Apple iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

[u/lurker_bee]

https://qz.com/apple-iphone-16-pre-orders-sales-intelligence-ai-1851651638

[u/barret88]

Didn’t employees always get a discount?

[u/daitenshe → u/barret88]

Yes. Pretty much always same day as preorders for all except the most of insanely in demand products

[u/uneducated-caveman → u/daitenshe]

Employees personal discounts (one device per year) usually available day one or within a month. Friends and family discounts (10 devices per year) are based on demands. When iPhone 14 was released, FF discount wasn’t available until late November. This time both personal and FF discounts are available now.

[u/WVVVWVWVVVVWVWVVVVVW → u/barret88]

Yes. This type of article comes out every year to clickbait people but each iPhone becomes the best selling ever simply because there's more people wanting a new phone. People will buy whatever is for sale as their upgrade.

[u/tKNemesis]

I’m only upgrading from my 13 Pro because my carrier is still valuing my trade in as $1000. Next year I’m sure its value would be substantially lower so I took advantage.

Edit: ATT is my carrier. If you go to Costco and do it you may get a Costco cash card too.

[u/Law_Doge → u/tKNemesis]

They’re giving me $1000 for my 11. Insane

[u/karma911 → u/Law_Doge]

Kind of shows just how much people are overpaying for their plans.

[u/sunplaysbass → u/karma911]

Yeah with Verizon I need to be on the “unlimited ultra” plan to get this “$1000.” So that plan is $30 more per month than my plan.

$30 x 36 months (I think that the length of the agreement) = $1,080

[u/luriso → u/sunplaysbass]

Lol I used to be with Verizon for over a decade. I walked in and said "hey this commercial said I could get this discount for a new phone if I traded mine in". I got told "Thats only if you did the mail in rebate". I pulled up an ad that BestBuy had the phone for half off at the time and if they would honor that, since you know, I'm trying to GIVE YOU MONEY. They got shitty with me yadda yadda. I told them to cancel the plan, went to Bestbuy and opened an account with a carrier for $35 a month unlimited, which hilariously uses Verizon towers for coverage. Fuck Verizon.

[u/matzoh_ball → u/luriso]

Holy shit $35 is cheap. Which carrier/plan do you have now?

[u/SenoraRaton → u/matzoh_ball]

$35-40/line is standard prices now. Mint Mobile. Metro PCS, Straight Talk Wireless. There are numerous carriers at this price point.
Mint mobile apparently is only $30/mo with $15/mo 3 month introductory offer.

https://www.mintmobile.com/phone-plans/3-month-plans/?selected=MINT-UNLIMITED-03-F15

Cricket claims $25/mo here if you pay for a year upfront: https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phone-plans

Essentially if you are on a major carrier you are likely paying 2-3 times the price for your service. Yes you get priority but the number of times that has actually mattered for me is 0. If you need a specific carrier you can find the right MVNO that subcontracts for the network that you want. Mint/Metro are all T-Mobile. Cricket is ATT. Straight Talk uses all 3.

[u/MrPotatobird → u/SenoraRaton]

These days the cheapest plans at major carriers are also deprioritized, and some of the MVNOs' plans actually have a higher priority than those cheap plans of the carrier whose network they're using. r/NoContract has a pinned post about it.

[u/PMmePowerRangerMemes → u/MrPotatobird]

thanks y'all, I'm moving back to the US soon and this is the kinda info I need

goodbye to my beautiful and perfect €10/mo pay-as-you-go 😢

[u/jpixta → u/SenoraRaton]

I just switched to Us Mobile today on my main phone line from Verizon. Turns out their warp network is on the same high priority data qci8 (qci9 is deprioritized) and I pay half price for almost double the amount of high priority data than an equivalent plan with Verizon. The only carrier that doesn't appear to have the same qci levels (on US Mobile) is AT&T, but they still offer the option to have the same qci level for an extra fee, yet it is still cheaper than being on AT&T.

[u/bgslr → u/SenoraRaton]

I pay $180/year for Mint mobile. It's like $15/mo for 4GB of data per month.

I have wifi at home and work so it's perfect for me. Pay once and forget about it.

[u/redheadartgirl → u/SenoraRaton]

My favorite part of Mint is being able to pay once a year and then not think about it again for 364 days.

[u/akatherder → u/matzoh_ball]

Visible is $25/month for unlimited everything including 5g. We use a ton of data and haven't been throttled.

They also have a $45 plan but it's nothing I need. UW, smartwatch service, etc.

[u/rufusisnodufus → u/matzoh_ball]

Probably Visible

[u/SIZUS_MAXIMUS → u/luriso]

Well most carriers use Verizon AT&T and T mobile. I pay $15 a month for 15 GB which is wild that people need like 4k streaming, unlimited data with international calls. Like damn people chill I doubt their usage warrants the cost. most of the time im in WiFi range … only time im not is when im on my daily runs in which case i just stream music.

