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 MPScanPremium
join:2001-08-24
Boston, MA | AMEX FTW! Just another reason to use an American Express card. They've been credtiting $200 back to people who purchased the iPhone as part of the price guarantee feature of their card. Nice, eh?
»creditboards.com/forums/index.ph···&hl=citi | |
| Well. I didn't use an AMEX card but I sure as heck will not be first in line for anything Apple again!
Lets see... If I wait 66 days the price will drop.
Apple has lost sight of the one thing that makes a company grow... Loyal customers. I'd suggest to everyone ... In the future, just wait. When sales go in the toilet then you can buy the item at a fair price. I see no reason to jump on Apple's bandwagon to support the fancy lifestyle the gougers are making.
Do I like the phone. Yes. It fills a need that I had at that point in time but time would not of stopped if I had not bought one. I like the new 160 gig iPods. I'd like to buy one but since Apple screwed me on the iPhone I don't HAVE to have one so I'm a lost customer. Multiply that by thousands that feel the same way and Apple may have very rocky sales due to greed.
At one time I worked for a car dealer. The dealer thought I was making too much money as my sales were up there so he let me go when I came off vacation. The new cheaper green salesmen/women didn't have the sales experience or contacts I had so he lost revenue and today no longer has a dealership. Thought he could replace me with someone cheaper. Same thing is going to happen to Apple when their sales go in the toilet when us (previously) loyal customers say.. No I'm not going to buy..."I'll just wait for a price drop, if I buy at all". It will hit Apple in the pocketbook hard.
I think Apple expects to replace us with new clients.... We buy the high dollar systems, not just the iPhones. I'm not buying anything and am looking real hard at the "Dark Side" to see if it will fit my companies needs. I don't HAVE to buy Apple!
This attitude will make Apple go away like the Dodo Bird....
An EX-Loyal Apple Customer | | |
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| said by ATMW :
I see no reason to jump on Apple's bandwagon to support the fancy lifestyle the gougers are making.
"Gougers?!?" Please...
I couldn't help but notice how thrilled everyone was when they were waiting in line for their iPhone.
Yes, there they were: happy to piss away lots of time and money in return for having the New Shiny that everyone wanted. No one whined about how expensive it was, or about how they (more than likely) already had a perfectly servicable phone that they could continue to use and simply hang on to their $599+.
No, all they knew was that they were getting the Latest and Greatest and that they would, as a result, be popular for half a minute.....until an Even Newer Shiny came out.
And now, here we are, two months later, listening to speeches from these same people about Apple's "gouging." 
Why don't you just admit that you've enjoyed owning the thing and that Apple's price drop is an inevitable part of the product cycle for high-tech items: the price drops and the features are enhanced.
said by ATMW :
Do I like the phone. Yes. It fills a need that I had at that point in time
I'll bite: what "need" was that, exactly?
Because there is nothing that the iPhone can do that you couldn't do with an existing phone and a laptop.
I'm here in Silicon Valley: please believe me when I tell you that I don't know of a single person who actually needed the iPhone. They bought it simply to prove they were "keeping up" with the Latest and Greatest, no more, no less.
said by ATMW :
but time would not of stopped if I had not bought one.
And this only ocurred to you now, two months after the fact?
said by ATMW :
I like the new 160 gig iPods. I'd like to buy one but since Apple screwed me on the iPhone
Apple did not "screw you" on the iPhone. They sold it at a price point that you were happy to pay at the time, otherwise you wouldn't have bought it. Please let's not pretend otherwise.
Dropping the price on a high-tech item 2+ months after its introduction is nowhere near "screwing" the customer.
Do car dealerships "screw" their customers when they drop the price on their older models to get them off the lot? No, they don't.
And now that the iPhone has been on the market for 2+ months, Apple has to do something to boost sales because all of the initial hype has worn off. The only thing left for them is to drop the price
said by ATMW :
I don't HAVE to have one [iPod Classic] so I'm a lost customer.
Well, you didn't need an iPhone, either, yet you bought one anyway.
