Open Letter to Apple
to whom it may concern
i realize that this is probably futile but i am so dismayed that i felt compelled to write you. i have been an apple customer since '85. i purchased my first apple then, a cute little SE and used it extensively and successfully for music production for almost 10 years. i then purchased a G3 which i still use though it is extremely long in the tooth by now. i am on my third powerbook, a G4 Ti which i purchased in december of last year. i was shocked of course to see apple release a new powerbook only weeks after i purchased and paid almost $4,500 CAD (not including tax etc) dollars for mine but such is life. the new book is nice and though it doesn't have the 17" screen nor the airport extreme and other features, i will just have to live with it and i am getting good use out of it. besides, laptops have always been somewhat of a rip.
however, when i saw apple's recent product announcement (yesterday) i was completely floored. in october i purchased and in the beginning of november received shipment of a new 1.25 mz DP along with a 23" HD display. i was assured by the apple dealer where i purchased it that this machine would probably not be upgraded for a good while and so would probably keep some value for a while. what a sucker! well it lasted less than 3 months and was yesterday supplanted by the new DP. Now, i can't really get upset about that. after all apple is in the business of selling hardware. and working people can't wait for the greatest and best because in that case, they will always be waiting. anything offered retail is already outdated when one takes it off the shelf . i understand that. besides, it's a good machine, fast and powerful. that's not my problem. the part i find so craw chokingly difficult to accept is the absolute disregard and almost breathtaking arrogance with which apple seems to treat its best customers, the power users.
OK apple. i know you have to make a profit. like any corporation, you exist and function to create wealth for your stockholders and investors. but do you have to stick it to your customers so deeply and then turn the handle so relentlessly while doing it? i've been totally had. i've been used.
forget the DP for a moment. the new one is faster and bigger and more powerful. fine. i accept that. but dropping the price of the 23" HD screen 2,400 (CAD) dollars in less than 3 months is almost impossible to accept. i have barely begun to pay for this setup and in one fell swoop, i just lost over $4,000 dollars. gone up in smoke.
it's so damn hard to make any money in the creative fields these days as it is. creative people are abused, used, and being ripped off at both ends, by the industry that claims to champion them and by the users who claim to love them. thanks apple for 'contributing' to my bottom line.
now, i'm not a sap. i know loyalty has absolutely no merit today. it's tragic but very true. so, i won't even bring that up. but i just can't seem to find a silver lining in any of this. in fact, i can't stand to even think about it.
M
i realize that this is probably futile but i am so dismayed that i felt compelled to write you. i have been an apple customer since '85. i purchased my first apple then, a cute little SE and used it extensively and successfully for music production for almost 10 years. i then purchased a G3 which i still use though it is extremely long in the tooth by now. i am on my third powerbook, a G4 Ti which i purchased in december of last year. i was shocked of course to see apple release a new powerbook only weeks after i purchased and paid almost $4,500 CAD (not including tax etc) dollars for mine but such is life. the new book is nice and though it doesn't have the 17" screen nor the airport extreme and other features, i will just have to live with it and i am getting good use out of it. besides, laptops have always been somewhat of a rip.
however, when i saw apple's recent product announcement (yesterday) i was completely floored. in october i purchased and in the beginning of november received shipment of a new 1.25 mz DP along with a 23" HD display. i was assured by the apple dealer where i purchased it that this machine would probably not be upgraded for a good while and so would probably keep some value for a while. what a sucker! well it lasted less than 3 months and was yesterday supplanted by the new DP. Now, i can't really get upset about that. after all apple is in the business of selling hardware. and working people can't wait for the greatest and best because in that case, they will always be waiting. anything offered retail is already outdated when one takes it off the shelf . i understand that. besides, it's a good machine, fast and powerful. that's not my problem. the part i find so craw chokingly difficult to accept is the absolute disregard and almost breathtaking arrogance with which apple seems to treat its best customers, the power users.
OK apple. i know you have to make a profit. like any corporation, you exist and function to create wealth for your stockholders and investors. but do you have to stick it to your customers so deeply and then turn the handle so relentlessly while doing it? i've been totally had. i've been used.
forget the DP for a moment. the new one is faster and bigger and more powerful. fine. i accept that. but dropping the price of the 23" HD screen 2,400 (CAD) dollars in less than 3 months is almost impossible to accept. i have barely begun to pay for this setup and in one fell swoop, i just lost over $4,000 dollars. gone up in smoke.
it's so damn hard to make any money in the creative fields these days as it is. creative people are abused, used, and being ripped off at both ends, by the industry that claims to champion them and by the users who claim to love them. thanks apple for 'contributing' to my bottom line.
now, i'm not a sap. i know loyalty has absolutely no merit today. it's tragic but very true. so, i won't even bring that up. but i just can't seem to find a silver lining in any of this. in fact, i can't stand to even think about it.
