Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

Checked out the specs on the new iPhone Xr - $749,00 cash price seems reasonable less $295 for trade in of my 7+.  That’s a net of about $450 + tax + Applecare + glass screen saver + case.  So I estimate the final cost to be about $710.

I usually get a new iPhone every two years.  This Xr might be more than I need or will ever use.

I will weigh the pros and cons and make a decision next month.  I will want to feel it and play with it when it comes in to the Apple Store 10/27/18.

My wife has an iPhone and I have a Galaxy. My wife is interested in upgrading but I firmly stated that since both of our phones are fully operational and in good condition that we will definitely not be upgrading anytime soon.

She'll likely get a new iPhone right after Thanksgiving. 

dino001

I'm not offended by starting prices of those iPhones. They are generally in line with other flagships and wannabes (at least on the list price level). However, charging $150 and $350 extra those higher storage models is a true highway robbery with an insult for good bye. Those things cost Apple probably somewhere around 10 bucks, maybe a little more. I just saw Best Buy 1 TB (!) solid state drive sale for less than $200 (starting list price was of course around $400, still not a fortune, considering how much those things used to cost). That includes the board, case, connectors, box and cost of retailing the item (imagine volume discounts on that).

Apple is charging same price on storage upgrades, as they did when those NaND chips cost 10 times as they do today. That is truly insulting to its customers, but they get away with that. Unfortunately, I'm one of those suckers, who ends up paying up for that and while I understood it five years ago, today I'm less and less happy about it. I may still end up paying up again. I want my music be stored in high quality format (lossless compression), which is around 10 MB per file, as I can't stand listening to lossy compressed files (mp3, mp4). It adds up to me needing about 100 GB, or having to cut my library on the base 64 GB model. I hate this.

28firefighter

I find it absolutely insane that the $999 iPhone XS doesn't come with a minimum of 128 GB of storage for that price.

nyccarguy

iPHONE 6 PLUS still working

28firefighter

My wife's 6 Plus gave up the ghost early this year, but that has more to do with the fact that she dropped and shattered it. Details.

dino001

imidazol97 said:

I can't believe an IPhone 7 should be unusable. Is this related to the battery slowdown Apple admitted to a year ago and offered a replacement battery at a moderate price?

Not sure what you mean by unusable. My mother is still using my old iPhone 6 and it's just fine for her. She didn't even change that battery, something I may actually take care when she comes and visits me. The software is showing the battery is still fine. The whole slowing down issue was more public relations problem than actual issue. Apple made a change to protect the phones from powering down when battery is weak and the demand is spiking. The problem is they only told that once in the update description that nobody, reads of course. So, to console the angry mob, they offered cheap battery replacement. I bet it will expire and they will not extend it. I think they should, but they are used to charging people whatever pops to their heads and getting away with it, so why should they suddenly volunteer charging less (see my post above about the NaND chips)?

dino001

28firefighter said:

I find it absolutely insane that the $999 iPhone XS doesn't come with a minimum of 128 GB of storage for that price.

Now it doesn't even have a stupid jack dongle anymore and it still comes with 5W adapter. That's another part that I think is offensive.

dino001

Speaking about those designs and pricing of items, I just discovered something that really shattered my sense of engineer's pride of their work. My 4-month LG dishwasher stopped working. The guy came and opened it, it's the control circuit board. OK, happens, not great, but those things somethings burn out in their early usage. That's what warranties are for.

However, as he was opening the control compartment, the guy mentioned that those dishwashers with top control panels often short, as water can enter there from the spills on the counter. Mine was clean inside, so no water - however, I discovered the compartment, where all the electronics are placed is NOT SEALED!!!. This is ridiculous. So there is seal and protection from water inside the dishwasher, but when it comes to counter spills, you are completely on your own. Considering most dishwashers are positioned next to the sink, this is totally outrageous.