I'll bet your resolve to be a "lost customer" mysteriously evaporates the next time Apple does a new product rollout (rather than revving their existing product line, which is what the "new" iPods really are).
said by ATMW :
Multiply that by thousands that feel the same way and Apple may have very rocky sales due to greed.
Again, dropping the price on a high-tech product two months out doesn't even remotely constitute greed. It constitutes a Good Marketing Move on Apple's part. Let's not forget that the iPhone is, after all is said and done, simply another phone in an already oversaturated market.
If you want to get indignant at Apple over something worthwhile, take a look at how they've locked the TV out on the iPod Classic without bothering to tell people beforehand.
Apparently, those of us who bought third-party accessories (most of which lack an Apple authentication chip) to allow us to output the video from our iPods to something we could actually see it on can now look forward to buying all-new accessories if we decide to upgrade our iPod. And this despite the use of the word "Classic" in the new revision, which strongly implies that accessory compatibility shouldn't be a problem.
There is no way Apple was required to do that. They simply did it so that if you purchase a new iPod, you can look forward to replacing all of your existing accessories, too.
Now that's not cool. | |
 Titus PulloI came, I saw, I slept
join:2004-06-26
kudos:1
 ·Embarq Now Centu..
| We get it, we get it.
I don't own the phone and would never 'early adopt' anything; I never have.
The point here is, in my opinion, the crumbling of Apple's OH so important perception by thinking that a $100 gift card is going to mitigate ALL the bad feelings, and not just because they overpaid and then were flipped the bird by Apple, no. The bigger point is that they're being ridiculed by everyone from the Apple Elite® to folks who wouldn't own an Apple for any reason.
The effect on 'early adoption' -- and let's face it, that sh*t makes companies like Apple a lot of money -- is devastating. This is a giant lesson that I don't think Apple wanted to teach anyone, because the $100 gift card is only going to bandaid so many people. More will join my camp and never, ever, early adopt anything, ESPECIALLY from Apple.
--
'Swing you sinners, swing!' | |
| Did I think the iPhone was over priced? Yes, as is most new electronics today.
Did I know the price was going to drop? Sure expected that but not 66 days after all the hype announcement and not at such a drastic price point cut.
On top of that it is the sudden announcement of a "rebate" to early adopters that has me upset the most. I'm not interested in investing another dime in Apple, I just want my $200 (plus tax) back. If there is that much profit in the phone that Jobs can announce a rebate hours after the price cut then it stands to reason that they had this planned all along. Keeps their name out there but the backlash is that we Apple loyalists who jump on the bandwagon and buy everything "new" will hit them in the pocketbook when we say nope. Never again.
Apple has not seen the bottom of the sales drop yet. Instead of pricing the phone at a price point that would of ruled the market all they have managed to do is piss off their core buyers.
What's fair? Give me my $200 back. Say that we screwed up and I'll stay in the camp but until then I'm out of the market. I have less need and use for a new iPod than the phone. I thought about buying a phone for the Mrs. but not gonna happen now.
Vista is looking better and better!! | |
| said by ATMW :
Did I think the iPhone was over priced? Yes, as is most new electronics today.
Define "overpriced." Does "overpriced" mean that the device is sold for more than the sum of its parts are worth? Last time I looked, companies have to make money over and above their operating costs to stay in business (and make shareholders happy).
If, on the other hand, "overpriced" means "not worth it," then you can tell Apple (or any other company) that their products are overpriced simply by hanging onto you money.
said by ATMW :
Did I know the price was going to drop? Sure expected that but not 66 days
Well, would the price drop have been acceptable to you if Apple had waited, say, 90 days? At what exact point in time can Apple (or any other high-tech company) reasonably drop their price on a given item without incurring the wrath of their customers?
If you'll pardon my saying so, you're thinking in calendar terms and not in terms of product cycles. Apple has made all the money they can off of "early adopters" and they realize that. The price drop is their attempt to grab more market share.
