Certainly I wouldn't expect a rebate...but some value add gesture to reward those who made Apple's numbers look so good and earned THEM the bragging rights is needed. I would propose a $75 iTunes gift credit that could be used to buy iPhone content. This won't cost Apple $75--I am not sure what their margins are on iTunes but I believe them to be sufficient that such a payout would not break the bank and will bring more than $75 in goodwill to one of their most important segments--the early adopters. [/FONT]
Hey now isn't that just darned reasonable!
Seriously, if everyone would accept that, I'm sure Apple would be happy to do it.
But here's something interesting to noodle over.
All these people who are bitching and whining about how much Apple cut the price today probably have thousands of pirated songs on their iPhones. So how much do you figure 75 songs are worth to them?
Here's what Apple should do, and according to all the whining babies on this thread, it should pretty much make them 100% happy.
Tomorrow they should announce that they made a HUGE mistake and to make it up to all the babies, they are going to INCREASE the price of the iPhone to $399 and $499, instead of today's price.
We've all read it, the babies are bitter that the price fell so much. As they wrote many times, a $100 price drop would be very fair, but no $200. So Apple raises the price $100, sells another million iPhones (and makes an extra $100 million) and everyone wins! Right?
Fine, fine. Finding this glitch in my previous post still does not detract from my point. Even at a 33% drop, it's still TWO MONTHS!
And no, "we computer geeks" are not used to price drops in TWO MONTHS. And calling legitimate complainers in this thread "babies" verges on slander. How hateful some of you Apple fans are out there to your fellow Apple lovers! And as to the silly, stupid posts about "raising the price," you are talking out loud making no sense at all. The complaints in this thread are not made with the aim of raising the price. How foolish to suggest they are! These complaints serve mainly to vent steam. A secondary purpose would be that the posts are made in the hope Apple will avoid making such a silly mistake again. Apple, if you want to reduce a brand new product's price by 33%, wait 6-8 months first!
Now, some of you just don't read or can't read. I deliberately repeated "two months" throughout my previous post (and this one too) to prove my point centered on "two months" above all else. And yet, you defenders of the status quo continue to rail on people who have legitimate complaints about this "two month" fiasco.
It's TWO MONTHS, folks! Two months! Did I say "two months"?!
Oh come on everybody. They had to drop the price on the old iPhone because the new 3G iPhone is due at Apple Expo in Paris at the end of the month. They're just clearing inventory.
See the new iPod Touch design, note the all new icons and dock. There's a new iPhone due that looks like that due.
I am angered most of all by all the foolish posts here by people defending Apple on this. And heck, I don't even own an iPhone! In addition, I am one to defend Apple much of the time. So I would like to emphasize just how silly these defensive remarks are. While they are valid in many other situations where Apple has dropped the price of a product, arguments are irrelevant in this case.
Two months after the opening release, the product is doing well AND the price drops by 66%?! Two months, folks. Repeat that, you blind defenders of the status quo. TWO MONTHS!
This is not "normal business practice" for a product doing well. Maybe a fire sale for a product not selling at all, but certainly not for a product doing well. And while there have been such huge price drops by other companies in the past, I don't know of any that drop the price by 66% only TWO MONTHS after the initial release when the product is selling well!
And so, people complaining in this thread and those wanting a $200 rebate are totally free, in my opinion, to complain to their heart's content. These are not evil people. These are your fellow Apple lovers who bought the iPhone for that reason -- the love of it. But our love is not blind, and many of us who bought the iPhone at $599 are legitimately upset about a $200 drop in price. So lay off these folks and let them complain. It's irrelevant if their complaints will change anything. They have the right to vent some steam over this!
You can talk all you want about "what's best for Apple" and "here's why they did it." But none of those arguments hold any water at all in light of this "two month fiasco." Two months, folks! Two months!
The price dropped by 33%, not 66%. 599 to 399.
