Smartphone sales down 22 percent in Q2, the worst performance in a decade::North American sales are bad for everyone, except, miraculously, Google.
Who would have thought that the stagnation in development means people don’t want to buy a new phone for a 2% better camera every year. I recon we gonna see anti repair hitting new heights tho cos u gotta squeeze money out of people somehow.
Stagnation in development, wages, >$1000 flagship pricetags.
Rise in inflation, cost of living.
Weird!
Perhaps at that point the consumer will opt for the repairable options.
Hmm its crazy that almost like rampant consumerism isn’t the most efficient thing to do
I think thats whats going to happen. Fairphones are mid-range, but a midrange phone is enough for everything nowadays. The only reason I want to switch my phone right now is because the fingerprint sensor is broken
Wouldn’t really say it’s “midrange”, it’s expensive AF.
Price wise maybe not, but they were referring to the hardware specs being mid range. Updates have always been Androids biggest issue and continue to drive people to the major brands.
Same. I’m hopelessly addicted to unlocking with my fingerprint!
Happened to desktop PC’s a couple decades back. Once there’s no reason to buy a new PC or phone, you stop buying a new PC or phone. Before that buying a new PC every few years meant less lag and needed ram/hard drive space.
Something not long ago reminded me of Weird Al’s “It’s All About The Pentiums” from 1999. And I went through it line by line to see what holds up and what doesn’t. Best line: “Your motherboard melts when you try to send a fax.”
There’s an entire verse dedicated to the joke of how quickly computers became obsolete, which just isn’t a thing anymore. A decently spec’d desktop can last a decade in service now.
I remember a great AMV to that song. Always loved me some W.A. White n Nerdy was a real banger. Also, I heard “I think I’m a Clone Now” way more than “I think We’re Alone Now.”
A sign that the smartphone has reached maturity, I guess. People don’t feel the imperative to upgrade any more. That’s good for the planet!
Time to start development on rectal computers.
Those are called remote controlled sex toys and already exist :)
Neuralink!
(Shudders)
Analink?
For an in depth analysis of your shit
Monitor your shit cycle with the new iFart
That could actually be useful (IBD gang)
Thats the fountain pen I keep in my butt
Isn’t that essentially what that one chess player was accused of?
Those are called remote controlled sex toys and already exist :)
Wait… a few days ago I read something about smart toilets using anal prints and internet connectivity. So rectal computers are not too far off.
I don’t understand the use case of such an invention
For example you have a a bidet, and several people in your household. Each person likes the water temperature differenr, or their anus is in a different position. Usually, one has to configure those settings manually each time they poop. Well, no more with the anal print identifier (API). You can sit, relax and do your business, the API will read your anus print and adjust the temperature and water aim automatically.
Thank you!
I keep talking about how my API makes my defecation that much better and truly understands my shit better than I could have hoped for and my coworkers keep slowly backing away from me. I don’t understand why they are so scared of what an API can do for them and the ease of their work on the toilet.
Everyone is currently poor as shit.
Or, maybe, people realized that there is no reason to get a new phone every year.
They are not mutually exclusive, tbf.
True, but the calculation probably include also less expensive models, which make probably the big part of the market.
And even for a low price smartphone there is no necessity to buy a new one every year.Then I agree, actually probably there is way less people that can put 1000 or more $/€ on a phone every year.
poor people are poor as shit
rich people who are richer off the backs of poor people are not poor as shit
Sure, but even rich people don’t buy more than two phones, if they have one for personal and one for business.
And one for infidelity
I have plenty of disposable income. But why would I spend hundreds and hundreds on a new phone when I just got a Pixel 5 off eBay for $100?
Non essential spending is still through the roof. People are buying all the extra shit still.
That’s what happens when you keep increasing the price without adding value.
You mean removing a headphone jack, SD storage options, and removable batteries aren’t added value? I know they claim it makes your phone more waterproof, but I don’t wanna use my phone in the pool, I just wanna listen to some headphones without charging them.
No no no. Your phone might be waterproof, but we don’t condone the usage of the phone near bodies of water. Intentional submersion of the phone voids the guarantee (actual language on the guarantee of a IP67 waterproof phone).
I find hilarious* that they claim their phones is waterproof while shoving a water sensitive sticker that triggers with the small hint of humidity to deny warranty.
