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8GB iPhone Price Drop, 4GB iPhone Discontinued
- Thread starter snowboarder
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Could you buy into the argument that with the rest of the product line, the other products at lower price points would canniballize the iPhone sales?
Let's say they left it where it was:
$599 8GB iPhone
$399 16GB Touch
$299 8GB Touch
At that point, the question is, is the phone functionality worth $300? The people that would consider the iPhone for it's touch functionality would go get the iPod Touch. However, after they lowered the price, the phone functionality was only $200 more than the touch.
The goal for Apple is to make this new entry into an already entrenched market succeed.
This also leads to: Since there is a 16 GB iPod Touch and the 4GB iPHone was eliminated, within the next 6 months, there will be a new iPhone 16GB. Listen, I've warned you. Don't buy a 8 GB iPhone in the next couple of months and then complain when the 16 GB comes out shortly after.
umm, of course this specific incident doesn't happen all the time...the iphone is new and no one really has any idea what's in store for iphone pricing in the near or distant future. the iphone business model is not the same as the mac business model. so analysts were shocked. so what? that doesn't mean apple was in the wrong.
and i never compared cell phone companies to apple. stop putting words in my mouth.
Very obvious, but todays cuts weren't. I haven't seen any threads showing where people said they expected them. Wasn't it even announced under SJ one last thing?
Its easy to see some things in apples release. As in we all saw new nanos today and new "touch" ipods, especially with the internet rumors. However, no mention of a iphone price reduction. I think the blindsiding of people coupled with it was unexpected to happen so soon is what is making people angry.
That said, its like the apple pixel policy. They may not cover it and make an exception to those who get one or two pixels, but I would like to be that exception if it happened to me.
As I said earlier, there are individuals around the world that would gladly pay $599 to be able to use an iPhone today. But we must wait until they become available in our locales.
To the early adopters, you got what you paid for. Enjoy using your iPhone. It still works fine, doesn't it?
European Launch
So, for the UK launch the price drop can only mean good news for us (sorry US owners!)
Anyone think that an 8 and a 16GB may be available by then, or they will hold that over until next year?
One site is taking pre-orders for £99 on an o2 contract (no details though)
I think i will buy day one, if they bring a 16gb next year then I made my choice. I bought a PS3 first week with games etc, now same is £100 cheaper but I am so pleased that I bought it when I did.
Just need some details now from o2!
So, for the UK launch the price drop can only mean good news for us (sorry US owners!)
Anyone think that an 8 and a 16GB may be available by then, or they will hold that over until next year?
One site is taking pre-orders for £99 on an o2 contract (no details though)
I think i will buy day one, if they bring a 16gb next year then I made my choice. I bought a PS3 first week with games etc, now same is £100 cheaper but I am so pleased that I bought it when I did.
Just need some details now from o2!
There is a serious problem with this. I can see that you're enthusiastic but Apple weren't asking for you to defend them. They are a for-profit company and they occasionally burn people like me, but at least, you got a product that works well and will become better. In my case, I was stuck. They replaced the model in the lineup with a much better model for the same price within 90 days and as far as I know, they didn't give anyone refunds.
You have a bruised ego over technology? Why? It moves too quickly and you're going to be bruised often.
As I just mentioned, I can understand the both sides of the problem but compensation is up to the company. Sure, it seems like a huge faux pas to reduce the price now but that's a part of business. I sometimes wish that Apple would be more generous but they strike a pretty good balance of making enough profit to stay in business and handing out mid-release upgrades.
What they needed in this case was a company-wide strategy to take care of the backlash that they surely knew would come.
I just contacted American Express. I spoke with the Return Protection department and was told they have received more than 1,000 calls about this matter today. They said that what they are doing is putting together a list of people calling in requesting a refund of the difference price ($200/per phone) and the executives are going to group for a decision on whether they will honor it within the next two weeks. If it gets approved, those who called in will automatically be credited the difference.
AMEX is good at things like this. Will be interesting to see what they come up with.
This is the cellphone market...get over it
Hey everybody. I'm so surprised over this reaction, I just had to register to tell you a little story. It is about the cellphone market in Germany (but I guess Europe should be the same in this respect).
