8GB iPhone Price Drop, 4GB iPhone Discontinued

[paymaster]

why thank you Mr. Jobs
::walks away with his head held high::

It has been said many times, everyone knew the price would drop, but not this far this fast. Everyone except Apple of course. So Steve Jobs quick answer about the price drop, tough luck. Longer answer, we knew there would be enough people that loved us and would pay any price we asked. Then, after we took them for all they were worth(like me) and sales tanked, we will start charging the price we really wanted to get.

Yes they are a business, and they are supposed to make money. But a business needs customers, and doing this to some of their best ones is not a great way to get repeat business.

 

[3.1416]

I was angry, but I kept a calm, professional tone and replied that if Apple was concerned about their customers they wouldn't have 1) decreased the price of the iPhone 200 dollars after two months from being released totally screwing over the loyal people who made the iPhone what it is today.

How did Apple screw you over? You're in exactly the same position you were yesterday. And I really don't think you bought the iPhone as an altruistic gesture to show "loyalty" to Apple; rather you bought it because you thought it was worth at least $600 to you. If it was, then you're still ahead, if it wasn't then you're behind, but in either case today's drop is irrelevant.

Maybe you're mad because Apple "could have" sold you the iPhone for $400 and still made a profit. Well, that works both ways. I recently bought a Mac mini for $600. I would have been willing to pay at least $800 for it, so by your reasoning I screwed Apple out of $200 by not sending them a check on top of the purchase price. I'm not obligated to pay the maximum I'd be willing to, and Apple isn't obligated to charge the minimum price that covers their costs.

 

[CWallace]

So what's your problem? You wanted the iPhone more than you wanted to keep $600, and you still have your iPhone.

I don't have a problem with it. I noted as such many times.

Some folks just appear to be so hyped-up to slam people on this thread that they don't bother to see if the person they're slamming actually disagrees with them...

The only reason to be mad at the price cuts is envy of other people who can now pay less than you did, and envy is not an admirable quality.

Well I'm not mad and I'm not envious, so I guess I'm okay then.

Seriously, perhaps it's folks who were envious of those who could afford a $600 iPhone, and yet still cannot afford a $400 iPhone, and who are now taking the delight at the thoughts of those "suckers" getting "soaked" for $200, are the ones who are not showing an admirable quality at the moment...

You like Apple because they're slow to update their products? Odd, that's one of my major complaints about them.

Fortunately, Apple tends to equip their hardware with more of the "latest and greatest" so it's not necessary to update every three months. I know some people replace their Macs every time a new one comes out. Others hold on to their systems for years to maximize their RoI.

I do wish my Day 1 MacBook had a Core2 Duo and 802.11n, but hey, it still works great for it's role - portability. We're roughly mid-way through the product cycle on it now, and Intel has some new goodies coming out about the time the next MacBook is due, so I'll wait because I can expect Apple will likely release a new model then with those new Intel goodies because that's been how they historically operate. And maybe I'll be taking my chances when it comes to the price I'll pay on Day One vs. Day Sixty, but again, historically I'll pay the same price either day.

Look, any tech product you buy is going to be substantially devalued in a year or less as better and/or cheaper versions come out. Whether it happens in one or two big bursts like Apple typically does, or gradually as is usually the case in the PC world really doesn't matter.

True. And I've taken pains to agree with that.

It's just that this is a departure to Apple's general trend regarding "planned obsolescence" of their product lines, which might help explain why some people who are not screaming for pity and demanding actions (refunds, credits, lawsuits, whathaveyou), yet who feel that Apple has treated them unfairly (to whatever extent).

 

[btallada9870]

Seems the people who made the iphone what it is are the designers and hardware and software developers who I assume worked many a hard day and night to get this piece of technology into your self important little hand.


Not exactly. The Apple designers could've worked 350983509 years on this product, and yes they did and excellent job. However no matter how good of a job you do, if no one buys it, it is a failure. The reason the iphone was an "overwhelming success" is becuase of the people who bought it.

 

[Kallikinos]

I think what Apple did kind of sucks on their part and they should offer something like a $100 iTunes credit for those who bought the first iPhones. I'm just glad I never decided to buy one right away, I love Mac...but I never planned to spend $500 or $600 for an iPhone. Now I'm considering an iPod touch for Christmas though...

