Are these Early Upgrade Programs Legit?

many of you have been asking me to explain these new early upgrade programs. 

and naturally i'm glad to do so.

the most common question i receive is....

is this a scam?

the answer is No.....

before i do the math let me explain this.

in the world of technology....you get what you pay for!  yes, there are great deals out there, and these deals either cost you at the beginning...or at the end...bottom line is...they cost.

if you want to have the ability to upgrade every year, you are going to have to pay for it. OR keep with your two-year contract like most others.

so if you want to floss like a baws (boss)...you gotta pay the cost!.....

word.....

yeah i could have been a rapper.....

so lets get right to the math

now these upgrade programs differ from carrier to carrier, along with the math. i'm just using examples, so please keep in mind that these aren't official prices!

I'm going to be using a Samsung Galaxy S4 as my example purchase on a early upgrade program with AT&T

• AT&T. 

    with this company, (depending on your credit score of course), to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S4, there would be NO down payment required (in store), and you would proceed to pay  and estimated $27 to $32 monthly for 20 months (depending on how much the phone costs in store at the moment)
32 (example monthly cost) x 20 (months) = $540...Plus the cost of the phone service.

   So the average monthly cost for AT&T phone service is about $110 before taxes for a single line...taxes run about or around $11 extra....so that's about $121 monthly.
 in 20 months time the service is costing me about $2420.
now lets add the monthly installment for the phone itself which is $540.
it all equals $2960..

seems like a scam huh.

...Wait...

(and i made this mistake on PURPOSE)

..i thought with the early upgrade program, you get to upgrade every year instead of every 20 months!..

if you made that statement you are absolutely correct...

so lets redo this math...

      32(monthly costs) x 12(months via annual upgrade program) = $384
and naturally the cost of the service itself remains the same only on a 12 month scale
$121 (monthly service cost for a single line) x 12 (months) = $1452

all equaling a grand total of $1836...

think its still a scam.....

yes or no?

i say no..again.....

and here is why.....

       before these early upgrade programs existed....some companies like Verizon, for example, were allowing upgrades to take place for customers every 20 months, instead of every 24 months like the customers standard contract demanded, of course we all know when its time for your upgrade, you are allowed to purchase a new phone for a discounted price, and a 2 year extension to your contract. now what began to happen for Verizon, and what i think is the reason they stopped doing this, the company began to realize they were losing money.

think about it

(the following is an estimation!!)

      3 years ago. a Motorola droid phone costs about $549 retail
now the cost of service was about $100 (after taxes).
now i want you to realize that paying for the service and paying for the phone is NOT the same...the service provider pays retail for phones from the manufacturer (most likely at a deal but that's besides the point lol ). so lets look at the math

ill use Verizon as an example...

• Verizon Pays Motorola $549 for a Droid phone

• Verizon sells the phone to me (on a new contract deal) for $149 (holiday sale)

with a bout a $110 monthly service plan, (with an option to upgrade in 20 months)

• 18 or 19 months i get an advertisement from Verizon, to upgrade my phone (at full discounted price) and extend my contract 2 more years (with the same option to upgrade again in 20 months)

lets work

• Verizon pays $549

• I Pay Verizon $149 + 110(monthly service) x 20(months)

what i paid for the phone = $149

what i paid for service in 18 months = $1980

       now considering that Verizon payed Motorola full retail ($549 for just one phone)
lets take that away from what they received from me in services.....

1980-549=$1431

...looks okay huh....well not for the accounting department at Verizon Headquarters.

now  i said Verizon was losing money....

think of it like this....would you rather make $1980 every two years (18-24 month scale) or..$1836 every 10 months. and that's just in services.

     with the upgrade program Verizon has implemented they now make (off one person) about $2500 in 20 months in services PLUS the retail price of the phone....like a Galaxy Note 3 , which is about $750-$800, lets say $800 for a grand total of $3300..

the company makes more money....

the customer gets what they want, when they want it.....(annually of course)

Everyone wins..

