Apple are cheapskates with iPod

[zainjetha]

apple are such cheapskates with the iPod.. they have begun to give fewer and fewer things in the box....

i remember when i first purchased my 4GB mini... in the box was the Mini, iTunes CD, USB Cable, FireWire Cable, Firewire Power adapter and even a belt clip.... earbuds to go on earphones..

now all that comes in box is ipod and usb cable... the only why apple provid charger with iPhone is coz its a phone and it would probably cause a lot of uproar if they didnt....

this is quite shocking for such a previously generous company....

 

[Cromulent]

So what you are really saying is that they have removed the iTunes CD (not needed), the firewire cable (also not needed as it is USB anyway), the firewire power adaptor (also not needed) and a cheap flimsy belt clip?

Whats the problem? You want Apple to supply useless junk in the box?

 

[marykay9507]

i don't think it is a question of being cheap, but more towards reducing the packaging by removing unnecessary items

 

[zainjetha]

alright fine scrap itunes cd and FW, belt clip, but they must provide a power adapter as they must think that people might travel around with ipods and might need to charge it somewhere. it really quite shocking that they dont

 

[Cromulent]

alright fine scrap itunes cd and FW, belt clip, but they must provide a power adapter as they must think that people might travel around with ipods and might need to charge it somewhere. it really quite shocking that they dont

How many other portable music players supply power adaptors in the box?

 

[marykay9507]

not everyone needs an adapter as they just charge through their computer-- and I hate to say it but lots of people probably already own them from previous gen iPods.

Plus...you don't NEED it-- it is an option (like a case, fm transmitter, sound dock, etc)

 

[Phil A.]

alright fine scrap itunes cd and FW, belt clip, but they must provide a power adapter as they must think that people might travel around with ipods and might need to charge it somewhere. it really quite shocking that they dont

If you need a power adapter, just buy one. Apple may have dropped some items from the box, but they've also dropped the prices quite considerably in real terms

 

[f1]

The only thing that is of any good that's no longer included is the Wall Charger, but, with every new generation iPod the price continues to drop.

 

[GoCubsGo]

alright fine scrap itunes cd and FW, belt clip, but they must provide a power adapter as they must think that people might travel around with ipods and might need to charge it somewhere. it really quite shocking that they dont

I do agree with this...I miss that myself.

 

[JG271]

As long as they keep the stickers i'm not complaining

With regard to the belt clip - all the ipods will fit into a pocket these days.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

Which would piss off more people:
Including the power adapter and the price going up?
Or not including it and keeping the price the same?

Bit of a coin toss IMO. I'm sure its a financial move rather than an attempt to 'screw' the consumer.

 

[Techguy172]

The iPods get pretty good battery life anyways you aren't really going to need one unless your going on an extended trip what is it like 45 Hours for the Classic.

 

[Abstract]

i don't think it is a question of being cheap, but more towards reducing the packaging by removing unnecessary items

I seriously doubt that they're doing this to lower the environmental impact of purchasing an iPod.

So what you are really saying is that they have removed the iTunes CD (not needed), the firewire cable (also not needed as it is USB anyway), the firewire power adaptor (also not needed) and a cheap flimsy belt clip?

The AC adapter is very useful. I still use my old iPod adapter with my Nano, particularly when I'm not at home. Do I want to whip out my laptop just to charge my iPod? It seems silly. At the time, they took the AC adapter away without actually lowering the price. It's similar to the MacBooks not including the remote anymore. So yes, in a way, the OP is correct, and Apple are being cheapskates. They included the remotes before, and now they're not.


I also liked having FW on my old iPods. It was great when I was using my iPod 20 GB as a backup HDD. I guess the Firewire chipset cost Apple too much, and they were trying to save money. I guess that extra $1 meant a lot to Apple.

 

[marykay9507]

I seriously doubt that they're doing this to lower the environmental impact of purchasing an iPod.

I beg to differ with you...http://www.apple.com/environment/design/

They are conscious of the environment and while it may not be the primary reason for not including these items, it could be a secondary one

 

[f1]

I also liked having FW on my old iPods. It was great when I was using my iPod 20 GB as a backup HDD. I guess the Firewire chipset cost Apple too much, and they were trying to save money. I guess that extra $1 meant a lot to Apple.

