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.
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.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
I guess it may be different for business users, but as a consumer I never think of a computer as an investment or having any resale value. If it costs X pounds or dollars and I decide to buy it, then that's the money I'm prepared to spend on it and that's the money it has cost me.
A Mac is a major purchase for many people, myself included, but if you aren't prepared to lose the money as soon as you buy it, then perhaps you should hold off or look elsewhere.
sorry to all. i've been missing in action for the past 3 days and am just catching up. I didn't realize that the my post would generate so much controversy. It actually was a late night knee- jerk reaction to the initial news. i suppose i should have thought it through a bit better before posting.
I apologize if i inadvertently offended anyone on these boards. reading through the posts was a reality check and yes most of what was said is true, but doesn't lessen the pain.
my intent however was not just to vent. i was actually wondering if others felt the same way i did for right or wrong. while some felt compelled to give me a basic lesson in business 101 (i've been successfully running my own company for 15 years) i think many thought i was dissatisfied with my machines just because new ones came out.
that isn't the case at all. i love my gear and have always loved apple products by and large. while not problem free, they've allowed me the artistic freedom to do the work i want to do. and that's all that really counts. this has been in stark contrast to wintel machines. the gap however, has considerably narrowed of late. outside of forums like these, it is a wintel world out there.
buying apple has been for many years a religious act of faith. ( i must admit. i'm quite surprised by the zealot like fervor of some of the replies to my post. it's only computer gear!) in the past, apple was always more expensive than its wintel counterparts, there were hardly any deals, and until recently they were marginalized in the software community. of course, the jobs years have done a lot of rectify that, but so have the die-hard apple fans who kept the faith for the last 15 years, despairing many times but hanging in there. apple should not forget that! and like many of the faithful, i too am elated and feel vindicated for my dogged devotion.
but that devotion came at a price. for years i wistfully watch while wintel users got free this and free that with their machines. with apple it was always take it or leave it.
so i have no objection to the present pace of change or the relentless price cuts. i have benefited from them (though not as much as i could have i suppose) and will do so in the future, (though i'm not as sanguine as some about apple's motives in cutting prices)
i only wonder if there isn't a way that apple could continue innovating and do business without alienating or shaking up its best customers? Why can't apple ensure a more fair upgrade path when introducing new technology? for example, I would be happy to spend a few dollars upgrading my newish machines to apple's new airport extreme. but i can't. it's impossible. unless a 3rd party provider comes forth, i'm forced to wait until my next big purchase before getting this technology. yet it's one i really could use.
how many of us are still paying for machines that have now been left in the dust by apple?
anyway, this is all just for discussion. thanks for your patience.
I just think people are confused as to what you want Apple to do. Generally in an 'open letter', you ask for something. This could be free service on a part Apple knows to be defective, a call for cheaper computers, new features that they want to see in the OS, etc.
But here you're saying that Apple screwed you over because they dropped the price on the hardware you bought. I do think that the PowerBook G4 thing is definitely too bad but the 15" laptops are still good machines (I'm very excited since I should be getting a 1 GHz machine next week from Apple as a replacement of my current laptop).
As for the monitor, you're definitely out of luck here. After all, it's been 4 months since you got it which is an eternity in the computer world.
So maybe if you told us what you thought the 'right thing' for Apple to do is, we'd understand your point more.
Apple has offered some upgrades in the past as well. Remember that they would upgrade Newton 2000s to Newton 2100s. They also had a program where you could put a SuperDrive in a TiBook.
But for the most part, Apple's machines are you get what you order. Their business plan is to get people to buy new machines so if you want the 'latest and greatest', you usually have to buy a new machine (especially when it comes to portables). That's pretty much the business plan of any PC manufacturer, though. I've never known a PC company to allow you to send back your laptop for them to put in a faster processer, better graphics card, or add ports.
An upgrade plan would be nice, but you could always sell your current machine and pay the extra money if you really needed the functionality.
As for upgrading to Airport Extreme on a PowerBook? We're out of luck unless we buy a 3rd party card. But that doesn't mean we can't necessarily do that. We could probably add Firewire 800 using a PC card as well. So it's not that we're totally out of luck. Bluetooth is just a USB adapter away as well.
Also remember that people who own the latest and greatest hardware like the Dual Processor 1.25 GHz G4 and the 1 GHz G4 TiBook are in a good position for these machines to hold their value.
Why? They boot Mac OS 9 and there are going to be people who want that ability for a few more years. So when you go to sell that computer (eventually), it will keep it's value more than the current DP 1.42 GHz G4s to some people who want the fastest machine that will ever boot to Mac OS 9.
So not all is lost for you here. You have great machines and I truly believe that they will keep their 'value' for longer than normal. Yes, the monitor does cost a ton less now, but that doesn't mean that your setup is any less impressive.
Maybe if the price drops were a little more often and a little less dramatic then the pain might not be so obvious. I mean if a computer item is worth what ever after a price drop then it must have been over priced before
[ 02-03-2003: Message edited by: Aussie John ]</p>
I had a similar experience getting a 22" display over a month ago and also posted hoping for any kind of information that might be useful. Curiously people had nothing to offer yet actually wasted time replying with emotion that was bizarre considering the business/ technical topic. As a junior member my initial impressions are poor. Don't apologize for a post that made a lot of sense considering the assurances you were given and the percentage decrease. Compare other price drops and the display differential is astounding. I think you should write a letter to Apple.