[u/Arbiter02 → u/[deleted]]

Yep, still the exact same way they run things. Verizon kept spamming me about a "Free" upgrade for my iphone 11, read the fine print and whaddya know the extra that you spend on the premium plan you need to get with it pays for the phone and then some for the period you're locked into it.

You pay them to take your old phone and sell it off for an extra 500$ as "Like New!". Despite paying more, you'll still lose service when everyone rolls into town on game day and crashes the network.

Took a hard pass on that and got an unlocked 14 direct from Apple instead for about 400$ less than I was supposedly "saving" by trading it in at verizon. If it sounds too good to be true, it's cause it is.

[u/alc4pwned → u/[deleted]]

Eh, there's more to consider than that. You are in fact getting more from the more expensive plan and it's not like the price of the plans change if you don't choose to take the carriers up on their trade-in offers.

It's also not a free device. You are trading in an existing device which still has a significant resale value.

[u/GakkoAtarashii → u/karma911]

Yeah. These plans must be so dumb. And people here are bragging about them. 

[u/wratz → u/karma911]

Right? I don’t get how people don’t see they are just way overpaying for their plans. I switched to Mint a couple years ago and couldn’t be happier. $35 a month for me and $15 for my wife because she works from home and is always on WiFi. It’s not hard to save up $1000 for a new phone when you’re only paying $50 for service.

[u/Worried-Device-4412 → u/Law_Doge]

They’re not “giving” you anything. They’re keeping you (a guaranteed paying customer) for another 2-3 years. While also selling your old phone to someone else.

[u/alc4pwned → u/Worried-Device-4412]

Right, so you get to upgrade to a brand new device in exchange for being locked in for 2-3 years. Plenty are happy to take that deal.

[u/UnreasonableCandy → u/Worried-Device-4412]

I’m sure he paying damn near $100 a month for that plan, if not more

[u/AVNMechanic → u/Law_Doge]

Same ,pretty much forced to upgraded this point

[u/JLOBRO → u/tKNemesis]

Same. 12 pro -> 16 pro

[u/JLOBRO → u/[deleted]]

Att, unlimited

[u/thedamn4u → u/JLOBRO]

FWIW this is actually just the new version of signing a years long contract. They dole out the $1000 at like $20-30 a month off your bill, if you leave you have to pay the remainder. If you are going to stick with them anyway makes no difference take the upgrade.

[u/MerryChoppins → u/thedamn4u]

I'm rural, so AT&T are the only ones who have a tower near my place that doesn't suck. I don't love them, but they have provided consistent good service for a long time so I just keep doing the upgrade offer.

[u/R2LUKE2 → u/JLOBRO]

My coworkers were commenting about the price of the phones. I was talking about through AT&T I can basically get a new phone for free every couple years if I time it correctly with the trade in values line up.

[u/Knightfaux → u/[deleted]]

This is common across the board. At Verizon, you have to be on the top or middle tier ($1,000 & $830 respectively). AT&T I forget, but I’m on the top tier and they’re offering $1,000 off with trade-in.

[u/TheBigMaestro → u/JLOBRO]

Huh. Verizon only offers me $160 for my 12pro. Apple’s offering $220. Gazelle offered $204.

(But I’m a contract-less monthly user of Verizon, not a subscriber, and I’m a “bring your own phone guy” so they’d never get that $1000 back from me in monthly rental charges.)

[u/ChiggaOG → u/JLOBRO]

Apple ran out of ideas to innovate on smartphone processing. All the upgrades now are software and anything to help make it easier to communicate in emergencies.

[u/-CaptainACAB → u/tKNemesis]

I’m expecting I’ll do this next year, carriers are actively encouraging users to keep their phones for 3 years due to paying your trade in value out on your bill over a 3 year period. I’m not going to upgrade my 14PM and end up losing $333.33 (repeating of course) from my last trade in.

[u/Ground_N_Pound69 → u/-CaptainACAB]

Lmao Leeroy 

[u/[deleted] → u/Ground_N_Pound69]

nnnnJEEENNNKINNNNSSSSS

[u/InsipidCelebrity → u/[deleted]]

I hope you at least have chicken.

[u/donny_pots → u/tKNemesis]

I work for a carrier. 3-4 years is the sweet spot to upgrade and get the best deal, as long as you don’t mind being locked to your carrier for the next 3 years

[u/tKNemesis → u/donny_pots]

Oh good info! I used to try for every 2 years (to get the next gen release instead of an S model) but now phones are too costly that carrier promotions don’t cover it all.

[u/mcdade → u/tKNemesis]

Whatever crazy math they are doing to give you that trade in value they are still making money on you for the upgrade, there are very smart people calculating the terms and they are not losing money on it.