Some of us are really annoyed by the foolish posts complaining about the drop.
It's not that we think people can't be annoyed. That's fine. But many of those posts are over the top, and require an over the top response.
You're absolutely right, and I accept your apology and offer my own if I sound crazy. I have purchased many Apple products in an early-adopter position and never have I been burned like I feel right now--it's part of what I like about Apple. Today that changed, and stupid-sounding or not, I like Apple a little less because of this. I will still buy their products, just with much, much more care and consideration, and I may avoid and advise others to avoid (or procrastinate) purchasing. I used to wait for intial releases becuase it was the way to get the most value and life out of your purchase, not so any more. I used to have confidence that I knew the list of things Apple just would NOT do, that confidence is now shattered. \
Edit: I didn't buy the iPhone because it's bleeding edge, that's never my motivation, I have no one I'm trying to impress. I bought it because it does everything (easily) that I've been waiting for since 2002.
Technology price drops are very common but I agree a 30% price drop in 2 months would be enough to piss anyone off. My friend had the same thing happen to him regarding an HDTV. He bought his first and I saw it at his house and 33 days later I got the same model for 1000.00 less. Same thing 30% price drop in just over a month. Technology pricing is enough to drive anyone insane because the mark up is so high.
For those of you saying that the people complaining are whiners are completely missing the point. It is unheard of for a company to drop prices on a best-selling phone 33% just two months after the initial release, and also discontinue the lower-end model. The early adapters knew that a price drop would eventually happen, but no one expected it to happen just two months in. It's one thing if they lowered the price 5-10%. I think you'll get a few who will complain, but you wouldn't have received as much backlash as this.
Post on Apple's discussion board have mentioned that technology often drops in price drastically. Some gave the example of HDTVs. When they first came out, the best ones started at around $14k, and now they are around $2k. What they failed to mentioned is that the price dropped gradually. Another one brought up the example of cars. If BMW came out with the 08 model for $60K, and then permanently slashed the priced to $40k two months later, that's wrong also.
Anyone who says that a 33% permanent price drop two months into anything new is not a rip-off is completely delusional. True, no one put a gun to our heads to buy the phone. No early adapter is contesting a price drop. We all knew it was inevitable. What we are contesting is that it is such a drastic drop and it happened so quickly. The first generation iPod didn't get this sort of treatment.
You have still failed to provide any logical explanation as to how the time period makes any difference at all.
Did Apple or anyone else force people to buy iPhones? No. They were purchased at $599 by free will. How has Apple's announcement today changed that fact? How has Apple's announcement today changed people's iPhones?
Technology price drops are very common but I agree a 30% price drop in 2 months would be enough to piss anyone off. My friend had the same thing happen to him regarding an HDTV. He bought his first and I saw it at his house and 33 days later I got the same model for 1000.00 less. Same thing 30% price drop in just over a month. Technology pricing is enough to drive anyone insane because the mark up is so high.
HDTV is different though. There are multiple suppliers and manufacturers. What's dropping the price of HDTVs, LCDs and plasmas are overally costs and economies of scale. Apple controls the iPhone and pricing, and a drastic drop in price can't be attributed to manufacturing cost in just over two months.
Who is extremely pissed off to find out that he overpaid for the 8GB iPhone by $200 only 2 months after it was released?
That would be me! I want a f*ckin' $200 refund! Punish the early adopters. Gotta love that!
Did they have to do this to maintain interest because they haven't released ANY of the feature enhancements that were expected within a few weeks of launch? I'm a f*ckin' sucker!
there is a price for "early adopters" the 200 is for bragging rights to be one of the first. but that is always the case, they don't RAISE prices of technology, my dad needed for work the early betamax and vhs and it was $1200 in todays $ it's probably close to 3-4k, early vhs tapes were $20 a piece even if my dad kept the receipts i don't think he'd get a refund for the difference. people will buy the iphone initially at almost any price, right now in china you can get one for $1200 and the phone doesn't work
but i will offer a big thank you for all of you that helped it to be a success so i can get it cheaper
You have still failed to provide any logical explanation as to how the time period makes any difference at all.
