first time I couldnt take the cost

[friedmud]

The price topic repeatedly surfaces largely because Apple demands gross profits that often are more than twice the industry standard.

Decisions involve many variables. Amongst them are whether or not a product meets ones needs. As you've revealed, this aspect has eluded you.

What I'm saying is that this is not a _recent_ change. Apple has _always_ demanded profits.

Not only that - but the "value proposition" of an iPad is MUCH better today than it was when I put down $1000 on a first gen. You get much more for your money now (first-gen didn't even have a camera!).

The insinuation many people are making around here lately is that the new iPP are "overpriced" in some sense. This very thread is talking about how "this generation" was just too expensive for him to justify the price. I'm saying that doesn't make any sense because a maxed out iPP is has always been ~$1000 and every year you get more for that $.

What I think is different this year (vs other launches) is that I continually see people maxing out iPP's and then complaining about the price. That is a phenomena that I just can't understand.

 

[rowspaxe]

The morality of it is that a grand is too much for it no matter how much you earn. Apple is making fools of the punters who cough up their hard earned dosh for a tablet.

What is the moral issue issue here? Apple made a $10k watch, but "punters" did not feel compelled to buy it. The fact that customers buy a $1k tablet means there is a cohort of consumers who value the device at that price.
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The price topic repeatedly surfaces largely because Apple demands gross profits that often are more than twice the industry standard..

Apple is not "demanding" profits. They are earning profits by selling products people are willing to pay a premium for.

 

[sracer]

Don't know about the last part but I'm sure Apple can't resell it as new. Ends up costing everyone. I can see returning if something is defective. I'm writing this on my iPP (have Applecare+, 128GB, case, cover and pencil, went wifi only) and that's just not something I would ever do after buying. Not like you bought the wrong size shirt.

No, it doesn't cost everyone. When Apple determines the price to charge for a product, they factor in the cost of R&D, manufacturing, distribution, etc.... including returns. They can have a reasonable idea of how many returns to expect and the cost to them for that return. All factored in. If you think that a reduced number of returns will result in a lower price... think again.

Buyer's remorse is common to all consumer products and yet for some reason when one has remorse over buying an Apple product, suddenly that is cause for judging a person.

It is not always possible to fully appreciate or gauge how a produce will fit into one's life, use-cases, and workflow by reading blogs, watching reviews on YouTube, dabbling with it in the showroom. Sometimes it can only happen with actual use in the actual settings.

Basically the OP said, "the iPad Pro is an amazing device, but it isn't $1000-worth-of-amazing for me." He was only able to determine that after buying one.

I don't understand where this faux ethical high ground comes from.

 

[NightWingz]

The price is definitely getting much more steep nowadays, but the killer is in the upgrade path this year IMO. I used to top up way lesser each year to upgrade to the latest and greatest but this year the value of the iPad Air 2 took such a huge plummet and with lesser and lesser people upgrading, it is getting hard to sell off the iPad Air 2 at a decent value.

And it definitely doesn't help that the highest capacity iPad models tend to take the biggest hit in resale value due to the nature of the second hand market.

 

[sparksd]

No, it doesn't cost everyone. When Apple determines the price to charge for a product, they factor in the cost of R&D, manufacturing, distribution, etc.... including returns. They can have a reasonable idea of how many returns to expect and the cost to them for that return. All factored in. If you think that a reduced number of returns will result in a lower price... think again.

Buyer's remorse is common to all consumer products and yet for some reason when one has remorse over buying an Apple product, suddenly that is cause for judging a person.

It is not always possible to fully appreciate or gauge how a produce will fit into one's life, use-cases, and workflow by reading blogs, watching reviews on YouTube, dabbling with it in the showroom. Sometimes it can only happen with actual use in the actual settings.

Basically the OP said, "the iPad Pro is an amazing device, but it isn't $1000-worth-of-amazing for me." He was only able to determine that after buying one.

I don't understand where this faux ethical high ground comes from.

Liberal return policies are used by a lot of major retailers and are beneficial -

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203585004574392464143500106

http://www.strategy-business.com/blog/The-Unexpected-Benefits-of-Product-Returns?gko=fea64

http://www.retailwire.com/discussion/18816/study-finds-widespread-benefit-to-lenient-return-policies

There is nothing immoral or unethical about returning a product (I'm ignoring those obvious cases where there are frequent and fraudulent abusers).