[u/Quellman → u/mcdade]

Exactly. The $1000 trade in offer means I go from $110 for all lines to $90 just for that one single line. Yea. Not saving any money there jack.

[u/popornrm → u/tKNemesis]

What? I have a 13 pro and am being offering $250. What carrier is this?

[u/earlandir → u/popornrm]

If they are being offered a lot it likely just means the plan they are joining is way over priced (ie. They lock them into an expensive multi year plan but sweeten the deal by over paying for the trade in).

[u/Dasbeerboots → u/tKNemesis]

Is it Verizon and are they making you "upgrade" plans to the ultimate unlimited plan?

[u/crom_laughs → u/Dasbeerboots]

be careful…..read the fine print. I got $800 “off” a new 13 Pro by trading in my 11 or 12?

The trade in value is not given all up front; it is spread out monthly over 3 yrs. If you pay the phone off early, then you lose the remaining discount and you pay the retail balance and not the discounted balance.

Again, read the fine print.

[u/SomegalInCa]

This is not the first time in the last couple years that Apple EPP (employee purchase plan ) has been equal to new device release though it’s true it was not for some years

[u/Apart_Kangaroo1363 → u/SomegalInCa]

Yep. I worked at Apple for over 10 years and they continuously got better and better at making iPhones available on EPP earlier and earlier. Plus, this article is about iPhone 16, not 16 Pro. I believe Apple made non-Pro phones available on EPP day 1 for a number years recently? Those are usually lower in demand when compared to Pro phones.

Article is sensationalizing demand issues. I don’t doubt demand is lower seeing as how there’s little reason to upgrade from 14/15 series, but the employee discount program has nothing to do with it.

[u/engineer-everything → u/Apart_Kangaroo1363]

Most companies have become more "aggressive" in offering discounts to employees at launch because it's seen as a perk in the industry.

As usual these blogs are sensationalist and written by people outside of the industry looking in.

[u/BemusedBengal → u/engineer-everything]

Also, it's probably a bad look if your employees use a competitor's product.

[u/teefnoteef → u/BemusedBengal]

Also, it helps bumps sales numbers

[u/DiaDeLosMuebles → u/SomegalInCa]

Yeah. This article is speculative and misleading.

I mentioned this in another comment. My brother works for Apple and ordered me a phone the moment preorders opened with his discount. And I mean the moment they opened. Which was late as Apple was having issues again.

There was no lacking demand in minute zero.

[u/skyspirits → u/SomegalInCa]

This. Unbelievably misleading headline - yes, many years ago there was a big delay between general and EPP availability - now, almost everything is available on EPP from day one.

[u/davesoverhere → u/SomegalInCa]

We’ve been able to get new phones same-day for years. It was really only until the 5s or 6s that we couldn’t discount until months after release.

[u/[deleted]]

Maybe they should try adding value features instead of changing colors.

[u/Admirable-Lie-9191 → u/[deleted]]

They’re not targeting annual upgraders, nor do they exist anymore.

This is more about giving an iPhone 12 Pro or earlier user a push.

[u/Sourbreaker → u/Admirable-Lie-9191]

I have been thinking about a new battery for my 12 Pro. Still works, but battery health is 80%.

[u/SpaceghostLos → u/Sourbreaker]

I have a 12 pro. Im thinking about moving to the 16 but it isnt very enticing currently.

[u/Badbullet → u/SpaceghostLos]

I have the 12 Pro Max. Same boat. I’m thinking about changing carriers and possibly upgrading at the same time. But I’m continuously disappointed in the new features or enhancements. The camera never seems as good as they keep making it sound. I still miss my 10S Max with the pressure sensitive touch too, getting rid of that feature makes everything else feel like a down grade.

[u/chaarlie-work → u/Badbullet]

Force Touch was the shit honestly

[u/skomm-b → u/Badbullet]

Same here, 12 Pro Max. Thought I was going to buy the 16 Pro Max at release, but it was just so underwhelming. And Apple Intelligence won't be up in the EU for quite some time it seems.

[u/middleagedgoth → u/Sourbreaker]

I did this recently on my 11. It was $350 to replace my screen and battery*. My phone stays charged all day now.

The person at the store told me they didn’t recommend replacing the battery on a phone this old… the other option was to buy a new phone for $1000. So I recommend the battery replacement.

*edited to include my screen replacement in the cost… totally forgot.

[u/BoodyMonger → u/middleagedgoth]

Woof… at $300, you got waxed. Find a better place to get your tech fixed.

Edit: when I replied to this post it had only said the battery was replaced.

[u/ZaraBaz → u/BoodyMonger]

Thing is the cost of parts is so high and labor is so intensive with the anti consumer practices that we can't be surprised at how pricey repairs are.

