very respectable discounts on MacBooks and iMacs (c.15%?); somewhat smaller discounts on iPads (5-10%?) and no discount at all on phones.

Edit: iPad comparison attached. I CBA to work that out - certainly in the region of 5%?


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## beesonthewhatnow (Aug 24, 2017)

The educational discount isn't fixed, it varies from institution to institution, presumably based on how much Apple kit they own


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## mrs quoad (Aug 24, 2017)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> The educational discount isn't fixed, it varies from institution to institution, presumably based on how much Apple kit they own


They weren't any more generous with Cambridge than they are with York; and I can't believe there are many universities that are more up Apple's arse than Cambridge! All those world-leading senior staff, wanting nothing but the prettiest gadgets...


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## Vintage Paw (Aug 24, 2017)

I've had the discount on computers and software before, but not on a phone.


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## cybershot (Aug 24, 2017)

Sorry yes, you don't get the discount in store on the phone, just iPads and Macs. My bad. And yes, as someone who works at a University those professors do love their Macs. Now if only they knew how to use them!

But still worth asking your IT Dept, we certainly get discounts on the iPhone when we buy from our supplier, there's usually a 2-3 month wait for it to arrive thou!  Something daft to do with how Apple's supply chain works.


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## RubyToogood (Aug 24, 2017)

hendo said:


> I remember my friend showing me her first iphone in the pub, with the app store and the friendly icons. And getting one and it changing my life, it being basically a little internet capable computer in your pocket, phone be damned. It was a quantum from the old dumb-ish phones and nothing can reproduce that immense breakthrough.


My current* phone, a Nexus 5x, has been another albeit smaller quantum leap in that I've increasingly found I don't need or want to turn the laptop on half as much because everything works really well on my phone. But then prior to that I always had small, cheap phones.

*current if I get it back from the repairers, otherwise previous. I will almost certainly be buying another phone in the next year because I'll be lucky if it or its replacement staggers out of the warranty period. Great phone apart from the fact it's been off for repair three times, and there's only 6 months warranty left.


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## Saul Goodman (Aug 24, 2017)

I buy my phones from China now. They're every bit as good (or better) than the offerings from the likes of Apple and Samsung, and a fraction of the price.


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## bemused (Aug 24, 2017)

I bought an S8+ this year to replace the note 4. I like it but I really don't think it gives me £800 worth of extra phone. I can't see me upgrading for years now.


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## mx wcfc (Aug 24, 2017)

Work have given me a shiny new iphone 7 this week.  I couldn't be more "meh".  I actually liked my blackberry - just for the proper keyboard for typing emails on trains.  My daughter is unimpressed that I have a "better" phone than her iphone 6 though.  

My own phone is an iphone 5, which is a hand-me-down from my daughter via my wife.  I preferred the Samsung that I broke though.  The only improvement is 4G.  I hate the iphone,  but its paid for so costs me £12 per month.  I am not going to spend more money for something shinier.  

It was like this with desktop computers at first - every year there was an upgrade (was it 242, 342, 442?) and each upgrade made a really big difference. Now - the improvements are imperceptible to most of us.  And I think manufacturers are struggling to persuade us that we need new tellies too.  They cant sell us new dvd players or stereos cos we're downloading or watching online (well, not me.  I've only just figured out how the dvd works)  Which is all why "new products" like fitbits, VR and wearable tech are where things are going.  

You will appreciate that these are the random ramblings of someone who knows fa about tech.


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## moochedit (Aug 24, 2017)

My S6 does everything i need. So unless i  break it or it gets nicked i don't see any reason to upgrade.


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## spanglechick (Aug 25, 2017)

My first smartphone was an iphone4s, then I had a 5s. When I came to replace that, the 6s was out but it was too big and really expensive - more by far than prevoius models.  

Then the seven came out and both versions are huge and expensive and I can't even use plug in speakers in an ad hoc way because theyve taken away the headphone port.  

So I dunno where I go next.  I like my iPhone six (though I'd prefer it a bit smaller), but phones don't last forever...


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## Magnus McGinty (Aug 25, 2017)

mx wcfc said:


> My daughter is unimpressed that I have a "better" phone than her iphone 6 though.



I honestly can't see any major difference between the iPhone 6 and 7 beyond you now have to plug your headphones into an adapter that connects to the lightning port. It solves the issue of the jack input getting fluff in it and it rejecting the the plug after a while but is a nuisance if you want to listen to music on headphones and charge the device at the same time.


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## Magnus McGinty (Aug 25, 2017)

Oh and the home button is now virtual rather than mechanical. Whoopie do.


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## cybershot (Aug 25, 2017)

Saul Goodman said:


> I buy my phones from China now. They're every bit as good (or better) than the offerings from the likes of Apple and Samsung, and a fraction of the price.



Mate did this, turned out it was riddled with spyware preinstalled. Be careful, or load on a custom rom.


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## cybershot (Aug 25, 2017)

spanglechick said:


> My first smartphone was an iphone4s, then I had a 5s. When I came to replace that, the 6s was out but it was too big and really expensive - more by far than prevoius models.
> 
> Then the seven came out and both versions are huge and expensive and I can't even use plug in speakers in an ad hoc way because theyve taken away the headphone port.
> 
> So I dunno where I go next.  I like my iPhone six (though I'd prefer it a bit smaller), but phones don't last forever...