I'm sure it's not unique to LG, I'm sure everybody does that. As the guy said, the issue is common to all those with top controls, which today is majority, as they are considered better fashion than front controlled, why I don't know I guess women of the house decided that's nicer. So all of those better ones, with more features also come with controls up top.

I'm truly disappointed in my fellow appliance engineers.

driver100

thebean said:

driver100 said:

Mike: The guy looks at me and says, “...sue me!” The security officer insisted that the car be moved immediately. This guy told the security officer to f...off! Now, five more mourners come down to the parking lot and started cursing me out because I had called security on them.

This did not end peacefully! The man who owned the car finally moved it and said I was an insensitive SOB. Further, that I had some nerve causing this confrontation during visitation of the mourners.

And you are the insensitive SOB!

Driver, are you serious with this comment, or are you bring facetious? Just curious.

Facetious of course......I guess it is in how it is actually said, as in "And YOU are the insensitive SOB"(not them, for lashing out with their ignorant comments)"

driver100

ab348 said:

thebean said:

driver100 said:

Mike: The guy looks at me and says, “...sue me!” The security officer insisted that the car be moved immediately. This guy told the security officer to f...off! Now, five more mourners come down to the parking lot and started cursing me out because I had called security on them.

This did not end peacefully! The man who owned the car finally moved it and said I was an insensitive SOB. Further, that I had some nerve causing this confrontation during visitation of the mourners.

And you are the insensitive SOB!

Driver, are you serious with this comment, or are you bring facetious? Just curious.

I can't speak for driver but I think he meant the ending punctuation to be a question mark, meaning it was the driver of the car who was that person.

YES???????

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Well folks, I'm now going to be @jmonroe1 all the time.

I just tried to sign in on my PC and there was a glitch (got the Howdy Stranger page). I knew this was going to happen sometime and even mentioned it when a lot of us were having our problems with the new system. If you guys remember or even cared, I was @jmonroe on my PC and @jmonroe1 on my phone. Well not anymore. Get used to it. :@ :@

jmonroe

Can we vote whether to accept jmonroe1 as a member?

While you were out a vote was taken and I'm in. Just one problem, we now have one too many members and someone has to go. Stick around for the next vote, you'll never guess whose name was mentioned the most often as the one to be whacked.

jmonroe

I think the one who has only contributed 58 posts should be the one to be whacked!
I have earned my right to stay.

thebean

Thanks for the clarification, driver. I thought you wouldn't be bashing mike, but thought you might have had a bad day on the pickleball courts.

Mr_Shiftright

oldfarmer50 said:

thebean said:

Interesting thoughts by everyone, especially @ab348 in that people have no problem identifying as "poor" to get free things. I don't have a problem with free or subsidized school lunches. But, here in Dallas, they are starting to push to provide free breakfasts also and a free meal before the child leaves school in the late afternoon. What kind of motivation does that give a parent to provide for their children when three meals are provided if they ask and meet some sort of loose guideline? I don't understand it, really.

I apologize if I'm running this into the ground. I'll be quiet about it now.

Speaking as an ex-social worker the question of who is the "deserving poor" has been debated for over a hundred years. I personally raised a family, built a house and saved money for the kids' education while making as little as $12k a year. We never took free lunches even though the income limit was $70,000.

How did we do it? As Fintail suggested, we worked three jobs and bootstrapped it.. Didn't take vacations and drove junkers. Was it easy? Heck no. But our kids never went hungry, always had school supplies and I hope learned the value of work. I'm not saying that some folks don't need the help but some are using a system designed by corrupt vote buying politicians to get a freed ride.

The problem is that there is no easy way to weed out deserving and undeserving people.

Some people just seem to have bad luck. I knew someone like that. His luck was so bad you really got to the point where you didn't want to even be standing next to him. It was very disturbing in a way. He almost seemed cursed, and I don't even believe in that stuff.

suydam

28firefighter said:

I'm having difficulty justifying $1149 for the 256GB iPhone XS, which is what I would get. I'm holding out hope that iOS 12 helps deal with a lot of the issues I have with my iPhone 7 (not optimistic).

