Lets be honest, no one really needs a 1,0. A thousand dollars could be a down payment on a car, a months rent, a few months of groceries or itll get you a smartphone. Guess how much that new i. Phone X costs I love tech as much as the next geek, but 1,0. Then again Im frugal. I like nice things but dont like spending extra money just for a name. For perspective, Ive never owned a pair of Jordans. These tables provide a comparison of operating systems, of computer devices, as listing general and technical information for a number of widely used and currently. Jason L Ward is a columnist at Windows Central. He provides unique big picture analysis of the complex world of Microsoft. Jason takes the small clues and gives you. But maybe you did, and maybe youre eying that 1. Phone X or Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Or perhaps youre anticipating what is sure to be an equally expensive Surface something from Microsoft if a device materializes. But do any of us really need to drop a grand on a smartphone or Microsofts potential ultramobile something How we use our smartphones. When considering a purchase, comparing the value a product will add to our lives, and its cost is wise. Subjective perceptions affect how we value possessions, but lets consider the practical value of how we use smartphones. Smartphones arent used for talking as often as the phones that preceded them were. In fact, actual phone use ranks below messaging, web surfing, social media and other activities that dominate smartphone usage. Furthermore, statistically we use only six core apps regularly. Smartphones are dead. So, an affordable dumb phone may not meet peoples needs. But the question for people prepping to plop rent money on a new i. Windows-XP-SP3-Free-Download1.jpg?f77121' alt='Unpatched Windows Xp Iso' title='Unpatched Windows Xp Iso' />Phone X is this is messaging, web surfing, social media activity and taking nice pictures worth 1. Could you get a smartphone that does all that and more for less Perhaps the smartphone you have in your hand right now you know the one you bought last year does all those things. Oh, I get it. Its not only about what the device does its about what it represents. Smartphones havent changed much. Technology is a never ending evolution of incremental advances that we love taking part in. Last years i. Phone 7 Plus was an i. Phone fans dream until this years i. Phone X. Similarly, for the Android fan, 2. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 never mind, you get my drift. And we wont even mention Windows phones. My point is, smartphones havent changed all that much relatively speaking. Daniel_K Driver Package there. Sure theyre bigger, faster, more powerful and have awesome cameras. But the i. Phone X is fundamentally the same device the earlier i. Phones were, and provides the same basic and sought after functions. Its a glass covered rectangular slab mostly used for messaging, web surfing, music and social media activity. Barring the esteemed position of smartphone cameras, the way most people use smartphones hasnt really changed. So what is 1. 00. The price of fitting in. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said the i. Serial Number Carl Zeiss Binoculars. Phone X is a value price for the technology that youre getting. I acknowledge advances in biometric security, wireless charging, and more powerful processors that werent part of very early devices. Prices have increased, but smartphone usage patterns havent changed. But these and cosmetic changes may not warrant a 1. Form factor and market positioning havent pushed us to new and broader usage paradigms. So are we paying for the device or for what it represents culturallyProbably both. An individuals perception of self, financial resources, desired or actual social position and love for tech will likely play a role in his perception of the value of a 1,0. Why are we so obsessed with our smartphones Phone and Samsung phones releases are cultural events covered by mainstream media. Apples CEO is even part of the social dialogue and collective experience through appearances on news programs. Given this level of social impact, a consumers participation in the collective upgrade experience may be deemed worth the cost for some. No one wants to be left out. Except for Windows phone users who are willingly removed from the mainstream, of course. Whats worth 1. 00. There are few scenarios where I or others would be comfortable paying 1. As long as it remains a traditional smartphone that doesnt extend beyond via hardware design, platform, and OS capabilities the common usage scenarios of messaging, social media activity and web surfing, the price is too high. But if there was a device that could be a phone, PC, and a tablet, that one device could potentially replace several with the necessary peripherals. Together, the device and accessories would be less expensive than the costs of a desktop, tablet and phone separately. It would still serve the common smartphone usage scenarios but also push users usage into other productivity and leisure scenarios. Now that device would be worth 1. But it doesnt exist yet and may never come to market. This is how Microsoft can market ultramobile PCs. Ive recently shared I want a Galaxy Note 8, but its too expensive. Considering that and the fact that the device I really want doesnt exist, is this entire piece merely sour grapes No its not thats my story, and Im sticking to it.