How to afford a smartphone – go on Benefit
Clearly, I am no businessman – I simply cannot grasp the basics of economics. Here’s an example. I don’t have a smartphone; the fact is I cannot see any cost-justification for having one. If I need computing-on-the-go I simply carry my tiny netbook with an internet dongle, and pay as I go. It’s far, far cheaper than a smartphone. And I can get telephony via Skype, and have access to a proper keyboard and proper applications for any work.
There are, I admit, many fancy and attractive ‘apps’ for the smartphone. Here’s a new one:
An online “app” to help 8m households apply for the new universal credit, integrating tax credits and out-of-work benefits, is being developed…
Welfare reform: government hopes there’s an app for that
But this is what confuses me about economics. I cannot afford the unnecessary luxury of a smartphone. So how can those claiming benefit afford to do so via their iPhones and Androids?
It’s a puzzle.
