Seniors being duped into buying iPhones/Galaxy Phones?

[MikeX74]

If the seniors were walking around with flagship Windows Phones, this thread would probably be a discussion about how great of a choice they made. But since it's iPhone's and Androids they're buying, the seniors are obviously unknowledgeable, and somebody must have taken advantage of them.

*edit*

FWIW, my parents are both retired seniors, and my dad built his own gaming PC. He plays Skyrim all day, and he even has Nexus Mod Manager installed to make the female character he plays run around buck naked. My Mom controls the entertainment system to her TV with the Galaxy Note III she bought. I'm 46, and I have no doubt that when I'm retired, I still be here debating about which phone coming out can clock the highest benchmark. Being old does not make a person tech illiterate by proxy.

Pretty much. If the OP had simply said he was upset about the idea of seniors being duped into spending more for a phone than they might need to(and had done so in a neutral forum), that would've been enough, and it would be a point I'd agree with wholeheartedly, but he or she made it about competing brands when it wasn't really necessary. It implies that he or she is bothered that they were being "duped" into buying iPhones or Android phones instead of being "duped" into buying Windows Phones.

 

[ven07]

I think he stated twice that this isn't about WP it's about people being "conned" into sth without possibly showing them that there is a cheaper alternative available, which could be blackberry, WP or android

 

[rtimi26]

The short answer is windows phones aren't sold everywhere. If you go to bestbuy you only see go phones that are windows phones. No working ones on display for them to try out. When you go to their respective carriers there are in a small corner with one or 2 of them. Windows themselves need to publicize their phones well and I hope windows 10 mobile will do that. My farther used my Focus S phone and loved it until the battery died after 5 years of use. I had no other Samsung phone to buy that is windows mobile on att so I gave him an S5. We need more premium OEMs to manufacture windows phones again for them to be recognized. People didn't like the nokia name anymore and hondestly I didn't trust them anymore even though I still own a nokia Lumia 1020 which is still a good working device.

 

[MikeX74]

I think he stated twice that this isn't about WP it's about people being "conned" into sth without possibly showing them that there is a cheaper alternative available, which could be blackberry, WP or android

If that was his point, why mention brands at all? He didn't have to in order to make his point.

 

[runamuck83]

Pretty much. If the OP had simply said he was upset about the idea of seniors being duped into spending more for a phone than they might need to(and had done so in a neutral forum), that would've been enough, and it would be a point I'd agree with wholeheartedly, but he or she made it about competing brands when it wasn't really necessary. It implies that he or she is bothered that they were being "duped" into buying iPhones or Android phones instead of being "duped" into buying Windows Phones.

Well, the name of this site IS Windows Central? Is it that offensive I would use Windows Phone in my example?

Additionally, can you list another phone that costs $80 bucks no contract that performs as well as a Lumia 640?

 

[ven07]

If that was his point, why mention brands at all? He didn't have to in order to make his point.

In that case this thread would be full of guesses

 

[Tim Stone]

Let me take one of my "senior moments" to respond to your question. Yes ... I'm working on entering my 7th decade so perhaps my thoughts will help.

I have a Windows Phone and an iPhone 6+. I'm one of those careful shoppers, but also a techy even though I'm "up there" in age. Most of my friends have iPhones and no one duped them into buying those. Two main reasons prevail: their family members have them so iMessage is prevalent, and they face time the grandkids. They also have iPads, and the two sync, so that matters.

Now, what can I do on an iPhone that I can't do on my Windows Phone ? Many things. I'm a realtor and my phone is my lockbox key. Try as I might, the company would not make that available on WinPhones. I do receive checks, and I like to deposit them online. Chase took away the app from the Windows phone. I go to Starbucks, and I can pay with my iPhone, but not my WinPhone. I live in a gated community, and their is an iPhone app so I can sign in my guests in advance, but not on my WinPhone. The same applies to my ADT security system which I can control on my iPhone. My health providers are all synchronized online, including my records, and there is a portal app for my iPhone, but not my Winphone. I can set my Directv to record programs on my iPhone, check actual wait times when I'm at Disneyland with the grandkids, check in at the airlines, and pay with my credit card at most stores, all with my iPhone.

Don't get me wrong. I love my Windows Phone, and I have the Insiders Win 10 preview on it. If the apps came back, I'd love to make it my primary again.

So, please don't think age makes us less tech savy. I'm still meeting the needs of companies who purchased my software over the past 33 years, and frequently receive calls from them asking me to be sure I don't retire! And while my "older friends" may not be quite as involved as me, they make pretty good use of their smartphones, and the one they usually select is the iPhone that goes along with their iPad, and MacBook. Besides, they get great support at the Apple Store if they go with that line ( and also great support at the Microsoft Store if they are on Windows ).

 

[Laura Knotek]

I think he stated twice that this isn't about WP it's about people being "conned" into sth without possibly showing them that there is a cheaper alternative available, which could be blackberry, WP or android

That's true. However, there aren't any flagship Windows Phones available to upsell to customers in the US at this time. Cheap devices are the only ones available in US stores.