Apple Event 4am 14 Oct 2020

My FTTN isn’t too unreliable, I get an occasional drop out (maybe 1 or 2 a day?) but my sync speed is only 60MBps so the fastest plan I can use is 50/20 and I’d prefer something faster.

If 5G can eventually offer faster plans at similar cost to NBN fast plans (that I can’t get) then I’d certainly look at it.

I don’t need 5G, don’t even need 120MHz. I do need a smaller phone with a bigger screen and that seems to be the iPhone Mini. So I’ll need to sell my iPhone SE 2020. Jumped on that too fast. BUT… if there is no mini, I guess I will hang onto the SE.

NBN normally offer a Technology Choice Program where you can pay to get your property upgraded to FTTP. It is currently on hold until later this year due to recent NBN announcements. It can be pricey, but its a way to get a more reliable and faster connection. I am currently awaiting installation work to commence myself.
Obviously this isn’t an option for everyone due to price or maybe you’re renting, but thought I would mention it.

There was an article saying that the new SE could be delayed until 2022, can’t find the link right now sorry.

There will be a 5.4" mini, you will get confirmation of that in about 15-16 hours’ time. If you were to wait, a 2021 or 2022 iPhone mini with 3rd gen Touch ID would be a very nice smaller phone.

Not sure why anyone would believe a 3rd Gen SE would be released in 2021 given that the 1st Gen came out in 2016 and the 2nd Gen just a few months ago

Ooooh, yes it would. OTOH I could be dead by then. I’ll see what they have to say tomorrow morning. I won’t be getting up for it, though I’ve been sleeping so poorly of late, its entirely possible (probable) that I will be awake, anyway.

I believe what @Geoff3DMN has read is about the iPhone SE Plus, which will supposedly be a bigger screen version of the SE, but with Touch ID in the power button, or alternatively will just be a spec bumped version of the iPhone 8 Plus, similar how the SE 2 is a spec bumped version of the iPhone 8.

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I guess Apple is being hammered at the moment. Its a bit hard to reach the website. I did get a short glance, was looking at the iPhone 12 mini. Was interested… but really… Can’t justify the spend, so its back to the drawing board on that matter.

Homepod Mini though, I think I will indulge at $149.

Damn! Woke this morning hoping to order my new Pro, I have to wait a few more days, damn! :slightly_smiling_face:

Pro vs Pro Max - thoughts on the size?

Apple not including the rumoured sturdier braided power cable is very disappointing but on brand for a company that has never placed any value on cable durability.

Looks like the price of the power adapter has been reduced by 33% around the world. The Apple 18W USB-C adapter was $45 here, the new 20W is $29. In the US, was $29 now $19. Same on other countries’ Apple websites that I’ve checked.

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When I bought my iPhone Xr (6.06" screen) two years ago it cost me $1129 (with a power adaptor and ear pods), when I bought my SO’s iPhone earlier this year 11 (6.1" screen) it cost $1179 (with a power adaptor and ear pods) but to buy an iPhone 12 128Gb (6.1" screen) is $1429 (without power adaptor or ear pods so really it’s plus $29 plus $29 for a total of $1489) comparing err… Apples with Apples :laughing:

And it’s only $1629 for a 128Gb iPhone 12 Pro (6.1" screen) which makes the non pro range less attractive from a pricing perspective (which might well be Apples end game, the Xr and the 11 were big sales successes but maybe Apple want to push sales towards the pro range and more profit).

Never the less that’s a big jump in price to absorb from a consumer point of view, I had to stretch to reach the price point for the Xr and the 11, I’m just going to have to accept that the new 12 is out of my price range. Guess I’m keeping my Xr for a while…

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I wish companies like Apple would make it a priority to keep prices down. The way things are tracking, in a few short years a top of the range phone will cost $2500-$3000 :roll_eyes:

Some observations:

  • looks like they have stopped with their stupid marketing spiels about battery power which began with the iPhone 7 “up to 2.0 hours more than the iPhone 6s”. The last model to do this was the iPhone SE 2nd Gen “about the same as the iPhone 8”.
  • it would also appear that they have stopped with the ridiculous skipping of capacities, eg. 32 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB. Hopefully that never returns.
  • as I already mentioned, the cost of the power adapter has decreased 35% ($45 to $29)
  • the price of (3.5mm / lightning) has also decreased 35% ($45 to $29)
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I agree, I guess since I’m retired I’m no longer part of Apple’s sales demographic.

