Apple: iPhone 12 -- "Supersize It" -- October 17, 2020

Barron's has a headline, front-page story suggesting that Apple's phone is going to be "super." A huge surprise. A runaway best seller. In fact, two stories. But the stories are behind a paywall. There is a new word or a new phrase or a new "thing" -- at least a term I had not seen before -- we will explore that later -- introduced by Barron's in the headline.

So, instead of trying to go-around Barron's paywall, I simply googled the key word in that headline and got the story over at Motley Fool. 

The Motley Fool article is a worthwhile read. Look at the price points if one wants 5G:

• Samsung's 5G-enabled Galaxy S20: starting price of $999 earlier this year;
• top-of-the-line Samsung S20 Ultra started at $1,399
• Apple iPhone Mini
• priced identically to OnePlus 8, the least expensive 5G Android phone that consumers could have bought six months ago
• price point for the Mini: $699
• "consumers looking to make the jump to 5G won't have to pay through their nose if they are looking to either stay wihint the Apple ecosystem or purchase their first IOS-powered 5G phone."
• what's more, the better Apple iPhone 12's are much less expensive than Samsung's
• the standard iPhone 12: $799
• Pro: starts at $899
• Pro Max: starts at $1,099
• compare all with the entry-level Samsung: $999

Motley Fool also explains the "supercycle" in the Barron's headline behind a paywall:

Now that Apple has something for everyone with a variety of price points, it looks poised to take advantage of what's being called an iPhone "supercycle" that could see millions of users upgrade their existing devices. It is believed that there are 350 million to 950 million iPhones across the world that are ready for upgrades.

Apple iPhone 12: supercycle.

McDonald's fries: supersize it.

Same analogy.

Even though folks definitely don't need the extra calories, for a few cents more folks will gladly supersize the McDonald's French fries.

Likewise, even if one doesn't need 5G (which I assume is about 95% of the current US population), folks will gladly trade in their old phone, sign up for a few add-ons, and gladly supersize ("supercycle") their old phone for a few dollars more. 

The old frog-on-a-log-in-an-ever-hotter-pot-of-water-on-the-stove phenomenon.