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So, if I buy say an iMac, I get a gift card I can't use right away, but rather have to spend at Apple at a second occasion?

Quite crappy offer if you ask me. Sure, it's a bit more value than before, but would rather have had to discount up front.

I simply use the Apple Store GC to buy iTunes GCs, load them into my account and then I have funds preloaded for Apps, Music, and Movies.
 
When Apple spends millions (a drop in the bucket for them) to develop the 5C and it fails miserably, I guess not everybody wants an Apple device and/or the Apple execs who priced it failed Econ 101. Eh?
What is your evidence that the 5C has "fail[ed] miserably"? Where are your numbers?
Along with reports of scaled back production of the 5c (due to slow sales) there are reports like this.

Nonsense. Nothing in the article you cite claims the 5C is a failure for Apple. What the article actually says:

Back when Apple hadn’t unveiled its two new iPhones, it was believed that the low-cost iPhone 5c might end up eating into the margins of the relatively expensive iPhone 5s, particularly in markets like India and China. This isn’t the case though [...]

In other words, Apple is selling more of the higher-margin 5S than the lower-margin 5C, and you think that's a failure. You do know that AAPL's agreement with the manufacturers allows to be agile in the manufacturing volume of their products with negligible risk to themselves, right? How in heaven's name could any rational business-minded person call this a failure? :confused:

Innuendo doesn't make a "failure" for a business. You must have sound facts and reasoning to back up the claim. You have failed -- miserably -- to make your case.

In response to @dmylrea, Tribbs says:

"TrendForce estimates that the iPhone 5c will account for 24 percent of the total iPhones shipped during this quarter"

"TrendForce expects Apple to ship 46 million units of the iPhone in this quarter, resulting in a 2.2 percent year-over-year increase." [Emphasis mine.]

YOU'RE FIRED! :p

Bingo. This is an example of fact-based reasoning of the tremendous success off AAPL's new phone line. The 2014 Q1 results -- TBA at the end of January -- should be amazing.

If this is a "failure", I'm not sure we could stand a "success". :D
 
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The meager price breaks and gift cards still doesn't beat the refurbed prices at the Apple Store. I bought a Early 2013 MBP a month ago after finally seeing the light on getting Apple refurbs and never looked back.

I can't wait till refurbed iPad Airs start showing up. :D
 
but you're missing the point

Because you could use it to buy more stuff (thereby saving money) or sell it (thereby recovering money).

I know that Dave, but I already said

1) I do not want to buy more Apple stuff

and 2) I'd rather not go through the hassle of selling it or regifting it since I am the only Apple person I know.

If you're happy with it, great. For me, it's just not worth it. I'd rather have more of my money to fall back on than credit in their store.
 
I'd rather not go through the hassle of selling it or regifting it since I am the only Apple person I know.

The other thing required for Dave's advice to be effective is a "can do" attitude. You have a "can't do" attitude.

The fact that someone is upset with the Black Friday deal really isn't news. Someone will always be upset with the deals that AAPL has for Black Friday. When Angela Ahrendts is in charge in a year, someone will be upset with the deals she sets up. Oh, well.
 
...

The other thing required for Dave's advice to be effective is a "can do" attitude. You have a "can't do" attitude.

The fact that someone is upset with the Black Friday deal really isn't news. Someone will always be upset with the deals that AAPL has for Black Friday. When Angela Ahrendts is in charge in a year, someone will be upset with the deals she sets up. Oh, well.

It is a won't do attitude. I can if I wanted to, I choose not to. I won't go through eBay or gift card selling services to get a portion of the money back on the gift card. I won't put down my hard earned money for a Mac today because it is not worth it to me. For all the money Apple makes now, a bit of good will toward their shoppers in the form of actual monetary discounts would be very nice, especially since there are plenty of people who want something else besides an Apple product (perhaps the money saved from buying one?)

With a small company or restaurant I have no issues getting a gift card (just received a free second one from a restaurant we love), with someone like Apple which is far more pricey and are making money left, right and sidewides, yeah, I do have a problem with it.

Perhaps I would not be so disappointed if the Quality Control was a hell of a lot better than it is.

It will not do for me.

For those who think it's a great deal, enjoy it.
 
It is a won't do attitude. I can if I wanted to, I choose not to. I won't go through eBay or gift card selling services to get a portion of the money back on the gift card. I won't put down my hard earned money for a Mac today because it is not worth it to me. For all the money Apple makes now, a bit of good will toward their shoppers in the form of actual monetary discounts would be very nice, especially since there are plenty of people who want something else besides an Apple product (perhaps the money saved from buying one?)

With a small company or restaurant I have no issues getting a gift card (just received a free second one from a restaurant we love), with someone like Apple which is far more pricey and are making money left, right and sidewides, yeah, I do have a problem with it.

Perhaps I would not be so disappointed if the Quality Control was a hell of a lot better than it is.

It will not do for me.

For those who think it's a great deal, enjoy it.

Im sorry, hold on a minute, you comparing Apple with your local restaurant? :rolleyes:
 
I went with the iPad mini BB $100 GC deal that's stacked with a $25 AMEX rewards bonus.
 
It is a won't do attitude.

Exactly. It is an attitude, and it's not a "can do" attitude. ;)

Perhaps I would not be so disappointed if the Quality Control was a hell of a lot better than it is.

Perhaps not. This is the first time you mentioned QC in this discussion.

I have adopted a simple rule in buying AAPL products: don't buy the first generation of a particular kind of tech. Avoid the first retina iPad, and first rMBP, etc., and you will avoid the lion's share of QC problems. If you still have a quality issue, get service promptly. But that's the "can do" approach to buying new products. :D

The fact that someone is upset with the Black Friday deal really isn't news. Someone will always be upset with the deals that AAPL has for Black Friday. When Angela Ahrendts is in charge in a year, someone will be upset with the deals she sets up. Oh, well.
 
it's all good

Exactly. It is an attitude, and it's not a "can do" attitude. ;)

Perhaps not. This is the first time you mentioned QC in this discussion.

I have adopted a simple rule in buying AAPL products: don't buy the first generation of a particular kind of tech. Avoid the first retina iPad, and first rMBP, etc., and you will avoid the lion's share of QC problems. If you still have a quality issue, get service promptly. But that's the "can do" approach to buying new products. :D

The fact that someone is upset with the Black Friday deal really isn't news. Someone will always be upset with the deals that AAPL has for Black Friday. When Angela Ahrendts is in charge in a year, someone will be upset with the deals she sets up. Oh, well.

Hey it's all good. And I did swear by not buying the first gen of redesign, 3 iPad Airs reminded me I better stick to that ideal, but I've bought 2nd gen Apple products that were duds too. Unfortunately many issues are not resolved by the second gen (see yellow tint in rMBPs, IR etc.) - I won't argue that. In the past the avoiding the first gen was very sound advice and it still is to some extent.

As far as the Black Friday business, there will be people who see it as a deal and people who don't. As someone who appreciates saving money on the spot the switch over to gift cards does not appeal to me, especially in light of in utter decline of Quality Control. Apple seems to rush many products out before they are ready for prime time. (I have mentioned this plenty of times elsewhere in this forum as a nearly 20 year Apple user, the last three years have been the utter worst for me.)

Yes, I was a bit belligerent in my response, not directed at anyone but shaking my not so danty fists at the sky.

I'm glad people benefited from the gift cards. Me, I'll stick with the cash discounts as long as Apple continues them.
 
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