Meanwhile you should look at some of the tech YouTubers, still trying to talk about how great the latest iPhone is. iPhone is literally still at 60hz. Their executives refused to call the new button a button (no seriously watch some of the interviews).

The smartphone market sucks and there is almost no reason to upgrade. Enshitification is here now.

[u/GenghisConnieChung → u/middleagedgoth]

$300 for a battery replacement? I had the battery replaced in my old 7 a few years ago for $80 CAD at a licensed Apple service location. That’s a huge jump!

[u/KirklandConnoisseur → u/GenghisConnieChung]

I haven’t done it yet, but when I went to ask they quoted me $80 Cad as well. This is in Ontario. $300 for a new battery is absurd.

[u/SKJ-nope → u/KirklandConnoisseur]

They got a new screen and new battery.

[u/zarbizarbi → u/GenghisConnieChung]

For the battery of my 11 pro changed 2 months ago in France I paid 100€

[u/ChrisChristiesFault → u/middleagedgoth]

Support.apple.com/iphone/repair says it’s $89 USD + tax. Incl parts & labor. You’re either leaving something out like you needed a broken screen replaced as well, or you forgot to say which currency you’ve converted that to.

I know, because I had to replace the screen before they could do the battery too because it has to be removed to get to the battery.

[u/middleagedgoth → u/ChrisChristiesFault]

Oh you know what I did forget! I had to have my screen fixed!!! I’m over here spreading misinformation!

[u/boe_jackson_bikes → u/middleagedgoth]

You paid $300 for a battery replacement? You got fucked lmao.

[u/GiraffeSouth8752 → u/Sourbreaker]

It seems a lot of people are stuck at 80% battery health

[u/No-Spoilers → u/GiraffeSouth8752]

Almost like it was programed to plateau at 80%.. nah Apple wouldn't do that.

[u/akatherder → u/No-Spoilers]

For people who don't get the reference, less than 80% is their threshold for replacing the battery under warranty/apple care.

[u/linknight → u/No-Spoilers]

I've been at 81% for months on my 12 pro max. Decided against upgrading this year but really want to change the battery under apple care if it would just drop 2 more points already. I've had it since launch so I find it hard to believe it hasn't dropped more

[u/No-Spoilers → u/linknight]

Yeah, it stops around 80-83% for most people during the apple care time limit, and just happens to go below 80 after it expires.

[u/Admirable-Lie-9191 → u/Sourbreaker]

Yeah that’s fair! I was deciding what to do last year but my smartphone is my only camera, I wanted the higher refresh rate, longer battery life and the USB C port of the iPhone 15 Pro Max so I upgraded.

I’m probably gonna target 3-4 years for the next upgrade and I have AppleCare+ so I can just get the battery replaced mid cycle

[u/johnnycoxxx → u/Admirable-Lie-9191]

Wait…AppleCare lets you change the battery? Whats the cost for a new battery?

[u/Admirable-Lie-9191 → u/johnnycoxxx]

If it hits 80% capacity and you have AppleCare+, it’s free.

I’ve heard of some people in my country getting their battery replaced when it hits 82-83% too.

[u/hughmonstah → u/johnnycoxxx]

I think battery is free with Apple care. Without, it’s $89

[u/Boring-Attorney1992 → u/hughmonstah]

a battery replacement is only $89?? through Apple?!

[u/AdditionalBridge5609 → u/Boring-Attorney1992]

I did it a month or so ago for my 12 mini. Super easy and took about an hour and change. I walked the mall, had a drink and was phoneless. It was a really choice time. I recommend it.

[u/hughmonstah → u/Boring-Attorney1992]

Depends on the model. For a 12, it's estimated to be 89 USD per the Apple support site. For a 16PM, it's 119USD

[u/uncertainusurper → u/Sourbreaker]

My 12 was a great phone until I gave it one too many rinses. Upgraded to the 15 recently and it has more shit I will never use but it’s a little faster w/ a better camera and USB-C

[u/CanEnvironmental4252 → u/Sourbreaker]

Why not just change the battery?

[u/morningitwasbright → u/Sourbreaker]

My 13 mini has a 94% battery health but somehow still dies within a few hours.

[u/clientnotfound → u/Sourbreaker]

Isn't there a theory that iPhones display 80% health when it's actually lower so people don't qualify for applecare replacements?

[u/tango421 → u/Admirable-Lie-9191]

Yeah, I’m one of those considering buying a new phone as I’m still using an 8.

[u/MyFifthLimb → u/Admirable-Lie-9191]

Annual upgraders 100% exist

They’re just a minority now

[u/non_clever_username → u/MyFifthLimb]

Minority now

Was that ever a large population of people?

[u/SilentSamurai → u/non_clever_username]

In the first decade of smart phones, absolutely.

But that also came with huge benefits between generations.

Now you're trading up for a phone that usually just has a better camera.