There is a smaller iPhone model still. iPhoneSE, Thou I'd wait, it will prob get a refresh in March. Unless you really want that headphone socket, as current model has one!

"he iPhone SE is Apple's only 4-inch iPhone. It looks similar to an iPhone 5s, but has iPhone 6s internal specs, including an A9 processor, 12-megapixel camera, and support for Apple Pay. New 32 and 128GB storage tiers were introduced on March 21, 2017."

iPhone SE


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## EastEnder (Aug 25, 2017)

What really gets me is this: The technology advances continually, even if more often incrementally rather than revolutionarily, it continues to improve. And phone manufacturers obsess about the fastest processor, the quickest camera, the most memory, the highest def screen, etc. When want *I* really want is a new phone, using modern technology, that essentially does what my 5 year old phone does, but more reliably & with much better battery utilisation. If the CPU in my old smartphone does the job well enough, why can't I have a modern CPU that is _no more powerful_ but uses less juice to do the same job. I want a phone that makes the most of modern technology _not_ in order to do more, but in order to do what my old phone did, but _better_.


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## xenon (Aug 25, 2017)

spanglechick said:


> My first smartphone was an iphone4s, then I had a 5s. When I came to replace that, the 6s was out but it was too big and really expensive - more by far than prevoius models.
> 
> Then the seven came out and both versions are huge and expensive and I can't even use plug in speakers in an ad hoc way because theyve taken away the headphone port.
> 
> So I dunno where I go next.  I like my iPhone six (though I'd prefer it a bit smaller), but phones don't last forever...



IPhone SE? I hope they update that formfactor with new models.


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## xenon (Aug 25, 2017)

EastEnder said:


> What really gets me is this: The technology advances continually, even if more often incrementally rather than revolutionarily, it continues to improve. And phone manufacturers obsess about the fastest processor, the quickest camera, the most memory, the highest def screen, etc. When want *I* really want is a new phone, using modern technology, that essentially does what my 5 year old phone does, but more reliably & with much better battery utilisation. If the CPU in my old smartphone does the job well enough, why can't I have a modern CPU that is _no more powerful_ but uses less juice to do the same job. I want a phone that makes the most of modern technology _not_ in order to do more, but in order to do what my old phone did, but _better_.



Yep. Who the fuck wants a thinner phone. Just use that space for some extra battery. I know there's a law of diminishing returns as far as physical size of smart phone batteries but still if it gives you an extra couple of hours.

I'm an iPhone user. For reasons too boring to go over again. But I don't like what they're doing with the newer models. My 6s is the sweet spot. I use 3D touch. But if they get rid of Touch ID on the next model, that is going to piss me of. I've stopped buying Ibooks, as did-entangling from the Apple ecosystem. The Kindle app doesn't work as well on Android with Talk Back, as it does with VoiceOver on the IPhone and there are few niggles with Android still but things at eimproving.


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## spanglechick (Aug 25, 2017)

cybershot said:


> There is a smaller iPhone model still. iPhoneSE, Thou I'd wait, it will prob get a refresh in March. Unless you really want that headphone socket, as current model has one!
> 
> "he iPhone SE is Apple's only 4-inch iPhone. It looks similar to an iPhone 5s, but has iPhone 6s internal specs, including an A9 processor, 12-megapixel camera, and support for Apple Pay. New 32 and 128GB storage tiers were introduced on March 21, 2017."
> 
> iPhone SE





xenon said:


> IPhone SE? I hope they update that formfactor with new models.



THANK YOU BOTH!! Brilliant.  My six still has life in it but after that hopefully there will be an SE to replace it.


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## cybershot (Aug 25, 2017)

Ouch
'iPhone 8' Could Start at $999 for 64GB Capacity


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## 2hats (Aug 25, 2017)

mx wcfc said:


> It was like this with desktop computers at first - every year there was an upgrade (was it *242*, *342*, *442*?)
> …
> You will appreciate that these are the random ramblings of someone who knows fa about tech.


Yup.  (+44 -> x86)

Happily still using a (getting on for) 3 year old Note 4 after replacing the battery, costing me £18/month for all the data/minutes/texts/roaming I need (I used to run it on PAYG, playing the system so it averaged out to paying less than £7/month for everything I needed at the time, but I couldn’t be bothered to track usage that carefully anymore and fancied not having to jump through hoops to tether, so switched to PAYM). Battery recycling lifetimes are going to need to treble or better before I switch from removable to fixed battery phones; that puts me off the Note 8. Of course, the £ having nosedived against most currencies, has degraded tech bang-for-your-buck over the last few months.


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## Saul Goodman (Aug 25, 2017)

cybershot said:


> Mate did this, turned out it was riddled with spyware preinstalled. Be careful, or load on a custom rom.


That only tends to happen with the cheap, no-name phones, or dodgy resellers who install their own crap. 
I've never had a problem with any phone I've bought. I usually buy Xiaomi phones, and the first thing I do is install the ROM from xiaomi.eu. It's the official ROM with any Chinese stuff removed.
For any other phones I install a Lineage OS ROM.