 

[chicagostars]

wowza

Wake me when the ranting stops. Beyond talk of lawyers and such, screaming in anger that you'll never buy another Apple product isn't going to change much at Apple (or another company for that matter)

I used to work at an Apple store and can attest to the fact that the retail managers do have a fair amount of leeway when it comes to satisfying customers. The stories told by people about getting some amount of compensation ring true, but this won't be the case for everyone and there shouldn't be the expectation that Apple is obligated to offer you some sort of compensation, monetary or otherwise.

 

[elgruga]

To all the whiners here who think they are 'owed' $200....

This has been the worst show of spoiled children whining I have ever seen.
The alarming 'entitlement' complex that so many are suffering from shows why the USA is falling apart.

You should be ASHAMED to display yourselves on a public forum in this manner.

The COMPLETE lack of understanding on your part that its NOT apple's fault - its YOUR fault.
YOU spent the money on the product.
APPLE did NOT force you.

It was YOU. YOU chose to buy the product, at the price asked at that time.

Stand up like men and women and stop trying to beg money from Apple.

ENOUGH!

 

[Lazernet]

16 GB iPhones for $199 coming this Tuesday!!!! LOL



- Eric

 

[patista]

Well . . .

I think the big problem is not the $200 price drop after two months, which, after my intial shock, I have gotten over. What is puzzling is that it is a brand so intent on good PR, advertising, and keeping a loyal fanbase -- and then they go out and do something that people perceive as unfair.

Whether it is truly unfair or not is a moot point - why piss off your most loyal customers? Surely Apple could have thought of a more creative way to do this such as to not offend so many people, people who have shown a willingness to spend a lot of money on Apple.

Anyway, on the bright side for all of us $599'ers -- this will surely surge iPhone sales over the next year, and Jobs says that they are looking at 10 million by 2008. That will surely help AT&T with their profit margin, and hopefully, in turn, build their network so I don't drop EVERY FREAKIN' CALL.

 

[kaneda]

Hahaha

I found this @ Apple forums...

"Welcome to the new Apple"

 

[Lancetx]

Fake Steve tells it like it is at least...

http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2007/09/dear-early-iphone-adopters-yeah-we.html

(Sorry if this has already been posted, but I can't go thru 38 pages to check)

 

[3.1416]

I don't have a problem with it. I noted as such many times.

Some folks just appear to be so hyped-up to slam people on this thread that they don't bother to see if the person they're slamming actually disagrees with them...

I didn't intend to "slam" you, sorry if it came off too strong. Actually I picked your post to respond to because it was one of the more rational ones.

Seriously, perhaps it's folks who were envious of those who could afford a $600 iPhone, and yet still cannot afford a $400 iPhone, and who are now taking the delight at the thoughts of those "suckers" getting "soaked" for $200, are the ones who are not showing an admirable quality at the moment...

Eh, there could be some of that. But it seems to be heavily outweighed by those who are outraged after apparently just now discovering that Apple is a profit-seeking entity.

It's just that this is a departure to Apple's general trend regarding "planned obsolescence" of their product lines, which might help explain why some people who are not screaming for pity and demanding actions (refunds, credits, lawsuits, whathaveyou), yet who feel that Apple has treated them unfairly (to whatever extent).

I just don't see it. What Apple's doing is a form of price discrimination, and there's nothing "unfair" about that any more than when buyers shop around for the best price.

 

[OCOTILLO]

I agree with everyone who is ticked off but the person to point the finger at is ourselves. I am one of those, "got to have it first" people. I just cannot wait to get my hands on a new iPod Touch. I bought an 80g video iPod 20 months ago. It wa th same with my IMac - two months after I purchased it they came out with the iSight version. One month after I bought my 50" Panasonic, just last may, Panasonic started selling a monitor that everyone said was better than mine and now you can buy my model for $300 less than I paid for it. In fact, Panasonic dropped the prise from 3199Canadian in May to 2699Canadian in August. What can you do?

i think that I will wait until Christmas to treat myself to an IPod Touch then maybe I wil just drop into Best Buy and pick one up in a few weeks whatever.