 

[Mac2me]

Can't anyone make a decision anymore? Why not give it some thought in advance and spare Apple the restock cost. This behavior is infantile

Don't know about the last part but I'm sure Apple can't resell it as new. Ends up costing everyone. I can see returning if something is defective. I'm writing this on my iPP (have Applecare+, 128GB, case, cover and pencil, went wifi only) and that's just not something I would ever do after buying. Not like you bought the wrong size shirt.

No, it doesn't cost everyone. When Apple determines the price to charge for a product, they factor in the cost of R&D, manufacturing, distribution, etc.... including returns. They can have a reasonable idea of how many returns to expect and the cost to them for that return. All factored in. If you think that a reduced number of returns will result in a lower price... think again.

Buyer's remorse is common to all consumer products and yet for some reason when one has remorse over buying an Apple product, suddenly that is cause for judging a person.

It is not always possible to fully appreciate or gauge how a produce will fit into one's life, use-cases, and workflow by reading blogs, watching reviews on YouTube, dabbling with it in the showroom. Sometimes it can only happen with actual use in the actual settings.

Basically the OP said, "the iPad Pro is an amazing device, but it isn't $1000-worth-of-amazing for me." He was only able to determine that after buying one.

I don't understand where this faux ethical high ground comes from.

Don't know where in what I wrote you think I took some faux ethical high ground. In fact I even had issue with the behavior comment in the post I had replied to. I stated that I personally would never do such a return unless the product was defective. Whether or not Apple factors in change-my-mind-it's-more-expensive-than-I-wanted-to-pay returns into the cost as SOP, it still has a cost to it and it still gets passed on. From processing, checking the product out, repackaging, taking a markdown, etc. Good business or not it's a hard/soft cost that gets factored in. Returns cost a business money. I honestly don't know why there's a problem with people stating this as why they wouldn't do returns for that reason in particular. Just on this board alone I'm amazed at how many people have in good faith bought a product whatever it may be and returned it because they changed their mind. We have threads on it too. Kind of feel this thread belongs in that area.

 

[richpjr]

Don't know where in what I wrote you think I took some faux ethical high ground. In fact I even had issue with the behavior comment in the post I had replied to. I stated that I personally would never do such a return unless the product was defective. Whether or not Apple factors in change-my-mind-it's-more-expensive-than-I-wanted-to-pay returns into the cost as SOP, it still has a cost to it and it still gets passed on. From processing, checking the product out, repackaging, taking a markdown, etc. Good business or not it's a hard cost that gets factored in. Returns cost a business money. I honestly don't know why there's a problem with people stating this as why they wouldn't do returns for that reason. Just on this board alone I'm amazed at how many people have in good faith bought a product whatever it may be and returned it because they changed their mind. We have threads on it too. Kind of feel this thread belongs in that area.

Why are you amazed that people utilize something Apple and other companies plan for and tout - customer satisfaction? Apple could have an all sales are final (except for defects) and sell their products a bit cheaper - but they choose not to. They strive for a good customer experience. How many times have we heard stories about things being fixed out of warranty? The fact that someone returned a purchase they weren't happy with and were able to do so easily makes it more likely they will purchase again from them in the future.

 

[Old Skool Gamer]

For me, once I hand over the money, the only thing that would make me return it is if I decide I want more memory or I really do want the cellular option (or if something is wrong with it).

This is why I returned my 9.7" iPad Pro ..

I wanted 4GB of RAM!

 

[Mac2me]

....Just on this board alone I'm amazed at how many people have in good faith bought a product whatever it may be and returned it because they changed their mind. We have threads on it too. Kind of feel this thread belongs in that area.

Why are you amazed that people utilize something Apple and other companies plan for and tout - customer satisfaction? Apple could have an all sales are final (except for defects) and sell their products a bit cheaper - but they choose not to. They strive for a good customer experience. How many times have we heard stories about things being fixed out of warranty? The fact that someone returned a purchase they weren't happy with and were able to do so easily makes it more likely they will purchase again from them in the future.

Really getting off the topic but "I'm amazed at how many people" buy something change their mind deciding it cost too much after they paid for it--which was the topic of this thread--not that he didn't like it or had a problem with it otherwise.

 

[richpjr]

Really getting off the topic but "I'm amazed at how many people" buy something change their mind deciding it cost too much--which was the essence of this thread--not that he didn't like it or had a problem with it otherwise.

Not sure how it's off topic. The OP changed his mind for whatever reason and returned it, taking advantage of the return policy.

