California Streaming - September 14th event (1 Viewer)

[ManW_TheUncool]

Wow, Dave, that is an excellent find.

I am assuming that is the very reason why there is an extra payment here.

Great find. I have been simmering over that extra charge thinking it was just another means to nickel-and-dime customers.

Still seems a bit nickel-and-diming though... considering the program already seems much more costly (including the AppleCare+ requirement) than just doing normal trade-ins (and buying phones via some other means).

IF the Apple Card payment plan (which nets you 3% cashback) or similar wouldn't allow early pay-off and I still want the freedom to upgrade early, I'd probably just not bother w/ a payment plan at all -- I didn't bother w/ the last couple phones we bought... though they weren't the flagship models. The normal Apple trade-in value seems a lot better than what you're getting w/ the upgrade program...

_Man_

 

[DaveF]

Still seems a bit nickel-and-diming though... considering the program already seems much more costly (including the AppleCare+ requirement) than just doing normal trade-ins (and buying phones via some other means).

IF the Apple Card payment plan (which nets you 3% cashback) or similar wouldn't allow early pay-off and I still want the freedom to upgrade early, I'd probably just not bother w/ a payment plan at all -- I didn't bother w/ the last couple phones we bought... though they weren't the flagship models. The normal Apple trade-in value seems a lot better than what you're getting w/ the upgrade program...

_Man_

It’s not nickel and dimeing, insofar it’s the simple terms of the plan: 12 months payments then new phone and 12 more months payments. Etc

But it’s lousy of Apple not to alert buyers that, hey, the “annual” cycle is off a month, maybe way a month if you don’t want to be double billed a month on this purchase.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

It’s not nickel and dimeing, insofar it’s the simple terms of the plan: 12 months payments then new phone and 12 more months payments. Etc

But it’s lousy of Apple not to alert buyers that, hey, the “annual” cycle is off a month, maybe way a month if you don’t want to be double billed a month on this purchase.

Depends on how one looks at it.

They could also simply not still make you pay for something they're actually (presumably) getting back from you a month earlier. It's not as if you get to hold onto the old phone that extra month to use afterall... unless I'm mistaken about that...

The main point of the upgrade program seems to be to allow customers to upgrade as soon as a new model year phone is released, so why not simply let them do so w/out this extra stipulation/gotcha? It's not like these customers aren't already having to pay an apparently substantial premium for the privilege afterall...

And if/when Apple's late in releasing a new phone (like last year), they're not somehow gonna make up for that fact in reciprocal fashion, right? Between last year and this, they've essentially generated an extra month's payments from all these customers out of nothing but their to-and-fro shift in release schedule.

_Man_

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I'll say this. IF only Verizon (or probably any telecom carriers) operated in manner 10% as customer-friendly as Apple...

Adding a new line (w/out buying a phone from them) to our family plan for our youngest has been a real pain. It's almost like Verizon doesn't want me to pay them another ~$25/month to use their infrastructure at no meaningful extra cost nor effort to them, LOL.

Their online chat support, especially during off-hours has to be the worst of late. Seems like it used to be better, but maybe it's gotten waaaay worse due in part to this pandemic. I ended up having to make 2-plus trips to my closest corporate store to finally get a new line added properly due to their online sales and support mess-up -- they apparently somehow sent me a new SIM card w/out the actual new line info on it... and originally indicated to me I didn't even need to wait for a new SIM card to be shipped... and of course, they wasted (much of) a few hours of my time not figuring out what went wrong...

Only good thing was the local corporate store rep was able to get me a better, easier-to-remember phone number afterall, which I did really want, but they're probably gonna insist on charging me an activation fee since I did it at the store instead of automatically/online...