In July I was in the market for a new handset. I would have never paid 600 bucks for the so-cool iPhone, just like you guys did. Well, I wouldn't, because that is such a stupid price point in the cell market. But let me go on.
So I looked into the Nokia N series. The N95 looked really good. But with its price point around 600 Euros in July, it was out of question. So I decided to get the Nokia E65 (btw not as cool as the iPhone, but a really functional phone), which had a pricing recommendation for 195 Euros.
I stepped into the Media Markt (something like Best Buy in Europe) and looked at the phones. Guess what, they had special weekend offers. They sold the N95 for 195 Euros with contract. As you can easily figure out, this was an offer you shouldn't pass. But I did.
Why? Because I got my E65 for 1 (in words ONE) Euro with normal contract. I own this phone for 3 months now and figured that having a PB and an iPod on the go, I don't need an iPhone. Oh, and btw surfing the Web with the E65 is WebKit based, or I use it as bluetooth modem for my Powerbook. So cool!
Moral of the story: As soon as the iPhone enters European markets, you can count the moths, until you get it below 100 Euros. That is the mobile market over here. Get over it.
P.S.: And now guess why it is currently US only. This has nothing to do with networks. It's to keep the silly price point!
Hey everybody. I'm so surprised over this reaction, I just had to register to tell you a little story. It is about the cellphone market in Germany (but I guess Europe should be the same in this respect).
In July I was in the market for a new handset. I would have never paid 600 bucks for the so-cool iPhone, just like you guys did. Well, I wouldn't, because that is such a stupid price point in the cell market. But let me go on.
So I looked into the Nokia N series. The N95 looked really good. But with its price point around 600 Euros in July, it was out of question. So I decided to get the Nokia E65 (btw not as cool as the iPhone, but a really functional phone), which had a pricing recommendation for 195 Euros.
I stepped into the Media Markt (something like Best Buy in Europe) and looked at the phones. Guess what, they had special weekend offers. They sold the N95 for 195 Euros with contract. As you can easily figure out, this was an offer you shouldn't pass. But I did.
Why? Because I got my E65 for 1 (in words ONE) Euro with normal contract. I own this phone for 3 months now and figured that having a PB and an iPod on the go, I don't need an iPhone. Oh, and btw surfing the Web with the E65 is WebKit based, or I use it as bluetooth modem for my Powerbook. So cool!
Moral of the story: As soon as the iPhone enters European markets, you can count the moths, until you get it below 100 Euros. That is the mobile market over here. Get over it.
P.S.: And now guess why it is currently US only. This has nothing to do with networks. It's to keep the silly price point!
Last I heard it was selling fine and exactly who is competing with the iPhone right now? Its competing against itself. There is nothing else like it.
Nowhere have I read today that Apple was right. The iPhone business model should follow the iPod business model to some degree. Mr. Jobs himself, calls it "the best iPod ever!". The fact that it makes calls is of little concern to Apple. They want it in your hands for entertainment and product awareness. They can sell you your content and in turn open new users to their products.
I have to agree. This sort of thing happens all the time. Were the people posting in this thread also banging on the doors of Samsung, Philips, Sony et al when the price of a DVD recorder fell from ~£1500 to under £150 in the space of a year?
In the early implementation of a product, manufacturers (if they're smart) project a conservative sales model based upon early adopters and price accordingly. As soon as it becomes apparent that there may be a mass market for that product, the sales model is adjusted and the price is reduced accordingly.
Just about every piece of consumer electronics on the market was launched at a particuler price and has since either gained significant functionality or reduced in price. Or both.
That's how it works.
Cheers
Jim
"ripping off?" how exactly are they ripping you off? because they lowered the price on something? did they give you a product that they claimed to be one thing but was really something else? how exactly did they "rip you off?"
I didn't write the petition, just agree with the purpose behind it. If Apple did however plan on this price decrease ahead of time I do find it to be purposely ripping people off $200.
Well since I am one of the idiots all you a**es are makinf fun of (lets see if you would be mad if you paid $200 more for a product just 3 weeks before the price dropped) Apple better make the thing PERFECT. I will call them every day that I have even the slightest problem...which I can assure you will be EVERY DAY! The damn thing locks up. It will ring but I cannot answer calls. It acts like a $400 phone...oh wait! I expected it to act like a $600 phone! Maybe BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I PAID FOR IT! I better get the best F'in service in the world!