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## editor (Aug 25, 2017)

cybershot said:


> Ouch
> 'iPhone 8' Could Start at $999 for 64GB Capacity


Even at that truly ludicrous price, they'll still be no shortage of these people lining up:





And if it really looks like this, Apple really have lost the design plot:


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## weltweit (Aug 25, 2017)

I had Motorola and Nokia phones from the start, the only smart phone I had for a year was an iPhone 4S, it was ok, I used it as a satnav mainly and for email. Since then I now have a Nokia phone which is fine as I have a proper satnav now. I just use my phone as a phone, I don't have a landline, I hardly even text on it.


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## moochedit (Aug 25, 2017)

weltweit said:


> I just use my phone as a phone, I don't have a landline, I hardly even text on it.



I probably make or receive about 1 phone call a month. (on my smartphone or landline). I always text (or these days i mostly whatsapp or fb message).

That is why i could never go back to a non smart phone. The horrors of sending texts on them the old way.


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## Ted Striker (Aug 25, 2017)

2hats said:


> Battery recycling lifetimes are going to need to treble or better before I switch from removable to fixed battery phones; that puts me off the Note 8.



FUCK! The buggers, I've ordered a Note 8 and didn't realise it didn't have a removable battery. 'Sake!


----------



## weltweit (Aug 25, 2017)

moochedit said:


> I probably make or receive about 1 phone call a month. (on my smartphone or landline). I always text (or these days i mostly whatsapp or fb message).
> 
> That is why i could never go back to a non smart phone. The horrors of sending texts on them the old way.


I like to talk to people. I have a deal which means calls are free to landlines and mobiles so when people text me I usually just call them back.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 25, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> Oh and the home button is now virtual rather than mechanical. Whoopie do.



I went to an S7 from a Moto and therefore from a virtual to a mechanical.  Must say, I _much_ preferred the virtual.  I have got used to the button on the S7, took 3 months, still don't _like_ it and keep meaning to find a way around using it (if possible).

My first _smart_phone was, I suppose, a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic which I loved but was so unreliable that I sent it back. It had a great podcast catcher app and came with a plectrum shaped stylus 






Before that I had a donated Samsung J700 which I loved because I could reliably get at my gmail over an 'app' of sorts (thanks to mrs quoad  )


----------



## Ted Striker (Aug 25, 2017)

This is still my favourite form factor. If they just increased speed, battery life, and screen resolution I'd buy it like a shot


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Aug 25, 2017)

Had my current blackberry phone for two or three years - still works fine so no reason to change it.  Cost me about £450 so I'll run it into the ground before I replace it.  Only 3G but that does for what I need it for.  SIM only deal, about £9 a month for unlimited data so a new deal would cost me more.


----------



## weltweit (Aug 25, 2017)

What I don't like about smartphones:
1) they become so vital people consult them when they are in conversation with you
2) see 1


----------



## weltweit (Aug 25, 2017)

I know a couple who relax after eating by turning the TV on and then they ignore what is on because they are both so nose deep in their smartphones on facebook or whatever


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 25, 2017)

swap vital for addictive and you're set


----------



## cybershot (Aug 25, 2017)

This was my first ever smartphone, back in 2003!! 

Orange SPV E200 Review | ZDNet

Showing all my friends I could go on MSN Messenger on my phone, I was godlike!


----------



## mx wcfc (Aug 25, 2017)

Feck, I remember my boss showing off text messages to me,


----------



## Borp (Aug 25, 2017)

Throbbing Angel said:


> I went to an S7 from a Moto and therefore from a virtual to a mechanical.  Must say, I _much_ preferred the virtual.  I have got used to the button on the S7, took 3 months, still don't _like_ it and keep meaning to find a way around using it (if possible).
> 
> My first _smart_phone was, I suppose, a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic which I loved but was so unreliable that I sent it back. It had a great podcast catcher app and came with a plectrum shaped stylus
> 
> ...



The mechanical home button is horrible on the s7. First thing I did was install an app called button mapper. I've mapped the left hand side virtual button to be the home button and a double tap of it to be the show all apps function. Works pretty well. Every now and again I have to reset it, but I think that might be because it's interefering with the nova launcher I'm running.
Bottom line, no mechanical home button. God that thing's horrible.

Just remembered. It doesn't work for the camera. Still have to use the mechanical home button for that. But in most other situations it's good.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 25, 2017)

cheers Borp  - downloading as I type


----------



## lefteri (Aug 26, 2017)

weltweit said:


> I know a couple who relax after eating by turning the TV on and then they ignore what is on because they are both so nose deep in their smartphones on facebook or whatever



I don't blame them, there's far more interesting things to be looked at via a smartphone than on tv


----------



## purenarcotic (Aug 26, 2017)

Orang Utan said:


> I have a £40 smartphone that I got off contract, so it is possible.
> I use mine loads - internet when out and about and I play all my music through it. Rarely use it as an actual phone.



I didn't mean people weren't using smartphones but that they weren't rushing to get the latest Sony if their existing Samsung is working just fine. I've kept my iPhone from my £30 a month daft contract and now pay £15 for unlimited everything on a SIM only. 

I'm aware you can get smartphones cheaply, I thought this was about rushing to get the latest upgrade.


----------



## Wolveryeti (Aug 26, 2017)

The rate of useful improvements arriving with new phones has definitely slowed down of late - and even in places reversed (e.g. getting rid of the headphone jack - wtf?)


