I am always curious to know how Muggers manage their money given they tend to purchase stuff at the higher end of the spectrum, judging by the Apple stuff they buy (of course) and the other related (and usually high end) stuff discussed in this forum. It is easy and quick to think that you guys are just rich and/or wealthy than the typical Juan. And maybe you are. But I'd like to think it's much more nuanced than that. I know money and finance tend to be a private and taboo subject but I hope this will open up *real* discussions about the decisions we make or should make – or when deciding not to buy – when consuming expensive Apple products and managing money in general. Also, let's try to stay away from the I-am-better-than-you, this-is-how-you-should-live-your-life and why-just-why posts (and if you are just that kind of person, just stay away from this thread entirely). Ok. Who wants to start?
Mm.....when it comes to Apple gadget purchases and others, specially headfi stuff, I am old-fashioned: if I have luho disposable income, or discretionary disposable, I purchase. If not, I save , wait and then purchase. No credit card purchase except when it is convenient to use and I always pay the entire balance within the billing period to avoid interest charges (really hate those). To answer the question, Formula is simple: income minus investment and retirement contributions/emergency funds = disposable income minus living expenses = luho disposable income. That becomes “fun money” for Apple gadgets and others. I am a fan of the now retired personal finance guru, Suzie Orman (CNBC). Her mantra: people first ,then money, then things. Very wise woman.
I’m a business owner. All purchases are business expense. I buy on a schedule. Buy a base model Mac or iPad once macOS and iPadOS support ends. Renew iPhone through postpaid plan.
I buy Apple products when I like the new models, or when it's time to replace one. But, not necessarily when it's broken, but feels outdated. Of course, if disposable income is available.
Nowadays, as a retiree, I have to save up and not use my pension un-wisely. Excess money will only come from dividends and increases but that could take months or even years. I sell off some of my items instead to earn money and use that to buy another. Same with purchasing Apple products. I don’t need their sentimental value anymore so I dispose of them and get a new one. So it’s sell-and-buy.
Same here. I'm conservative with debt. I don't buy on credit and dislike loans. I'd like to claim that I'm prudent with money, but then again I'm an Apple user, so I can't say that, can I?
I got a progressive foreign government to give me a grant. So now I have a $40,000 equipment budget to blow. Parang military budget; use it or you lose it. Typing this from a 16" MBP they bought for me. So I have four MBPs and two 12" iPad Pros, four still sealed. But for a foreigner to be awarded a grant, well, that's earned. Leonardo Di Caprio level. Mamili ka—Wolf of Wall Street, or Catch Me If You Can A PH telco's doing that too. Feeling national hero—Goyo!
In general, my apple stuff are business and productivity tools. It first starts with the Mac, which is a must for me at my work. No other laptop has the reliability, performance and service that I need, nothing comes close. This is why I upgrade approximately every 3 years as this is a business tool for me. And thus an iPhone. I don't get a brand new one every year. Also goes on a three year cycle. Since I own an iPhone and a Mac, an Apple Watch just makes sense, and since I'm in the ecosystem an AppleTV makes sense, though with newer TVs coming in that are smarter and have Airplay built in, it just reduced the need for one. Shifting to Android or Windows will seriously disrupt my workflow and my productivity, so that's no longer viable. Leo
Some apple products just won't die. so I don't really mind paying for them since they're built to last. I'm hardly an early adopter though, nor do I splurge for the heck of it. so I have fully functioning apple products dating back to 2009/2010 (2 ipod touch units) & an iphone 7 that I still use for my cars as portable music libraries/spotify/apple music. I have a 2012 MBP that I still regularly use. 2 iMacs from circa 2014 that are working perfectly fine. all three (3) I use for my hobbies.. I have a 2016 Macbook Air that I bring to the office everyday. a 2018 iPad (that my daughter decided not to use anymore so she gave it to me; I use it as a portable DJ controller) & a 2017 iPad mini that I won in a raffle & which I use to watch movies on occasion. somebody gave me an apple watch series 4 that I stopped using & gave to my wife. my daily phone is an iPhone X courtesy of Globe. most of my iphones are via the globe loyalty program. it just so happened that I won 2 iphones courtesy of the Philmug christmas raffle. (an iPhone 5 & an iPhone 6) so those are the exceptions. I use a 2018 Apple TV as an entertainment pod, to go along with an old Chromecast (given away by Globe).
In the end these are just computers that can be written off as business expenses. ordered 4 MBPs last December and got 3 iPhones Mac Pro 512s and a few IPad Pro 1tbs all to make abot the year end cut off for the financial year.