*infuriating
Personally it’s the expandable storage that stops me from ever wanting to upgrade again, I don’t care how much it has base I want the ability to swap it out and add more
I miss the jack, and I can still replace a battery if need be (have the equipment and know-how) but no SD card slots is a real kick in the nuts. I’m keeping my n20U.
The new Google 9 comes with 4 wheels so you can drive it without carrying it. We had to remove a bunch of features to fit the wheels and rc antenna, stuff like the phone capability, installing non-Google content, and anything that could prevent ads, Firefox is no longer something you can use, but it’s worth it for zoomy phone functionality.
Also there’s a subscription fee now or you have to listen to ads before your call.
Oooo does it have a foldable screen that no one asked for?
I had a non-waterproof iPhone from 2009-2021 and never had an issue. I hate apple’s BS excuse to sell airpods.
And coming out with a new one every year despite it being the same as last year’s
The ea fifa sports of consumer electronics.
Despite it being WORSE than last year. I went from a iPhone 10 Plus to an iPhone 11 after dropping my phone in used motor oil and fucking up all the speakers/mics. I didn’t realize that I’d be getting a MASSIVE downgrade in image quality. Comparing the photos they take side by side, the iPhone 11 looks like a 4 MP camera from a decade ago.
There was no iPhone 10 plus…
There was, until some feckless schlub dropped the prototype into used motor oil
hahah that’s about the sum of it. Never keep your phone in your shirt pocket when changing your oil. This is bugging me, maybe it was a 10 Pro? I haven’t thought about it since I retired it from use. It was an iPhone 8 Plus
Don’t keep your phone in your shirt pocket, period. Most shirt pockets won’t securely hold a US dime let alone today’s 4 pound, 8 inch long smart phones.
what was the big one? 10 Pro? It’s been a while since I thought about it. Mine was the larger format, had a normal lens and a telephoto, and it was capable of depth of field in the camera app.
Blame greedflation. Phones should be cheaper now, not thousands of dollars.
Phones are also much more mature of a product than 10 years ago. When the iPhone first came out every year was a major leap in core functionality. Now, everything is so good that it’s not that big of a deal if a phone is a couple years ago. Just like it’s not a big deal when a computer is a couple years old.
I told everyone that once contracts for cell phones were replaced with payment plans, companies would start gouging their customers with higher phone prices because the customers could now “afford” it.
Greedy ain’t the right word imo.
I don’t know why people still use the big carriers. Subsiding the phones and getting an upgrade every 2 years was the reason to use them. Now they just add the cost of the phone to your bill.
The brilliant thing is they’ve gone from “We’ll buy the phone, but there’s a $200 ETF” to “we won’t buy the phone, and there’s no ETF. But now if you cancel you owe us $1,000.”
If you think you’re not using “the big carriers” in the US I’ve got news for you: you are using the big carriers. They are all either owned or leasing bandwidth from the big carriers. It’s nothing more than an illusion of choice.
If they are cheaper or different in any meaningfully way, it’s still worth it. Not sure if would be considered an illusion of choice or not, unless you want to boycott them of course. Not American though so not sure how different they are.
But for example I am on a cheaper carrier owned for the most common carrier here in Spain which is quite expensive. And it’s cheap as fuck compared with the main one and unless you want their tv deal it has 99% of the same services for a fraction of the costs.
I’m using their towers, but paying 1/3rd the price. My point is why pay the premiumto use them directly if they took away the only advantage of doing so.
Exactly what I was coming to write. Who could have thought that rising notably the prices would have led to less sales?
You can still buy a Moto G for like $200 that is better than an old high-end phone in every way and runs Android like a champ. Only flaw is short support lifespan.
Phones is basically cheaper now. Features that only found on high end now on low end. SD 4 is insanely good (4g2 is an underclock 730). Very few reason to shell out 1000$+ for phones now
Phone price keeps going up but my paycheck keeps going down with inflation
We’ve hit the wall of diminishing returns. How much power do you need to run lemmy?
Ive got a 4k oled 144hrtz panel in my phone… to read lemmy.
And my pixel 6 is considered aging.
Pixel 6, look at Mr. Monopoly over here. I just got a 5 off eBay for $100. In fact, my last 6 or 7 phones came from eBay. Can’t imagine why I would pay for the latest and greatest.