----------



## JimW (Aug 26, 2017)

The use of smartphones to pay has exploded since I was last here a couple of years back, even street vendors can take money via a QR code. Not been anywhere outside beijing and suburbs yet but expect that's true of most larger cities and towns. All seems a new thing to me though the QR code not taken off so much in UK


----------



## NoXion (Aug 26, 2017)

Wolveryeti said:


> The rate of useful improvements arriving with new phones has definitely slowed down of late - and even in places reversed (e.g. getting rid of the headphone jack - wtf?)


Is anyone other than Apple doing that? Almost everyone I've seen who's given an opinion on that subject, apart from the brain-dead hipster shitcunts who gobble down whatever Cupertino vomits out into the market, thinks that was a supremely dumb move on Apple's part.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 26, 2017)

JimW said:


> The use of smartphones to pay has exploded since I was last here a couple of years back, even street vendors can take money via a QR code. Not been anywhere outside beijing and suburbs yet but expect that's true of most larger cities and towns. All seems a new thing to me though the QR code not taken off so much in UK



Not sure what advantage it would have over just saving my phone at the terminal? I can use my phone to pay almost anywhere that takes card these days. It's pretty rare not to be able to use contact less.


----------



## RubyToogood (Aug 26, 2017)

JimW said:


> The use of smartphones to pay has exploded since I was last here a couple of years back, even street vendors can take money via a QR code. Not been anywhere outside beijing and suburbs yet but expect that's true of most larger cities and towns. All seems a new thing to me though the QR code not taken off so much in UK


Is that via Wechat?


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Aug 26, 2017)

NoXion said:


> Is anyone other than Apple doing that? Almost everyone I've seen who's given an opinion on that subject, apart from the brain-dead hipster shitcunts who gobble down whatever Cupertino vomits out into the market, thinks that was a supremely dumb move on Apple's part.



It solves the problem of getting a bit of fluff/grit in the headphone jack rendering it useless. Annoying that you can't charge your phone and use headphones at the same time though.


----------



## lefteri (Aug 26, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> It solves the problem of getting a bit of fluff/grit in the headphone jack rendering it useless. Annoying that you can't charge your phone and use headphones at the same time though.


Surely you can just clean out the headphone socket with a toothpick if that happens? And the same can and does happen to charging ports


----------



## NoXion (Aug 26, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> It solves the problem of getting a bit of fluff/grit in the headphone jack rendering it useless. Annoying that you can't charge your phone and use headphones at the same time though.


I have never had that problem with any device sporting a headphone port, and I can't say that I've heard many other people reporting that as a significant issue.

It also introduces the additional problem that your little earphones are now much easier to lose, requiring the expenditure of additional funds to replace them. Although I doubt that's seen as a problem by Apple and/or Bluetooth earphone vendors.

Sounds like a solution that is worse than the problem it's supposed to solve, at least from a user's perspective.


----------



## NoXion (Aug 26, 2017)

On the subject of smartphones in general, I was late to the smartphone game, with my service provider offering me the device I'm still currently using to replace the hardy old dumbphone that I had been using for close to a decade at that point.

My first and only smartphone is just starting to show its age after over three years of reliable service, and I really hope that it doesn't encounter any catastrophic problems any time soon, as I am saving what little disposable income I have for a new gaming desktop.

But when I get my new gaming PC I am going to continue saving money for the purposes of buying electronic devices, and I am thinking that my next purchase should be a new smartphone. I am particularly interested in those devices which combine smartphones and tablets, which I believe are called phablets.

I really don't get this obsession with making devices thinner and thinner, because in the end all that does is compromise the physical durability of the device in question. It's like when manufacturers thought that they could keep making devices smaller and smaller, and you ended up with phones that nobody bought because you could accidentally lose them by breathing in too hard.


----------



## cybershot (Aug 26, 2017)

NoXion said:


> Is anyone other than Apple doing that? Almost everyone I've seen who's given an opinion on that subject, apart from the brain-dead hipster shitcunts who gobble down whatever Cupertino vomits out into the market, thinks that was a supremely dumb move on Apple's part.



Everyone's following suit, just as they did with non removable batteries. Funny how people just stop complaining and get used to it.


----------



## weltweit (Aug 26, 2017)

NoXion said:


> .. I really don't get this obsession with making devices thinner and thinner, because in the end all that does is compromise the physical durability of the device in question. It's like when manufacturers thought that they could keep making devices smaller and smaller, and you ended up with phones that nobody bought because you could accidentally lose them by breathing in too hard.


Indeed, I don't get the idea of making a phone so slim you can't hold it between your chin/ear and shoulder when making a call.


----------



## fishfinger (Aug 26, 2017)

weltweit said:


> Indeed, I don't get the idea of making a phone so slim you can't hold it between your chin/ear and shoulder when making a call.


Why not use it in hands-free mode then?


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 26, 2017)

What I don't get is the need for hands free and phones that respond to voice commands. There's just no need for it (unless you have no hands or summat)


----------



## weltweit (Aug 26, 2017)

fishfinger said:


> Why not use it in hands-free mode then?


You still have to hold it somehow no?


----------



## fishfinger (Aug 26, 2017)

weltweit said:


> You still have to hold it somehow no?