Folks, I think it pretty much goes without saying that Mr. H would back up any move Apple made even if the price of a given product dropped by 50% only 2 "days" after its initial sale!
The logic is clear to those who are logical, Mr. H. Two months is a very short span of time. Now name me more than one Apple product that dropped by 33% in two months. Go back to the 1970's and check all the products until now. Name me some. And so you see the point. Two months is a real first for Apple, and it's not a good "first" either.
But again, nothing can change what is done. We can only pound on Apple in hopes they don't do it again. It's simply not prudent to treat your customers this way.
Who is extremely pissed off to find out that he overpaid for the 8GB iPhone by $200 only 2 months after it was released?
That would be me! I want a f*ckin' $200 refund! Punish the early adopters. Gotta love that!
Did they have to do this to maintain interest because they haven't released ANY of the feature enhancements that were expected within a few weeks of launch? I'm a f*ckin' sucker!
I too am extremely angry with Apple. So much for rewarding loyal customers. I gues we paid so that Apple could attract new customers. And now they tell us that we can pay for ringtones! Whooppee!
It's not doing that 'well'. That's the point that people are missing.
By the end of this month Apple expect to sell their 1 millionth iPod. That's about 300,000 per month. That's only 5.4 million by the 2008. A far cry from the 10 million they predicted at launch.
The stock was off over $7 today. Do you think that was coincidence? Analysts on Wall Street can do math too.
Your numbers are not real.
As you know, Apple only sells the iPhone in the US. Before the end of the year, it will also be sold in Europe. After Janury, it will also be sold in Asia. Sometime during these introductions, it will be out in Canada, and other places.
The market for the phone will be three, possible four, or even five times larger.
Talking about doing the math!
And, if you looked, you would have seen that the entire market has been going down because of the mortgage woes in the banking industry. The reason stocks were so off today was because of the falloff in housing sales.
Apple's stock fell because of that.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off by 144, the NSYE was off by 115, the NASD was off by 24, the DOW was off by 58, etc.
As Apple is mostly a consumer company, the fear was that Apple might be hit by the consumer credit crunch.
That could very well be another reason why the phone price was dropped so much so fast.
Folks, I think it pretty much goes without saying that Mr. H would back up any move Apple made even if the price of a given product dropped by 50% only 2 "days" after its initial sale!
Indeed I would. The only reason they would have done it after only 2 days, is if no-one had queued up to buy them at $599. That and Apple have a 14 day price-protection policy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDW
The logic is clear to those who are logical, Mr. H. Two months is a very short span of time. Now name me more than one Apple product that dropped by 33% in two months. Go back to the 1970's and check all the products until now. Name me some. And so you see the point. Two months is a real first for Apple, and it's not a good "first" either.
So what? Just because it is without precedent doesn't mean that the time period is suddenly relevant. I am still waiting for your explanation. Were these people forced to part with their $599? Yes or no?
it is amazing to see how a company can erode away a good base of customers by looking at their consumers as suckers to be taken. I received a $200 refresher course in not given a damn about your customers and i am reminded of the phase caveat emptor... Let the buyer beware is alive and well..... Apple be damned!!!!
Seriously, if everyone would accept that, I'm sure Apple would be happy to do it.
But here's something interesting to noodle over.
All these people who are bitching and whining about how much Apple cut the price today probably have thousands of pirated songs on their iPhones. So how much do you figure 75 songs are worth to them?
I have not one pirated song, movie, or tv show on any of my devices. I don't believe in theft. Apple on the other hand gouged me and I don't appreciate that. They are a tiny player in both the computer and phone markets and started to believe their own hype resulting in screwing with loyal early adopters with this price drop. It basically told me that they feel that they can do anything and the sheep will come to slaughter.