Despite what it may look like on CCBA I've been working to simplify our monthly outlay to put towards Sam's college and the idea of paying $1149 for a new phone doesn't really appeal right now. But at it's current pace, my iPhone 7 will be virtually unusable by Christmas.

I have an iPhone 6 working just fine. Never replaced the battery. I like the smaller size. I would like a better camera, but not enough to spring for a new phone. I don’t quite get how it works without a home button, but Apple is always inventing new cool tech, which everyone else copies,and then discarding it for even more advanced tech. Anyone seen a CD slot on an Apple laptop recently? !

thebean

Can anyone beat still using a 5S? I seldom use my phone, so old tech still suffices. Since I got an iPad, I hardly ever access the web from my phone.

stickguy

You look at it instead and it reads your eyes to unlock. Seems really strange. And not user friendly.

ab348

thebean said:

Can anyone beat still using a 5S? I seldom use my phone, so old tech still suffices. Since I got an iPad, I hardly ever access the web from my phone.

Up until a couple of months ago I was on a 5 from 2012. I'm like you and don't use it much but I started to notice it was slow on the things I do use it for aside from calls. Since I got the 7 I am astounded at how much faster it is.

jmonroe1

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

Checked out the specs on the new iPhone Xr - $749,00 cash price seems reasonable less $295 for trade in of my 7+.  That’s a net of about $450 + tax + Applecare + glass screen saver + case.  So I estimate the final cost to be about $710.

I usually get a new iPhone every two years.  This Xr might be more than I need or will ever use.

I will weigh the pros and cons and make a decision next month.  I will want to feel it and play with it when it comes in to the Apple Store 10/27/18.

My wife has an iPhone and I have a Galaxy. My wife is interested in upgrading but I firmly stated that since both of our phones are fully operational and in good condition that we will definitely not be upgrading anytime soon.

She'll likely get a new iPhone right after Thanksgiving. 

That's what I like...a guy that knows how to put his foot down, if only for a few months.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

thebean said:

driver100 said:

Mike: The guy looks at me and says, “...sue me!” The security officer insisted that the car be moved immediately. This guy told the security officer to f...off! Now, five more mourners come down to the parking lot and started cursing me out because I had called security on them.

This did not end peacefully! The man who owned the car finally moved it and said I was an insensitive SOB. Further, that I had some nerve causing this confrontation during visitation of the mourners.

And you are the insensitive SOB!

Driver, are you serious with this comment, or are you bring facetious? Just curious.

I can't speak for driver but I think he meant the ending punctuation to be a question mark, meaning it was the driver of the car who was that person.

@ab348, doesn't it bother you just a little bit that you understand @driver100.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Well folks, I'm now going to be @jmonroe1 all the time.

I just tried to sign in on my PC and there was a glitch (got the Howdy Stranger page). I knew this was going to happen sometime and even mentioned it when a lot of us were having our problems with the new system. If you guys remember or even cared, I was @jmonroe on my PC and @jmonroe1 on my phone. Well not anymore. Get used to it. :@ :@

jmonroe

Can we vote whether to accept jmonroe1 as a member?

While you were out a vote was taken and I'm in. Just one problem, we now have one too many members and someone has to go. Stick around for the next vote, you'll never guess whose name was mentioned the most often as the one to be whacked.

jmonroe

I think the one who has only contributed 58 posts should be the one to be whacked!
I have earned my right to stay.