And dropping the price is the only way they can do this, short of coming out with a newer model of phone.
said by ATMW :
after all the hype announcement
I agree: the iPhone rollout was a lot of hype.
But when you saw the lines of people who had camped out for one, it didn't take long to realize that the hype had paid off handsomely for Apple.
And, let's face it, a lot of people were excited about getting their phone. Does this mean that Apple's hype was entirely without merit?
said by ATMW :
and not at such a drastic price point cut.
Well, what price cut would be acceptable to you? And at what point would Apple be free to introduce such a cut without you getting mad at them?
said by ATMW :
On top of that it is the sudden announcement of a "rebate" to early adopters that has me upset the most.
Frankly I'm puzzled as to why that would be.
Apple has offered to spot you $100 back (okay, $100 worth of their stuff, which is even more clever) even though you, as an early adopter, are entitled to Bugger All.
Why is that not enough? Doesn't this action demonstrate that Apple does care (at least somewhat?)
I guess I just don't understand where your sense of entitlement is coming from. Especially since the fact that you spent $600+ on a cellphone clearly demonstrates that, for you and others like you, money is clearly No Object.
said by ATMW :
I'm not interested in investing another dime in Apple, I just want my $200 (plus tax) back.
Again: why does Apple owe you anything?
If they had tried to charge you an additional $200 bucks on your service contract, I could understand why they might owe you something.
Otherwise, Apple has every right to decide what pricepoint they sell their, um, stuff at.
said by ATMW :
If there is that much profit in the phone
Who said that Apple was clearing $200 on each phone?
If you were an Apple shareholder, would you prefer Apple to lose a little bit of money....or a whole lot?
Cutting the price of the iPhone may have a lot less to do with Apple making a ton of money on the iPhone than with Apple losing a metric diaperload of dough if not enough people decide that not only do they need a brand-new phone, but they're also willing to sign a shiny new 2-year contract with AT&T so that they can use the phone's full capabilities.
I don't know what sort of sales targets and adoption rates Apple had set for itself, but perhaps someone on the board could chime in with some actual facts and figures so all of us can decide for ourselves if the iPhone is working out as expected for Apple.
Me, I strongly suspect that Apple was a wee bit overly optimistic in judging the numbers of people who would buy the phone/sign the service contract, but I can't say I've followed the affair with my usual anal-retentiveness.
said by ATMW :
that Jobs can announce a rebate hours after the price cut then it stands to reason that they had this planned all along.
Sorry, I just don't see how Apple has this "planned all along" at all.
Jobs didn't promise a rebate to automatically be issued to everyone: he promised $100 worth of Apple gear to people who bothered to ask for it. Big difference.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with Apple milking the early adopters for all the money they could get from them.
Sorry if you think that Apple doesn't view you as a cash cow, but last time I looked, Apple was no different than any other corporation in that the whole point of their existence is to maximise their revenue.
And if they can do that by selling, say, 500,000 iPhones at $599, then sell 3,000,000 more iPhones by dropping the price $200, then that's what they're going to do.
And if I'm an Apple shareholder, that's what I would expect them to do.
said by ATMW :
Keeps their name out there but the backlash is that we Apple loyalists who jump on the bandwagon and buy everything "new" will hit them in the pocketbook when we say nope. Never again.
Well, the only person you can speak for with any certainty is yourself.
Steve Jobs may indeed be an arsehole, but he's proven himself time and again to be a very clever arsehole.
It's too early to tell how all this will impact Apple, but I would be very surprised if it turned out to have a negative impact for long (if at all).
This isn't the first mistake that Apple's ever made and the goodwill associated with the company means that their customers are willing to overlook quite a bit, if the past is any indication.
We'll see what happens...
said by ATMW :
Apple has not seen the bottom of the sales drop yet.
What "sales drop" are you referring to? The drop in price for the iPhone will mean that more people will be likely to buy it.
Lowering your price has a tendency to make your product more attractive to consumers. Up to a point.
said by ATMW :
Instead of pricing the phone at a price point that would of ruled the market
If you'll pardon my saying so, I'm not convinvced you understand Apple's pricing strategy.