When they sell 100 million handsets like Nokia did then maybe I will believe the hype. Hell, let me view and manage simple calendar requests I receive via mail on my iPhone and I might reconsider some of the disdain I currently feel. Oh, and the thought of spending an additional $.99 to turn a song I own into a ringtone is the absolute stupidest thing to come from Ego Boy's lips in years. I would buy a Palm Foleo before I pay for a ringtone from Apple.
Screw me once shame on you, screw me twice call me a devoted apple fan boy!
Purchasers of the iPhone (and not all of us purchased it two months ago, either) have every right to complain. We have every right to state that we will alter our buying practices when it comes to Apple products. Just as Apple has every right to alter pricing of their product in the marketplace whenever they wish, we have every right to judge them on those decisions and respond accordingly.
There will be a cost of lost business or "buying delay" to Apple in the future because of this decision. However, I'm sure they analyzed the impact and determined that it was worth it. Their choice, and, since it infuriates me, I will speak with my wallet going forward.
The incessant defense of Apple and criticism of those that wish to express their disagreement sounds as much like whining to me as any posts expressing anger regarding Apple's decision. I would like to see the people making these posts calling others morons, idiots, fools, etc. conduct these conversations in person. I'm sure the dialogue would differ drastically.
Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Long live capitalism!
Fine! If you really think that's true. But, I doubt it will affect Apple's sales in the slightest.
I have to say though, that it isn't so much the defense of Apple as it is the response to the often frenzied posts of those who are claiming to be raped by Apple.
I could understand, if this product was a high resale value product. But, it's not. No one LIKES to see a product drop so much fairly shortly after they bought it, but phones are not computers.
If you look at the cell providers who offer the phones you will see that this happens all the time.
When I bought my Treo 700p from Sprint early this year, I paid $399 with a new 2 year contract. About 2 1/2 months later, Version offered the same phone with a 2 year contract for $299.
Before too long, Sprint was offering it for $199.
How did I feel? Not thrilled. But, I'm not ranting about it! That's what happens in the cell phone business.
How do people who bought RAZR's for $500, only to see them drop to $149, 6 months later, feel? Then my friend bought two of them, for himself and his wife, for a total of $300, only to see them sold for $29.95 apiece two weeks later!
Enough is enough!
This is going to happen a lot. People have to get used to it.
As you know, Apple only sells the iPhone in the US. Before the end of the year, it will also be sold in Europe. After Janury, it will also be sold in Asia. Sometime during these introductions, it will be out in Canada, and other places.
The market for the phone will be three, possible four, or even five times larger.
Talking about doing the math!
And, if you looked, you would have seen that the entire market has been going down because of the mortgage woes in the banking industry. The reason stocks were so off today was because of the falloff in housing sales.
Apple's stock fell because of that.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off by 144, the NSYE was off by 115, the NASD was off by 24, the DOW was off by 58, etc.
As Apple is mostly a consumer company, the fear was that Apple might be hit by the consumer credit crunch.
That could very well be another reason why the phone price was dropped so much so fast.
There is nothing wrong with my numbers. They are extrapolations from numbers that Apple have provided.
Just so you can see how I came up with them. Jobs said he expects to sell the one millionth iPod by the end of this month. That's three months since intro. Divide 1 million by three and you get 300,000 units per month. Yes they may end up selling 1,000,512. That's not the point. These are estimates. There are 18 months of sales between the time the iPhone was introd and the end of 08 when Apple said it would sell 10 million. Multiply 300,000 by 18 and you get 5.4 million. A far cry from 10 million. For the record I think Apple still has a good chance of meeting it's sales goal and I think the iPhone is a fantastic device. But they dropped the price for a reason. Weaker than anticipated sales is my explanation.
Yes I hope and expect Apple to begin sales in other countries. The math above demonstrates the need for Apple to do so.
