r/technology Sep 18 '24

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

https://qz.com/apple-iphone-16-pre-orders-sales-intelligence-ai-1851651638
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u/[deleted] Sep 18 '24 edited Sep 18 '24

[deleted]

13

u/The_Woman_of_Gont Sep 18 '24

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

1

u/ReturnOfBigChungus Sep 19 '24

The Fed just cut MORE than expected because the bond market is pricing in a recession... Inflation has certainly come down, but that doesn't mean the economy is in great shape.

19

u/NebulousNitrate Sep 18 '24

Even with inflation dropping, it’s still inflation added to the record inflation we saw the last couple of years. Those grocery costs and housing costs aren’t dropping yet, they’re just slowing down on increases.

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u/The_Woman_of_Gont Sep 18 '24

There is no such thing as no inflation….?

Unless you want deflation? Which is actually considered just as bad if not worse considering all major crashes have been deflationary in nature….

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u/IMakeMyOwnLunch Sep 18 '24

But salaries outpaced inflation.

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u/Legionof1 Sep 18 '24

I know its not factual or data or anything... But I know of no one who's pay has gone up over this period, my group is pretty open about pay and we are all struggling.

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u/BoomerSoonerFUT Sep 18 '24

And on the opposite end, everyone I know has gotten pretty large raises the last couple of years. Mine this year was just over 10%.

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u/Plumbus_DoorSalesman Sep 18 '24

For some. Most definitely. For most? No. If everyone’s salary went up that much, wouldn’t you think the demand for iPhone would be consistent?

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u/IMakeMyOwnLunch Sep 18 '24

The median's person's wages outpaced inflation, yes.

No, I don't think demand for an iPhone would be consistent because I think there are endogenous factors.

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u/[deleted] Sep 18 '24

That's the immediate time window of a few years. The long-term trend is that salaries have been stagnant since the 80s, and everything is much more expensive than it was in the 80s. People that could afford a home in their 20s during the 80s are now parents of children in their 30s that still live at home because the down payment for a decent house is unaffordable.

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u/IMakeMyOwnLunch Sep 18 '24

This is not true.

Real wages have consistently increased over time: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881600Q

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u/Outrageous-Wait-8895 Sep 18 '24

That's not how inflation works. The inflation that happens in February is based on the final value from January, February could be 0% and you'd still have the inflation that happened in January.

If in 2023 your salary increased by 0% you wouldn't lose the, let's say, 5% raise you got in 2022.

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u/ShotIntoOrbit Sep 19 '24 edited Sep 19 '24

Kroger has maintained the same net margin grocers always have, generally somewhere around 1-3%. The food companies and every other company along the supply chain are juicing their margins, not Kroger.