Poll: Would you buy a $250 Lucky Apple Bag? (contents unknown)

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: Would you buy a $250 Lucky Apple Bag? (contents unknown) (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=384)

[macFanDave]

like you can with the iTunes Pepsi bottles ;-)

But, seriously, folks. If, let's say, you couldn't use four to six of the items in the bag, you could probably sell them on eBay and recover your purchase price so essentially you'd get two to four desirable items for free!

Also, if history is any guide, the bag itself will probably be pretty cool!

[ipacmm]

id buy one.

[virividox]

max value of 1000 so there could be an ipod


or lots of software we dont use hehe

[AmigoMac]

because it is from Apple you say yes...

Would you do it with Dell? Probably NO!

;)


I would get the apple one...

[Trowaman]

I said no, but if I had more than $200 in my checking account I probably would buy one.

It's true, college does suck up your money.

[big duane]

Originally posted by macFanDave

But, seriously, folks. If, let's say, you couldn't use four to six of the items in the bag, you could probably sell them on eBay and recover your purchase price so essentially you'd get two to four desirable items for free!


that's pretty much what i was thinking. if you don't like what you get and aren't into the grand opening 'memento' factor, sell it on ebay, 'cause others certainly will be!

[alset]

Standing in line, tomorrow - buying a bag. Let's hope it's jaw-droppingly good.

Dan

[wdlove]

I voted yes, a leap of faith with Apple. Since I won't be at the opening of the SF Store, won't have that opportunity.

[Doctor Q]

http://www.macworld.com/2004/02/images/content/applestore-bag.jpg

Whether or not you like the contents after you buy one, can you resell the items for the near-regular price and come out ahead?

[Mantat]

Content of the bag if you are lucky:
iPod mini, iSight, iLife04, panther, jam pack, coupons...

or if you get the unlucky bag:
PB power cord, 512megs of Apple certified ram, eMac stand, BT mouse, iChat AV...

Seriously, I think its going to be a great package and I would definatly get it. I am sure the bag is going to be cool looking!

[mrsebastian]

uh, no. unless i was already going to purchase it and had a chance to win something good. speaking from a gambling perspective, that's a pretty crappy return for $250. on the low end, if i win at all, i'll slightly more than double my money. you might as well play craps and put your $250 on the pass line and have better odds at doubling your money... damn i'm in the mood to gamble now ;)

[slowtreme]

probably, but I voted no.

I'm guessing that once these "surprise bags" go on sale, the contents will be known. And if I was standing in line I'd make that decision then. But I'd never spend 250 bucks on contents unknown.

I seriously doubt it's a bag full of hardware.

[idkew]

Originally posted by slowtreme

I seriously doubt it's a bag full of hardware.

yep, i bet it is software. that is easy to give away without too much cost. the software itself w/boxes and such prolly only costs a few dollars, so it is a small loss for apple to sell it at $250.

an iPod? no. iSight? no. other hardware? doubt it. maybe a mouse or 16mb usb memory card.

[jkojima]

I'm going to say unconditionally yes. Why not! I wanna know what's in the bag!!

[Mudbug]

Maybe it's a bunch of iTMS gift certificates from Steve Jobs himself, and that would explain the $29,500 purchaser. :D ;)

either that, or a bottle of enriched plutonium. could go either way, really. :D

[mrsebastian]

Originally posted by idkew
yep, i bet it is software. that is easy to give away without too much cost. the software itself w/boxes and such prolly only costs a few dollars, so it is a small loss for apple to sell it at $250.

an iPod? no. iSight? no. other hardwear? doubt it. maybe a mouse or 16mb usb memory card.


if it is software, i'd think they'll actually make money, no?! considering production costs are so cheap.

[michaelrjohnson]

probably some software, but apple won't screw you over. so, if i was there, yep.

[Doctor Q]

Does every bag have the same contents?

If YES: The first person to get one will tell everyone waiting in line (and all of us on the Internet) what's in it, and it'll become a known deal.

If NO: There will be a lot of complaints about "he got this, but I only got this". However, you could buy more than one bag to keep taking chances on getting the items you want.

