RNG which phone did you end up getting. I keep looking at the smaller iPhone 12 but I found, like you, no deals to be had. I was kind of hopping you would find one and I could use your research.
I've been looking for Apple iPhone deals for several days, Don. Unsuccessfully. I checked Amazon, all three major cellular networks, Costco, Adorama, and did general google searches. Costco's price was $50 lower, but you had to make payments and that meant signing a contract. I don't have a contract now, and I don't want one, so I bought the phone outright. There are trade in deals out there, but my old SE was only worth a few dollars, and not worth the trouble. Apple has managed to force those that want one of the newest iPhones to pay full retail. I even checked eBay, and the prices I saw there for new phones were higher than Apple's! B & H Photo Video is an Apple Authorized Seller, but they don't carry iPhone. Too bad, because if you pay with a PayBoo charge card, they refund the sales tax. And on a $1200 iPhone, that's a nice piece of change. Yeah, I had to keep up with the big dogs around here and get the 12 Pro Max. ChaChing!
I also shopped for an OtterBox Defender case. Again, no discounts. Except one, which turned out to be a clone. Sorry, I'm not risking an expensive phone to save thirty bux. The new Defender cases also have open fronts, unlike previous designs that more or less seal the phones under a transparent membrane. But OtterBox will sell you a glass cover that's compatible with their case. Same deal, no discounts. So now it's a race to see if the case/glass will get here before the phone does. My money's on Amazon. BTW, the new case isn't cheap, either. Between the case and the glass, I'll have about 1/10 the cost of the phone invested. But that's cheap compared to the $17/month Verizon wanted for phone insurance. I've never had insurance on a phone, and don't intend to start now. I've had excellent results from Defender cases, even had my 4S run over in one with no damage. And if I somehow lose it, Apple's Find My app will show me where it is, even if someone stole it.
I'm beginning to wonder if the supply chain supply for the vaccine is drying up. For over a week there are no new reports of vaccines being replenished. All the web sites say is: " Looking for COVID-19 vaccine info? We're working with the state of Texas and the CDC to provide COVID-19 vaccines when they're available to the public."
Here's a
recent video from MedCram (thanks for pointing them out, Chris!) about what to do if you get CV19. I've watched several of those vids over the past few days, and if I'm not mistaken, this one does comment on the vaccine distribution process, but not definitively. Each state is supposed to set up their own distribution system and set priorities, and some states are better equipped to do that than others. And some states, like California, have much larger populations, so the logistics are even more challenging. Not to sound like a Monday Morning Quarterback, but in my opinion, a coordinated national distribution strategy should have been implemented, and the armed services pressed into action if necessary. And as David has pointed out, vaccine administration at local pharmacies and doctor's offices has been happening for years, yet that doesn't seem to be the case with this vaccine for some reason. It could be that the two vaccines in circulation now require special and sophisticated refrigeration to remain viable. In the nearby community of Ukiah, CA, the refrigeration unit failed, and they had to scramble to administer 800 doses before they went bad. The managed it, but the priorities went right out the window.
