It sounds like you're suffering buyer's remorse without having to actually bought anything.
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Apple Open to iPad Price Cuts if Demand Lags?
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It sounds like you're suffering buyer's remorse without having to actually bought anything.
I just wish it were a laptop w. the ipad form factor. As is I'm just going to stick with my laptop.
I want to be able to use any software (within limits I dont expect it to be a gaming machine). I want hulu and netflix, the ability to watch random videos that arent on youtube. I want to be able to upload photos and edit videos.
In other words I want a laptop w. the ipad form factor (even if it were larger and more expensive.)
I want to be able to use any software (within limits I dont expect it to be a gaming machine). I want hulu and netflix, the ability to watch random videos that arent on youtube. I want to be able to upload photos and edit videos.
In other words I want a laptop w. the ipad form factor (even if it were larger and more expensive.)
The same thing often happens when you decide to leave a job. Your employer will offer you more money to stay, which begs the question - if I was so valuable, where was this money before now?
If the iPad had been the notebook replacement (ala MS TabletPC) everyone was expecting it would be perceived as crazy cheap. But as it's just a big iTouch it's more of a competitor to the Kindle, so people expect it to be priced accordingly.
I think a lot of upper-income middle-aged people will be interested in it and I think it has a good chance of being a hit, even at the current price. Ultimately, the iPad will live and die by how good the casual web surfing experience is on it. And that really remains to be seen.
Before they can sell something like a 3G version, it has to pass FCC and other regulatory requirements.
And during that process, by law, it becomes publicly available information.
Better to announce now than have the product name, etc. slip out because of regulatory requirements.
That, and exercising your patience is good for you.
Squeezing in the iPhone 3GS prices from Apple.com's fine print (gray = hypothetical):
$199 - 08gb 3.5"
$299 - 32gb 3.5"
$399 - 64gb 3.5"
$499 - 16gb 9.7" | 08gb 3.5" 3G
$599 - 32gb 9.7" | 16gb 3.5" 3G | 16gb 9.7" 3G + $30
$699 - 64gb 9.7" | 32gb 3.5" 3G | 32gb 9.7" 3G + $30
$799 -128gb 9.7" | 64gb 3.5" 3G | 64gb 9.7" 3G + $30
$199 - 08gb 3.5"
$299 - 32gb 3.5"
$399 - 64gb 3.5"
$499 - 16gb 9.7" | 08gb 3.5" 3G
$599 - 32gb 9.7" | 16gb 3.5" 3G | 16gb 9.7" 3G + $30
$699 - 64gb 9.7" | 32gb 3.5" 3G | 32gb 9.7" 3G + $30
$799 -128gb 9.7" | 64gb 3.5" 3G | 64gb 9.7" 3G + $30
Anybody who was expecting a notebook replacement similar to MS TabletPC is pretty close to being delusional.
If iPod touch ranges from $199-$399, one would assume a "big" iPod touch should start at $499. If you want a Kindle with a 9.7" display, guess how much that will cost? Oh yeah, $489.
Flying off the shelves, only to be returned in a week later.
Seriously though, the iPad is too limited. The market does not mind limits on the iPhone or iPod Touch, however for a device to fit between the iPhone and MacBook that has too many limits and lack of options is a poor decision. I like what the iPad represents, however at present its a niche device unless something changes within this year.
My guess the iPad will be revisited and revised before the Holiday Season 2010. I would suggest waiting for a few months as its clear that rev. A models suffer the most drawbacks.
... until you pick it up and use it.
.... or someone says you need to pick your nose.... (because a forward facing camera on a iPad that his held in your hands would have a up angle shot)
This notion of a mutliuser iPad has been mentioned several times here. Being multiuser is more an indication of a device's failure to be a true personal computer than a feature.
Personal Computers (PCs) should be, in a perfect world, affordable enough that a every person can afford one. At that point it really is personal. Do mom+dad+kids share everything? Aren't "personal" items typically items that are yours; not shared, communal stuff.
You could perhaps have instant storage/settings/etc movement if, again in a perfect world, all the storage was over the internet ( or cloud as people spin it these days. Or "Network Computer"/"Thin Client" from years ago. ). That however, is a communal "viewer" of commonly shared personal stuff.
No, the iPad isn't "cheap enough for everyone". However, it will decrease in cost over time (that is what the article drives home. Apple knows will have to decrease this product's price over time).
The original MacOS and Windows were single user oriented. However, the machines were expensive enough to make it very common they were communal, not personal, computers. Hence over time has taken on user features. ( There are security reasons too, but everything funneled through a single app store somewhat addresses those too, in a Big Brother sort of way. ). The iPad is going to back to those roots that the PC revolution started off with and got lost in the wilderness on.