Based on my observation and analysis: Muggers are able to afford Apple gadgets because: : They own a business : Professional Practitioners [CPAs, doctors, lawyers, I.T., Engineers, photographers, media, etc] : Corporate Benefit [subsidies for telecom plan, car plan, fleet expense, etc] : Pre-retirement age [was able to save & invest early that enables them to enjoy the perks now] : Born with a silver spoon [hehe] You will have a full context when you already know the person behind those avatars. (^_^)
Apple products arent exactly cheap. If it were we'd have more members here. I've read industry shipment reports for smartphones, laptops & desktops for the Philippines and countries like the US. Having seen that I understand why we'd be one of the last ASEAN nations to get a Apple Inc-owned Apple Store. Back when we were very active in in-house video & photography we would be upgrading our Macs every 6-18 months. With how powerful Macs have become we have been stretch out the upgrades to 5-10 years. Next Mac desktop I'd buy would be 5 years from now.
The new office I will be working for (a post-retirement perk) will be buying 5-10 new Mac Pros upon my recommendation. It won’t be for any of those high-tech video, graphic art and photography works. It will cost nearly Php5Million plus another 5 to set this up. And that’s for this year alone. Eventually, it will muster around 30 Mac Pros for work that will protect, ehem, the cyberspace.
Apple is expensive = yes But name a cheaper alternative? You can't buy another device running iOS and MacOS... And you won't use a mid-ranger... so I guess buying expensive devices on a specific cycle is the new normal. Macs - planning is everything, we check how old is the current device (how long will Apple support it) and when to buy the next one... I also only buy during "back to school" so I get free Beats headphones. If Apple is taking more than a year to update a Mac (ehem remember the Air), then we wait... Other Apple stuff - I try to get from Duty Free or 3rd party resellers since they have better freebies iPhone (wife and daughter) - I buy a week upon the release of the new device, this gives me ample time to sell their 2 year old device which is not yet available in some markets (like Ph), its easier to sell and you get a better price too (based on experience, I normally see buyers from Vietnam and Cambodia)...
^Funny though that the new company I’d be working in would have enough funds for Mac Pros and yet would settle for Android smart phones. It seems most of the software needed for cyber security are only available in that form. That’s a bummer actually.
the only mac product that i really like and use to do my work is the macbook pro. i sold my unused stuff to fund half and the rest installment. for insurance, apple care and if there even gadget insurance to really make this investment worthwhile... if you can suggest
I agree with most of the comments that begin by saying Apple products are a bit of an extravagance. But there's also no denying their long-term value, both in reliability and in resale. To answer the question, I use my credit card's installment feature to buy my Apple products here in the Philippines. Sometimes I buy something in my travels and I use my credit card as well. I finance my purchases through my salary, as well as by selling the Apple product being replaced. If I could afford it I would buy every new Apple product that came out—save for the Mac Pro; really hard to justify that. The only professional thing I do is write and edit, and a MBA can do that. Heck, an iPad can.
^But have you seen one Mac Pro up close and personal? It’s a thing of beauty. Almost like selling your house, or buying a new one just to justify how much it costs. Sometimes, you’ll have to splurge on something you really want, or end up listless on sleepless nights thinking why you passed off on it. Because it isn’t about the money. It’s the urge that got us here. Consider confining in a monastery and shuck away all social interaction and you won’t have the urge to crave anything. Especially Apple.
If you're not buying an iPhone... You're probably buying a Galaxy S or Note Same with PCs and Tablets So basically, you are a person looking at a "certain price range" (same for clothes, accessories, cars etc) As for reliability - I guess depends on your luck, I've had my fair share of issues with Apple devices Resale - only for the iPhone, everything else (based on personal experience) will go to the gadget recycle bin.
Just like most people here, I started with Macs at work. Got hold of the very 1st iPhone since my team were the 1st people to handle tech support for those. I was able to treat my Apple compulsions through the work I used to do (e.g., tech support ops), making a business case that a MacBook Air was cheaper (it was at that time) and more reliable than a Dell for a daily office machine. That said, I don't buy most of my Apples and its peripherals out of pocket. Corp plans with Globe also took care of my iPhones. Since moving to a new country and working in a different industry, I no longer have those privileges anymore. I now have to pay for them myself and, that being said, I am now more deliberate in choosing which devices and services to splurge on. Which is actually a good thing. I am now looking into getting refurbished Macs for kids (I used to prefer top of line, brand new) for school. Their phones will be carrier-subsidized and don't necessarily have to be the latest and greatest. I only use an SE now and my MacBook Pro 2019, which I bought for myself through my severance, looks to be my only Mac for a long, long time.