There you go again with totally illogical thinking.

jmonroe

ab348

jmonroe1 said:

@ab348, doesn't it bother you just a little bit that you understand @driver100.

jmonroe

You have to know your enemy understand all different types of personalities to be a good forums member.

berri

Say Abacomike, I've been meaning to ask you if your handle "abaco' reflects a fondness for the Bahama's? If that's the case, I'm thinking "Bahama Mike" might work better with all those single ladies around you

imidazol97

I think the "A" in abacomike keeps him at the top of the list alphabetically in their little black books. That's better than being a "B."

thebean

I seem to recall that Abaco is the street that our Mike lives on in that Florida.

abacomike

berri said:

Say Abacomike, I've been meaning to ask you if your handle "abaco' reflects a fondness for the Bahama's? If that's the case, I'm thinking "Bahama Mike" might work better with all those single ladies around you

Most of the guys here know the derivation of my handle, berri.  They found out the rationale behind my handle when my condo village was hit with a tornado a couple of years ago.  Live broadcasts from my village ended up on all cable and network news reports. 

abacomike

thebean said:

I seem to recall that Abaco is the street that our Mike lives on in that Florida.

Right you are, bean!  All the villages in my huge condo development are named after Islands in the Bahamas, the West Indies, the Caribbean, etc. 

jmonroe1

thebean said:

Can anyone beat still using a 5S? I seldom use my phone, so old tech still suffices. Since I got an iPad, I hardly ever access the web from my phone.

I don't know if I can beat it but Mrs. j and I have a Samsung Galaxy S3. They have to be at least 5 years old so they were paid off long ago. We are on Son #1's plan now (started off with our own plan with Son # 2 and his wife) and now pay $55 a month for service for both phones with unlimited data. I don't live with a phone in my hand so it is still good enough for me. I post here from it sometimes but Mrs. j only uses hers for making phone calls which is not more that 10 times a month, if I had to guess. So for us to have more and pay more doesn't make sense, so far.

FWIW, with all this phone talk I remembered that our batteries don't hold a charge like they used to, so I just bought 2 new Samsung batteries on eBay for $9.98 total.

Thanks for all this phone talk guys, without it I would have forgotten about getting new batteries. This months dues was worth it just for that.

jmonroe

imidazol97

jmonroe1 said:

Thanks for all this phone talk guys, without it I would have forgotten about getting new batteries. This months dues was worth it just for that.

jmonroe

I'm confused about which personality is doing the posting. The signature says "jmonroe" but the byline says Jmonroe1.

jmonroe1

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Thanks for all this phone talk guys, without it I would have forgotten about getting new batteries. This months dues was worth it just for that.

jmonroe

I'm confused about which personality is doing the posting. The signature says "jmonroe" but the byline says Jmonroe1.

Since they look and think so much the same, consider them equals.

jmonroe

sda

jmonroe1 said:

thebean said:

Can anyone beat still using a 5S? I seldom use my phone, so old tech still suffices. Since I got an iPad, I hardly ever access the web from my phone.

I don't know if I can beat it but Mrs. j and I have a Samsung Galaxy S3. They have to be at least 5 years old so they were paid off long ago. We are on Son #1's plan now (started off with our own plan with Son # 2 and his wife) and now pay $55 a month for service for both phones with unlimited data. I don't live with a phone in my hand so it is still good enough for me. I post here from it sometimes but Mrs. j only uses hers for making phone calls which is not more that 10 times a month, if I had to guess. So for us to have more and pay more doesn't make sense, so far.

FWIW, with all this phone talk I remembered that our batteries don't hold a charge like they used to, so I just bought 2 new Samsung batteries on eBay for $9.98 total.

Thanks for all this phone talk guys, without it I would have forgotten about getting new batteries. This months dues was worth it just for that.

jmonroe

That's one thing I really miss, being able to easily and cheaply replace the battery in the phone. The current models are sealed and replacement can be complex and expensive.

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Well folks, I'm now going to be @jmonroe1 all the time.

I just tried to sign in on my PC and there was a glitch (got the Howdy Stranger page). I knew this was going to happen sometime and even mentioned it when a lot of us were having our problems with the new system. If you guys remember or even cared, I was @jmonroe on my PC and @jmonroe1 on my phone. Well not anymore. Get used to it. :@ :@

jmonroe

Can we vote whether to accept jmonroe1 as a member?