Whats the point of jacking up the price of an iPod to have firewire syncing when a good majority of the users will NOT be able to take advantage of it.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

I guess the Firewire chipset cost Apple too much, and they were trying to save money. I guess that extra $1 meant a lot to Apple.

I would imagine it had a bit more to do with PC compatibility, as nearly all PC's do not have a 6pin Firewire port. Again, I really don't think Apple was out to screw anyone.

 

[decksnap]

Which would piss off more people:
Including the power adapter and the price going up?
Or not including it and keeping the price the same?

Bit of a coin toss IMO. I'm sure its a financial move rather than an attempt to 'screw' the consumer.

How about 'include the power adapter and keep the price the same'. Like they did when they removed it. I agree with the OP. Skimpin' way too hard. Charging through the computer sucks.

 

[mrkgoo]

The point of removing stuff is actually to reduce cost. Even though technology is always getting cheaper, implementing the larger memory, new chips and so on (esp. R&D) come at a cost.

Apple's philosophy when it comes to product revisions is generally to keep the tiers the same price or drop the price. How can you do this when the numbers say you should increase the price of the next generation of products to remain as profitable? You remove pack-ins.

They could pack in all the stuff they used to with both Mac products and their iPod range, but the price would have to go up accordingly. Those items were never 'freebies' - rest assured, you still paid for them back then.

It's a hidden way of maintaining market price. Like bags of chips - instead of increasing price with inflation, they simply reduce volume for the same price.

You can bet Apple does a whole lot of market research when it comes to choosing a retail price point for all their products - whenever they announce a price drop, they have probably mapped that price point to be optimal for market affordability and their own profitability for years to come (including all planned updates), without the need to 'raise' the price.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I find that my old firewire wall charger from my now defunct white 2G 10GB iPod charges my current iPods far faster and more effectively than the USB cable. I am sad to see they don't ship them with the last few generations.

You can get a firewire wall adapter for about $20. I recommend them highly.

 

[puma7]

I love how many excuses people can come up with to explain the lack of a wall charger. A wall charger is a must for me, and the fact that they don't include it is ridiculous. And, to add insult to injury, they charge $30 to buy one from them.

 

[Deadaim357]

When I bought my 30gb iPod last February it came with a black sleeve. I kept it in the sleeve all the time until I lost it around July. I think Apple should include those again.

 

[QuarterSwede]

I also liked having FW on my old iPods. It was great when I was using my iPod 20 GB as a backup HDD. I guess the Firewire chipset cost Apple too much, and they were trying to save money. I guess that extra $1 meant a lot to Apple.

Actually the reason they got rid of firewire was because the chips were physically to large to keep them in the thinner and thinner iPods. Shame since it whips USB.

 

[DivideTheOcean]

I love how many excuses people can come up with to explain the lack of a wall charger. A wall charger is a must for me, and the fact that they don't include it is ridiculous. And, to add insult to injury, they charge $30 to buy one from them.

They don't include a wall charger because it's not a must for the majority of customers. If you need one, buy one. Why make everyone pay for one if most people won't even touch it? In this case, it sucks to be in the minority, but that's how it goes sometimes.

I should add that I bought a wall charger for my 80 GB 5th generation iPod, but I have yet to use it (I've had it for 18 months). Should have waited until I knew I'd need it. Oh well.

My 40 GB 3rd generation iPod came with a charger, but it cost $499 back in 2003. Even taking into account the fall of memory prices since then, they've made current iPods cheaper by not including chargers, docks, and other accessories. More iPods sold = even lower prices for everyone because of high volume economics.

I do agree that $30 is a bit steep, however.

 

[pazreal]

I also miss the days of the decked out iPod boxes. I would rather have some sort of dock than a power adapter so the iPod isn't just laying about. Oh well luckily I still have some power bricks from my older iPods.

 

[puckhead193]

when i was home for spring break i found my 3 gen ipod (the cube box) and remembered what it came with..... I still use my dock from it.