My point? I was wondering if this is a new TV, or an old TV in a new package (like so many times before in this industry). Valid question, imo.
Oh. Same TV.
Cater for your consumers, not everyone else.
Exactly why I buy Apple products. They push the envelope like nobody else while simultaneously maintaining a philosophy that their devices should not require end-users be geeks to master.
I'm with you that I would not mind even a little more control in the app store. However, since they've instituted the changes a year ago that
upped the bar for accepted apps, I'm seeing much less crapware.
Fail to see how the connection.
Typical cycle when Apple tries to innovate:
1) Shock - "How could they kill <insert outdated or bug-ridden technology> on their devices?"
2) Anger - "Who the hell does Steve Jobs/Apple think he is/they are?":
3) Bargaining (in some cases) - "I'll show them. I'm getting a <insert Apple competitor> device next."
4) Depression - "Wow. The alternatives to Apple really blow!"
5) Acceptance/Epiphany - "Gee. I really didn't need <insert outdated or bug-ridden technology> after all. My device works so much better, and the rest of the tech industry has followed Apple's lead. Even the harshest critics have done a 180 and now are mimicking Apple."
As I mentioned to someone else in this thread, we live in a day and age when demagoguery and schadenfreude are de rigueur. Many people love seeing someone at the top fail, so even Apple has to temper how fast they innovate. No other phone, for example, is scrutinized as much as the iPhone. "Antennagate" and "Glassgate" turned out, in the end, to be much ado about nothing but obviously caused the loss of some sales.
Ah, ok. Never cared much for Android (or iToys for that matter, not due to the products themselves but due to Jobs vision and ideals clashing with my own).
Maybe so.
Gee, it sounds like you and Jobs are pretty simpatico from some of your comments.
No idea about the margins on these babies. From what i read here they marked it up a few hundred bucks. If so, i'd say the device is pretty much covered. That said, tabs are probably not flying off the shelves. The promo much still make sense though, even if they were (if we assume that they primarily want to move TVs).
Prior to Promotion
TV + 3D Starter Kit =
$1999.99
During Promotion
Same TV + relatively similar 3D Starter Kit as before but minus cheap Blu-Ray player + Galaxy Tab =
$1999.99.
We agree the tablets are not flying off the shelves, as are the TVs. However, as I show above, it looks like they may be taking a bath with the tablets.
Many devoted followers makes selling big easy :- )
Indeed, but the iPad is being embraced at breakneck speed in areas where the iPhone has only recently begun making inroads. In particular, the enterprise market.
My guess is that its about the future. 3d is a premium feature, with high margins. If they can kick start adoption they (both sammy and bb) could earn a nice buck. (right now electronics such as TVs are crummy deals for both producers and resellers. heck, in sweden the big ones have been running loss-strategies for years in the fight for market shares. just a couple of weeks ago one of the largest resellers ended up filing for bankruptcy because of it.
Sorry to hear about the retailer in Sweden. I agree about most electronics suffer from slim margins, especially HDTVs. I, for one, am pessimistic about an Apple HDTV ever seeing the light of day for that reason. I'd rather they just keep adding features to the inexpensive AppleTV.
BTW, one of my college roommates was from near Stockholm. Very cool guy.
Not sure if anyone ever thought the tab would outsell the pad. Apple is the hip product right now. Hip products generally are hard to beat, regardless of what competitors are offering (like i said to someone else the other day: ask your mom/wife/whatever what brand of jeans that was the **** back then, and how much money they would spend just to have'm).
I believe Samsung hoped the Galaxy Tab would be a hit and take a reasonable amount of the profit pie Apple is enjoying with the iPad. However, between Apple's strength with obtaining great parts at highly competitive prices, a great UI, terrific available apps, and the fact that the Android tablet market is somewhat of a cacophony, the iPad continues to be the standard-bearer all are measured against.
Once again: This promo will not create any volumes to speak of. As such, they make very little difference as far as the tab goes. Simple as that.
I wouldn't be surprised if Best Buy approached Samsung and said, "You need to give some sort of incentive to customers to get these tablets sold. They're not moving." Samsung is hoping one poor selling product (3DTV) + another poor selling product (Galaxy Tab) = win. As the article I linked to points out, that might be considered fuzzy math.
You're right, though. I don't think it will really make a significant dent but just may minimize a little of the pain.
