Apple iTunes and Apple Store Glitches?

[MacRumors]

Several readers noted that Apple's iTunes Music Store has had some strange behavior this morning with song and genre links behaving erratically. The problem appears to be corrected at this time.

In addition, several users noted a surprising pricing discrepancy at the online Apple Store (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=9eASk0x48lo&subid=1&offerid=13301.1&type=10&tmpid=80&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Feducation%2Fk12%2Filifeandkeynote%2F&u1=macrumors).

The rotating PowerMac G5 promotional graphic at the Apple Store appears to display Educational pricing for the PowerMacs reflecting significant discounts from retail prices. These numbers however are not reflected in the actual ordering system and appears to represent a simple mistake... the graphic (http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/2041/435/store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/cp_promo_top_g5_112103.jpg) is essentially the same as the educational store image (http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/2041/435/store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/cp_promo_top_dual1_8_g5_edu.jpg).

[Ja Di ksw]

Discounts coming up for Christmas maybe?

[FlashJordan]

My guess is those prices are not a mistake. Any of the G5 configurations can be BTO'd without the Superdrive for a savings of $200. That makes the "From" prices in that graphic accurate for all models.

Edit: Upon a second look, the Dual 2.0 is still a lower price in that graphic than it should be with the Superdrive subtracted.

Jordan

[Fraize]

Clicking on the No Doubt band link in the New Releases section brings me to Ravi Shankar.

Clicking on browse has me select a genre first. I selected "Rock." The second panel has me select genre again!

That's when I gave up.

[autrefois]

Originally posted by Fraize
Clicking on the No Doubt band link in the New Releases section brings me to Ravi Shankar.

Clicking on browse has me select a genre first. I selected "Rock." The second panel has me select genre again!

That's when I gave up.

Clicking on No Doubt takes me to Blink-182.

Browse seems to work properly for me, though.

[Flowbee]

Originally posted by Fraize
Clicking on the No Doubt band link in the New Releases section brings me to Ravi Shankar.


You're better off listening to Ravi Shankar.:p

[MacLV]

Yet another webmaster opening at apple. :) .

[SilentPanda]

Does this mean a video iPod?! :D :D :D

I'm kidding.

[autrefois]

Originally posted by autrefois
Clicking on No Doubt takes me to Blink-182.

Browse seems to work properly for me, though.

I tried again a minute ago and it still brought me to Blink-182. I then closed iTunes and went straight to "New Releases" again. Now, clicking on No Doubt now brings me to No Doubt, as it should.

Does this mean that you need to close iTunes in order for changes on Apple's server to be noticed by iTunes? (maybe some sort of caching?)

[mkaake]

i dunno... when i refresh the store page that has the graphics for discounted g5's, the next image i get (from the collection of 4 i think) is one saying there are significant discounts for educational buyers... and since those prices are the educational prices, i'd bet it's just not all that well thought through.

although a price cut that big across the board would be nice...

just think about the educational prices after the cut!

matt

[yoman]

Originally posted by mkaake


although a price cut that big across the board would be nice...

just think about the educational prices after the cut!

matt

yeah that would be marvelous. I might consider getting a G5 if the prices are cut. It would be great to use the even lower edu discount. that would allow a duelie 2.0Ghz to be ~$2399!! Not bad, not bad at all.

Edit: fixed some syntax

[arn]

unconfirmed claim (http://forums.maccentral.com/wwwthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=news031125g5salephp&Number=580521&page=&view=expanded&sb=5&o=&part=&returnto=http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2003/11/25/g5sale/index.php)


The Apple Store does indeed indicate a $300 savings for the Dual 2Gig, but when I called the Apple Store they told me it was a mistake and they were pulling the graphic, but they would honor the price. My advice is to call now and get your order in, especially for the Dual 1.8 at $2299 which is an incredible deal considering the Dual 2Gig won't significantly out-perform it.


anyone want to buy one? :)

arn

[backdraft]

Actually I think this is worse for Apple: http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2003/11/25/qtfairuse/

-backdraft

[arn]

Originally posted by backdraft
Actually I think this is worse for Apple: http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2003/11/25/qtfairuse/


142 comments on that topic here (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/11/20031122001549.shtml)

arn

[areyouwishing]

I believe this is new pricing...

There is a difference between the 2 images, the systems are listed in Red on the mistake, and the prices are listed in red on the educational image, these are 2 separate images...

I think the red symbolizes Christmas...as in Christmas pricing.

[yoman]

Originally posted by areyouwishing
I believe this is new pricing...

There is a difference between the 2 images, the systems are listed in Red on the mistake, and the prices are listed in red on the educational image, these are 2 separate images...

I think the red symbolizes Christmas...as in Christmas pricing.

That is a good point. However the two images might just be two versions of the G5 image for the Education Store. I really do hope you are right though.

[StudioGuy]

Certainly very odd, that it is still up there if it is not correct. And, the "date" appears to be in the graphic url as "112103", last Friday.

