It's about 4x what I'd ever consider spending on a phone. But so what? Apple has decided not to pursue buyers like me. They will sell their $800+ phones, and make money, and employ a lot of people.
It's a loan with no interest (meaning you actually keep the interest). It's a better deal than buying one cash since you can invest the money you are not using.
AFAICT, the most common installment plan is carrier-based and usually not a loan, the payments total up to the same as buying it outright at the beginning.
Some people are still using the old analogy of Phone. When it has replaced your Camera, Internet Communicator, Gaming, etc.
Every single bit of tech inside the phone were more expensive, partly so because of rising wages in tech industry. Which I suppose most people on HN are benefiting from.
