[bosiemoncrieff]

I disagree—I think Apple pricing is highly competitive, just as Schiit is. An iPad is $329. I think they have opposite product replacement strategies—Schiit lasts indefinitely. My phone most certainly does not.

 

[rkw]

I think Apple pricing is highly competitive, just as Schiit is. An iPad is $329.

What else is highly competitively priced besides their entry level iPad? Name just one other product. Their phones, computers, monitors, etc. all have premium prices. It is no accident that Apple has been by far the most profitable company in the world.

 

[MatthiasP]

For sure Jason as an marketing professional has got a completely different view on Apple. Apple is branding! They are living from a few really consumer industry changing products they have invented, this is the iPhone, and the ipod. You can really argue if the OS is that different. The computers are normal PCs.
To make my point clear: Take the newest iPhone. Write down the technical hard facts, no brand speech. Compare this to the next three different extremely good phone on the market. You'll see that you pay a hefty fee to carry the apple logo.
If it is worth for you, it's a complaint different question.
I for myself wouldn't buy a Yggdrasil if it was from apple. I'm not chasing brand appeal or the jealous looks of youths or whatsoever, I'm chasing the best music reproduction I can afford.
An Apple DAC would compete with DCS and others with the best digital to analog converter IC. No blasphemy here. Apple was extremely good in first combining different technology that was readily available in a combination nobody did before, think touchscreen and mobile phone.
Just my 2c.
Enjoy your music
Cheers Matthias

Edit:
Best customer service and Apple : Baldr wrote his experience in this or Jason's thread, for sure he also sees a difference in Apple and his company's customer support.

 

[Zojokkeli]

I got an iPhone Xs from work. It’s by far the best phone I’ve ever used, but there’s no way I’d spend 1000€ of my own money on a phone.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I mean $449 for the iPhone 8 is a pretty competitive price. $199 for the series 3 watch and iPod touch is highly affordable.

Heck, they don’t sell it from their own stores, but their channel partners continue to offer iPhone SE for $140 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Simple-M...MIs7ObvtLZ5AIVRhitBh3AxwznEAUYASABEgL3i_D_BwE

Yes, of course the Mac Pro and display are insane. The newest iPhones are premium priced. But if you’re willing to buy something a year or two old — when was Valhalla 2 released? — the prices are not, imho, unreasonable. Of course they sell expensive stuff for a premium. But you can get older but still good stuff for a much fairer price. The $1800 retina 5k iMac, with a 6 core processor, is hardly highway robbery.

 

[Operaphile-]

I find it slightly rich that we here on head-if wouldn’t understand the willingness to pay premium pricing for incremental improvements. My wife still thinks I’m crazy for buying our 2y/o son $120 headphones and a friend nearly died when I told her what I spent on my portable rig. Whether it’s audio equipment, coffee paraphernalia, phones, or computers, it’s about where your passion lies and how much you can buy into it.

 

[SpeakerBox]

Yup, passion is what drives my willingness to spend. No doubt about it.

 

[Tim van der Leeuw]

You'll see that you pay a hefty fee to carry the apple logo

My reason for switching from Android to iPhone was security. Apple provides security updates much more timely than Google, and for much longer (even with Google's own phones). Those long lasting (security) updates are also part of the price you pay for it. As a result, my iPhone doesn't obsolete as quickly as my previous Android phones did.

By now, there's also some aspects of the UI which work better for me, than comparable Android features. (Although there's still some things which worked better for me on Android than on the iPhone).

Spec sheets of Android phones are very tempting and look better, security of Android -- provided you're on a recent version and have updates coming regularly -- is by now on par with iPhone or perhaps even better apart from the AppStore vs the Android Market -- Android Market still carries a lot more malware.

I'm still inclined to stick with the iPhone for at least one more generation, and not for the logo.

 

[artur9]

Being forced to use a Lenovo for work, I can assure you that the MacBook Pro is not just another PC.

From the blurry screen to the awful lack of human factors design the Lenovo is beyond awful.

 

[MatthiasP]

My reason for switching from Android to iPhone was security. Apple provides security updates much more timely than Google, and for much longer (even with Google's own phones). Those long lasting (security) updates are also part of the price you pay for it. As a result, my iPhone doesn't obsolete as quickly as my previous Android phones did.

By now, there's also some aspects of the UI which work better for me, than comparable Android features. (Although there's still some things which worked better for me on Android than on the iPhone).

Spec sheets of Android phones are very tempting and look better, security of Android -- provided you're on a recent version and have updates coming regularly -- is by now on par with iPhone or perhaps even better apart from the AppStore vs the Android Market -- Android Market still carries a lot more malware.

I'm still inclined to stick with the iPhone for at least one more generation, and not for the logo.

All really good arguments relating to the security updates. It should be handled by every company at least as good as Apple. Why is there always a defined end of updates, when the device is fast enough for the newest software? (Google isn't responsible for the manufacturer's update policy, there are regular updates, but many companies don't roll them out)
IF you are really concerned with security, Apple is also not a wise choice -- you have to trust Apple and the company they share their data with. And: Don't be naive, just have a look into interviews with Snowden or the documentaries about him.
And: Try to use a different standard app for email/ instant messaging / taking pictures /... There is no way to do this in the Apple world, at least not any for normal consumers.

To come to an conclusion: There are companies giving a longer or shorter time security AND OS updates.
In this fast living industry it's hard to sell a 2 year old phone for a price you get a newly released one with better specs. If so your brand is stronger.

And I'm not saying an IPhone is bad! If so you could just put me on your "technology idiot" list in your mind. It is just significantly more expensive, the newest generations, and the older also.
But still it can be the right choice for you, depending what characteristic of the product is important for you (update cycle, image, look & feel, etc).
I'm so glad we can agree on Schiit's product characteristics and be happy about their direct sales strategy: Less $$ for more

 

[Timster]

And: Try to use a different standard app for email/ instant messaging / taking pictures /... There is no way to do this in the Apple world, at least not any for normal consumers.

I don't understand what you mean by this... There are many, many different options in the Apple infrastructure for these tasks.
On my iPhone i regularly use Viber and WhatsApp for messages and have about a dozen different camera apps (but only really use 3 or 4 frequently)
For email, I have yet to find one that works as well *for me* as the default app, but there are many options there too.

Also my iPhone sounds great with with my Oppo HA-2..... just to keep audio in the thread !!

 

[RCBinTN]

Being forced to use a Lenovo for work, I can assure you that the MacBook Pro is not just another PC.
From the blurry screen to the awful lack of human factors design the Lenovo is beyond awful.

I fully agree. When I bought my last personal computer, to use as my Hi-Fi music server, it was a 2014 Macbook Pro. Previously had a Dell XPS that was an expensive but very unstable system ... it finally died after three years. I love the OSX operating system and will never go back to Windoze

 

[Ableza]

Been traveling for the last two weeks. Heading home today, which is a good thing since my stash is running low...

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Oh god, I would die

 

[RickB]

Oh god, I would die

Agreed, that stuff is toxic.