Not sure what the "cp" in the file name means, but "promo" certainly sounds good. Hmmm.... :)

edit: ah, cp ~ "christmas pricing" -- I read through that prior post to quick. again, interesting.

[willmg]

I see 1799, 2499, and 2999 when it loads on apple's front page and those are same as in store prices.

[StudioGuy]

willmg, not on the apple home page, the store.apple.com page. it is still there assuming my 'reload' button isn't broken!.

But yes, when you select one in the PM selection it's back to the original pricing.

[kuyu]

this can be filed under the "whoops" catagory. These prices are the edu prices. If I go to my schools custom apple store page, I see the same graphic. I'm guessing they accidentally put it in the regular store too.

[arn]

The pricing has been corrected on Apple's site.

arn

[Trowaman]

I sent a comment to Apple this morning on the glitches and it was fixed 30 minutes afterwards. Every link (including celebrity playlists) was to No Doubt's new single, the new Blink 182 CD, or Ludacris' page. Glad that torture is gone.

Also I could not see what "just added today" That was the real annoying part. *sigh, Oleander was the only real good thing.

[SilentPanda]

Originally posted by Trowaman
Oleander was the only real good thing.

Then my day shall be good.

[~Shard~]

Tough to say - it's the same graphic as the edu store, yet that's probably the graphic Apple would simply copy if they were indeed lowering prices! It mihgt just be a legitimate graphic mix-up, yet Christmas season is upon us, and, hey, remember when that "incorrect" gif was displayed on the Apple site spilling all the info on the G5s ahead of time! It happened once so...

We'll just have to wait and see I guess, just like with everything else... ;)

[ITR 81]

Probably is a pricing discount for Christmas because they are expecting to change around the processors in the G5's in Jan.

[yoman]

It was fun dreaming about a price drop one week after the last one on the G5s :)

[rog]

I think this was a glitch, but helps point out how overpriced they are. The DP 1.8 is not a terrible deal, but we already know that the G5s don't generally blow away PCs which cost the same. They do on some things but are way behind on others so it's a wash.

Obviously they are still making money selling them at these prices to education, govt, and employees of those institutions (perhaps because there is no middleman in Apple Store sales and they probably get $2700 for a DP 2GHz sold through a retailer). G4s were expensive chips and I don't know what G5s cost but the hope was they were cheaper. Apple was selling the DP 1.42 for around $2700 before the G5 was announced weren't they. I see no reason why they can't do so again.

What I'd really like to see if a low end DP for $1700 or so as they did with the DP 867. The low end G5 is just too expensive and compromised. Just do it Apple! Spur sales for the holiday and last chance for a write off season.

[IIvan]

Hate to change the subject but-
Has anyone heard about the possible price reduction or adding of a new lower budget Ipod? I would love to buy one, but 300 at the lowest is just too much :(

[arn]

Originally posted by ITR 81
Probably is a pricing discount for Christmas because they are expecting to change around the processors in the G5's in Jan.

um... no.

arn

[arn]

Originally posted by IIvan
Hate to change the subject but-
Has anyone heard about the possible price reduction or adding of a new lower budget Ipod? I would love to buy one, but 300 at the lowest is just too much :(

there's an unfounded rumor on http://page2.macrumors.com on it

arn

[Awimoway]

A couple thoughts:

1. Apple wouldn't drop the price on a product that was only released one week previously. They may take liberties with customer service, but price drops no more than a week later is below even Apple's belt.

2. Sometimes I wonder if leaks before Apple announcements aren't encouraged. They might be orchestrated (or, at the very least, tolerated) much in the way that leaks are used by political entities as a noncomittal means of guaging response before news is made official.
For example, we have strong reason to believe (if not outright confirmation) that when iLife was announced last January, they were going to charge for the whole thing until they saw the uproar and decided to only charge for the box set/iDVD.
So maybe last week's timely leaks about the updated G5 lineup was a way to get a sense of public sentiment about the update. Perhaps they had prepared a number of graphics pages with different price points on them, depending on the reaction at places like here. The one that showed up this morning was in the discard pile and somebody or some program accidentally put it up a week later at about the same time of day.

[lindmar]

prices have not been fixed.

[syco]

Seems like another case of premature specification. Apple seems to have a problem with shooting off too quickly these days.

[lindmar]

yup.. this is definatley a surpirse for Friday.
Lowered prices ect ect..
Yee Ha!
Now we need to know what that mystery $749 product is!
Either way, I will be bringing my mastercard to the Apple store friday.
And if we have a reduced, g4 tower, a new cube, a 60 gig ipod, or the newton...

its coming home
I wonder.. if we find out about this $749 product by friday. it will be able to be combined with the usally 10% Apple Event Retail Store discount?

hope so....

[rog]

A 1.33 G4 (512 KB L2 model) cube for $749 with a decent video card would be a great deal!

[MacBandit]

This is not a new price drop. This banner was misposted on the front page and was suppose to be on the education site. In fact you can still see the banner in question on the education store site.