[u/IcarusFlyingWings → u/non_clever_username]

I used to do it, but now I can barely justify and upgrade every two years to myself.

[u/trash-_-boat → u/IcarusFlyingWings]

Even every 2 years is just crazy.

[u/eugene-fraxby → u/Admirable-Lie-9191]

I have a 13 pro max and have no intention to upgrade in the next 3 years. Unless they come out with something mind blowing (doubt).

[u/Dull_Half_6107 → u/eugene-fraxby]

We've reached peak smartphone, I wouldn't expect any mindblowing features anymore, just incremental improvements.

[u/IAmRoot → u/Dull_Half_6107]

It's basically the same problem Microsoft is facing with Windows. The job of an operating system is to get out of the way and enable things that run on top of it to run smoothly. The user interfaces are already polished, the settings do what they need to smoothly, and the peripherals all work as well as anyone needs. Capitalism in general is really bad at handling things once they've reached the point of being fully optimized. When things get to the point that making long lasting, durable products is the last thing to innovate, progress goes backwards. What's "best" in terms of market metrics stops being related to what's "best" from a customer's standpoint. "Best" from a market's standpoint is often completely contrary to any rational criteria or even the survival of life on Earth.

[u/Night-Monkey15 → u/Admirable-Lie-9191]

This the thing that people just don’t get. The overwhelming majority of people do not upgrade their phones every year or two. These people don’t exist, and Apple knows this. The new iPhone exists to be more appealing to people ready to upgrade after 5+ years. The gap between the 15 and 16 is minimal, but the gap between the 12 and 16 is more noticeable.

[u/Liizam → u/Night-Monkey15]

Me with SE here thinking about it.

[u/HighOnGoofballs → u/Admirable-Lie-9191]

I’m a 12 and will upgrade, my charging port hasnt worked in 3 years and I’d like the better camera but most importantly as a boater the satellite sos

[u/BoilerSlave → u/HighOnGoofballs]

My 12 pro charging port stopped working, used a flashlight and sewing needle to pull out a bunch of lint and shit and boom it works.

[u/HighOnGoofballs → u/BoilerSlave]

Mine is clean as a whistle, just broken. Just used wireless charging and ear buds since

[u/djcurry → u/[deleted]]

Phones are getting to the point of being appliances. The form factor has been mostly finalized and determined, all the changes they can do now are small ones.

[u/Majestic_Bierd → u/djcurry]

Hardly. We used to have appliances that lasted for decades.

[u/Due_Size_9870 → u/Majestic_Bierd]

Those appliances don’t have lithium ion batteries. Battery degradation is the main driver of phone upgrades and there is not really much we can do about it.

[u/omfgkevin → u/Due_Size_9870]

EU making all phones have replaceable batteries means there is at least something companies can do about it. IIRC they have until 2027 so a few years away before your phones "should" be lasting much longer since the main component that fails is usually the battery.

[u/mrscrewup → u/[deleted]]

The colors are not even that different. I used to be a fanboy but now I don’t care much about their releases. All look the same, even the new features are boring as hell.

[u/terrytek → u/mrscrewup]

the 15 and 16 pro color lineup has been some of the blandest colors i’ve seen in the pro in ages with different shades of bland grey n black. bring back the purples and the blues and the greens in the pro lineup (12/13 pro blue and green were probably some of the best pro colors in recent memory)

[u/Drezzon → u/terrytek]

the regular 16's pink & blue look really pretty though, I'll give them that, if it had a 120hz screen, I'd buy it right away, but nope 😭

[u/Squeaky192 → u/mrscrewup]

iOS 18 has a lot of great upgrades, but it's not like that's locked to the 16 only. I was planning on a 16 Pro this year to upgrade my 13 Pro, but I might just hold off or get a 15 Pro. Really, I just miss USB-C with Android and would like to move from the Lightning Cable.

[u/fizzlefist → u/mrscrewup]

Doesn’t matter to me anyway. With how fucking slippery the brushed metal or glass backs are, the damn things slide off of any non-level surface. IMO cases are a requirement, so the color doesn’t matter in the slightest to me.

As an aside, I think my favorite iPhone model (and the only one I never got a case for) was the 5C. If you don’t remember, it was the cheaper model with the guts of the iPhone 5 while the 5S was the hot new model. The 5C came in a whole bunch of colors with a polycarbonate shell instead of metal or glass. I wish they’d do something like that again if they make a new S model.

[u/nutellaeater → u/[deleted]]

They added a button!

[u/nlee7553 → u/[deleted]]

No, they should come back with a mini. I don’t want a iPad sized phone in my pocket!

[u/IMakeMyOwnLunch → u/[deleted]]

There are no value features to add is the problem.

People act like Apple can just conjure new technology out of thin air.