 

[Tallgrass]

I spent two weeks and about 5 trips to the store for hands on with the iPad P. I also read dozens of user reviews over that same period of time. At the end of 2 weeks it was easy for me to decide to buy or not to buy. I bought it and have been happily using it at home and at work. I know these iPad Pros aren't cheap, but in my case it saved me money. No need to buy a MacBook.

 

[Devyn89]

Lucky! I think the weak Canadian dollar might actually have been the biggest source of consternation for me. I was stoked for the 9.7 pro from the moment I heard that was the rumour (vs the air 3), and I was even totally expecting a price bump. The one kink I overlooked was the Canadian pricing adjustment that came in tandem with it. A $599 US iPad was $659 Canadian up to the march announcement, afterwards $599 US translated to $799 CAD. wop wop.

This happened to me as well, I was excited about the pencil but I can't afford a $1000 iPad (for the 128GB version) plus $129 for the pencil and $200 for the keyboard. It sucks but also I have my air 2 and that's fine.

 

[friedmud]

This happened to me as well, I was excited about the pencil but I can't afford a $1000 iPad (for the 128GB version) plus $129 for the pencil and $200 for the keyboard. It sucks but also I have my air 2 and that's fine.

32 GB 9.7" iPP: $600
Apple Pencil: $130
Third party iPad Pro Keyboard: $40 (some are even cheaper)

Total: $770

Owning the most awesome digital writing experience: _priceless_!

Seriously: If you're on a budget... don't go to the max iPP and then add a bunch of first-party options and decide: "Well, it's too expensive... guess I'll just stick with a terrible writing experience on an iPad Air"... you're seriously missing out!

 

[Devyn89]

Except the cheapest iPad Pro is $799 in Canada for 32GB, I'd want the 128 though, I play games and store music and movies on my air 2 and id want to do the same on my pro. You have a point on the keyboard though, I could save money there. Even with that savings I just can't afford it right now.

In any case it's a want not a need, my air 2 is perfectly capable.

 

[Southern Dad]

+1. I actually paid a wee bit more for the iPad 4 128GB LTE than the iPad Pro 9.7 256GB LTE due to taxes and fees. Back then, the distribution channel was more limited. This time, I was able to buy my iPad Pro online, out of state (income-based use tax is cheaper than sales tax).

When I buy something as pricey as my iPad 128 GB AT&T, I go to the Apple Store at Mall of Georgia. That 1% lower sales tax rate of Gwinnett County means something when you are buying something like this.

iPad 128 GB AT&T = $1079
Apple Care = $99 (not taxed)
iPad Smart Keyboard = $169
Apple Pencil = $99
Sales Tax (6%) = $80.82
Grand Total = $1526.82

I can definitely see what the OP is talking about. Since then I've purchased an Apple 29 watt USB-C charger and a USB-C to Lightning Cable. Of course, after I buy it (3/1/2016) they come out with a 256 GB model. But that's okay, I'm not close to filling this one, yet.

 

[rowspaxe]

I spent two weeks and about 5 trips to the store for hands on with the iPad P. I also read dozens of user reviews over that same period of time. At the end of 2 weeks it was easy for me to decide to buy or not to buy. I bought it and have been happily using it at home and at work. I know these iPad Pros aren't cheap, but in my case it saved me money. No need to buy a MacBook.

Ultimately--isn't that part of the fun of a purchase? The anticipation, the decision making...
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The fact that someone returned a purchase they weren't happy with and were able to do so easily makes it more likely they will purchase again from them in the future.

And return it...

 

[richpjr]

Ultimately--isn't that part of the fun of a purchase? The anticipation, the decision making...
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And return it...

If they aren't happy, absolutely.

 

[\-V-/]

Can't anyone make a decision anymore? Why not give it some thought in advance and spare Apple the restock cost. This behavior is infantile

1) Yes, I'm sure this is really hurting Apple financially.
2) There's nothing wrong with this. It's why return policies exist.

 

[tann]

I know how you are feeling!! I am interested in the big pro (v2) as the iPad to replace my MBA 2013 for the majority of my tasks, but I configured it the way I would want it (128gb, 4g, pencil + high watt charger) and, well, £1015 (AFTER education discount) is crazy! Especially when I paid £1074 for my MBA 2013, with 256gb hard drive and apple care.

I'll see how this year plays out but it's a very large amount of money to invest into something. The most I have spent on an iPad prior was ~£560 on my first iPad 3rd gen 64gb. So double the amount!

 

[Vancelot]

This is something I just don't understand. What makes you return the product based on the price you already paid?