If you're stationary, you can put it on your desk, or if you're on the go, then leave it in your pocket and use an earpiece.


----------



## weltweit (Aug 26, 2017)

fishfinger said:


> If you're stationary, you can put it on your desk, or if you're on the go, then leave it in your pocket and use an earpiece.


Those Bluetooth earpieces are the stuff of wallies, and they look like dicks walking about talking to themselves. The great advantage of holding a phone to your ear or tilting your head to grip one is that everyone knows you are taking a call and knows 1) you are not a knob and 2) not to bother you!


----------



## fishfinger (Aug 26, 2017)

weltweit said:


> Those Bluetooth earpieces are the stuff of wallies, and they look like dicks walking about talking to themselves. The great advantage of holding a phone to your ear or tilting your head to grip one is that everyone knows you are taking a call and knows 1) you are not a knob and 2) not to bother you!


You don't have to wear a bluetooth head piece, just get a wired one that just looks like in-ear headphones.


----------



## weltweit (Aug 26, 2017)

fishfinger said:


> You don't have to wear a bluetooth head piece, just get a wired one that just looks like in-ear headphones.


That would be the same.

When I am on a phone call I am happy that people know I am on a call. i.e. I am holding a handset to my ear.

I am familiar with hands free, I had hands free in my car for many years, I was doing other things with my hands. But when I am just standing around I don't want it.


----------



## fishfinger (Aug 26, 2017)

weltweit said:


> That would be the same.
> 
> When I am on a phone call I am happy that people know I am on a call. i.e. I am holding a handset to my ear.
> 
> I am familiar with hands free, I had hands free in my car for many years, I was doing other things with my hands. But when I am just standing around I don't want it.


If you are holding the handset to your ear then use your hand, don't try sandwiching it between your ear and shoulder. It looks silly, is probably bad for your neck and shoulder muscles, and you're more likely to drop the phone.


----------



## weltweit (Aug 26, 2017)

fishfinger said:


> If you are holding the handset to your ear then use your hand, don't try sandwiching it between your ear and shoulder. It looks silly, is probably bad for your neck and shoulder muscles, and you're more likely to drop the phone.


I used to play the violin, don't tell me what looks silly


----------



## fishfinger (Aug 26, 2017)

weltweit said:


> I used to play the violin, don't tell me what looks silly


Violins are _designed_ to be sandwiched between your chin and shoulder. Unless your phone has a similar chinrest, then you'll have to glue one on and look like a right 'nana.


----------



## weltweit (Aug 26, 2017)

fishfinger said:


> Violins are _designed_ to be sandwiched between your chin and shoulder. Unless your phone has a similar chinrest, then you'll have to glue one on and look like a right 'nana.


When I made high volumes of calls from an office I had a headset, that was fine!
When I had a Motorola flip phone it was thick enough to grip between ear and shoulder, fine!
When I had an iPhone 4S I couldn't grip it with my shoulder, that was NOT fine.

Mind you, a lot of smartphone users don't really use them as phones much these days.


----------



## Winot (Aug 26, 2017)

fishfinger said:


> If you are holding the handset to your ear then use your hand, don't try sandwiching it between your ear and shoulder. It looks silly, is probably bad for your neck and shoulder muscles, and you're more likely to drop the phone.



Holding a handset to your ear to make a call seems to have become very old-fashioned. The thing to do these days is to have the phone on loudspeaker and hold it in front of your face whilst shouting. I have no idea why this is the case.


----------



## NoXion (Aug 26, 2017)

cybershot said:


> Everyone's following suit, just as they did with non removable batteries. Funny how people just stop complaining and get used to it.


If that's true then that's really shit.


----------



## fishfinger (Aug 26, 2017)

Winot said:


> Holding a handset to your ear to make a call seems to have become very old-fashioned. The thing to do these days is to have the phone on loudspeaker and hold it in front of your face whilst shouting. I have no idea why this is the case.


I too have noticed this strange behaviour.


----------



## pinkmonkey (Aug 26, 2017)

I've lost interest, up until a couple of years ago, I kept up with the Joneses. But Im on a sim only plan now and I have a 2 y.o. Moto G from amazon (with a cracked screen) . A generous data plan is more important to me than the phone. I dont need tons of apps on my phone as ive an ipad mini for that. Im happy with the phone, its a total bargain for what it can do.


----------



## JimW (Aug 27, 2017)

RubyToogood said:


> Is that via Wechat?


Yes plus there's a couple of other payment apps, Zhifubao etc.


----------



## JimW (Aug 27, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Not sure what advantage it would have over just saving my phone at the terminal? I can use my phone to pay almost anywhere that takes card these days. It's pretty rare not to be able to use contact less.


I suppose the one advantage would be, like with those street sellers, that you don't have any transaction costs of setting up to take card payments, just phone account to phone account.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 27, 2017)

JimW said:


> I suppose the one advantage would be, like with those street sellers, that you don't have any transaction costs of setting up to take card payments, just phone account to phone account.



Ah, that makes sense. It's still not that easy to pay people you without some faff and there a definite costs to accepting card.


----------



## Gromit (Aug 27, 2017)

Winot said:


> Holding a handset to your ear to make a call seems to have become very old-fashioned. The thing to do these days is to have the phone on loudspeaker and hold it in front of your face whilst shouting. I have no idea why this is the case.


