Apple sells goodies (keychians ect.) at Apple Stores!!!

[Hemingray]

Originally posted by i_b_joshua
What exactly was your point?

It shows pride and support in our favorite computer company. You don't see people walking around with Microsoft keychains because there's nothing special about them. Apple is not just your average company seeking publicity. They have a higher following, if you will, by people like us. Those who are willing to pay for it, will pay for it. Those who aren't, won't. What's the big deal? And what about collectors who buy it just to have something Apple-related? There are those types of people out there.

Do you feel Apple is abusing its followers by making them pay for stuff with their logo on it?

 

[cr2sh]

At what point did this turn into the 'capitalism is stupid' thread? Who is complaining that adults, who earn and work very hard for their money, should not be allowed to buy a keychain? Or is this about an apple logo on an advertisement? <sarcasm>because that is a much more valid argument</sarcasm>

 

[Micho]

Damn it josh

Originally posted by i_b_joshua


I buy Victorinox because they make good knives.
I buy Manhattan Portage because they make good bags.
I (would) buy (a) Wenger (if I needed one) because they make good tools.
I buy Lamy because they make good pens.
I buy Apple because they make good computers (and because they're the only ones who make Macs)
I buy plenty of generic things because they're good value etc etc.

What exactly was your point?

I don't buy Apple products for the label and I'd be really worried if the majority of people did. They wouldn't be 'thinking different' if they were. I've always considered Apple customers pretty discerning. Maybe I was wrong.

i_b_joshua

Damn it Josh
YES WE KNOW WE'RE on crack but cant you just let us have our fun and leave us alone.

If they have up there I say we storm the stores and take them...
Please no damage to the stores though.

 

[ibjoshua]

I'm sorry if I pissed folk off.

My original post was simply a question:
"Can someone tell me why you'd want this advertising crap?"

I wasn't criticising logos or branding and I wasn't having a go at capitalism which as a dogma is more than big enough to look after itself.

The gist of my post was 'why would anyone want to pay for this stuff?'

I always thought the so-called 'collectibles' were only really really collectible if they were (originally) freebies. Am I wrong?

i_b_joshua

 

[ibjoshua]

Originally posted by Hemingray
Do you feel Apple is abusing its followers by making them pay for stuff with their logo on it?

No. Not for iBooks, XServes, Final Cut Pro etc

But don't you feel that they belittle their brand by flogging these trinkets rather than giving them away?

i_b_joshua

 

[Hemingray]

Originally posted by i_b_joshua

No. Not for iBooks, XServes, Final Cut Pro etc

But don't you feel that they belittle their brand by flogging these trinkets rather than giving them away?

i_b_joshua

Well, it would be one thing if the keychains were plastic or something, but a lot of the stuff is brushed metal. I can see them giving away mousepads but not the more "executive"-type stuff. It would be pretty cool if it was free, though.

As for the definition of collectibles, I don't think it needs to have been initially free to be considered a collectible. What about limited edition stuff? That certainly costs money and is considered collectible. I'm not sure if you meant collectibles as a whole or just these particular items.

 

[Blah64]

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You don't see people walking around with Microsoft keychains because there's nothing special about them.
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this comment drove me to register, just to reply!

you obviously don't live anywhere near seattle, or i suspect even the pacific northwest. there is probably more crap here with the microsoft logo than everything else combined. you can hardly walk into a mall or restaurant without seeing shirts plastered with Back Office Server or MSN, etc. ugh.

either that or it just sticks out because it annoys me so much.

 

[sneed]

Originally posted by i_b_joshua
I'm sorry if I pissed folk off.

My original post was simply a question:
"Can someone tell me why you'd want this advertising crap?"

I wasn't criticising logos or branding and I wasn't having a go at capitalism which as a dogma is more than big enough to look after itself.

The gist of my post was 'why would anyone want to pay for this stuff?'

I always thought the so-called 'collectibles' were only really really collectible if they were (originally) freebies. Am I wrong?

i_b_joshua

Who's pissed off?

Outside of the corporate gifts, there is always a price associated with swag. Have you ever noticed that the companies with the best stuff at the trade shows always require you to give them your contact information? Do you think that (as some claim) they are only collecting that information to keep you from going through the line more than once? How about the items that you can only get if you pre-order their next update? Or sit through their presentations? Or dodge their sales rep for weeks after the show?

Swag (I'll stick to the original thanks you,) almost always comes at a cost. Why not pay a little money for it, and avoid the hassle?

As far as being collectible, not every one cares (I don't.) Even so, that it cost money has no particular bearing on whether an item is collectible. Is a Mercedes Gullwing collectible? Very. Did it cost the original owner money? You betcha. Are the Apple items on par with a Mercedes Gullwing? No, but you get my point.

 

[Hemingray]

Originally posted by Blah64
this comment drove me to register, just to reply!

Well, one way or another, welcome to the forums!

you obviously don't live anywhere near seattle, or i suspect even the pacific northwest. there is probably more crap here with the microsoft logo than everything else combined. you can hardly walk into a mall or restaurant without seeing shirts plastered with Back Office Server or MSN, etc. ugh.

either that or it just sticks out because it annoys me so much.

You're right... I live in the Pacific Southwest. Okay, you got me with the t-shirts, but do you see any M$ keychains?!

 

[saint]

This stuff is not advertising. All of these items are fairly personal things- if it was about advertising, they would be selling apple t-shirts, hats, bumper stickers etc.

(btw, if apple made bumper stickers, what would they say on them? that could be a whole new thread on its own )

It's not like someone is going to look at your pen or keyring and say "Hey, cool! It's got a tiny apple logo on it! I'm gonna go buy a mac now!"

 

[krhodus]

bumper sticker

When Mac OS 8 was introduced, Apple did have bumper sticker. They read " I break for 8" and had the Mac OS 8 logo on them. I have one somewhere and if I find it, I will post a pic of it.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Originally posted by saint
This stuff is not advertising. All of these items are fairly personal things- if it was about advertising, they would be selling apple t-shirts, hats, bumper stickers etc.

(btw, if apple made bumper stickers, what would they say on them? that could be a whole new thread on its own )

It's not like someone is going to look at your pen or keyring and say "Hey, cool! It's got a tiny apple logo on it! I'm gonna go buy a mac now!"

You mean like this stuff?

hehe.. I used to have an 'I brake for 8' bumper sticker, too, on a previous car. But, while I would have braked for 8, I didn't brake quickly enough to avoid hitting something else...

The stuff in the picture is:
Front row: 'A Guided Tour of MacDraw' audio tape. Came with an original Macintosh in 1984. This is all that is left of that poor Mac, used by my dad where he worked; Apple playing cards. Yup, a deck of poker cards with Apple details. As you can see, the joker is a 'happy mac' with joker hats on. The suits are 'userface', which is red, 'trash can', which is black, 'alarmclock', which is red, and 'bomb', which is black. These cards are from sometime around 1990, as evidenced by the fact that the 'happymac' looks suspiciously like a Macintosh Classic. Yes, the set is still complete.
Back row: Apple 3.5" floppy disk case, hard plastic; Apple mousepad; Apple pen; case for the cards.