If Apple was interested in ruling, say, the computer market, then wouldn't they have priced their computers at a lower price-point long ago? I remember Apple in the 80s, and it was widely known that their margins were gold-plated ones.
And while I don't think that Apple's margins are quite what they once were, they have successfully demonstrated an ability to charge premium prices for their products time and again.
Apple's appeal lies not in "ruling" a given market. It lies, instead, in convincing enough people in a given market to pay much more than the going rate for Apple's products.
And Apple did seem to convince quite a few people to not only shell out $600 for a phone, but also to sign up for a two-year contract with the Devil Incarnate (AT&T to you). So clearly their marketing has worked to at least some degree.
said by ATMW :
all they have managed to do is piss off their core buyers.
Sez who?
And who, exactly, constitutes Apple's "core buyers?"
I think you're indulging in a bit of wishful thinking here.
Apple has put out plenty of ludicrously overpriced/underfeatured "road apples" before (Mac TV anyone?). And yet...when it comes time for people to shell out their money, Apple never seems to have a shortage of takers.
As far as Apple's sales go, I don't think we'll be able to talk about them intelligently until January '08, when the results of the Christmas season will have been tallied.
If Apple has indeed "pissed off their core buyers," their Christmas sales will probably reflect that.
said by ATMW :
What's fair? Give me my $200 back.
How is that fair for Apple? And why should Apple hand you $200 for a product you've already had the use of for two months?
Apple sold the iPhone for $599 and you chose to buy it at that price. And that's where their obligation to you ended.
said by ATMW :
Say that we screwed up
Who is this "we" you're referring to?
Because Apple, by convincing people to part with $600 for a phone in an oversaturated market, didn't "screw up." Quite the opposite, in fact.
said by ATMW :
and I'll stay in the camp but until then I'm out of the market.
Right. And that's something that will only matter if enough people follow your example. And we'll all just have to wait and see if that happens.
My prediction: Apple will have a record year of sales in 2007. There, I've said it.
And, no, that's not necessarily because their products are any good. It's because their marketing is very good.
And the high-tech industry is as much about marketing as it is about anything else.
said by ATMW :
I have less need and use for a new iPod than the phone.
Apple's new iPod offerings puzzle me. From what I could tell, consumers seem to have demonstrated a preference for a widescreen iPod with greater storage capacity (100 Gigs+). And now Apple wants them to choose between a widescreen iPod (iTouch) or an iPod with increased storage (Classic).
I just don't get it. And the fact that they're making me make a choice I shouldn't have to make means I'll be hanging onto my money until I see a choice I'm comfortable with. I'm not dropping $200+ on something that will make my butt twitch when I look at it because it's not what I really wanted.
said by ATMW :
I thought about buying a phone for the Mrs. but not gonna happen now.
You can find a perfectly servicable phone for half of what you dropped on your iPhone: your misses should be quite happy with what's out there.
said by ATMW :
Vista is looking better and better!!
You know, I've heard the expression "cutting off your nose to spite your face" before...but I don't think I've ever fully understood it until just now.
Good luck with Vista! I mean....wow! | |
| Just remember - Mr. Stockholder - I can talk with my pocketbook and so can everyone else. Many of my friends who also bought the iPhone also feel we have been had. Apple has to sell more than just iPhones to stay in business and now Apple has opened a can of worms by alienating many of it's loyal buyers. Why else would Apple try this lame attempt to offer us something for being the first buyers? Just tells me "Woops!! we over-priced the phone" and they are now trying to cover their butts.
If sales were that great why would Apple drop the price? Apple has said sales are lower than some wizz kid projected at the inflated price point so how do we get sales back up?
Lets see .. We raped (this word was used by one of the managers at the Kansas City apple store) the early buyers now lets price the phone where it should of been priced to begin with. We will then give those early buyers a bone to keep 'em happy.
I don't begrudge a company for making a profit, but I do feel "taken" when I'm offered a bone instead of the price that buyers in the last two weeks get. | |
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