_Man_

Speaking of nickel-and-diming, those Vz bastards are apparently charging me ~$9.70 in surcharges+taxes+fees for the $35 activation! And of course, they also wanna charge me $15 (plus whatever surcharges+taxes+fees!) for changing the line number for the new line to something I'd actually want too (although I was also supposedly given a pretty good line number in the original order that was never properly completed)... and they didn't make clear that would be the case at all even though I'm pretty sure I asked about fees -- and of course, they told me I can always come back to change it again if want. And then, they didn't bother to cancel the old/original order either until I wasted more time getting on their case about that...

Grrrr... I suppose at least we got a new line number that we like even better (because it's definitely very easy to remember)...

_Man_

 

[DaveF]

I got my iPhone 13 case. Now I just need an iPhone 13.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I got my iPhone 13 case. Now I just need an iPhone 13.

Which case did you end up buying?

Yeah, Friday can't come fast enough.

And neither can 4-5 more weeks when I will have a MacBook Pro in my hands but that's another thread...

 

[DaveF]

Which case did you end up buying?

Yeah, Friday can't come fast enough.

And neither can 4-5 more weeks when I will have a MacBook Pro in my hands but that's another thread...

The Apple clear case.

I’m literally taxiing on the runway home after 10 days away from home. I might have energy to think about alternate cases this weekend.

I’m curious how Sam thinks about his Spigen case. It looks good. But reviews critique its too-flush volume buttons, which I think could bother me.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

The Apple clear case.

I’m literally taxiing on the runway home after 10 days away from home. I might have energy to think about alternate cases this weekend.

I’m curious how Sam thinks about his Spigen case. It looks good. But reviews critique its too-flush volume buttons, which I think could bother me.

Welcome home, Dave!

I'll let you know what I think about my Caudab Sheath once I get it which will be a few days to a week post receiving the phone.

 

[Sam Posten]

Shipped

 

[Sam Posten]

How Apple built the iPhone 13's Cinematic Mode | TechCrunch

The Cinematic Mode on the iPhone 13 Pro models had a marquee spot in Apple’s presentation about the devices last week. The reviews so far this week have

techcrunch.com

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Shipped

Sam, are you picking yours up tomorrow at UPS or waiting for home delivery?

UPS used to allow you to divert the delivery to one of their stores or processing plants for pickup at no charge.

Within the past year they now tack on a $5 fee to do that.

I complained loudly and got an offer from someone who works at the plant to call her when I want my package held for pickup.

Still deciding if I want to pick it up at 9am or wait for 7pm delivery.

 

[Sam Posten]

Home delivery. I’ll be here all day

 

[DaveF]

Shipped, due tomorrow. I'm taking the day off and will be home. (Not taking the day off for iPhone, but it works out well. )

 

[Sam Posten]

This is how I’ve rolled last two years!

 

[DaveF]

I think that’s what I did last time (four years ago)

Good to know, since I do this infrequently.

I’ve got about a bazillion reviews and how-to’s to starting reading this weekend when I‘ve got my phone in hand.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Just noticed my shipment is coming from China (and cleared customs just fine... back on Tues). Hadn't realize it'd come directly from (a factory/warehouse in) China, but I guess that's common enough for new product launches nowadays...

_Man_

 

[DaveF]

Estimated delivery
Friday, September 24 by 7:00 P.M.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Estimated delivery
Friday, September 24 by 7:00 P.M.

Me too, Dave. I chose not to pick it up this morning

Just noticed my shipment is coming from China (and cleared customs just fine... back on Tues). Hadn't realize it'd come directly from (a factory/warehouse in) China, but I guess that's common enough for new product launches nowadays...

_Man_

I am used to seeing exactly that and I always get my order on launch day.

 

[DaveF]

Me too, Dave. I chose not to pick it up this morning



I am used to seeing exactly that and I always get my order on launch day.

I know you mentioned it earlier, but I never saw or was offered an opportunity to pick it up direct from UPS. But practically, I wouldn't have taken that if it required being somewhere at 7am this morning.

 

[DaveF]

So here I am, patiently waiting, composure in abundance.