I’ll have a look at the 2022 SE2 if and when it arrives (depends upon the size of the screen though, I don’t want a small 4.7" screen). I am ok with the lower resolution of the Xr (doesn’t bother me) but I want something around 6" in screen size. And updated Xr with the same screen and a 2022 processor would work for an SE2 for me.

But if Apple don’t have a suitable phone in my price range in 12 months then I guess I’ll be switching to Android; Google sell their Pixel 5 at $999 AU which is good value, I don’t really want to swap away from iOS but I’ve got a budget shrug (any more than I wanted to stop using Apple laptops).

Still got my iPad I guess… unless Apple drop the entry level iPad at some point.

I’m weak. Looking at iPhone 12 again, the standard and the pro. Seems like the main specs differences between them are size/price and camera. Do I need to have telephoto in the phone camera. Probably not unless I am going to sell off some existing cameras. Maybe I will… which would help pay for the new phone, eventually. One thing I wont be doing this year is pre-ordering.

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My wife is in the “I would like a smaller phone” crowd. The XR was only slightly larger than her 6S and the 12 mini looks like it nicely fills that gap between the increased sizes that the 6 introduced and the iPhone 5. At $1,279 for the 128GB version it’s not exactly “cheap” but it’s also the cheapest option from the new phones and to me really highlights just how much of a bargain the current SE is (as long as you don’t want FaceID).

For a size comparison the Mini looks like it’s going to hit a really nice sweet spot.

iPhone 5 - 123.8 mm x H 58.6 mm x W 7.6 mm D - 112g - 4" Screen
iPhone 12 Mini - 131.5 mm x H 64.2 mm x W 7.4 mm D - 133g - 5.4" screen
iPhone 6S - 138.3 mm x H 67.1 mm x W 7.1 mm D - 143g - 4.7" Screen
iPhone XS - 143.6 mm x H 70.9 mm x W 7.7 mm D - 177g - 5.8" Screen

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My lease contract expires in 3 weeks, my original plan was to return the phone to Telstra and get an iPhone 12. My current thinking though is that I will stick with my XS which means I need to find out how much I need to pay to buy out the phone, and then see what cheaper plan I can get. There is little in the 12 that is compelling enough for me to upgrade. The cameras do not interest me, neither does 5G or MagSafe. I want Touch ID and ideally for the notch to go or be reduced. USB-C would be nice but maybe Apple will go from lightning to no port at all.

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I’ll be very interested to hear what they want for the phone? Was the XS the first time they offered leasing? I’ve opted to pay the extra ~$10 / month to ensure I own the phone at the end. While this is mostly because we play the hand-me-down game in our house now, I also figure that you should pretty easily be able to sell a two-year-old iPhone for >$240

So theoretically a buy out of $240 is break-even for the carrier (compared to a user who bought the phone), less and it’s a great deal for you, more and you’d have to weigh up what it’s really worth. Gumtree and eBay (in the 30 seconds I just looked) have some listed down to around $450 (for a 64GB) although most seem to be in the $600+ range.

I wish it was easy to navigate through Telstra’s stupid series of bots. I’d rather just get a straight answer to a simple question from an actual human.

I had an iPhone X on lease, then gave it back after 12 months and upgraded to the XS. Not sure when Telstra first offered leasing (maybe 2016/2017?), and it wasn’t just for iPhones. They stopped offering lease plans in June 2019.

I really hate the hassle of having to sell stuff, it’s just not my thing so leasing suited me well. My Mum has my old 6S and that will probably suffice her for the foreseeable future. I could hand down the XS now or in 12 or 24 months time, or I could just sell it.

I never liked that they didn’t state upfront what the cost was going to be to buy out a lease. But I get that it’s much easier to hand one back than it is to worry about selling.

Back when phones used to be cheaper and I was buying them outright I would sell my old ones through here for what I felt was a reasonable cost (which was usually just less than most people were asking) so it was nice and simple. I ended up selling to the same person a few years running too including one year I was contacted prior to even listing the old one! So very easy for me!

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