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T-Mobile, AT&T oppose unlocking rule, claim locked phones are good for users

(arstechnica.com)
197 points LorenDB | 1 comments | 21 Oct 24 20:31 UTC | HN request time: 0.204s | source
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tptacek ◴[21 Oct 24 21:11 UTC] No.41908565[source]▶
This is a good way for Ars to generate clicks and a more honest headline probably wouldn't move the needle much, but it's worth being clear for HN that the objection here is not that locked phones are good for consumers, but that the subsidization deals locked phones enable are.
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nothercastle ◴[21 Oct 24 21:27 UTC] No.41908679[source]▶
They aren’t though. Subsidized phones are like monthly car payments drive up costs and are targeted at people bad at math.

If consumers paid out of pocket for their phones then they would be more picky about upgrading and plan prices. It would also make upselling shitty plan features harder so the carriers would loose a lot of money.

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cmeacham98 ◴[21 Oct 24 21:35 UTC] No.41908766[source]▶
I would agree with you (financing small purchases like a phone is a bad idea and causes people to spend money they shouldn't), but that doesn't make the clickbait acceptable. Ars Technica should accurately report the claims of the telco industry.
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DaiPlusPlus ◴[21 Oct 24 21:39 UTC] No.41908799[source]▶
Most people don’t live in your affluent bubble where, apparently, a $500 to $2,000 expense is a “small purchase”.
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fragmede ◴[21 Oct 24 21:53 UTC] No.41908915[source]▶
compared to a car (medium) or house (large)?
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solardev ◴[21 Oct 24 21:55 UTC] No.41908937[source]▶
In my world, >$100 is a large purchase. A car is a huge purchase that happens maybe only 2-3x in a lifetime, and purchasing a house is something I hear about in history books, when apparently there used to be a middle class.
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1. johnnyanmac ◴[21 Oct 24 22:15 UTC] No.41909127[source]▶
I guess it will really depend on the user or need. I won't consider putting down a down payment for anything under 4 figures without some absolutely worthwhile plan (credit cards can do that for me at that range). At that point I need to weigh between if I really need it or not.

I even paid straight up for my current Laptop, some $2700. The only things in my life I threw a down payment on are furniture: my bed, my kitchen chair setup, and my patio furniture.