As to Apple's stock hit. Well Apple was up about 20 cents before the special event when the overall market was down about 100 points. After the event is when Apple got whacked. As far as other macro economic concerns, Apple isn't immune from them but the stock has held up well. It's actually doing fine even after today. But I think you're mistaken if you think Apple's move today was just due to the trend of the market. The stock tanked after the event. Obviously somebody didn't like what was said.
this will likely push those hesitant european carriers over the edge, because many kept comaring iphone to nokia sony etc, i wonder what nokia will do?......and wow that will really put steam in those markets.
Comments
Certainly I wouldn't expect a rebate...but some value add gesture to reward those who made Apple's numbers look so good and earned THEM the bragging rights is needed. I would propose a $75 iTunes gift credit that could be used to buy iPhone content. This won't cost Apple $75--I am not sure what their margins are on iTunes but I believe them to be sufficient that such a payout would not break the bank and will bring more than $75 in goodwill to one of their most important segments--the early adopters. [/FONT]
Hey now isn't that just darned reasonable!
Seriously, if everyone would accept that, I'm sure Apple would be happy to do it.
But here's something interesting to noodle over.
All these people who are bitching and whining about how much Apple cut the price today probably have thousands of pirated songs on their iPhones. So how much do you figure 75 songs are worth to them?
Tomorrow they should announce that they made a HUGE mistake and to make it up to all the babies, they are going to INCREASE the price of the iPhone to $399 and $499, instead of today's price.
We've all read it, the babies are bitter that the price fell so much. As they wrote many times, a $100 price drop would be very fair, but no $200. So Apple raises the price $100, sells another million iPhones (and makes an extra $100 million) and everyone wins! Right?
And no, "we computer geeks" are not used to price drops in TWO MONTHS. And calling legitimate complainers in this thread "babies" verges on slander. How hateful some of you Apple fans are out there to your fellow Apple lovers! And as to the silly, stupid posts about "raising the price," you are talking out loud making no sense at all. The complaints in this thread are not made with the aim of raising the price. How foolish to suggest they are! These complaints serve mainly to vent steam. A secondary purpose would be that the posts are made in the hope Apple will avoid making such a silly mistake again. Apple, if you want to reduce a brand new product's price by 33%, wait 6-8 months first!
Now, some of you just don't read or can't read. I deliberately repeated "two months" throughout my previous post (and this one too) to prove my point centered on "two months" above all else. And yet, you defenders of the status quo continue to rail on people who have legitimate complaints about this "two month" fiasco.
It's TWO MONTHS, folks! Two months! Did I say "two months"?!
Two months!
See the new iPod Touch design, note the all new icons and dock. There's a new iPhone due that looks like that due.
I am angered most of all by all the foolish posts here by people defending Apple on this. And heck, I don't even own an iPhone! In addition, I am one to defend Apple much of the time. So I would like to emphasize just how silly these defensive remarks are. While they are valid in many other situations where Apple has dropped the price of a product, arguments are irrelevant in this case.
Two months after the opening release, the product is doing well AND the price drops by 66%?! Two months, folks. Repeat that, you blind defenders of the status quo. TWO MONTHS!
This is not "normal business practice" for a product doing well. Maybe a fire sale for a product not selling at all, but certainly not for a product doing well. And while there have been such huge price drops by other companies in the past, I don't know of any that drop the price by 66% only TWO MONTHS after the initial release when the product is selling well!
And so, people complaining in this thread and those wanting a $200 rebate are totally free, in my opinion, to complain to their heart's content. These are not evil people. These are your fellow Apple lovers who bought the iPhone for that reason -- the love of it. But our love is not blind, and many of us who bought the iPhone at $599 are legitimately upset about a $200 drop in price. So lay off these folks and let them complain. It's irrelevant if their complaints will change anything. They have the right to vent some steam over this!