For me, once I hand over the money, the only thing that would make me return it is if I decide I want more memory or I really do want the cellular option (or if something is wrong with it). Once the money is spent, I don't think about it any more.

I apologize up front if my tone is anything but curiosity - Just wondering why anyone would continue to think about price after they paid for it.

In my opinion, He returned the product coz He cannot accept the fact of why He bought a TABLET worth $1,000. And also He realized that He is not into the drawing or sketching. That's it.

 

[Nhwhazup]

I am a returner of all returners. However I do have some of my own standards. I return anything that isn't expected quality. I will not stand for a defect in a product that is sold at full price. I'll also return clothing that doesn't fit but I only try it on with tags in and don't wear it. I will return an item that isn't what it was advertised as but again in new condition.

I would not return an item that I used and changed my mind on. Especially if I liked it. That just doesn't make sense to me.

I'm really bad with new accessories when I get a new Apple device and will usually buy a bunch of cases until I find my favorite. I will return any that are defective or unopened. I give away any that I've tried and just don't meet my needs.

I'm not trying to judge other or to be "taking the high road", it's just how I was brought up and how I brought up my children as well.

This thread is just opposite to the one where a college student really wants to purchase a new IPP but is struggling with the cost and asking others for some pros and cons. But he's doing it up front before he makes the purchase.

 

[haruhiko]

I just don't think anybody who really makes 'good money' will care about a grand so much, especially if he really likes the product in exchange.

 

[alecgold]

A grand for a product that'll be obsoleted in a year. That's what. It's a ridiculous price for a tablet no matter what excuse you come up with. It's not a question of spending the grand and forgetting. The morality of it is that a grand is too much for it no matter how much you earn. Apple is making fools of the punters who cough up their hard earned dosh for a tablet.

I don't agree on this. My original iPad is still in use (these days by my 2 year old daughter) the iPad Air 1 my father has still works perfectly. My iPP 12.9 LTE with 4Gb of ram will work for years and years to come.
It was a lot of money, certainly with all the accessories I have, but it was totally worth it. It does 95% of the work my 1 year old MBP13" i7 16Gb used to do and that one costed €2450 without accessories.
I use the iPP for my law study and for my work and it is absolutely worth it.

I did not have the nagging feeling the OP had with this iPP. But I have had the same feeling in other situations. I think it has to do with the amount of use that you'll expect get out of it, combined with the money and what you could have done otherwise with the money.
So even while the money isn't a problem, the object is really nice, you enjoy using it, it still gives a feeling of waste, perhaps even a bit of shame on spending that amount of money on something that is not that useful. Even though you really like it.

 

[HiItsMe]

I am a returner of all returners. However I do have some of my own standards. I return anything that isn't expected quality. I will not stand for a defect in a product that is sold at full price. I'll also return clothing that doesn't fit but I only try it on with tags in and don't wear it. I will return an item that isn't what it was advertised as but again in new condition.

I would not return an item that I used and changed my mind on. Especially if I liked it. That just doesn't make sense to me.

I'm really bad with new accessories when I get a new Apple device and will usually buy a bunch of cases until I find my favorite. I will return any that are defective or unopened. I give away any that I've tried and just don't meet my needs.

I'm not trying to judge other or to be "taking the high road", it's just how I was brought up and how I brought up my children as well.

This thread is just opposite to the one where a college student really wants to purchase a new IPP but is struggling with the cost and asking others for some pros and cons. But he's doing it up front before he makes the purchase.

Just FYI, there is a network between retailers that tracks returns. Eventually you'll probably get suddenly blacklisted from returning anything, without warning. http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/08/11/retailers-tracking-consumer-product-returns-privacy-concerns/

 

[Nhwhazup]

Just FYI, there is a network between retailers that tracks returns. Eventually you'll probably get suddenly blacklisted from returning anything, without warning. http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/08/11/retailers-tracking-consumer-product-returns-privacy-concerns/

As I said I only return what's warranted and have been doing it for 30 plus years. Have had only 2 issues in all these years. I understand the Best Buy return policy - cannot return more than 2 times in 90 days and I will only buy from them in the store where I can double check the quality of the item before I purchase it. I don't return for the heck of it or because I change my mind or decide that I don't like it. I will not accept poor quality or damaged product.

I work for a manufacturing company and our customers are extremely picky, will not accept anything out of the norm even if it cannot be seen in the installation and doesn't affect the function. It makes us a better supplier to get our processes tighter with no defects.