Because phones primarily used to be designed to be held next to an ear. 
Now they are primarily designed to be looked at rather than make calls. It's a screen with a phone now not a phone with a screen as before. 
So the habitual way to use the device isn't holding it against an ear anymore.
Plus the thin nature of modern phones makes holding it out of sight with your fingers by the edges subconsciously feels like a precarious way of holding a valuable object.


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Aug 27, 2017)

NoXion said:


> I have never had that problem with any device sporting a headphone port, and I can't say that I've heard many other people reporting that as a significant issue.



It happened on my 5.


----------



## NoXion (Aug 27, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> It happened on my 5.


Try emptying out your pockets more often.


----------



## editor (Aug 27, 2017)

NoXion said:


> I have never had that problem with any device sporting a headphone port, and I can't say that I've heard many other people reporting that as a significant issue.
> 
> It also introduces the additional problem that your little earphones are now much easier to lose, requiring the expenditure of additional funds to replace them. Although I doubt that's seen as a problem by Apple and/or Bluetooth earphone vendors.
> 
> Sounds like a solution that is worse than the problem it's supposed to solve, at least from a user's perspective.


Plus those Apple bluetooth earphones look ridiculous, as well as being easily lost!


----------



## Sirena (Aug 27, 2017)

fishfinger said:


> If you're stationary, you can put it on your desk......



....in a stylish holder that you can make yourself...


----------



## NoXion (Aug 27, 2017)

editor said:


> Plus those Apple bluetooth earphones look ridiculous, as well as being easily lost!


I've always thought that "it looks ridiculous" is a particularly shallow and pathetic argument against anything. I'm sure that the people of Elizabethan England would think that a lot of the things we do in the 21st century look utterly laughable. Wearing a little noose around one's neck? Sitting in silence while fixing one's eyes on a little glowing rectangle in one's hands? How does that look any more or less ridiculous than having some device hanging off one's ear?

The fact that Bluetooth earphones are more easily lost does however make sense, and doesn't depend on fallacious appeals to ridicule.


----------



## editor (Aug 27, 2017)

NoXion said:


> I've always thought that "it looks ridiculous" is a particularly shallow and pathetic argument against anything. .


No, I totally disagree. The aesthetic appeal of an item often forms part of the buying process. Those Bluetooth earpieces that came with a mic sticking out may have been incredible useful, but you'd look an utter prat wearing them. Same as Google Glass, Brilliant invention but looks awful - and that played a part in its failure. 

And do i want to look like this guy below? No thanks. It doesn't solve any problem that supposedly existed before and I'd look like a bit of a twat in the bargain. Ok, even more of a twat.


----------



## NoXion (Aug 27, 2017)

editor said:


> No, I totally disagree. The aesthetic appeal of an item often forms part of the buying process. Those Bluetooth earpieces that came with a mic sticking out may have been incredible useful, but you'd look an utter prat wearing them. Same as Google Glass, Brilliant invention but looks awful - and that played a part in its failure.
> 
> And do i want to look like this guy below? No thanks. It doesn't solve any problem that supposedly existed before and I'd look like a bit of a twat in the bargain. Ok, even more of a twat.


Are you buying an electronic device or a fashion accessory?


----------



## hendo (Aug 27, 2017)

NoXion said:


> Are you buying an electronic device or a fashion accessory?


Both.


----------



## hendo (Aug 27, 2017)

Saw this in the Observer this morning:


----------



## editor (Aug 27, 2017)

NoXion said:


> Are you buying an electronic device or a fashion accessory?


Come on - you can't be this daft. Looks and aesthetics play a huge part in consumer choice.


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Aug 27, 2017)

Yeah, but we're talking headphones here. Function over appearance. Difficult to look good in many pairs.


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Aug 27, 2017)

I've got two sets of headphones. A pair of cans and a pair of in ear ones. Both chosen for how they sound - they both punch above their weight for their price point and sound better than some headphones costing twice as much.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 27, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> Yeah, but we're talking headphones here. Function over appearance. Difficult to look good in many pairs.
> 
> View attachment 114461



Nah. Headphones definitely follow fashion. Dre did rather well out of Beats I remember.


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Aug 27, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Nah. Headphones definitely follow fashion. Dre did rather well out of Beats I remember.



I'm not saying that they don't do well that way. But Dre aren't the best by a long shot for the price. It's a name.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 27, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> I'm not saying that they don't do well that way. But Dre aren't the best by a long shot for the price. It's a name.



Exactly, which is why they are a perfect example.


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Aug 27, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Exactly, which is why they are a perfect example.



They're a perfect example of a financially backed product-for-profit being successful.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 27, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> They're a perfect example of a financially backed product-for-profit being successful.



Isn't that what most fashion is?


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Aug 27, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Isn't that what most fashion is?



We're talking about audio products. Not fashion. If fashion dictates your choices for audio products then fair fucks.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 27, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> We're talking about audio products. Not fashion. If fashion dictates your choices for audio products then fair fucks.



I don't often use them and may have misunderstood your point about function over appearance, but was pointing out that for may people they are a fashion accessory and so looks do drive what sells.