You can talk all you want about "what's best for Apple" and "here's why they did it." But none of those arguments hold any water at all in light of this "two month fiasco." Two months, folks! Two months!
The price dropped by 33%, not 66%. 599 to 399.
Some of us are really annoyed by the foolish posts complaining about the drop.
It's not that we think people can't be annoyed. That's fine. But many of those posts are over the top, and require an over the top response.
You're absolutely right, and I accept your apology and offer my own if I sound crazy. I have purchased many Apple products in an early-adopter position and never have I been burned like I feel right now--it's part of what I like about Apple. Today that changed, and stupid-sounding or not, I like Apple a little less because of this. I will still buy their products, just with much, much more care and consideration, and I may avoid and advise others to avoid (or procrastinate) purchasing. I used to wait for intial releases becuase it was the way to get the most value and life out of your purchase, not so any more. I used to have confidence that I knew the list of things Apple just would NOT do, that confidence is now shattered.
Edit: I didn't buy the iPhone because it's bleeding edge, that's never my motivation, I have no one I'm trying to impress. I bought it because it does everything (easily) that I've been waiting for since 2002.
Technology price drops are very common but I agree a 30% price drop in 2 months would be enough to piss anyone off. My friend had the same thing happen to him regarding an HDTV. He bought his first and I saw it at his house and 33 days later I got the same model for 1000.00 less. Same thing 30% price drop in just over a month. Technology pricing is enough to drive anyone insane because the mark up is so high.
Sorry, he was the one who said "asshole".
Post on Apple's discussion board have mentioned that technology often drops in price drastically. Some gave the example of HDTVs. When they first came out, the best ones started at around $14k, and now they are around $2k. What they failed to mentioned is that the price dropped gradually. Another one brought up the example of cars. If BMW came out with the 08 model for $60K, and then permanently slashed the priced to $40k two months later, that's wrong also.
Anyone who says that a 33% permanent price drop two months into anything new is not a rip-off is completely delusional. True, no one put a gun to our heads to buy the phone. No early adapter is contesting a price drop. We all knew it was inevitable. What we are contesting is that it is such a drastic drop and it happened so quickly. The first generation iPod didn't get this sort of treatment.
TWO MONTHS!
You have still failed to provide any logical explanation as to how the time period makes any difference at all.
Did Apple or anyone else force people to buy iPhones? No. They were purchased at $599 by free will. How has Apple's announcement today changed that fact? How has Apple's announcement today changed people's iPhones?
Technology price drops are very common but I agree a 30% price drop in 2 months would be enough to piss anyone off. My friend had the same thing happen to him regarding an HDTV. He bought his first and I saw it at his house and 33 days later I got the same model for 1000.00 less. Same thing 30% price drop in just over a month. Technology pricing is enough to drive anyone insane because the mark up is so high.
HDTV is different though. There are multiple suppliers and manufacturers. What's dropping the price of HDTVs, LCDs and plasmas are overally costs and economies of scale. Apple controls the iPhone and pricing, and a drastic drop in price can't be attributed to manufacturing cost in just over two months.
Who is extremely pissed off to find out that he overpaid for the 8GB iPhone by $200 only 2 months after it was released?
That would be me! I want a f*ckin' $200 refund! Punish the early adopters. Gotta love that!
Did they have to do this to maintain interest because they haven't released ANY of the feature enhancements that were expected within a few weeks of launch? I'm a f*ckin' sucker!
there is a price for "early adopters" the 200 is for bragging rights to be one of the first. but that is always the case, they don't RAISE prices of technology, my dad needed for work the early betamax and vhs and it was $1200 in todays $ it's probably close to 3-4k, early vhs tapes were $20 a piece even if my dad kept the receipts i don't think he'd get a refund for the difference.
but i will offer a big thank you for all of you that helped it to be a success so i can get it cheaper
You have still failed to provide any logical explanation as to how the time period makes any difference at all.