[hvfsl]

If it was $100 I probably would, but not for $250. I expect it will be something like:

Mac OS 10.3
iLife 04
iSight
Keynote
M$ Office
iPod (most likely 15GB one)

I expect the things in the bag will be reasonably good, Apple does not want bad press from pissed of shoppers because they got something crap.

[the_mole1314]

I would if....

a.) The contents were more than the money paid for the bag, and had stuff that is new.

b.) I had $250. :D

[janey]

assuming that rumors are true and that all items save one is an Apple product...
6 items * $50 = $300. Almost no Apple hardware or software is under $50. You'd be saving at least $50 dollars, not including the seventh/eighth item.

I would definately get the bag, solely because its worth it and because if I already have it, I can sell them on ebay.

Its an awesome deal.

[Sonofhaig]

Originally posted by AmigoMac
because it is from Apple you say yes...

Would you do it with Dell? Probably NO!


You are dead-on right!
I can't wait to see what was in those bags! :D

[Centris 650]

I can't justify spending $250 on something unknown.They MIGHT be cool but probably not $250 cool.

[ojibberish]

I'll be in line in a few short hours!

[kylos]

My guess as to contents:
ipod mini
panther
keynote
ilife
jam pack
maybe isight
and something from belkin for the pod

[Doctor Q]

Who's going to buy one in San Franciso tomorrow and post about it?

I notice it says "the first people in the store have the option of purchasing...". So apparently only the first N people in line can get this deal or only N of them will be sold.

That could be good news or bad news:

Maybe the deal is so good that they can't afford to offer it to more than N people.

Maybe Apple is dumping unsold inventory this way and they only have N of each obsolete item to clear out.

[Gymnut]

Can I get a "HELL YEAH!"?;)

[ZildjianKX]

I ton of money in software for stuff I probably already own is hardly cool. :( The marginal cost of giving away a free copy of Final Cut Pro 4 express to someone who probably wouldn't buy it themselves is pretty low.

[Savage Henry]

I'm keen to find out so I can seriously decide about going to the opening of the London store and buying one for myself.

If it's crud then I'm sure I'll find better things to spend my money on.

[eyelikeart]

I'm willing to give Apple the benefit of any doubt on something like this. :D

[Sabenth]

if it contains a free isight hell yea ..


i voted yes

[SiliconAddict]

I'm sorry guy. I don't want to be a downer but the answers on this thread are pathetic. Lets do a quick summery shall we?

Also, if history is any guide, the bag itself will probably be pretty cool!

because it is from Apple you say yes...

a leap of faith with Apple

Why not! I wanna know what's in the bag!!

You are dead-on right!
I can't wait to see what was in those bags!

I'm willing to give Apple the benefit of any doubt on something like this.

I'm sorry but this is one of the reasons PC users look down at Mac users. Total unyielding loyalty no matter what and no matter if Apple takes you to the cleaners. In these instances you guys are following Apple based on blind loyalty with the reasoning that you can e-bay the item. Understand that in many cases e-baying an item you almost never get anywhere close to retail value. You MIGHT recoup the cost but therein is the problem. I'm seeing A LOT of ifs, maybes, guesses, and for all you guys know it could be a keychain, some software that won't get anywhere near value on e-bay, and an iPod microphone. For all intents and purposes you are gambling $250 on a complete unknown.
Frankly it makes me sick that people can blow that kind of cash at a whim and not because it’s a gamble, that in and of itself is somewhat repugnant, but simply because its Apple.

PS- And before you scream Microsoft troll I will point out one true fact about me. I wouldn't do this for any company on this planet. I have NO brand loyalty to any company. I take Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Gateway, Ford, Sony, Dell, Toyota, Palm, et al with a grain of salt and never give any of them the benefit of the doubt because at the end of the day every company I mentioned above has one overriding goal and that's to make you give your money to them any way they can. In Apple's case they know they have users that will spend *** loads of cash on something like the TAM and this giveaway. Supporting a company is all well and good especially when that company is the underdog but this grab bag smells like a stunt to find the gullible and exploit them.

[Snowy_River]

Originally posted by Centris 650
I can't justify spending $250 on something unknown.They MIGHT be cool but probably not $250 cool.