Do you put something like lineage on it? I replaced my 5 with a 7a just because it no longer gets updates as of this month I believe it is
GrapheneOS, definitely worth checking out!
Tmobile gave it to me for free after they shitcanned 4g during the Sprint merger. They had to give out new shiny 5g phones to appease users.
I got an iPhone 14 pro as an upgrade (contract). Had a pixel 6 before, wish I had stayed on the 6 to be honest, the 14 pro is amazing but I barely use it for anything.
You need at least 2 pixel 6’s to run a lemmy… sorry 😞
I think Apple said the new iPhone could run console quality games… but who wants to play a game like that on a phone?
Pixel 6 has 1080p90 OLED but ok
Its a 6 pro my Bad
That’s 1440p120
They should really stop over saturating the market by releasing new models every year with little to no meaningful upgrades.
Even mid-range phones nowadays are good enough to last long after they stop receiving updates, it therefore makes little financial sense (for the average consumer) to buy the newest model every year, not even touching on the environmental impact.
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it’s amazing that in capitalism a company has to always show numbers rising like there is no physical upper boundary. The most logical and efficient economic model
It drives me insane how many people turn a blind eye to the funny numbers needing to always go up. Every “investor” will tell me how the market has never not recovered; how I’m the fool and surely not them for trusting in the system.
I hate that my retirement depends on a 401k, or money that constantly depreciates.
Constant growth at all costs. In the short term at least. Whether that works out in the long run or not…
If you’re upgrading your device every single time a new device comes along, you’re just chasing clout and status. They rarely, if ever, have significant performance upgrades or new features that make sense in upgrading when your current device is perfectly fine.
Phones also aren’t special anymore. Like the days where phones were flashy and people needed the best/newest phones are gone. Everyone knows everyone has a phone, nobody cares what phone it is. It reminds me of like 2004-2008 when laptops were a big deal and then everyone had one and it became a tool and people stopped caring what you had.
I had an iPhone day 1 in 2007 and it was pretty crazy. I was at a store looking around and being ignored by all the sales people. I pulled my iPhone out and checked my email real quick, and multiple sales people came over to check on me. At the bar some girl asked to try it and said it was better than a puppy for getting a girls attention. The cell phone kiosk in the mall would always hassle people to try and sell cases; when they asked what phone I had, I told them an iPhone and instead of trying to sell me a case, they just freaked out and wanted to see it.
I didn’t even flex it or show it off. It all just kind of happened, even being pretty low key.
To be fair the vast majority of people don’t do that and just buy a new phone after a few years when theirs is becoming too old, has issues or lacks useful features
I just buy refurbished or “New-Old-Stock” 2-year-old flagship phones off ebay for $100 or so bucks every other year.
In fact I think smart phones peaked 3 or 4 years ago and we’re going downhill now. The manufacturers remove features that people like in favor of objectively worse ones (lots of people loved having the fingerprint reader on the back, now it’s either gone entirely or under the screen for some stupid reason?, then of course headphone jacks are going extinct).
When is the last time a smart phone had a major improvement over it’s predecessor? And I mean like, “This one didn’t have a camera, this one does.” Especially since they’re converging on the same 5.7" black rectangle.
I like the finger print reader under the screen
Good. We should be using our phones for longer.
I understand ‘worst sales’ but ‘worst performance’ doesn’t really fit. It’s in my opinion this is a fantastic performance on the market. With right to repair, longer software support, some models with replaceable batteries, we can use the phones longer and make the industry more sustainable and consumer friendly. For the last years already, the model feature upgrades were marginal and it’s fine that way.
In the future, I’d hope for further technical and regulatory development in that direction, resulting in further reduced annual sales numbers.
When the whole western society has been force fed that “we must consume else our economy will collapse”, not continously outselling (and throwing away barely year old work) is bad, this is the result.
Worst performance of trying to get your money.
Have they considered releasing another hard to hold glass slab exactly like the previous one?
They doubled the price while removing core features like headphone jacks and microSD.
The people who bought phones as a status symbol ran out of money and the people who are advanced users are sticking with their old phones that are simply better until planned obsolescence forces them to buy another older model.
I haven’t felt the headphone jack removal as much as I thought I would, though I’ve had a few sets of Bluetooth headphones for traveling since about 2014 or so