While you were out a vote was taken and I'm in. Just one problem, we now have one too many members and someone has to go. Stick around for the next vote, you'll never guess whose name was mentioned the most often as the one to be whacked.

jmonroe

I think the one who has only contributed 58 posts should be the one to be whacked!
I have earned my right to stay.

There you go again with totally illogical thinking.

jmonroe

I don't have to be logical....I wasn't an engineer. I think outside the box, in fact, I think outside this dimension.

driver100

One of the first books I sold when I started in the publishing biz...1976, was a book called Sybil. Here is the synopsis;
I have been lying in my pretense of them. In 1973, Flora Rheta Schreiber published Sybil: The True Story of a Woman Possessed by 16 Separate Personalities. The book sold 6 million copies and, in 1976, was made into a TV movie.
So far, JMonroe and JMonroe1 have exposed us to 2 separate and very different personalities, I wonder if he can top Sybil?

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Well folks, I'm now going to be @jmonroe1 all the time.

I just tried to sign in on my PC and there was a glitch (got the Howdy Stranger page). I knew this was going to happen sometime and even mentioned it when a lot of us were having our problems with the new system. If you guys remember or even cared, I was @jmonroe on my PC and @jmonroe1 on my phone. Well not anymore. Get used to it. :@ :@

jmonroe

Can we vote whether to accept jmonroe1 as a member?

While you were out a vote was taken and I'm in. Just one problem, we now have one too many members and someone has to go. Stick around for the next vote, you'll never guess whose name was mentioned the most often as the one to be whacked.

jmonroe

I think the one who has only contributed 58 posts should be the one to be whacked!
I have earned my right to stay.

There you go again with totally illogical thinking.

jmonroe

I don't have to be logical....I wasn't an engineer. I think outside the box, in fact, I think outside this dimension.

We were hoping that you would just THINK.

jmonroe

explorerx4

I prefer a long, intelligent, well constructed post to a large volume of short cut and paste gibberish.

berri

Are you referring to that old military "ready, fire, aim"

explorerx4

If you don't know what 'aim' means(it requires focus), the order doesn't matter too much.

berri

Maybe the old Barney Fife "one bullet" is best sometimes!

nyccarguy

The big reveal:

tjc78

Looks great.  Good call on the vinyl railings.  

roadburner

thebean said:

Can anyone beat still using a 5S? I seldom use my phone, so old tech still suffices. Since I got an iPad, I hardly ever access the web from my phone.

That's what I have.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

The big reveal:

Very nice!

berri

The railings do make it stand out

28firefighter

Looks great @nyccarguy!  Use it in good health!

tjc78

stickguy said:

You look at it instead and it reads your eyes to unlock. Seems really strange. And not user friendly.

You don’t have to do that.  My wife has an X.  Instead of the home button you just swipe up lightly from the bottom and enter your pin.  There is a little hash mark that shows on the screen where to swipe.   

I’m probably going to get a XS Max in a few months.   I’ve had this 7 plus for too long.  It will be a good spare or for the kids to play with at home on WiFi.  

explorerx4

@nyc,
Looks great!
There's a lot more area to clear of snow.

stickguy

but isn't the touch unlock gone, replaced by iris recognition? No way I am going back to entering the PIN!

tjc78

Yes, no touch unlock.  Either face or pin.  

I never had a pin until my employer put a new network policy hat forces you to enter a pin on your phone if you use the work email server. 

imidazol97

Nice looking deck. What is the floor made of? I like the lighter tone it has.

jmonroe1

@nyc, nice deck and you still have time to use it before Winter sets in. Just don't deep fry the bird on it.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

@nyc,
Looks great!
There's a lot more area to clear of snow.

I clear about 8 feet of mine every snowfall so I can grill some weiners even in the Winter.

jmonroe