I do not blame Apple, they are trying to make money and stay ahead of some pretty heavy hitting competition - what do you expect?

I think a lot of people here are missing the point.
1. Probably most of the early adopters of the iPhone are Apple loyalists.
2. Steve Jobs knows this.
3. He doesn't care because he knows that he will sell a bunch more at the reduced price.
4. He also knows that the Apple loyalists will not leave the fold.
5. This was a calculated business decision, he knew before hand there would be a negative reaction, and he DID NOT CARE.

 

[turbobeast]

I think a lot of people here are missing the point.
1. Probably most of the early adopters of the iPhone are Apple loyalists.
2. Steve Jobs knows this.
3. He doesn't care because he knows that he will sell a bunch more at the reduced price.
4. He also knows that the Apple loyalists will not leave the fold.
5. This was a calculated business decision, he knew before hand there would be a negative reaction, and he DID NOT CARE.

1. Probably most of the early adopters of the iPhone are(were) Apple loyalists.
2. Steve Jobs knows this.(That he is a ****)
3. He doesn't care because he knows that he will sell a bunch more at the reduced price.(to a bunch of non-apple users)
4. He also knows that the Apple loyalists will not leave the fold. (BYE!)
5. This was a calculated business decision, he knew before hand there would be a negative reaction, and he DID NOT CARE. (We'll see who cares when the market opens in the morning)

 

[bighairydoofus]

You totally misunderstand the majority of the people who are posting here. Please reread the thread, ignore idiots on both sides of the argument and form a new conclusion.

I understand that this thread is populated with a lot of whiny people with too much disposable income and no common sense. Oh, and they don't take responsibility for their mistakes.

Except the person waaaaay back in the thread that said "I'll never buy a first generation apple product again". They've learned.

I can't wait 'til November!

 

[irun5k]

Was just on hold for an hour and 20 minutes to find out the iPhone sales support number I had called can't help me since I bought at AT&T. I have to call customer relations between 8am and 8pm CST.

The people calling everyone "whiners" are getting old. Apple customers are extremely loyal. We buy their stuff at a premium. When we're early adopters and the stuff breaks we send it in for service. We buy more stuff. We tell other people how great their stuff is and that they should buy their stuff too. We're like little machines, keeping the big Apple machine in business.

I guess we're not allowed to be upset about anything at all. Steve Jobs could kill my dog and I'm not allowed to show disrespect to the great master himself.

Geez, someone needs to keep these guys in check. They are getting cocky. They ran NBC off and they're likely to run others off too. They aren't invincible and nobody ever stays at the top forever. You might want to thank all the "whiners" who have spent time letting Apple know that they're not God in our eyes.

At the very least, the result might be that Apple decides to price their next new product a little more appropriately. Because as it turns out, $600 was way too much. You can bet your bottom that they didn't drop the price as a favor- it is to help pick up slumping sales. I'm sure once the initial surge of sales occurred, there was a pretty big lull.

 

[pavelbure]

why are you people bitching and moaning about the price drop ? for months any iphone buyer said "$600.00 is well worth it for the price", so apple lowers the price and you start complaining about being ripped off. quit blaming apple for your inability to be a good consumer and to see you were paying $600 for a damn phone.

yes i have said this in the past also, at $600 that thing was way way overpriced.

 

[akadmon]

For a product less than 2 months old, this amounts to a swift kick in the nuts. For me, 200$ is a significant amount of money.

I am speechless. Really poor on Apple's part. It will no doubt piss off the very loyal fan base who helped them sell 1 million phones - I hope they consider that.

Well, if $200 is a significant amount of money for you, then you should not have have bought an iPhone in the first place! I'd like a Lexus, and yeah, I could buy one on my salary tomorrow, but I realize that owning a Lexus is less essential than paying my mortgage and putting my kids through college, so I stick with my 12 year old Honda. There.

This thread is too funny.

 

[NoCleverSNForMe]

I don't understand this whole "you guys are a bunch of crybabies!" point of view. Help me understand you guys a little bit better, because I'm confused.

Why are so many of us pre-August 23 purchasers are so frustrated?