----------



## xenon (Aug 28, 2017)

Orang Utan said:


> What I don't get is the need for hands free and phones that respond to voice commands. There's just no need for it (unless you have no hands or summat)


 then you have a deeply problematic failure of imagination. Hands-free is useful. Voice assistance are useful.


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Aug 28, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> I don't often use them and may have misunderstood your point about function over appearance, but was pointing out that for may people they are a fashion accessory and so looks do drive what sells.



I'm sure for many people they are. Dre are shit for their price. And the superior competitors don't look that terrible. If anyone mocks, let them listen and weep. Try Audio Technica ATM-50x.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Aug 28, 2017)

Orang Utan said:


> What I don't get is the need for hands free and phones that respond to voice commands. There's just no need for it (unless you have no hands or summat)


I find it hard to believe you can't think of the benefits this offers.
How about when you're driving and decide you want to stop for food or fuel, or you want directions to somewhere? You can ask Google for directions to the nearest petrol station/restaurant/hospital etc. 
You can tell it to send a text message to someone. You speak the message and Google translates it to text and sends it. 
You can do a multitude of things with it.


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 28, 2017)

Fuck all that, typing's easier than speaking


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 28, 2017)

for some


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 28, 2017)

Throbbing Angel said:


> for some


I was thinking of someone I know who speaks into their phone at home and it's always getting things wrong and they keep having to repeat. Dunno why they don't just type. Think they feel that have to use the latest technology even if it's not as convenient to use.


----------



## twentythreedom (Aug 28, 2017)

Orang Utan said:


> Fuck all that, typing's easier than speaking


Not when you're driving

ETA tbf speaking is ALWAYS easier than typing. Let the typists type and the speakists speak. There's room for all


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 28, 2017)

Orang Utan said:


> I was thinking of someone I know who speaks into their phone at home and it's always getting things wrong and they keep having to repeat. Dunno why they don't just type. Think they feel that have to use the latest technology even if it's not as convenient to use.



I see - well that's just daft - use the method that works best/easiest innit.

There will always be people _like that_. 	I was thinking if a mate who has just dictated the first draft of his book (150 pages) into his iPhone.  Yeah, some speakos(typos?) but far fewer than if he'd typed it he reckons - the cack handed eejit.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 28, 2017)

twentythreedom said:


> *Not when you're driving*
> 
> ETA tbf speaking is ALWAYS easier than typing. Let the typists type and the speakists speak. There's room for all



I talk at my phone in the car - quite useful sometimes.  This said, I don't really _type_ on my phone when I am using it as I use that swipey thing that some Android keyboards can do where you don't lift your finger up.

For me, talking isn't always the easiest option - some days it is, some days it isn't, depends how ill I am. Same goes for typing, some days it is harder than others.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Aug 28, 2017)

Orang Utan said:


> Fuck all that, typing's easier than speaking


Only if you have no mouth


----------



## twentythreedom (Aug 28, 2017)

Throbbing Angel said:


> I talk at my phone in the car - quite useful sometimes.  This said, I don't really _type_ on my phone when I am using it as I use that swipey thing that some Android keyboards can do where you don't lift your finger up.


Google Assistant in the car (via Android Auto) is fucking brilliant


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 28, 2017)

twentythreedom said:


> Google Assistant in the car (via Android Auto) is fucking brilliant



innit - we recently got a quiet petrol car which has replaced a noisier diesel car - much easier to use it in a quiet car - less shouting  

ok google as opposed to _*OK GOO-GULL!!!*_


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 28, 2017)

Maybe I'm missing something but voice recognition when driving is so deeply unsatisfied I'd rather pull over.


----------



## NoXion (Aug 28, 2017)

editor said:


> Come on - you can't be this daft. Looks and aesthetics play a huge part in consumer choice.


The fact that people do in fact buy those Bluetooth earphones that you think look stupid would seem to blow a massive hole in your argument.

Also, Google Glass didn't fail because of it's looks, it failed because nobody wants to talk to someone with a camera attached to their face which could be recording at any moment without their knowledge and consent.


----------



## mx wcfc (Aug 28, 2017)

Clearly some people do buy Bluetooth earphones but a lot of us have decided that they make you look a dick . Some people at my work have Bluetooth headsets for their phones and wander round whilst talking on the phone. Most of them have now realised that they look like dicks and stopped no matter how practical they are.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 28, 2017)

NoXion said:


> Also, Google Glass didn't fail because of it's looks, it failed because nobody wants to talk to someone with a camera attached to their face which could be recording at any moment without their knowledge and consent.



That and imagine controlling your phone with just your voice.


----------



## NoXion (Aug 28, 2017)

mx wcfc said:


> Clearly some people do buy Bluetooth earphones but a lot of us have decided that they make you look a dick . Some people at my work have Bluetooth headsets for their phones and wander round whilst talking on the phone. Most of them have now realised that they look like dicks and stopped no matter how practical they are.


 Clearly the utility of such devices was not great enough to compensate for being surrounded by judgemental dicks.


----------



## mx wcfc (Aug 28, 2017)

NoXion said:


> Clearly the utility of such devices was not great enough to compensate for being surrounded by judgemental dicks.


I am clearly a judgemental dick.  and I still think those  silly things dangling from ears make you look a twit


----------



## cybershot (Sep 10, 2017)

cybershot said:


> it wouldn't surprise me if we still end up with 7S models and the 8 won't be an 8 at all and will be called the iPhone X, as been it's supposed to be an 10 year anniversary edition, and this will be the one that will cost a grand!