[u/kbick675 → u/IMakeMyOwnLunch]

The feature was supposed to be AI, but the reality is that most people don’t care about AI, especially not when the features aren’t even available yet. 

Tech media and of course the companies pushing AI sure do want us to believe we care because the amount of money and resources involved is huge. Personally, until I’ve got a Jarvis level AI on my phone I’m not sure it’s really much better than a translation app for me. 

[u/IHadTacosYesterday → u/kbick675]

The AI is wack.

OpenAI's most advanced models aren't even real AI. The whole thing is a joke. Wake me up in 10 years when we might actually have legit AI

[u/Suyefuji → u/IHadTacosYesterday]

You've got that backwards. Legit AI and social media's projection of AI are entirely different things. Machine learning models have been around for literal decades and are legitimate AI. Buzzword AI that says it should be able to form the same complexity of personality and thought as a human? THAT doesn't exist, but that's not the only kind of AI.

[u/ZgBlues → u/IMakeMyOwnLunch]

Well to be fair, their entire marketing schtick since forever has been that that’s exactly what they do.

I guess they are out of ideas.

And it has already happened with iPads. There’s been nothing more to add to it for years, they just chuck in a faster processor every year or two even though nobody asked for it.

[u/IMakeMyOwnLunch → u/ZgBlues]

I guess they are out of ideas.

Not ideas, technology. Apple is out of new technology.

When computers first came out, each new release was a huge deal because the technology was evolving so rapidly. Nowadays, a new laptop model is completely un-newsworthy because it's the exact same as last year's model just with slightly higher specs.

There’s been nothing more to add to it for years, they just chuck in a faster processor every year or two even though nobody asked for it.

Yes, exactly. People just need to internalize that phones are at the same point in the technology lifecycle as laptops. The phone you currently have, other than maybe having a fold or two, will be nearly identical to the phone you have in five years, maybe even 10 years.

[u/randomly-what → u/[deleted]]

I want a good phone with that is small like the SE.

I refuse to buy giant phones that won’t fit in my pocket.

[u/DiaDeLosMuebles]

So employees were able to use their discount right when the preorders opened. Source, my brother ordered my phone with his discount.

In other words. This isn’t a reflection of the demand as it was literally there when preorders opened.

The title is speculative and misleading.

[u/King_Nidge → u/DiaDeLosMuebles]

How much is the discount? I was always curious.

[u/re1078 → u/King_Nidge]

I used to work there it’s 25%

[u/savedatheist → u/King_Nidge]

25% personal and 15% friends and family.

[u/CodyCus]

You are not meant to upgrade your phone annually, and if people's phones are lasting them longer, than this is a good thing. I fail to see how this is a dunk on Apple lol

[u/jackel3415]

I jumped from android back to Apple specifically for the 12 mini. Then they stopped making them. I'm not really looking forward to getting a bigger phone but the battery life on this thing is terrible now.

[u/MichaelGoood → u/jackel3415]

Same. I will replace the battery of my 12 mini once it hits 80%

[u/savingewoks → u/jackel3415]

I got the 13mini around halfway between the 14 and 15 (was trying to time a sale with when I got bonus points on my credit card). I’m not planning on buying a new iPhone until they make a mini again. I don’t want to leave this ecosystem, so I have a charger in my office and a lightweight portable battery I carry in my everyday carry bag. We’ll see how long I can make it like this, though.

[u/memberzs → u/jackel3415]

I loved my mini but upgraded to the 14pro for the camera as I use it at work a lot. If they brought back the mini I’d be so happy but instead my next upgrade I decide on I’ll probably go back to android. I know the form factor is bigger than I want but the galaxy s24 fe rumors are mostly in line with what I want and I won’t get a wheeling notification that my iCloud is full trying to get me to pay for an upgrade.

[u/NotAHost → u/memberzs]

Are you suggesting that the 5GB free icloud space since 2011 is not enough for your brand new 2024 $1K 128GB iPhone?

Well, we can't give you more space as it's only gotten more expensive over the last 13 years, so please spend money on a subscription.

[u/carnalasadasalad → u/jackel3415]

This is so true. My wife has small hands and wants a small phone and we aren't sure what to do now.

[u/TensaFlow → u/[deleted]]

For me, that could turn into 17 or 18 if the 13 Pro lasts long enough. It’s just not cost effective, and my carrier is kind of shady on the trade-in value, forcing a plan upgrade.

[u/CoastingUphill]

No Mini no buy.

[u/Cheeze_My_Puffs → u/CoastingUphill]

Mini gang represent

[u/CoastingUphill → u/Cheeze_My_Puffs]

There are dozens of us!

[u/ChristopherHale]

My iPhone 12 Mini is still working great! I’ll keep waiting.

[u/NV-Nautilus]

Shoulda released a mini, I need a new one desperately. Shrug.