Originally posted by übergeek
assuming that rumors are true and that all items save one is an Apple product...
6 items * $50 = $300. Almost no Apple hardware or software is under $50. You'd be saving at least $50 dollars, not including the seventh/eighth item.

I would definately get the bag, solely because its worth it and because if I already have it, I can sell them on ebay.

Its an awesome deal.

You know, I wonder if anyone really paid attention to the description of the bags.

Originally posted by Macrumors
[B...As an added bonus, the first people in the store have the option of purchasing a mysterious $250 "Lucky Bag" full of 7 or 8 products -- all but one from Apple. The retail value of the contents... reportedly between $600 and $1000... [/B]

Spend $250 to get $600 worth of stuff? Possibly $1000 worth of stuff? Seems like a no-brainer to me...

[Snowy_River]

Originally posted by SiliconAddict
I'm sorry guy. I don't want to be a downer but the answers on this thread are pathetic...

I'm afraid that I'd have to disagree with you.

... Total unyielding loyalty no matter what and no matter if Apple takes you to the cleaners...

Honestly, I have only occasionally seen true "unyielding loyalty" to Apple on these boards, and I don't think that this is an example of that. More often, I hear people say 'I love my Mac, but I wish Apple would do XYZ differently.' That's not blind loyalty...

In these instances you guys are following Apple based on blind loyalty with the reasoning that you can e-bay the item. Understand that in many cases e-baying an item you almost never get anywhere close to retail value. You MIGHT recoup the cost but therein is the problem. I'm seeing A LOT of ifs, maybes, guesses, and for all you guys know it could be a keychain, some software that won't get anywhere near value on e-bay, and an iPod microphone.

Just as a reality check, did you read the description of the bags? They are said to contain 7 or 8 items with a retail value of $600 to $1000. So, I don't think that there's a $600 keychain in the bag. :rolleyes:

Also, even if none of it was something that you wanted, and you eBayed it all and only got 50% of retail value, you'd get $300 to $500 out. At a minimum, you'd get $50 out of the deal.


... before you scream Microsoft troll...

Not all trolls are MS trolls. You can troll with anti-Apple sentiments without being pro-MS.

...this grab bag smells like a stunt to find the gullible and exploit them.

And, to me, this smells like anti-Apple sentiments...
:rolleyes:

[m4rc]

I agree with Snowy River, the original article said value between something like $600-$1000 dollars, sounds like a small gamble to me. Plus, this is a launch event, what a great day it will be for Apple if SiliconAddict is right and you have a load of trash worth less than $250 in the bag, what a start to the new store. I am not going to guess what is in the bag, but I would think the guy who reported on the Ginza lucky bags is on the right track - .Mac package, iSight, Keynote package, Bluetooth Wireless Mouse, Bluetooth adapter (from a third party), ticket for one seminar at Apple Store, 10% discount card. E-bay what tyou don't want, it may even pay for the rest of the stuff you keep.

Anyway, we will find out soon, and those who are wrong can have a nice big slice of humble pie - I am just warming mine through in case I have to be first, but at least I am willing to eat it.

Marc

[wdlove]

I'm really looking forward to hear what these bags contain. I don't think that Apple will disappoint, they have said that the value is $600 - 1000. The items mentioned by Snow River sound great to me.

[mc68k]

apple doesnt have too many non-computer items that are below $1000

chances are very high there is an ipod in there, making the bag worth $250 right off the bat

i'd watch someone else get one first b4 i bought a mystery bag

[Mantat]

SilliconAdict:

Apple has no advantages to screw people over by giving them crap. Apple is all about being a nice and friendly company and they dont want to lose this image. In recent studies, Apple came first when people were asked about the company they found the cooler. It was above Coke, Pepsi, etc... This image is everything to them and giving these bags is part of creating this image so its obvious that the bag is going to worth it.

Brand loyalty... Why do you think people are so loyal to Apple? Not because they are stupid, its because they see Apple as being loyal to them. I rarely heard of people complaining about a Apple product not being good, people trust their product and the products trust bounce back on Apple.

This is why people are so blindly willing to trust Apple on these bags.

Oh, and is SURE that you can sell all the stuff back on ebay with profit. even at 50%, 800-1000$ of software is more than the 250$.