P.S. check out what I did. See my post from last week.
<strong>I had a similar experience getting a 22" display over a month ago and also posted hoping for any kind of information that might be useful. Curiously people had nothing to offer yet actually wasted time replying with emotion that was bizarre considering the business/ technical topic. As a junior member my initial impressions are poor. Don't apologize for a post that made a lot of sense considering the assurances you were given and the percentage decrease. Compare other price drops and the display differential is astounding. I think you should write a letter to Apple.
P.S. check out what I did. See my post from last week.
You were obviously willing to pay for it at the the time. I feel ten days price protection is adequete. As I've said before, I got a ibook 700 three weeks before better and cheaper ($200 price drop) ones came out. I have no intention of writing any "open letter to apple." Why? Because I was willing to pay for it at the time, and I my machine works great.
Boo hoo. Waaaahhhh! I bought a big 'spensive monitor AND NOW THE PRICE HAS DROPPED! Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
If you really want to have a whine to Apple, send it to MacAddict magazine. Make it shorter and more to the point. Rewrite it so it makes more sense. Use correct spelling and grammer. Posting it here isn't gonna get you noticed.
<strong>I had a similar experience getting a 22" display over a month ago and also posted hoping for any kind of information that might be useful. Curiously people had nothing to offer yet actually wasted time replying with emotion that was bizarre considering the business/ technical topic. As a junior member my initial impressions are poor. Don't apologize for a post that made a lot of sense considering the assurances you were given and the percentage decrease. Compare other price drops and the display differential is astounding. I think you should write a letter to Apple.
P.S. check out what I did. See my post from last week.
<strong>Oh please. This is utter stupidity. Should Apple not be updating hardware and cutting prices? 95% of AI has people bitching that Apple isn't updating and cutting prices enough.
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><hr></blockquote>
Thanks, BRussell, i have exactly the same opinion. Complaining that Apple lowered prices and update their products is an original thought
It seems you always buy Apple products that have been on the shelves for months, so, obviously, your likely to buy a product that is going to be upgraded soon. Why don't you start buying them just weeks after they've been released (Don't rush it eather, because as upset as you are, you don't want to fall in the other angry customers category Apple is often generating ... "just released and still bugged new hardware/software buyers")
Does it upset me that there is a new iMac out that is faster and cheaper than the one I baught 4 months ago, well yea sure, but I like the one I have. Will I ever buy another Apple product? Well right now I'm waiting for a 12" powerbook to arrive, everytime I hear a truck go by I jump up and look outside to see if its Airborne Express This price dropping bit isn't just an apple thing I can remember buying a 1ghz AMD machine, well the parts, i put it togetehr myself. Anyways 3 weeks after I had it AMD announced a new faster processor and the prices on the older ones dropped like a rock. This stuff happens, deal with it and move on, unless you like being pissed off all the time.
Comments
<strong>
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.
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.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
I guess it may be different for business users, but as a consumer I never think of a computer as an investment or having any resale value. If it costs X pounds or dollars and I decide to buy it, then that's the money I'm prepared to spend on it and that's the money it has cost me.
A Mac is a major purchase for many people, myself included, but if you aren't prepared to lose the money as soon as you buy it, then perhaps you should hold off or look elsewhere.
[ 01-30-2003: Message edited by: RodUK ]</p>
I apologize if i inadvertently offended anyone on these boards. reading through the posts was a reality check and yes most of what was said is true, but doesn't lessen the pain.
my intent however was not just to vent. i was actually wondering if others felt the same way i did for right or wrong. while some felt compelled to give me a basic lesson in business 101 (i've been successfully running my own company for 15 years) i think many thought i was dissatisfied with my machines just because new ones came out.
that isn't the case at all. i love my gear and have always loved apple products by and large. while not problem free, they've allowed me the artistic freedom to do the work i want to do. and that's all that really counts. this has been in stark contrast to wintel machines. the gap however, has considerably narrowed of late. outside of forums like these, it is a wintel world out there.
buying apple has been for many years a religious act of faith. ( i must admit. i'm quite surprised by the zealot like fervor of some of the replies to my post. it's only computer gear!) in the past, apple was always more expensive than its wintel counterparts, there were hardly any deals, and until recently they were marginalized in the software community. of course, the jobs years have done a lot of rectify that, but so have the die-hard apple fans who kept the faith for the last 15 years, despairing many times but hanging in there. apple should not forget that! and like many of the faithful, i too am elated and feel vindicated for my dogged devotion.
but that devotion came at a price. for years i wistfully watch while wintel users got free this and free that with their machines. with apple it was always take it or leave it.
so i have no objection to the present pace of change or the relentless price cuts. i have benefited from them (though not as much as i could have i suppose) and will do so in the future, (though i'm not as sanguine as some about apple's motives in cutting prices)
i only wonder if there isn't a way that apple could continue innovating and do business without alienating or shaking up its best customers? Why can't apple ensure a more fair upgrade path when introducing new technology? for example, I would be happy to spend a few dollars upgrading my newish machines to apple's new airport extreme. but i can't. it's impossible. unless a 3rd party provider comes forth, i'm forced to wait until my next big purchase before getting this technology. yet it's one i really could use.
how many of us are still paying for machines that have now been left in the dust by apple?
anyway, this is all just for discussion. thanks for your patience.
