It's not at all ridiculous. Apple is the only company in the world that I have ever heard of that does something similar to this. Especially in the tech world, it's unheard of.
Example: I'll assume most people here have an HDTV. These can be purchased from countless places. Most of the time, when a model first comes out, it will be priced high, as they are typically the latest and greatest technology, and that technology has a higher price. If Samsung, Sony, etc. used Apple's model, then the price on that TV would stay the same until they released the next revision of that model. This is so not how any other company operates. As the model gets older, after a few months, the prices start to lower. $100 off here, $200 off there, etc. The price simply does not stay the same for 6-12 months.
Why it's an insult:
Would you agree that the production cost of the current MBP models has gone down significantly since they were first released? If you don't think so, then I'm not sure where you get your numbers for computer hardware. With Apple's pricing model, they value a computer at the same price through its entire lifespan. This is not the case with every other electronics company that I can think of. As time goes by, the prices drop, maybe slowly, but they do drop. If this were charted in a graph, then Apple's price would stay as a flat line, while the competition slowly lowers with time Then all of a sudden, they release a new product. Sometimes the price doesn't change, often it will. But it's got brand new hardware, the next latest and greatest technology.
Purchasing towards the end of the previous model's lifespan means that you were paying the highest price to buy that computer. The computer is very overvalued because you paid a lot more than it's worth (compared to buying it on release day). Then, the value of your computer is decreased even more by the fact that the hardware is outdated. It's a double-whammy of losing a lot of value in your computer all at once.
To give a more specific example, let's look at two purchasers of a MBP. The first one purchased it the day they came out, last June. The next one purchased it the day before the next update (or, 15 days before to remove the option of returning it).
Purchaser #1:
Purchased entry-level 15" MBP on June 8th, 2009. Paid $1,699.
Purchaser #2:
Purchased entry-level 15" MBP on February 15th, 2010. Paid $1,699. (Assuming it releases tomorrow, or 15 days from now, whatever).
Now, sure, Purchaser #2's laptop is worth a little more because it is newer, but once the next MBP model comes out, do you think there will be a significant difference of value between #1 and #2? Maybe $100, tops? The second those new updates come out, though, #2 will have lost a lot of value, all in 15 days. #1 lost about the same value, a bit more, but spread of ~8 months.
Yes, one can do some research and make guesses as to when newer Macs come out, but:
1. For new switchers, they may not be aware of Apple's unique pricing model. With all the sales reps that say they don't know when new models will be coming out, they have no ability to suggest that users wait until the new updates come. Perhaps some third-party Apple stores might caution new purchasers of pending updates, but I doubt any official Apple employee would be allowed to say "Well, we are likely going to have updates soon." This has the potential to leave a real sour taste in a new switcher's mouth. Sure, you can say it's their own fault, but it doesn't change the fact that Apple now has an unhappy customer on their hands. I'd hate to have you as a customer service representative with that cold response: "suck it up."
2. Since Apple provides absolutely zero information regarding upcoming updates, it is nearly impossible for potential buyers to make a truly informed decision. If I knew that the MBPs weren't going to get updated until June, I would likely just buy one now. However, I cannot make that informed decision. Most other tech companies will provide at least some idea of pending product updates.
I do not expect a company to reimburse me simply because they released a new product. But, I consider their pricing policies to be an insult to their customers. In that case, I do expect them to do something to make me happy again. If you still do not understand why Apple's policies and my examples above can make people like me upset (and I know there are others on these forums that feel the same way), then perhaps we just have different expectations of companies. I feel a company needs to respect their clients. Apple obviously does, which is why they consistently have great customer satisfaction marks. I still love Apple because they have shown great effort at remedying my problems. They've gone above and beyond what I would have expected them to do.
Right. Apple is in such rough shape. They're constantly losing money every quarter from poor sales and products with extremely low markups.
I still purchase from Apple because they have made great strides to keep me as a happy customer. A company that strives for high customer satisfaction is good in my books.
However since we all know Apple a little bit one probably can make a few assumptions. For example:
