Why are mobile phones so cheap these days?

[Bizmark13]

I remember my first phone back in the early 2000's which had no color screen, no camera, and cost about $150. It was difficult to find a phone under that price and very few sold for under $100. Now there's a store in my area selling phones with color screens and the cheapest one they have is selling for about $5. Normally they're a bit more expensive than that but it's still easy to find ones selling for $15 or less. You can also buy a smartphone for less than $50.

The cheapest laptops are only slightly cheaper now compared to back then (which seems to disprove the idea that Moore's law is the reason) and cars haven't changed in price at all since then so what the heck happened between 2000-2005 and now that made mobile phones get so damn cheap?

[sj2199]

it's good for us..

[Verrac]

Cars and computers are made to last for a long time. Phones, not so much... They're more designed to be disposable, probably because people tend to break or lose their phones a lot. Also, new phone models are made constantly, making older models get outdated fairly quickly. I think the strategy they have there is they want people to buy new phones for cheaper regularly rather than get one phone for a lot of money and use it for a decade. That's how I see it, at least. I'm no expert.

[zimmah]

I remember my first phone back in the early 2000's which had no color screen, no camera, and cost about $150. It was difficult to find a phone under that price and very few sold for under $100. Now there's a store in my area selling phones with color screens and the cheapest one they have is selling for about $5. Normally they're a bit more expensive than that but it's still easy to find ones selling for $15 or less. You can also buy a smartphone for less than $50.

The cheapest laptops are only slightly cheaper now compared to back then (which seems to disprove the idea that Moore's law is the reason) and cars haven't changed in price at all since then so what the heck happened between 2000-2005 and now that made mobile phones get so damn cheap?

Smaller and more powerful computer chips and more efficient production processes  that come with mass production.

Not that hard to figure out

Laptops are just overpriced today for whatever reason. Back in 2012 when I bought my laptop it was cheaper than a similar laptop would cost today. In 2 years I would expect a laptop of similar capabilities to be half the price I paid for it back then. This is not the case. I would rather ask why are laptops so expensive.

[DrG]

I remember my first phone back in the early 2000's which had no color screen, no camera, and cost about $150. It was difficult to find a phone under that price and very few sold for under $100. Now there's a store in my area selling phones with color screens and the cheapest one they have is selling for about $5. Normally they're a bit more expensive than that but it's still easy to find ones selling for $15 or less. You can also buy a smartphone for less than $50.

The cheapest laptops are only slightly cheaper now compared to back then (which seems to disprove the idea that Moore's law is the reason) and cars haven't changed in price at all since then so what the heck happened between 2000-2005 and now that made mobile phones get so damn cheap?

Smaller and more powerful computer chips and more efficient production processes  that come with mass production.

Not that hard to figure out

Laptops are just overpriced today for whatever reason. Back in 2012 when I bought my laptop it was cheaper than a similar laptop would cost today. In 2 years I would expect a laptop of similar capabilities to be half the price I paid for it back then. This is not the case. I would rather ask why are laptops so expensive.

probably because the economy of scale has shrunk.  Now it's become a niche instead of mainline - people buying tablets for $600 instead.

[Lethn]

It depends on which phones you're on about, iphones etc. are pretty damn expensive, but the basic thing is supply and demand, the western world has gotten so good at mass producing electronics that they can produce millions of chips and such at a moment's notice, you also have china who are pretty good at mass producing electronics even if they aren't great at designing their own stuff.

[Nik1ab]

Because most of the people producing the materials for them are being exploited or even forced to work at gunpoint.

[GoxTox??]

Lots of phone companies sell very cheap phones for next to nothing $10 etc because they make their money on you purchasing call time etc.

[Rapido]

I think because of competition between all the manufacturers, as more and more manufacturers enter the market, the prices become more competitive but i think there's a drawback to this because in order for some manufacturers to have lower prices they cut corners that affects the quality of their product.

[zimmah]

I remember my first phone back in the early 2000's which had no color screen, no camera, and cost about $150. It was difficult to find a phone under that price and very few sold for under $100. Now there's a store in my area selling phones with color screens and the cheapest one they have is selling for about $5. Normally they're a bit more expensive than that but it's still easy to find ones selling for $15 or less. You can also buy a smartphone for less than $50.

The cheapest laptops are only slightly cheaper now compared to back then (which seems to disprove the idea that Moore's law is the reason) and cars haven't changed in price at all since then so what the heck happened between 2000-2005 and now that made mobile phones get so damn cheap?

Smaller and more powerful computer chips and more efficient production processes  that come with mass production.

Not that hard to figure out

Laptops are just overpriced today for whatever reason. Back in 2012 when I bought my laptop it was cheaper than a similar laptop would cost today. In 2 years I would expect a laptop of similar capabilities to be half the price I paid for it back then. This is not the case. I would rather ask why are laptops so expensive.

probably because the economy of scale has shrunk.  Now it's become a niche instead of mainline - people buying tablets for $600 instead.

good point, even monitors are harder to get (not necessarily more expensive, just less choice). When I asked the storekeeper why the fuck there was so few choice in monitors he simply replied: "hardly anyone buys a computer anymore".

It's all tablets nowadays.

Personally i prefer having a desktop, laptop, a tablet and a phone. Because they all have advantages and disadvantages.

When i am at home i prefer my desktop for it's power and the fact that it has multiple very large monitors.

When i am outside i prefer my laptop for serious tasks (a desktop would be a little hard to carry), and for light tasks a tablet would be sufficient (and much lighter, plus the batteries hold out longer).

and for obvious reasons i would prefer communicating by phone over any other method.

But yeah, most people apparently prefer having just a tablet.

[dariuss]

So long story short, the manufacturing cost is super low with the growing consumers to change their phones every year.

That forces previous models at a super discount.

[1Referee]

So long story short, the manufacturing cost is super low with the growing consumers to change their phones every year.

That forces previous models at a super discount.

Can you ask Apple why their products only get more expensive instead of cheaper while they serve many many customers.

iPhone 5s 16GB €699 equals $953 that's just insane.

[CEG5952]

Mobile phone use growing en masse, cheaper manufacturing costs, planned obsolescence. Those pieces of crap they sell now aren't meant to last long, and you're supposed to buy another quite soon.

[acs267]

Mobile phone use growing en masse, cheaper manufacturing costs, planned obsolescence. Those pieces of crap they sell now aren't meant to last long, and you're supposed to buy another quite soon.

This pretty much sums up most of Apple's doing. A.K.A, the 'everyone has to have' iPhone, where most of the phone is indeed glass, so you can spill your guts breaking it.

I agree with you. I remember my dad having a Nokia for almost a decade, and it only broke last year due to it's cards getting fried after he'd spilled liquids on it for the 100th time.

[CEG5952]

Mobile phone use growing en masse, cheaper manufacturing costs, planned obsolescence. Those pieces of crap they sell now aren't meant to last long, and you're supposed to buy another quite soon.

This pretty much sums up most of Apple's doing. A.K.A, the 'everyone has to have' iPhone, where most of the phone is indeed glass, so you can spill your guts breaking it.

I agree with you. I remember my dad having a Nokia for almost a decade, and it only broke last year due to it's cards getting fried after he'd spilled liquids on it for the 100th time.

Personally, I am back to using the second phone I ever had, from 10 years ago, solid LG flip phone LOL. My phone broke recently and this thing has been through hell and back..... using it until I find a replacement. They don't make them like they used to.

[zimmah]

So long story short, the manufacturing cost is super low with the growing consumers to change their phones every year.

That forces previous models at a super discount.

Can you ask Apple why their products only get more expensive instead of cheaper while they serve many many customers.

iPhone 5s 16GB €699 equals $953 that's just insane.

Because there are still many idiots who buy crapple.

I absolutely hate that company their products are pretty shitty and their policy is way too restrictive, why can't I decide for my own what apps I install without having to jailbreak it?

Also the fact that they refuse to install SD cards so that they sell even more expensive versions with more storage is just pathetic. And the 3G capable iPads (that have a sim-card slot) do not support whatsapp either, ridiculous.

I own an ipad and an iPhone but I just got them handed down to me. I would never pay a single penny towards crapple products and it amazes me how a company with such policies and practices manages to get that popular.

[naypalm]

I can see this happening except it'll be landfills filled with smarthpones and tablets.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xwi4y_the-great-garbage-avalanche-of-2505_fun

[richard1990]

Could you tell me more please about that phones that are being sold for $5 ?!

[Velkro]

more usage, cheaper usage
75% people in da world uses cellphones, thats why its cheap now

[1Referee]

So long story short, the manufacturing cost is super low with the growing consumers to change their phones every year.

That forces previous models at a super discount.

Can you ask Apple why their products only get more expensive instead of cheaper while they serve many many customers.

iPhone 5s 16GB €699 equals $953 that's just insane.

Because there are still many idiots who buy crapple.

I absolutely hate that company their products are pretty shitty and their policy is way too restrictive, why can't I decide for my own what apps I install without having to jailbreak it?

Also the fact that they refuse to install SD cards so that they sell even more expensive versions with more storage is just pathetic. And the 3G capable iPads (that have a sim-card slot) do not support whatsapp either, ridiculous.

I own an ipad and an iPhone but I just got them handed down to me. I would never pay a single penny towards crapple products and it amazes me how a company with such policies and practices manages to get that popular.

Calm down, they charge an insane price for their iPhones yes, but their imac line, macbook, macpro is a fantastic piece of art.

No need to hate a certain company just because it doesn't suit you.

Their iPhone policy is ridiculous, over priced, future iphones only get more expensive instead of cheaper, etc. Not a good way of selling phones.

I have a Macbook pro with retina display, it cost a lot, but it's a joy to use, no laptop can come close to a macbook as in user experience and productivity.