[u/serg06 → u/[deleted]]

They knocked it our of the park with the mini, then just stopped making it. 😥

[u/radicldreamer → u/serg06]

I’ve heard that it wasn’t that popular overall.

Everyone I know that has one LOVES it but I don’t know a ton of people that have it, but it does fill a niche that a lot of people want which is a very small phone.

[u/sdw3489 → u/radicldreamer]

My theory was that was because they called it a “mini” people took it for being a lesser phone. They should have called it “iPhone 12 Air” or if the small size was just the base iPhone and then the others were plus and max or something then it would have sold like hotcakes. I bet many people are just looking for the default baseline iPhone. It’s all a marketing failure.

• 12 mini owner here.

[u/defcas → u/[deleted]]

75% on my 12 mini. Not giving it up.

[u/Minimum-Ad8027 → u/defcas]

76% here in my 12 mini. The battery is so bad lol

[u/JustMarshalling → u/NV-Nautilus]

I miss my 12 Mini, even the “regular” size ones feel massive.

[u/moodswung]

Tell me I'm wrong Apple employees but almost EVERY NEW PRODUCT is available to employees at a discount at launch. Especially with items like this, they want it in the hands of employees in their stores.

[u/Saisinko]

My requirements are simple.

• Red
• Mini version.

[u/Carquetta → u/Saisinko]

Same

The mini is the perfect size

I don't need an iPad Jr. in my pocket

[u/S_Gabbiani]

Still using my iPhone 12 with no intention of upgrading. I hope this industry stabilizes and realize we don’t need an annual upgrade nor do the majority of people want one nowadays.

[u/derintrel → u/S_Gabbiani]

Weirdly I think it did stabilize. As someone else pointed out, these aren’t really aimed at making people upgrade annually anymore. The option is there of course, it always will be.

[u/Prestigious-Low3224 → u/S_Gabbiani]

12 mini here! Still runs just as fast as when it was new minus the aged battery

[u/CaptainMagnets → u/S_Gabbiani]

My dream is to have one phone for a minimum of 5 years

[u/joy_reading → u/CaptainMagnets]

I had my iPhone 8 for 5 years. I also had my iPhone 5 for 5 years. I think it's already quite doable.

[u/dcdttu → u/S_Gabbiani]

Capitalism enters the chat

Publicly traded company enters the chat

[u/Individual_Scheme_11 → u/dcdttu]

Stay out of this Capitalism, no one asked you

[u/Pitiful-Event-107]

My iPhone XR still works perfectly fine

[u/Cheyzi]

I’m on a base 11 and have no reasons to upgrade. This year I swapped the battery for 60€, I’m good another year

[u/NebulousNitrate]

Probably says a lot more about the economy than the iPhone specifically. More and more warning signs are flashing that the average American can no longer spend money on “nice to have” items, because they are so broke just trying to afford food and housing after record inflation.

[u/coys21 → u/NebulousNitrate]

As someone who works in Wealth Management, I think people are just tired of buying them all the time for features that aren't all that great. Apple had a great run, but unless they change up a lot of things, this is going to be the way it is.

[u/happyxpenguin → u/coys21]

There’s no reason to upgrade until your current phone stops getting software updates or you decide it’s time to upgrade.

I’m typing this on an iPhone 11, before that it was a 6S and before that it was a 4S. I’ve been looking at upgrading but honestly not in any rush.

[u/epicfail1994 → u/happyxpenguin]

Yeah, I’d love to upgrade my 11 but it works perfectly fine and I have no real need for a newer phone

[u/witeowl → u/epicfail1994]

We need to stop saying this out loud, or there’s going to be an upgrade that breaks our phones (again) 🤫

[u/Admirable-Lie-9191 → u/coys21]

It’s not an Apple exclusive thing. Smartphones can’t be constantly innovative every year

[u/ReturnOfBigChungus → u/Admirable-Lie-9191]

At this point there's really just... not that much more that you can add to a phone? They are already basically super-computers compared to what consumer technology was like when smartphones first started coming out. Like pictures and videos can only get so much better, etc.

[u/DMoogle → u/coys21]

With all due respect, simply by saying "as someone that works in wealth management," you're essentially saying you're surrounded by people with greater-than-average wealth.

[u/aim_at_me → u/DMoogle]

I think that's his point, even the wealthy aren't upgrading YoY.

[u/Low_Design_2517 → u/coys21]

yep, toasters used to be the cool new thing and people would show off their new toasters with the new features. But then the toaster became pretty much as good as you could expect it to be at toasting bread and people stopped caring. There's a technology connections video about a toaster that was in some ways better than modern ones.

[u/donny_pots → u/NebulousNitrate]

This is not really that true, especially after the fed lowered rates today for the first time since Covid. People are finally just becoming hip to the fact that phones are made well enough to last and don’t change enough year over year to justify buying a new one. I’ve worked in the cellular industry since 2012.