Supposedly

but hey don't just take my word for it, feel free to do your own investigation, i cant turn up any scams, because i understand business, profit, and good ol' fashioned staying power.

maybe that's just me...

these have been your technological announcements for Monday October 28th, 2013

please govern yourselves accordingly.

remember i can always use suggestions and topics.

thanks for coming by and also remember to come back

Until Next Time....

AwkwardlyNormal

New Ipads!! and Other Stuff....

yes its that time of year that new iPads are announced. 

as you are aware, in my previous apple subject blogs..i've been less than impressed with the infamous company and their recent exploits. however.....with this recent presentation, i must admit. apple has managed to capture my attention once again.

lets start with the obvious

(these iPads DO NOT come with the fingerprint scanner)

The iPad Air (5th Generation)

       i'm going to give you the short version. its the same as the 4th generation iPad, except with the same A7 processor and 64bit chip that currently runs the iPhone5s, and it weights exactly 1 pound (for those who believe your iPad is too fat...). this new iPad also comes with the same retina display.

still no expandable memory.... but i digress.....

The iPad Mini.....now with retina display

         this is one of the products that caught my attention, given that i've played with the original iPad mini soon after its release, i was disappointed in the fact that it did not come with retina display on the first model. but now i can throw that complaint away, because this mini display is a complete beast like the ipad air, sporting a 2048x1536 resolution display, well above 1080p standards these days. this is a good move by apple, its showing,me at least, that they are still paying attention to the way things are going. maybe that's just me...they still have a long way to go and a short time to get there....also my opinion...

The iPad 2...

     yes that old bat is still kicking, being that it was so popular with users, even after the 3rd and 4th generation were released, i can completely understand why apple has kept it around.. bottom line...it makes money....more than other models...for the customers its cheaper than the best one out there

ill say it now and ill say it again.....

the one thing that is holding apple back in the tablet industry is their prices....

but that's another blog....be sure you come back for that one

The New Macbooks!

now its time to be impressed. 

       i have to admit....as an android user, connoisseur, and all around supporter, i have given apple an extremely hard time over their mobile device selection, and i do not apologize for it. it just seemed to be that they just couldn't keep up with the competition...

now...when it comes to laptops....and you are going to read this right...coming from an android user.....

APPLE REMAINS KING

revel in this statement.....go ahead....ill wait....

       

       the new macbook pro (13 and 15in) really needs no introduction, despite the one i gave regardless, and if you have owned one before you already know that the specifications really don't matter, and you already know that these laptops are worth the pretty penny you are most likely going to pay with that tax return next year anyway....

The Mac Pro

     again i could argue with you guys all day....but when it comes to desktop computers...there is nothing to report....Its better than good....you get what you pay for....honestly...

and trust me....if you want it....you are gonna pay!

maybe even your first born.....

but anyway

     but what really made my heart flutter was the company's software that was recently made to be free for all users!

      applications such as iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, Pages (for Word Processing), Numbers (for Spreadsheets), and Keynote (for presentations) are all now free for all users. no tricks, no gimmicks....supposedly.....

i mean who doesn't like free?

exactly.....

now to the nitty gritty....

you guessed it.....

wait for it

Prices

• The Old Faithful iPad 2 remains at $399 ( 16bg Wifi Version)
• The New iPad Air busts through the door at $499 (16 gb Wifi Version)
• The iPad Mini with Retina Display is also $399, with the original iPad mini still hangs around at $299
• The MacBook Pro 13in is $1299, cheaper than its predecessor...not that it matters much, The 15in variant $1999, also cheaper than its predecessor...again.....not that it matters much....
• The Mac Pro (desktop) comes in at a whopping $2999, definitely taking the cake for the desktop category...but...you wont be disappointed...broke maybe...but not disappointed 

    as much as i don't like to eat my words....i must fix myself a plate...i said that apple is going to go under.....but it definitely looks like someone is paying attention and taking steps to remain in business...and i have to keep this in mind...apple has branches in all forms of mobile technology, as well as domestic tech...phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. no company is perfect, and it takes money for things to happen. and naturally the competition can dampen these attempts to rise to success..

     with that being said, i'm going to lay off on the criticism on apple....for a while...

like every other company, there are trying to completely run the business, and i'm quite sure that the late Steve Jobs may not be happy with the company's current strides, he would most definitely be proud....

so i'm only going to say this once...

good job apple...