The vote is in...
The MacPoll from this very website asks which announcement today was the best. At the writing of this post, the drop in iPhone price comes in at over 36+% of the nearly 2000 votes. The only other major "best" is the iPod touch(38+%). Combined they are 75% of the vote. If you consider that they are intimately related in terms of pricing, you have a nearly unanimous vote in favor of Apple's decisions today. I am starting to think that those who are very upset about the price drop are really just a very vocal minority of Apple Users, and maybe not even a majority of iPhone owners. Also, just incase you continue to claim such huge numbers of iPhone users, the 8GB iPhone was only a portion of the sales of iPhones. At best half. Those upset by the price drop seem to be the 8GB owners, and of those only those purchasing the phone in the first six weeks since those in the last two weeks will get their money back. Of those, only a fraction are upset enough to be counted as freakin' out. So, two conclusions, those of you who are really angry do not really amount to a significant number (percentage wise), and to shut you up Apple may only need to shell out a couple of Million dollars. One thing is for certain, you need to stop referring to yourselves as loyal customers. To be that, you would need to be happy with your Apple purchase no matter what the KNOWN cost to you at the time of purchase.
The MacPoll from this very website asks which announcement today was the best. At the writing of this post, the drop in iPhone price comes in at over 36+% of the nearly 2000 votes. The only other major "best" is the iPod touch(38+%). Combined they are 75% of the vote. If you consider that they are intimately related in terms of pricing, you have a nearly unanimous vote in favor of Apple's decisions today. I am starting to think that those who are very upset about the price drop are really just a very vocal minority of Apple Users, and maybe not even a majority of iPhone owners. Also, just incase you continue to claim such huge numbers of iPhone users, the 8GB iPhone was only a portion of the sales of iPhones. At best half. Those upset by the price drop seem to be the 8GB owners, and of those only those purchasing the phone in the first six weeks since those in the last two weeks will get their money back. Of those, only a fraction are upset enough to be counted as freakin' out. So, two conclusions, those of you who are really angry do not really amount to a significant number (percentage wise), and to shut you up Apple may only need to shell out a couple of Million dollars. One thing is for certain, you need to stop referring to yourselves as loyal customers. To be that, you would need to be happy with your Apple purchase no matter what the KNOWN cost to you at the time of purchase.
Every single time I've bought a Mac, Apple have brought out a newer model with more power, better features and a lower price within a matter of weeks. On at least one occasion, the price difference was substantially more than $200.
Did I start frothing at the mouth about the unfairness of it all? No. I paid a fair price for a product I wanted. Did I ruefully contemplate my dreadful sense of timing? Yes, but if you're going to keep waiting for the next price drop or the next upgrade, then you're never going to make a purchase.
Welcome to a market economy. You'd prefer some kind of dictatorship where prices are fixed to an arbitrary level determined by a nebulous concept of "fairness" rather than by supply and demand, then?
Cheers
Jim
You know you've posted 12 times 11 on this topic and every time it is to bitch about apples pricing. Maybe you best go give Mommy a hug then have a nap. It is way past your bed time.
Make some noise
Apple has clearly slapped its most loyal customers across the face. Early adopters account for all of Apples early word of mouth sales. They are biting the hand that feeds.
Opinions wanted:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/share/
http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
stop the iGouging
Apple has clearly slapped its most loyal customers across the face. Early adopters account for all of Apples early word of mouth sales. They are biting the hand that feeds.
Opinions wanted:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/share/
http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
stop the iGouging
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/1C28 Safari/419.3)
Yeah, it hurts. I even paid a $200 termination fee to T-Mobile, and now this. Learnt my lesson. No apple gifts this holiday season. Trust me wait till after the season to get it a a cheaper price.
Yeah, it hurts. I even paid a $200 termination fee to T-Mobile, and now this. Learnt my lesson. No apple gifts this holiday season. Trust me wait till after the season to get it a a cheaper price.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/1C28 Safari/419.3)
This just gives me more reason to hack my iPhone and unlock it as well. Unlocked iphones should sell for a higher price right?
This just gives me more reason to hack my iPhone and unlock it as well. Unlocked iphones should sell for a higher price right?