Tag: Mac Page 5 of 34

Smartphones cost $1,000 and manufacturers wonder why sales are slumping.

Smartphones cost $1,000 and consumers hold on to older models longer without wondering about buying a new phone.

Manufacturers get greedy and Apple and Samsung are no different from many other high-end manufacturers.

They keep raising the cost of their products until it prices out the average person.

And that’s when consumers look to the value equation.

We don’t like overpaying for products that bring little to no new features.

Actually, that previous sentence was far too kind.

The markup on smartphones has always been astronomical yet we kept on (until recently) forking over hard-earned dollars to their manufacturers.

A value computer, smartphone or tablet used to mean a cheap one.

The word cheap has always had a negative connotation for me.

I prefer to use either cost-effective or value-oriented solutions for all of my hardware purchasing choices.

Most people don’t need the minor and incremental improvements the latest and greatest generations of either computers, smartphones or tablets have to offer.

This understanding does not preclude manufacturers from continuing to churn out annual new models at cost-prohibitive prices, however.

Why is my phone running slower?

Well, in the case of iPhones that try to run each subsequent new version of iOS, Apple does not make it easy to keep using older models when it comes to running the latest version of its operating system.

Besides security considerations, which are very important ones, most of what consumers like to use on their older model smartphones in terms of apps remains what it is they’re using today. And, running the latest version of either Android or iOS software will tend to eventually slow down older Samsung and Apple hardware, respectively, when the device arrives at the last modern incarnation of the system it can accommodate with respect to its hardware computing power.

So, at that point, it is time for a new smartphone.

Personally, I wouldn’t get a new phone; I’d just opt for a newer one.

Linux to the rescue?

Old PCs that can’t run Windows 10 or old Macs that can’t run macOS Mojave are able to utilize a version of Linux to keep running a secure, modern operating system once Microsoft and Apple abandon their ability to run their latest and greatest OS due to hardware limitations.

And it’s especially easy to go ahead and put a modern version of Linux on an old PC. Intel Macs (I hear) have good Linux installation success, but my experience with putting Linux on computers has pretty much been restricted to Intel PCs.

I have had versions of Linux on old AMD PCs, too, though, and whether you are using an Intel- or AMD-based computer, the machines are very responsive and pleasurable to use–provided you utilize a distribution of Linux that is appropriate for your hardware.

The moral of the story

The problem with high-end phones is that most consumers are not in the habit of restoring them with alternate operating systems. This is because it is not as practical of a task as it is to restore and refurbish an old laptop or desktop computer with a variant of Linux.

Smartphone prices will eventually peak and begin to drop under the $1,000 range once consumers continue to vote with their wallets.

It no longer is necessary to spend a grand on a gadget when less pricy models are available that pretty much can do everything the average consumer needs.

Until the prices of newer smartphone models drop affordably lower, however, it’s probably best to hold on to that old iPhone or LG Android model just a little longer.