If things are so tough How come the new I phone sold out and they have thousands of back orders?

agree

Do we know how many if those phones were purchased with cash? I'm starting to believe people don't mind being in debt to own all the newest gadgets and trends. Until I'm debt free I consider myself poor.

There are those who earn enough to buy them. Then there are those who will charge them and run up their debt. Then there are those who always have to have the latest toy and they save for just this thing. The others are possibly for gifts.

People would rather get into debt than live within their means ... not good.

too many then they blame the President

Apple has their followers brainwashed.

Good question. People are complaining how bad the economy is and how broke they are, but yet seem to buy what they want, even if they don't need it.

agree

people will complain if they don't like the president, so someone somewhere will always complain.... no matter the real situation.

The power of marketing.

Convincing people to buy things they don't need with money they don't have.

...I have no idea.

It's like when I drive by a run down trailer and see a $28,000 Harley sitting in the front yard.

I don't know, Sister. Why do people that live in $2,000 mobile homes lease $26,000 SUVs? I don't think people's priorities are quite lined up sometimes.

LOL

To be honest, I don't really have a problem with your example, as long as that same person isn't living on government entitlements. People can choose to spend their money on what they like; I just don't like them spending my money on what they like.

Exactly! and the majority of those orders are from people who bought the iPhone 4 six months ago.

Some people have enough money for the latest gadgets, no matter how poor they are.

Things arn't that tough obviously.
People just don't have the money to throw away like they use to.
Why do you think other nations are bidding on our trash, having our debris we throw away shipped to them on barges???
Because they can live off what Americans throw away!
If you have ever been to a garbage dump in a foreign country you would know what I'm talking about, now that's trash!
We Americans throw away things others would use to live on.
And now that things are a little lean we have to make a choice to buy a new apple i-phone or continue without it and keep buying our daily Latte for $6 bucks a day, Lol.
Tough choices indeed.
I'm not saying that's all Americans, but most Americans arn't that bad off, or else industry would be bankrupt, and it's not!
We are told by our political leaders that we are in dire straits because they want us to vote for them to make our lives better..........so we can have our i-phones and our daily latte's too, have our cake and eat it too, Lol, Lol, Lol.

Whats a little more credit card debt

I have been saying this for months!! People seem to buy the most expensive phones and EVERYWHERE i go i see a iphone or a samsung galaxy or droid....In the so called "ghettos" to the middle classes to the high classes! And why am i seeing more and more nice cars out than usual and more and more tru religion jeans($300) ralph lauren...
NFL games are still full, if it was really as bad as they make it seem i dont think people would be able to afford all this
I really think we are on the come up..

perplexing

Because you can't fix stupid.

LOL

Most will probably put themselves in debt to purchase it

agree

And how do you know this?

I said probably, and with the unemployment figures as they are and the amount of I phones sold and back orders waiting, I think it is fair to say not everyone will be able to afford to go out and buy it cash.

People are worse off, but they still have plenty of money. Also, many people have strange priorities - they'll buy an iPhone and a luxury holiday rather than medical insurance, and so on...

agree

I think the economy has improved a lot. When we go out to eat all the restaurants are full, and most of the malls are as well on the weekends. People are getting along much better than the campaigns are saying.

Because of the Techno-Addicts ! They HAVE to get the latest technology AS it comes out ! It doesn't matter if they can afford it or have to take kit a second on the house they HAVE to have it !!

People seem confused by what they need and what they want - they want the iPhone

agree

you're right! I think it's all somewhat of an illusion...From both sides! SOME interests would maybe like everyone to believe everyone's broker (even the upper middle-class & richer) & then there's the marketing end making sales seem a bit more dramatic than may be true. I think we're really floating somewhere in-between!

..... because of this .....

agree

..... recall the days when Mom + Dad said .... ' You don't get it until you have the cash for it '

Wow, are those days long gone.

Charge it is the call of the Nation, better known as standard operating procedure for the latest tech toy. Besides that the 1% are a good sized number.

Maybe they thought the utility was worth more to them than the meager interest rates the banks are providing on CDs.

OK, maybe not, but I got my commentary on low bank CD rates in. ;-)

The iPhone is being sold world wide. Maybe that is the trick. 100 countries wold wide by the end of the year. Very aggressive. Pretty much choreographed.

Many people do not have their priorities in life set right. Some will never be happy unless they have "new toys" when they come out.