Imagine being in our shoes for a moment. Imagine purchasing a 24" Core 2 Extreme iMac for $2299 on August 22, only to see Steve Jobs stand up today and say "Hey! We're discontinuing the 20" and low-end 24" models and will be selling the high-end 24" model for $999. The EXACT SAME model, not a new edition or anything, the EXACT SAME one we were selling yesterday for a lot less...and all you idiots who bought one before August 23 are screwed!"

You're honestly telling me there wouldn't be one cell in your body that would go, "Wow, what a letdown"? You would feel the same way you're telling us now about the iPhone? "I'm proud of spending an extra $1300 for this device, despite it only being 15 days and the exact same product." Would you feel better if someone came to you and said, "Hey...that's what you get for being in technology. There are sudden $1300 price drops all the time! I bought my Apple Lisa back in the 80's, it was expensive then, now it's worth $50 and it still works just FINE! Stop being such a crybaby."

I have a hard time believing you'd be thrilled at the news. You'd be pissed. One month later -- same product, so much less.

The $200 is not just a price drop -- it's a drop in VALUE.

 

[atomoboy]

An open letter from Steve

Thanks for standing in line and helping us create a media frenzy. Thanks for paying top dollar for the hottest new consumer electronics product this year. Thanks for changing cell phone providers and signing a multi-year contract. Thanks for enduring activation problems, slow data speeds and maybe a few more dropped calls than you had in the past. Thanks for smiling gleefully despite the adversity. Thanks for pulling your phone out and showing it to total strangers. Thanks for being there from the very start with iPhone. Thanks for understanding that we have decided to jump start another wave of sales after we have exploited the excitement and good will of our devoted customer base. Thanks for understanding, thanks for believing, thanks for being our friend.

Your pal,

Steve.

 

[Nagooya]

At this rate, the iPhone will be free in January...

Sad, sad day for us Apple Fanboys.

 

[Fluffymuff]

EDIT: I want to make something clear. This isn't about the MONEY, this is about the PRINCIPLE of the situation. I could care less about $200, after all it was a $600 product. It IS about setting precedents for how fast evolutions in technology will dictate the price and turn over rates of products.

Of course it's about the money!

You are suggesting that there is some sort of value or principal in artificially slowing down the rapid pace of innovation. If things can do down in price as fast as possible, and get more powerful as fast as possible, that's good! There's no "principal" in slowing that down. We want things to be as powerful and affordable as possible. Companies ride the tide if they can. If Apple could lower the price of the iPhone every day, they should! It would be unprecedented, and then it would be... precedented.

What principal should stop them?

Oh. Money. Specifically, how much you want others to pay for things relative to you.

 

[jephrey]

Did I whine or complain when I bought my computer and its price dropped 2 months later? NO.

Maybe it wasn't expected so early, but who really cares if it happens now over 6 months from now or a year from now? Electronic devices depreciate, and the only time that is really an issue is if you plan to sell it before it depreciates to a number that's worthless to you. I'm apparently in the "looks like you screwed yourself" camp. It's nice when a company can offer a quality device at a low cost.

J

 

[ibrainch]

It could be a lot worse

Ok, like a lot of people I bought the iphone on the first day and paid $600 (actually got my wife one as well so $1200). I love my iphone and if the price drop helps sell more of these and allows millions more people to enjoy this truly remarkable technology that is great and I am still a satisfied Apple customer. However, if Apple had introduced a newer/better (GPS, 3G, etc) iPhone just 60 days after I bought this first one I would then be royally pissed. I basically paid to have the best phone out there and at least for now I still own the best phone in the market...

 

[gugy]

IMHO people who bought the iPhone at the launch should not complain. The had the best at that time for a price they thought it was fair.

People who bought the iPhone in the last 30 days and are whining here should had wait because the rumors of new iPods were everywhere so the chances of something coming soon that could compete to the iPhone were great.

If you purchase it in the last 14 days you can still return it or negotiate with the Apple store to get a credit or refund for the $200 difference.

I waited and now I am very inclined to buy an iPhone. I could also wait and see if they will announce a 16gig iphone at MWSF, but if I buy it tomorrow I will not be disappoint and whine about the next upgrade or price reduction because at this point in time I am getting a product that I think is good and the price is right.

So instead of whining please enjoy what you have. It is a great product after all and remember this still the same iPhone that was released in June, so your iPhone still current and still the best out there.