Places and Things

For Bill Wilson, it's simple. He won't pay $1,000 for a smartphone. Period.  Wilson is in ample company. This week's earnings reports for Apple and Samsung both showed a clear trend: consumer resistance to the ever-growing high prices of premium smartphones.  from https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2019/08/03/consumers-tell-apple-and-samsung-no-thanks-to-1000-dollar-smartphones/1900716001/ https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/08/02/USAT/b8e39e8b-bdcd-40f4-9745-5c45947b6301-GettyImages-1031455680.jpg?width=580&height=326&fit=bounds&auto=webp

From long lines to no lines, people aren't buying into expensive X-series iPhones, consumers tell USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham. USA TODAY Apple has for years been a premium brand that rarely, if ever discounted products. Period.   from https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2018/12/29/did-apple-retail-prices-get-too-high-2018-consumers-say-way-yes/2432445002/ https://www.gannett-cdn.com/uxstatic/usatoday/usat-web-static-4130.0/images/sprites/icon_close.png

(Reuters) - Comcast Corp’s (CMCSA.O) quarterly profit and revenue topped Wall Street estimates on Thursday as it attracted more customers to its high-speed internet connections, offsetting a drop in cable TV subscribers that was also less severe than expected. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-comcast-results/comcast-adds-more-internet-subscribers-beats-profit-forecasts-idUSKCN1MZ1EP http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png