M
But here you're saying that Apple screwed you over because they dropped the price on the hardware you bought. I do think that the PowerBook G4 thing is definitely too bad but the 15" laptops are still good machines (I'm very excited since I should be getting a 1 GHz machine next week from Apple as a replacement of my current laptop).
As for the monitor, you're definitely out of luck here. After all, it's been 4 months since you got it which is an eternity in the computer world.
So maybe if you told us what you thought the 'right thing' for Apple to do is, we'd understand your point more.
Apple has offered some upgrades in the past as well. Remember that they would upgrade Newton 2000s to Newton 2100s. They also had a program where you could put a SuperDrive in a TiBook.
But for the most part, Apple's machines are you get what you order. Their business plan is to get people to buy new machines so if you want the 'latest and greatest', you usually have to buy a new machine (especially when it comes to portables). That's pretty much the business plan of any PC manufacturer, though. I've never known a PC company to allow you to send back your laptop for them to put in a faster processer, better graphics card, or add ports.
An upgrade plan would be nice, but you could always sell your current machine and pay the extra money if you really needed the functionality.
As for upgrading to Airport Extreme on a PowerBook? We're out of luck unless we buy a 3rd party card. But that doesn't mean we can't necessarily do that. We could probably add Firewire 800 using a PC card as well. So it's not that we're totally out of luck. Bluetooth is just a USB adapter away as well.
Also remember that people who own the latest and greatest hardware like the Dual Processor 1.25 GHz G4 and the 1 GHz G4 TiBook are in a good position for these machines to hold their value.
Why? They boot Mac OS 9 and there are going to be people who want that ability for a few more years. So when you go to sell that computer (eventually), it will keep it's value more than the current DP 1.42 GHz G4s to some people who want the fastest machine that will ever boot to Mac OS 9.
So not all is lost for you here. You have great machines and I truly believe that they will keep their 'value' for longer than normal. Yes, the monitor does cost a ton less now, but that doesn't mean that your setup is any less impressive.
M
Maybe if the price drops were a little more often and a little less dramatic then the pain might not be so obvious. I mean if a computer item is worth what ever after a price drop then it must have been over priced before
[ 02-03-2003: Message edited by: Aussie John ]</p>
P.S. check out what I did. See my post from last week.
[ 02-11-2003: Message edited by: iSqueezed ]</p>
<strong>I had a similar experience getting a 22" display over a month ago and also posted hoping for any kind of information that might be useful. Curiously people had nothing to offer yet actually wasted time replying with emotion that was bizarre considering the business/ technical topic. As a junior member my initial impressions are poor. Don't apologize for a post that made a lot of sense considering the assurances you were given and the percentage decrease. Compare other price drops and the display differential is astounding. I think you should write a letter to Apple.
P.S. check out what I did. See my post from last week.
[ 02-11-2003: Message edited by: iSqueezed ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
What assurances was he given?
You were obviously willing to pay for it at the the time. I feel ten days price protection is adequete. As I've said before, I got a ibook 700 three weeks before better and cheaper ($200 price drop) ones came out. I have no intention of writing any "open letter to apple." Why? Because I was willing to pay for it at the time, and I my machine works great.
If you really want to have a whine to Apple, send it to MacAddict magazine. Make it shorter and more to the point. Rewrite it so it makes more sense. Use correct spelling and grammer. Posting it here isn't gonna get you noticed.
Barto
PS Do you feel better now you've had a cry?
<strong>I had a similar experience getting a 22" display over a month ago and also posted hoping for any kind of information that might be useful. Curiously people had nothing to offer yet actually wasted time replying with emotion that was bizarre considering the business/ technical topic. As a junior member my initial impressions are poor. Don't apologize for a post that made a lot of sense considering the assurances you were given and the percentage decrease. Compare other price drops and the display differential is astounding. I think you should write a letter to Apple.
P.S. check out what I did. See my post from last week.
[ 02-11-2003: Message edited by: iSqueezed ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
Don't believe anything a salesperson says. If he works for an Apple reseller, or even an AppleStore, don't believe him/her.
Why? Because their future hardware predictions are as accurate as yours.
Unless you buy something shortly after it has been introduced, you will be dissapointed.
Barto
<strong>Oh please. This is utter stupidity. Should Apple not be updating hardware and cutting prices? 95% of AI has people bitching that Apple isn't updating and cutting prices enough.
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><hr></blockquote>
Thanks, BRussell, i have exactly the same opinion. Complaining that Apple lowered prices and update their products is an original thought
[ 02-12-2003: Message edited by: Powerdoc ]</p>
Cheers
Scott
Everyone made their points, now let's all just get along, shall we?