Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Interview with the Vice-Chancellor
    • Country Highlight: The Netherlands
    • If You’re Moving Back Home After Uni …
    • Jane Austen in Lockdown: How her six novels are more relevant than ever
    • All About … Period Poverty
    • My Veggie Journey: How not being strictly Vegetarian is OK
    • Watch with Pride: Your Top TV Picks this Pride Month
    • Globe Trotting on Screen: Your Guide to Summer 2021
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Flickr
    Seren
    • News & Politics
      1. Local News
      2. UK News
      3. Uni News
      4. World News
      5. Politics
      6. Comment
      7. Business
      Featured

      SABB Election: The Full Result Breakdown

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Interview with the Vice-Chancellor

      May 23, 2022

      Retro? Chip shortage may bring vintage tech to your car.

      May 6, 2021

      Manizha – the artist causing a stir as the Russian representative for Eurovision 2021:

      May 6, 2021
    • Arts & Culture
      1. Books
      2. Games
      3. Film
      4. Music
      5. TV
      6. Creative Corner
      Featured

      Bangor alumni podcast earns Hollywood cameo & BBC features

      By Amelia SmithMarch 7, 20210
      Recent

      Jane Austen in Lockdown: How her six novels are more relevant than ever

      July 7, 2021

      Watch with Pride: Your Top TV Picks this Pride Month

      May 17, 2021

      Globe Trotting on Screen: Your Guide to Summer 2021

      May 16, 2021
    • Lifestyle
      1. Fashion
      2. Food and Drink
      3. Social
      4. Health and Beauty
      5. Travel
      Featured

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      By Emily ShoultsMay 6, 20220
      Recent

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      May 6, 2022

      If You’re Moving Back Home After Uni …

      August 3, 2021

      All About … Period Poverty

      May 17, 2021
    • Discovery
      1. Science
      2. Environment
      3. History
      4. International
      Featured

      Brewing up a Storm: The History of Guinness

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Manizha – the artist causing a stir as the Russian representative for Eurovision 2021:

      May 6, 2021

      Japan plan to release radioactive water into the ocean

      May 6, 2021

      The link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots

      April 29, 2021
    • Sport
      1. Varsity 2019
      2. Varsity 2018
      3. Varsity 2017
      4. Varsity 2016
      5. Varsity 2015
      6. Varsity 2014
      7. Varsity 2013
        • Varsity 2013 Results
        • Varsity 2013 – In tweets
      Featured

      Bangor Muddogs’ American Football: a young woman finding her place

      By Jade HillMarch 23, 20210
      Recent

      The 48-hour rise and fall of the European Super League

      April 27, 2021

      The European Super League is announced

      April 19, 2021

      Formula 1’s ‘Drive to Survive S3’ is released

      April 7, 2021
    • Students’ Union
      1. Union News
      2. Societies
      3. Volunteering
      4. Clubs
      Featured

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      By Caroline CartmillMarch 17, 20210
      Recent

      Bangor University Feminist Society

      March 30, 2021

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      March 17, 2021

      LGBT History Month in Bangor

      March 4, 2021
    • Issues
      • Current Issue
      • This year’s issues
      • Last year’s issues
      • Seren Archive
      • Seren Teams
    Seren
    Home»Arts & Culture»Games»Are Your Gadgets Getting Too Expensive?
    Games

    Are Your Gadgets Getting Too Expensive?

    Joe KeepBy Joe KeepNovember 1, 2014No Comments5 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    With every passing year we see the next iteration of the phone we love, or are expected to upgrade a piece of software or hardware to remain at the cutting edge of technology. But are these prices getting so fantastically high that the average student can’t afford to be on that edge?

    For – Joe Keep

    These upgrades aren’t all that pricey. With the speed that they are coming out, it creates only small incremental price increases, especially in the area of TVs. TV prices are so incredibly cheap for what you get, a 40 inch LED, HD ready TV for about £300, that’s incredible pricing.

    This is all possible because of what is coming next, 4k and 5k TVs. Price drops are happening purely to fund the next step, but this step won’t be occurring until late 2015 or 2016 meaning that the investment will be well worth it.

    This isn’t just limited to TVs though, cameras are also being made cheaper in order to push the development of the higher class, professional cameras.

    The amateur and point and click cameras however form a large section of sales for this industry, especially with the advent of Facebook and the importance being placed on the photos uploaded, have made the affordability of these paramount.

    But, with the advances in professional cameras, we see elements that seem to be needed for the amateurs, such as auto focus, being passed down the ranges. So, not only do people receive a better quality product, but they get it at a much cheaper price than expected. The main question to be asked is, how long will this last?

    We may be getting all this now, but what about when there are no major developments in the pipeline? This could be where gadgets begin getting far too expensive for a student. However, it also has to be stressed that a lot of industries in which the prices are acceptable and seem too good to be true are failing industries.

    TVs are trying to boost sales because people are moving to their laptops and computers for TV with the rise of Netflix and catch up services, while cameras are at the hands of the all-encompassing mobile phone. Again, it we must ask, when will this come to a close and stabilise meaning we see a rise in prices?

    However, for the time being, it is all coming up students in these areas.

    Against – Nathan Bullen

    I think that the sky high prices of the latest personal gadgets is horrendous for students. We all like to have the latest gadgets, but many of us will struggle to afford the latest tech.

    An example of this is the new iPhone 6. With companies asking for upfront prices of over £100 and a monthly price over contract of £30 many people with full time jobs would find it hard to have that kind of money to put towards a phone a month.

    Or you could buy one outright for at least £500, again another figure that seems like an awful lot for a phone. With the new iPhone, it means that the iPhone 5’s are not the newest model their price has started to plummet and considering the major differences are the size of the screen and thickness, it seems like a good idea to get that instead.

    Prices for the iPhone 5 are now around £300 new and £200 used, so you could save yourself between £200-300 just for the sake of a few inches of screen size. There’s also the issue that in some circumstances, the iPhone 6 can bend which is not something you’d ideally want when you’re spending so much money on a phone.

    Students are now struggling to afford the top ranges of phones, however, this isn’t just a phone issue. Two of the gaming industry’s most successful companies, Sony and Microsoft, also seem to be doing a good job of pricing out a huge amount of their target audience.

    With their PlayStation 4 and Xbox One costing around £350 (a comedown of £50 from when they launched in November 2013) each new with a game and controller it is not as costly as the new iPhone you may think, but when you consider each game costs around £50, it soon becomes just as costly.

    Want another controller so your friend can play? That’d be another £40. Want a headset so you can speak to your friends online? That’s at least another £25.

    The price of gadgets like the iPhone and PlayStation has left me, like many other students, prepared to wait and wait until the price finally drops low enough so that we can afford them while still being able to pay for somewhere to live and being able to eat.

     

    debate Expensive gadgets Joe Keep Nathan Bullen Price
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Joe Keep

    Games & Gadgets Editor 2014/15, Treasurer 2014/15

    Related Posts

    REVIEW: Donut County – A Hole Lot of Fun

    February 28, 2021

    Games to look out for in 2021

    February 7, 2021

    REVIEW: A Short Hike – A Relaxing Getaway

    December 27, 2020

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    MORE INFORMATION
    • ABOUT
    • ADVERTISE
    • CONTACT US
    • GET INVOLVED
    • MEMBERS
    Links
    • Bangor University Bangor University
    • Google+ Google+
    • Undeb Bangor Undeb Bangor
    About

    Seren is Bangor University Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper

    We have editorial independence from both Bangor University and Bangor Students’ Union. Seren is written by students for students and we’d love you to get involved!

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.