Sunday, September 21, 2014

The iPhone's price is too much!

Over the war raging against Apple products, one of the most popular complaints is the price.  I was curious and started investigating the cost issue everyone is talking about.

If we consider the price of the iPhone 6 (16 gigs) to a Nexus 5, there is no doubt that it does cost more.  The iPhone 6 goes around 650$ compared to the Nexus 5 at 350$.  That's a 300$ difference in price.  Of course, you can always get into a 2 years contract with your cell phone provider for an easier way to acquire a smartphone.  But let's consider the raw cost, without any contracts...

There is more than the initial cost to consider.  How long will your device be supported with updates and upgrades?  In general, the iPhone does get support for 3 years.  My current iPhone 4S was acquired 3 years ago and received the latest iOS 8 this week.

With an Android smartphone, it all depends on the brand acquired.  The Nexus series is probably the most up to date regarding updates and new upgrades.  The Google policies for supporting older hardware  is around 18 months.  This means that devices older than 18 months may not receive the next Android L on release day.

iPhone 4s was released on October 2011 and was updated to iOS 8.  The Nexus 4, released on November 2012 may not get the next Android L.  People a speculating on this issue...  The Nexus 5 was released on November 2013 and should be supported for about another 12 months.

If we do the math:

- iPhone: 650$/3 years of supported life = 217$/year
- Nexus: 350$/1.5 years of supported life = 233$/year

Overall, assuming that Google keeps its current policy, the iPhone is cheaper in the long run.

That's something to consider...

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