If the iPad is so expensive it is required to be shared to have a large enough market then it will have failed in a number of ways. That's is way it is important Apple push the price down (while making profit and use quality parts ) as far as they can. That directly addresses the root cause problem in making it "personal" as oppose to treating the symptom... enabling communal use.
iPhone and Touch don't have this problem or need do they ?
Likewise for email can use the web ( gmail , hotmail , yahoo mail )
Mom and Dad have accounts on the household computer. They give child a iPad. (or vice versa. Mom and Dad get low end iPads and the kids sucks up megahours on the household computer. If the kid wants Flash games and mega first person shooter games ). In short, you solve the "fights over scare communal resource" by buying more resources (that aren't as communal). For example, when teenagers get to point where start to use the phone too much to make sharing the family phone a problem, the common solution is to buy that teenager a separate line (or I guess these days ... a cell phone). That additional resource is not communal. Another example is the multiple TV household.
That will be less fights not more. More likely what happens if make the lastest gaget be communal in a house with multiple folks with tech lust .... will not unwind the fights because multiple folks will be lusting after the latest tech device.
Sure an iPad as the single >= 3 person-household computer is a failure. ( It also has problems as the take absolutely everywhere including the bathroom device too) However, Apple never set out to make the iPad the single household computer for a whole family. If limited on budget get a used/refurb Mac mini if need a communal device. Folks will just have to suck it up and sit in front of the share device.
Not to mention all the third-party accessory vendors needing a little time to tool up for cases, and so on.
Speculation at best, do you realize that
gets big discounts because they buy a lot of NAND flash, LCD, Touch Capacitors, etc....If you believe for a second that
is taking a loss on the $499 model think again. Reality is a smaller profit margin on that device.2 Things...
1. the ticker symbol is AAPL, not APPL
2. With all due respect, how could you have made 6 bills since the iPad announcement considering share price has gone from roughly $210-$215/share to now $197-8/share??
Speculation at best, do you realize that
If you believe for a second that
Of course Apple isn't taking a loss on the $499 model.
I never implied such!
This isn't speculation at best. Apple is all about linear pricing.
If you want a 3.5" display it will cost you from $199-$399
If you want a 9.7" display it will cost you $499-$849
If you want a 13.3" display it will cost you $999-$1499
If you want a 15.4" display it will cost you $1699-$2299
If you want a 17" display it will cost you $2499
Where else would you expect a big iPod touch to cost?
Buy more Apple shares and you might lose your house...
I don't know when you bought them and how many, but I sold mine around Christmas (bought them in the summer). I just couldn't risk any unexpected announcement or stupid leak or rumour in the New Year. (By the way, it's AAPL.)
I just want to put any share-hype into perspective and enjoy the roller-coaster ride:
I don't know when you bought them and how many, but I sold mine around Christmas (bought them in the summer). I just couldn't risk any unexpected announcement or stupid leak or rumour in the New Year. (By the way, it's AAPL.)
I just want to put any share-hype into perspective and enjoy the roller-coaster ride:
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Hell, the $829 iPad 3G with no contract, pre-pay, cancel anytime (at your discretion internet connectivity) is cheaper than a $99 iPhone 3G with AT&T's 2-yr. nation 450 calling plan.
He could if (a) he bet on the news before the keynote and (b) those "few" shares are more than "just a few". I don't think it's good time to buy the stock though but it's off topic...
I certainly hope to pick up a cheaper iPad a couple months (hopefully not too long) after the launch. I intend to wait a bit to see if there are any gen A issues with the iPad anyway. Many of us know the quality control of gen A Apple products is not very good (like MBA, 27-inch iMac). If enough people out there adopt the "wait and see" attitude, a price cut on iPad is totally possible (yes, doh!)
Almost took the words out of my mouth.
my head.
I agree with the SD slot by the way. However a camera and HDMI are fairly stupid if you ask me. Hardware wise I would want the following instead of a price drop:
1. The SD slot already mentioned.
2. Far More Flash storage, doubling on the low end machine and quadrupaling on the high end machine. The lack of internal storage is critical on these machines.
3. USB! At least one standard port. This should have been a no brainer so I'm not sure how Apple could have screwed this up. Oh an no plugging into the dock port isn't a solution.
4. A smaller HD video ratio device. I'm not sure how Apple arrived at 4:3 but it sucks for one of the primary usages I imagined which is watching video while traveling. Besides for many apps a more rectangular screen works better.