M
Comments
Yeah, it sucks you paid $2400 extra for your display, but buying technology is always a risky business. You don't know when a company is going to release something faster and cheaper. Try to look at it from a different perspective, though. If Apple didn't drop prices once and a while or come out with new products, how would they make any progress? Are you saying you want Apple to raise the price of the Cinema Display just so you can feel better about your purchase? I'm sorry, but few Mac users would go for that. Unfortunately when any company cuts prices, someone gets the shaft. Apple isn't intentionally trying to screw its users. They're simply bringing the price of their product down, so more people can afford it and to increase sales.
<strong>You know when it starts off with "i have been an apple customer since..." it's going to be lame.</strong><hr></blockquote>
In fact, I know someone who bought a very expensive television a few months ago and it had price protection for a month. About 6 weeks later, the television was on sale at another store for about $3500 less. Sure the guy wasn't happy, but it was obviously going to drop in price at some point.
Then there's new cars. How much value does your new car lose just by driving it off the lot? I'm sure it's a much bigger 'poof' then the loss you just saw on that monitor.
Let me ask you this. Had you purchased the monitor when it was launched earlier last year, would you still be angry about it? After all, the best way to get the 'most bang for your buck' is to wait until just after the product is updated (but then again, you do have a compelling point about the PowerBook G4).
Also consider this. You thought that the computer was worth the price that you paid for it back in October. What has changed since then besides the price drops? Do you no longer like the monitor and computer since the price is now cheaper for other people?
Apple obviously can't win here. They have people writing 'open letters' saying that they need to really lower the prices on their Power Macs and Monitors if they want to sell computers and then when they do, they have people writing 'open letters' saying that Apple is 'ripping them off'.
[quote]OK apple. i know you have to make a profit. like any corporation, you exist and function to create wealth for your stockholders and investors. but do you have to stick it to your customers so deeply and then turn the handle so relentlessly while doing it? i've been totally had. i've been used. <hr></blockquote>
I'm not sure what you want from Apple here. You bought new computers and obviously spent a ton of money. But how is Apple personally screwing you over? After all, it was you who decided that the machines you bought were good enough for you at the price you paid for them. Forget about the fact that the price has dropped or that new machines have been released since that doesn't get you any where.
It sounds like you are kicking yourself in the pants for not waiting for these price drops or new machines but this thread isn't really going to change anything.
Sorry man, but that's life I guess, especially when you buy expensive computers.
So let's say today 20" cinema display is $2000 (cad), and it makes sense for me to buy it.
Tommorow they lower the price to $1000.
So ?
Good for them, others can get it for 1/2 of what i paid for it.
Why people get upset about things like that?
I also have superdrive Tibook and absolutely love it.
I wish apple would lower the price of it even more so more people can afford it.
(1) Thank God that what we get from Apple is drastically reduced prices with new features. Remember that this is a continuously happening process. It is because of that that you were able to buy what you did last september. Welcome to the real world!!!
(2) You have only yourself to blame for poor planning. You knew that the 23 inch display had been out for 1 year. If you were concerned, you should have made use of a used CRT for a few more months until price drops occurred. Blame yourself, not Apple. I bought a 22 inch display for 3 monhs ago that the 23 inch display costs now. I aint complaining because it is the best thing I ever did. So quit whining and enjoy the fact that you now have on your desktop the equivalent of what the whole Pentagon had 20 years ago!! And just because that costs a few thousand dollard less now is meaningless. <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[oyvey]" />
g
[ 01-30-2003: Message edited by: murbot ]</p>
and then you wonder why apple has so small a market share.
I'm sure that nothing can be done about it and that is just the way that technology moves. I just wish AI posters wouldn't feel the need to belittle someone else's misfortune.
but then, people would not have been so callous in the early mac days. Its just a sign of the times I guess
People know how it feels, but to post a thread - not to mention write a letter to Apple - complaining that they've increased their specs and lowered their prices? Dumb dumb dumb. As if it would be better to keep prices high and specs low?
<strong>buying a mac is a hideously expensive and major purchase for many people. some of us have to put a little by for a very long time and forego a few things until we can afford it. I can understand the original poster's feelings on this subject . I'm just dismayed that so many people here at AI are full of so much elitist BS as to be totally numb to what some people have to go through to get a mac.
and then you wonder why apple has so small a market share.
I'm sure that nothing can be done about it and that is just the way that technology moves. I just wish AI posters wouldn't feel the need to belittle someone else's misfortune.
but then, people would not have been so callous in the early mac days. Its just a sign of the times I guess
You do realize that no one forces you to buy Macs, right? I'll be the first person to say that Apple needs to lower prices but that doesn't happen too often so when it does we shouldn't complain. This guy made his purchase 3 months ago and he's bithcing about them lowering the price by so much after 3 months. That's crazy. If he couldn't afford to make the purchase then he shouldn't have.
[ 01-30-2003: Message edited by: EmAn ]</p>