Folks, I think it pretty much goes without saying that Mr. H would back up any move Apple made even if the price of a given product dropped by 50% only 2 "days" after its initial sale!
The logic is clear to those who are logical, Mr. H. Two months is a very short span of time. Now name me more than one Apple product that dropped by 33% in two months. Go back to the 1970's and check all the products until now. Name me some. And so you see the point. Two months is a real first for Apple, and it's not a good "first" either.
But again, nothing can change what is done. We can only pound on Apple in hopes they don't do it again. It's simply not prudent to treat your customers this way.
Who is extremely pissed off to find out that he overpaid for the 8GB iPhone by $200 only 2 months after it was released?
That would be me! I want a f*ckin' $200 refund! Punish the early adopters. Gotta love that!
Did they have to do this to maintain interest because they haven't released ANY of the feature enhancements that were expected within a few weeks of launch? I'm a f*ckin' sucker!
I too am extremely angry with Apple. So much for rewarding loyal customers. I gues we paid so that Apple could attract new customers. And now they tell us that we can pay for ringtones! Whooppee!
It's not doing that 'well'. That's the point that people are missing.
By the end of this month Apple expect to sell their 1 millionth iPod. That's about 300,000 per month. That's only 5.4 million by the 2008. A far cry from the 10 million they predicted at launch.
The stock was off over $7 today. Do you think that was coincidence? Analysts on Wall Street can do math too.
Your numbers are not real.
As you know, Apple only sells the iPhone in the US. Before the end of the year, it will also be sold in Europe. After Janury, it will also be sold in Asia. Sometime during these introductions, it will be out in Canada, and other places.
The market for the phone will be three, possible four, or even five times larger.
Talking about doing the math!
And, if you looked, you would have seen that the entire market has been going down because of the mortgage woes in the banking industry. The reason stocks were so off today was because of the falloff in housing sales.
Apple's stock fell because of that.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off by 144, the NSYE was off by 115, the NASD was off by 24, the DOW was off by 58, etc.
As Apple is mostly a consumer company, the fear was that Apple might be hit by the consumer credit crunch.
That could very well be another reason why the phone price was dropped so much so fast.
Folks, I think it pretty much goes without saying that Mr. H would back up any move Apple made even if the price of a given product dropped by 50% only 2 "days" after its initial sale!
Indeed I would. The only reason they would have done it after only 2 days, is if no-one had queued up to buy them at $599. That and Apple have a 14 day price-protection policy.
The logic is clear to those who are logical, Mr. H. Two months is a very short span of time. Now name me more than one Apple product that dropped by 33% in two months. Go back to the 1970's and check all the products until now. Name me some. And so you see the point. Two months is a real first for Apple, and it's not a good "first" either.
So what? Just because it is without precedent doesn't mean that the time period is suddenly relevant. I am still waiting for your explanation. Were these people forced to part with their $599? Yes or no?
Hey now isn't that just darned reasonable!
Seriously, if everyone would accept that, I'm sure Apple would be happy to do it.
But here's something interesting to noodle over.
All these people who are bitching and whining about how much Apple cut the price today probably have thousands of pirated songs on their iPhones. So how much do you figure 75 songs are worth to them?
I have not one pirated song, movie, or tv show on any of my devices. I don't believe in theft. Apple on the other hand gouged me and I don't appreciate that. They are a tiny player in both the computer and phone markets and started to believe their own hype resulting in screwing with loyal early adopters with this price drop. It basically told me that they feel that they can do anything and the sheep will come to slaughter.
When they sell 100 million handsets like Nokia did then maybe I will believe the hype. Hell, let me view and manage simple calendar requests I receive via mail on my iPhone and I might reconsider some of the disdain I currently feel. Oh, and the thought of spending an additional $.99 to turn a song I own into a ringtone is the absolute stupidest thing to come from Ego Boy's lips in years. I would buy a Palm Foleo before I pay for a ringtone from Apple.