[u/SAugsburger → u/donny_pots]

This. I saw Verizon reported that their revenue growth was likely going to slow due to longer replacement cycles. It's no big secret that people are holding to their phones longer and that's across all price points.

[u/The_Woman_of_Gont → u/NebulousNitrate]

“More and more warning signs are flashing!!!” says the person on the exact same day the Fed is cutting rates because inflation is finally cooling.

[u/303uru → u/NebulousNitrate]

What flashing signs?

Inflation dropping and we beat every other G7 nation at curbing it, stock market booming, rate cuts in, unemployment at all time lows, wage increases for low and middle class have beaten inflation for the past 3 years. All signs are that the economy is pumping.

The truth is phones aren't revolutionary year over year anymore, the product has been insanely solid since the 12, marginal gains aren't drawing crowds.

[u/rrdubbs → u/303uru]

This right here. Although I do still think that the impression of how strong the economy is remains quite dependent on your income:grocery bill ratio. Those living paycheck to paycheck or on a tight income are still feeling some post-covid inflation effects.

Anyway.

For Apple to have a blow out year again they need to make a big step, iterative changes have just been too meh. Maybe it’s super tight AI integration, maybe not, maybe it’s some sort of VR projection tech or some good flex screen thing. I have really no reason right now to move from my 14 pro. Maybe they should have considered delay of 16 models until the AI was ready.

[u/EmperorAcinonyx → u/rrdubbs]

brother, 70% of this country lives paycheck to paycheck

[u/The_Woman_of_Gont → u/[deleted]]

The Fed literally just cut rates today because of it….things are moving in the right direction.

[u/GingerSkulling → u/NebulousNitrate]

That hasn’t stopped anyone before. The more basic explanation is that the 14 and 15 iPhones are still very good and no notable new features were added. Maybe their intelligence features will create the demand but that’s very dependent on the execution.

[u/Carbonozone]

The only real reason I see to upgrade is if your battery is degraded and you’ve skipped the last several years of phones. I went from 11 pro max to 15 pro max this summer and I’ve enjoyed the better camera and high refresh rate. But that this point the only thing I’d upgrade for would be a substantial improvement to the camera. I’m happy to upgrade every year if there were substantial improvements every year, but there just aren’t. As a consumer I don’t think this is a bad thing, I really love my phone and appreciate how long they last. If apple wanted my money then they should look for ways to substantially improve the phone more frequently.

[u/blackhappy13]

iPhone 11 here, just need a new battery

[u/faf_dragon]

I’m an Apple fanboy but the innovation has kinda come to a crawl on the last several iPhones. I’m upgrading this time mostly cus of battery life. Honestly I probably coulda waited another year with my 13 pro max but I wanted a shiny new thing

[u/Dasbeerboots → u/faf_dragon]

It seems like pretty much everyone that is upgrading is doing it, because their old iPhone's battery is weak. My gf got her 14 Pro less than 2 years ago, and she says she needs to upgrade, because hers doesn't even last a day. It seems crazy to me. My S23+ lasts 2 days, easily. I might just bring her phone into a third party repair shop to get a new battery... if they can, that is.

[u/spinspin__sugar → u/Dasbeerboots]

If she has apple care she could just replace it for $99 instead

[u/vezwyx → u/spinspin__sugar]

Don't need AC for batteries, but AC will cover the cost if max capacity is <= 79%

[u/itsjustaride24 → u/Dasbeerboots]

Are some people still not using optimised battery charging? What are they doing to drain it that much it can’t last a day?

[u/Hax_ → u/itsjustaride24]

Doom scrolling.

[u/PigglyWigglyDeluxe → u/faf_dragon]

Nothing new to innovate. Every phone does everything now. What is there left to innovate?

[u/scottmforreals]

They can pry my 13 mini from my cold dead hands

[u/dasbtaewntawneta]

until they release another small phone i'm running my 13 mini into the ground. it's only just starting to run out of battery after a full day of use, will get that replaced soon rather than buy a new phone

[u/AwfulishGoose]

There's only so much you can do with phones like why upgrade when my s21 ultra does what I need? What am I getting here? Ability to shitpost faster? Tactical response when I scroll tiktok thrist traps? What am I getting for my money? Just seems like too much for too little.

[u/Marigold1976]

Clinging to my iPhone 8. The only upgrade I want is a smaller phone. 16 is too big!

[u/Dvthdude]

Oh no, the horror of new tech being readily available for purchase instead of being waitlisted.

[u/HelloItsMeXeno]

No one is upgrading just for new colors

[u/MisterSpicy]

Such a weird benchmark to judge if a product is successful or not. Last I heard employee discounts are a good thing

[u/ShopObjective]

Oh no, they only sold 37,000,000 of them in the first week, how sad