Most Americans are used to spending $50 a month on an iPhone. This is the case with many wireless carriers when customers turn in an old iPhone and take a 24-month contract. The carrier makes money on the monthly fee and probably loses money on the iPhone. However, for people who want to buy an iPhone without a carrier, the number rises as high as $1,599. (Customers are abandoning these 25 brands.)
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The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max has a base price when not tethered to a carrier of $1,009. This model has 128 GB of storage. The model with 1 TB is priced at $1,599.
The storage level depends on use, according to DigiTrends. “The 1TB option may be ostentatious, but if you’re into videography, it isn’t a terrible option to have.” However, how many people shoot and store thousands of hours of video?
Among the reasons the iPhone has been so successful over several generations is that Apple has been able to sell millions of units to carriers. Carriers, in turn, use them as enticements to drag in new customers. This cycle has been particularly important as 5G service was introduced. For the first time in years, people had a reason to upgrade their phones. The advent of 5G service also triggered a price war among AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Low-priced iPhone plans became critical for these companies as a means to rob one another of customers.
Who will buy a $1,599 iPhone, with both massive storage and not linked to a carrier? Almost no one buys it, making the model the flagship of Apple’s flagship product.
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