Called it. Almost. I'll activate smug mode anyway. 

And now the names of Apple’s new iPhones look to have leaked…


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 10, 2017)

cybershot said:


> Called it. Almost. I'll activate smug mode anyway.
> 
> And now the names of Apple’s new iPhones look to have leaked…



Replacing touch ID with facial recognition. Thats a brave step.


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## beesonthewhatnow (Sep 10, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Replacing touch ID with facial recognition. Thats a brave step.


Yeah, not sure it's a good one either.


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## Saul Goodman (Sep 10, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Replacing touch ID with facial recognition. Thats a brave fucking ridiculously stupid step, but fanboys will lap it up and ask for more stupidity.


FTFY


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 10, 2017)

I'd be surprised if it happens tbh. I've got that and retina scanning on the S8 and whilst both are bloody clever, the fingerprint is still much faster and convenient. Having both seems more likely. 

Apparently Samsung wanted the fingerprint scanner to built into the screen, but couldn't get it right in time for the launch of the S8...be interesting to see if Apple beat them to it.


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## cybershot (Sep 10, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> I'd be surprised if it happens tbh. I've got that and retina scanning on the S8 and whilst both are bloody clever, the fingerprint is still much faster and convenient. Having both seems more likely.
> 
> Apparently Samsung wanted the fingerprint scanner to built into the screen, but couldn't get it right in time for the launch of the S8...be interesting to see if Apple beat them to it.



I don't think they have what Im reading, the side power button will be used more on the full glass front model. Although how that will work with touch ID I've no idea.


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## lefteri (Sep 10, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> Yeah, but we're talking headphones here. Function over appearance. Difficult to look good in many pairs.


You can have function and looks, like these:
 

Sennheiser hd-25s look and sound great too


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## Magnus McGinty (Sep 10, 2017)

lefteri said:


> You can have function and looks, like these:
> View attachment 115436
> 
> Sennheiser hd-25s look and sound great too



Mine look good. Both my in ear and cans. But that wasn't the reason I bought them.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 10, 2017)

lefteri said:


> You can have function and looks, like these:
> View attachment 115436
> 
> Sennheiser hd-25s look and sound great too



I hate urban sometimes. I have so little need for headphones and yet I now want these.

I bought a cheap pair bees recommended a while back and have used them once.


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## cybershot (Sep 12, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> I'd be surprised if it happens tbh. I've got that and retina scanning on the S8 and whilst both are bloody clever, the fingerprint is still much faster and convenient. Having both seems more likely.
> 
> Apparently Samsung wanted the fingerprint scanner to built into the screen, but couldn't get it right in time for the launch of the S8...be interesting to see if Apple beat them to it.



Ok, so they did it. It does look gorgeous, but $999


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## cybershot (Sep 12, 2017)

iPhone X - Johnny Ive video is a nice watch


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## beesonthewhatnow (Sep 12, 2017)

Glass back. 

So, yet another incredible bit of design that will have to be hidden by a case so it doesn't fall off the first table you put it on


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## cybershot (Sep 12, 2017)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> Glass back.
> 
> So, yet another incredible bit of design that will have to be hidden by a case so it doesn't fall off the first table you put it on



But then you won't be able to wireless charge it!


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 12, 2017)

cybershot said:


> But then you won't be able to wireless charge it!



Depends on the case. I can charge through mine but it's quite thin.

That said I don't find wireless charger as cool as I thought I would.


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## cybershot (Sep 12, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Depends on the case. I can charge through mine but it's quite thin.
> 
> That said I don't find wireless charger as cool as I thought I would.



Lucky for you, Apple just made it cool.


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## bemused (Sep 12, 2017)

Me: who would spend £1000 on a phone
Wife: you spent £800
Me: erm..... mumble mumble mumble


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## EastEnder (Sep 13, 2017)

bemused said:


> Me: who would spend £1000 on a phone


Anyone who spends £1000 on a phone - who probably already has a perfectly serviceable phone - loses the right to whinge about the cost of rents/mortgage, petrol, food, booze, childcare, holidays... pretty much everything.


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## cybershot (Sep 13, 2017)

EastEnder said:


> Anyone who spends £1000 on a phone - who probably already has a perfectly serviceable phone - loses the right to whinge about the cost of rents/mortgage, petrol, food, booze, childcare, holidays... pretty much everything.





I better find the process for shutting down my urban account.


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## Saul Goodman (Sep 14, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Replacing touch ID with facial recognition. Thats a brave step.


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## Gromit (Sep 14, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Replacing touch ID with facial recognition. Thats a brave step.


I like having my contactless fingerprint authorisation. Removal of the fingerprint sensor therefore pleases me not.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 14, 2017)

Gromit said:


> I like having my contactless fingerprint authorisation. Removal of the fingerprint sensor therefore pleases me not.



Or they could just follow Samsung and do both. Actually they have facial and retina as well as fingerprint and you can have several active at the same time, so you can use the one that's most convenient at the time.


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## twentythreedom (Sep 14, 2017)

Removal of the fingerprint sensor seems more and more like a really shit move. Should've just stuck it on the back. I automatically put my finger on it on my S8 every time I pick it up


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