My guess is that Apple did this bag thing to generate a buz about the event BEFORE the opening and people will still be talking about it in the following weeks. So its a very good investment IMHO.

[m4rc]

In the other thread there are postings of what is IN the bags. Anyone want their pie warming up? ;)

Marc

[shamino]

I have no doubt that the contents of the bag will be stuff that's actually worth the $250 paid for it. Apple's wouldn't be dumb enough to cheat loyal customers.

The real question is - how much of that do you already own? Every Mac owner I know already has MacOS 10.3, most have MS Office. Several have Virtual PC. Lots of people have iPods and iSights, printers, scanners, and assorted networking gear.

I can't think of any selection that wouldn't result in a lot of people getting duplicates of stuff they already own. IMO, this bag is only really going to be a good idea for a new user, who probably won't own anything in the bag yet.

[Snowy_River]

Let's see what the retail value of the contents of one of the bags would be:

$49 - iLife
$99 - Keynote
$100 - .Mac subscription
?? - 10% Discount card
$40 - Bluetooth USB adapter
$69 - Wireless Mouse
$69 - Wireless Keyboard
---------------------------
$426 - Subtotal (not including the 10% discount card)

Plus one of the following:
$249 - Airport Extreme (w/ modem and external ant. jack)
$249 - An iPod Mini!!!
$249 - An iPod 10GB

---------------------------
$675 - Total.

Now, if someone can't get at least $250 out of that on eBay, they don't know how to write an auction.

Recently completed auctions have the following approximately average final values:

$35 - iLife
$55 - Keynote
NA- .Mac subscription
?? - 10% Discount card
$40 - Bluetooth USB adapter
$50 - Wireless Mouse
$50 - Wireless Keyboard
---------------------------
$230 - Subtotal (not including the 10% discount card, or .Mac subscription)

Plus one of the following:
$200 - Airport Extreme (w/ modem and external ant. jack)
$305 - An iPod Mini (can you believe that?! Check it out! (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3076720636&category=41002))
$230 - An iPod 10GB

---------------------------
$430-$535 - Total eBay value.

I'd say it's worth the money...

[beefcake]

If it's true that Apple is really giving away a minimum of $600 worth of merchandise in the bags, then I'd say it was a good deal. However, there's a good chance it will be largely software, with maybe one decent piece of hardware. The reason Apple would do this is because, as mentioned above, giving away software that you weren't going to buy anyway carries a very small marginal cost. An iPod mini isn't likely to find its way into many bags because its currently retailing at a price Apple has admitted is higher than they'd like, and according to the website is flying off the shelves. From a purely economic standpoint, Apple will fill these bags with the worst selling items they have, and put a few big name items to butter people up enough to buy more in the store.

I would never buy one of these bags because if I'm not willing to spend $250 on something I do need, I have no reason to spend the same amount of money on $XXXX worth of products I don't need.

[Centris 650]

You know, I wonder if anyone really paid attention to the description of the bags.



Spend $250 to get $600 worth of stuff? Possibly $1000 worth of stuff? Seems like a no-brainer to me...

I did see that however I can sell you a bag of stuff worth $1000 but could you use it? I'm impressed with what was in the bags but I have a .Mac subscription as well as keynote. I mainly use an iBook so the keyboard and mouse would be cool but I wouldn't buy it for myself. The 10% card would be great. Getting an iPod (mini or 20 gig would be cool but I'm not that lucky and I already have an APEX basestation. I'm not a gambler and I'd prefer to bet on asure thing.

[macFanDave]

They can't read.
I'm sorry guy. I don't want to be a downer but the answers on this thread are pathetic...
I'm sorry but this is one of the reasons PC users look down at Mac users. Total unyielding loyalty no matter what and no matter if Apple takes you to the cleaners.

You used my quote about the bag itself being cool OUT OF CONTEXT to make me look "pathetic". You left out the part where I analyzed the scenarios where you could probably sell your unwanted items on eBay and recover the cost of the "lucky bag", thus giving you the remainder of the items for free.

Of course, you intentionally left that part out to support your troll thesis.

[TheMacOS.com]

I doubt I would.