Screw me once shame on you, screw me twice call me a devoted apple fan boy!
Purchasers of the iPhone (and not all of us purchased it two months ago, either) have every right to complain. We have every right to state that we will alter our buying practices when it comes to Apple products. Just as Apple has every right to alter pricing of their product in the marketplace whenever they wish, we have every right to judge them on those decisions and respond accordingly.
There will be a cost of lost business or "buying delay" to Apple in the future because of this decision. However, I'm sure they analyzed the impact and determined that it was worth it. Their choice, and, since it infuriates me, I will speak with my wallet going forward.
The incessant defense of Apple and criticism of those that wish to express their disagreement sounds as much like whining to me as any posts expressing anger regarding Apple's decision. I would like to see the people making these posts calling others morons, idiots, fools, etc. conduct these conversations in person. I'm sure the dialogue would differ drastically.
Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Long live capitalism!
Fine! If you really think that's true. But, I doubt it will affect Apple's sales in the slightest.
I have to say though, that it isn't so much the defense of Apple as it is the response to the often frenzied posts of those who are claiming to be raped by Apple.
I could understand, if this product was a high resale value product. But, it's not. No one LIKES to see a product drop so much fairly shortly after they bought it, but phones are not computers.
If you look at the cell providers who offer the phones you will see that this happens all the time.
When I bought my Treo 700p from Sprint early this year, I paid $399 with a new 2 year contract. About 2 1/2 months later, Version offered the same phone with a 2 year contract for $299.
Before too long, Sprint was offering it for $199.
How did I feel? Not thrilled. But, I'm not ranting about it! That's what happens in the cell phone business.
How do people who bought RAZR's for $500, only to see them drop to $149, 6 months later, feel? Then my friend bought two of them, for himself and his wife, for a total of $300, only to see them sold for $29.95 apiece two weeks later!
Enough is enough!
This is going to happen a lot. People have to get used to it.
Just suck it up, and move on!
Your numbers are not real.
As you know, Apple only sells the iPhone in the US. Before the end of the year, it will also be sold in Europe. After Janury, it will also be sold in Asia. Sometime during these introductions, it will be out in Canada, and other places.
The market for the phone will be three, possible four, or even five times larger.
Talking about doing the math!
And, if you looked, you would have seen that the entire market has been going down because of the mortgage woes in the banking industry. The reason stocks were so off today was because of the falloff in housing sales.
Apple's stock fell because of that.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off by 144, the NSYE was off by 115, the NASD was off by 24, the DOW was off by 58, etc.
As Apple is mostly a consumer company, the fear was that Apple might be hit by the consumer credit crunch.
That could very well be another reason why the phone price was dropped so much so fast.
There is nothing wrong with my numbers. They are extrapolations from numbers that Apple have provided.
Just so you can see how I came up with them. Jobs said he expects to sell the one millionth iPod by the end of this month. That's three months since intro. Divide 1 million by three and you get 300,000 units per month. Yes they may end up selling 1,000,512. That's not the point. These are estimates. There are 18 months of sales between the time the iPhone was introd and the end of 08 when Apple said it would sell 10 million. Multiply 300,000 by 18 and you get 5.4 million. A far cry from 10 million. For the record I think Apple still has a good chance of meeting it's sales goal and I think the iPhone is a fantastic device. But they dropped the price for a reason. Weaker than anticipated sales is my explanation.
Yes I hope and expect Apple to begin sales in other countries. The math above demonstrates the need for Apple to do so.
As to Apple's stock hit. Well Apple was up about 20 cents before the special event when the overall market was down about 100 points. After the event is when Apple got whacked. As far as other macro economic concerns, Apple isn't immune from them but the stock has held up well. It's actually doing fine even after today. But I think you're mistaken if you think Apple's move today was just due to the trend of the market. The stock tanked after the event. Obviously somebody didn't like what was said.