5. We shouldn't need 3G to get GPS.
Actually in a way that is pretty close to exactly what I was expecting. A tablet isn't a Mac nor even a laptop so we shouldn't expect it to be capable like those devices. The only things that has completely driven me made about this iPad tablet is the paltry amount of Flash storage and the missing info. Being Touch like doesn't bother me at all. The bigger screen and faster hardware makes up for that.
In a nut shell Apple doesn't need to lower the price rather they need to wise up about the configuration of the unit. Plus they need to come clean about the hardware.
Dave
That was the exact phrase spinning around in
my head.
Well then you diverge from me in reasoning. First a lot of things can be fixed in software. That is where I expect iPhone 4.0 to take us, but without flash.
I agree with the SD slot by the way. However a camera and HDMI are fairly stupid if you ask me. Hardware wise I would want the following instead of a price drop:
1. The SD slot already mentioned.
2. Far More Flash storage, doubling on the low end machine and quadrupaling on the high end machine. The lack of internal storage is critical on these machines.
3. USB! At least one standard port. This should have been a no brainer so I'm not sure how Apple could have screwed this up. Oh an no plugging into the dock port isn't a solution.
4. A smaller HD video ratio device. I'm not sure how Apple arrived at 4:3 but it sucks for one of the primary usages I imagined which is watching video while traveling. Besides for many apps a more rectangular screen works better.
5. We shouldn't need 3G to get GPS.
Actually in a way that is pretty close to exactly what I was expecting. A tablet isn't a Mac nor even a laptop so we shouldn't expect it to be capable like those devices. The only things that has completely driven me made about this iPad tablet is the paltry amount of Flash storage and the missing info. Being Touch like doesn't bother me at all. The bigger screen and faster hardware makes up for that.
In a nut shell Apple doesn't need to lower the price rather they need to wise up about the configuration of the unit. Plus they need to come clean about the hardware.
Dave
I thought conventional wisdom was to never buy the first model of any Apple product. The prices always drop, and they always get around to adding features that should have been present on the original model.
Except running Flash, playing dvds, using usb accessories, using MS Office.
I swear - some of the people here would hold their breath until they passed out if Steve Jobs said that air wasn't fit to breathe.
They'd wait in line to be the first to pay for air, if Steve Jobs showed them a shiny, "new sexy" can of "magical" air -- the Apple iAir -- the air that will revolutionize breathing.
You underestimate the effort that these guys will need to look busy with an iPad. On a MacBook Pro, you could just play a stupid thing or browse the web and you might look like that you are the Chief/Head Editor of any newspaper or magazine.
With an iPad, you might look like that you are playing a game, whilst you are actually checking your emails. You know, turning it, turning it, touching the screen like a pedo... Damn, those senior citizens will get exercised!
Cos, you know... IT'S JUST FUN!
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I am surprised the Ipad wasn't pretty close to free given both the devs that will greatly benefit from the added space and the ton of angry knee jerks that expected a fully functional desktop OS onboard.
I think you are missing the point. Apple themselves have presented this as a shared family device.
What you are saying is that everyone in the household is going to have their own iPad to use.
I have not heard that message from Apple at all.
A device per user makes perfect sense when that device is a cell phone or pocketable media player that will be with the user all of the time. This is a relatively large device that will probably spend the bulk of its time in a small area and be used by multiple people.
It very well might be that Apple plans to address this at a future time, but they are going to lose sales as a result of this oversight.
Just a couple of more considerations.
I don't even believe that as I'm convinced the profit margin is higher than is average for Apple. That is due directly to what is missing hardware wise. Let's face it there isn't much to the base model device. One port, some analog ports, a few switches and the attendant chips. I've liked at this several times and i'd be real surprised if the price to manufacture is much more than $225 to $250. Those numbers are probably high because on some components it would be hard to guess at Apples discounts. Their volumes with respect yo flash are huge for example with other companies on record as saying they can't compete because of the volume discounts. Before over head Apple might be seeing a 50% profit margin.
Dave
in many ways the NAND Flash market moves with Apple. Even then one only has to look at consumer pricing of flash to realize Apple has been read stingy with Flash in the iPads. I'd be very surprised if they are paying more than ten bucks for the flash in the base model.Speculation at best, do you realize that
If you believe for a second that
I don't even believe that as I'm convinced the profit margin is higher than is average for Apple. That is due directly to what is missing hardware wise. Let's face it there isn't much to the base model device. One port, some analog ports, a few switches and the attendant chips. I've liked at this several times and i'd be real surprised if the price to manufacture is much more than $225 to $250. Those numbers are probably high because on some components it would be hard to guess at Apples discounts. Their volumes with respect yo flash are huge for example with other companies on record as saying they can't compete because of the volume discounts. Before over head Apple might be seeing a 50% profit margin.
Dave