...............

these have been your technological announcements for Thursday October 24th, 2013

please govern yourselves accordingly

remember to comment and share..

i could always use suggestions, and i'm open to answering questions about anything you are interested in

until next time

thanks for stopping by

don't let this be your last time

AwkwardlyNormal

Google Devices!

otherwise known as nexus devices(phones/tablets).

       a lot of people are unaware about these devices and its quite understandable.

these phones aren't very impressive, as far as specifications go, but they have their advantages.

          one of these advantages, and possibly the most important, is the fact that these devices get android firmware updates directly from google!!!

         yes..you read that right! none of that waiting for updates to be approved with your specific carrier....no additional bloatware..no foreseeable bugs or defaults.....just a pure stock android experience straight from the top-dogs themselves. these updates come whenever google is ready for them to.

lets dive deeper into this shall we....

        for example, android 4.4 kitkat is rumored to be out October 15, 2013, alongside the new Nexus 5 device from google. when this update is released....all google nexus devices... (phones and tablets) will receive this update on that day

.......while other devices are waiting to get caught up to android 4.3 jellybean.....

        now, to get the purest of pure android experiences these devices are not carrier based.. (anymore). thanks to The Google Play Store, all nexus devices can be purchased from Google themselves. now these devices are unlocked...so which carrier you choose is entirely up to you!

           if you want a Google Nexus device the Nexus 4 (3g) is just $199 (but currently out of stock, being this close to the nexus 5 launch im not surprised at all) before that it was $299. it sold well along side the nexus 7 and 10 for a good while until phones like the note 2, Galaxy S4, and HTC One stepped on the scene.

       Speaking of the Galaxy S4 and HTC One.....

        these phone models have been adopted by Google and given the same pure android technology that the other Nexus Devices have. they may cost you a pretty penny in the Play Store,  but they are definitely guaranteed to give you the latest and greatest experience that android and Google have to offer. these phone models are also unlocked and are usable with any carrier.

what is there to worry about?

       if you just look at what is stated above,  you would think to your self..this is a pretty good deal, however.....

       with every seemingly good deal out there. there are some drawbacks as well.

first of which is the price...the galaxy S4 and Htc One are $649.

• yes, these phones are unlocked.
• yes, you have free choice or carriers.
• yes, even prepaid services are available
• yes, these phones have the latest and greatest specifications for 2013
• yes, these phones are very popular with consumers.

     but will these facts remain the same in 2016?....in 2015?...or even early 2014?

the answer is no. they will ? most certainly not.

      with technology growing like it is. buying an unlocked phone like this and paying full retail price for it seems....moot..to say the least. especially for those who like to participate in purchasing the newest and most impressive handsets out there....

now this just my thinking....

          I believe Google should try their hand in the Cell Phone Carrier Business....like Verizon and At&t...if Google were to become their own carrier, they could provide phones and tablets with stock android on a regular upgrading service. 

     possibly adding some incentives to sweeten the deal. a lot of people (mostly tech heads like myself ) complain about the specifications of their phone because of carrier bloatware (carrier specific applications on your phone that cannot be removed unless you do some serious hacking), and most people don't care because there aren't many other choices out there...if there were...people would flock uncontrollably to such variety...

October 15 is going to be a very promising day for android and Google.

Android 4.4 KitKat is sure to be a welcome update for android users.

im sure the new Nexus 5 will be a force in the technological world.

or Not...

time will tell

these have been your technological announcements for Thursday October 10, 2013. please govern yourselves accordingly. 

I could always use suggestions and topics

feel free to leave comments!

until next time

awkwardlynormal