I have been a very loyal fan of Apple for years.  I have probably gotten 30 people, at least, to convert to Macs.  But, now I have a bad taste in my mouth.  After spending $600 on an iPhone, they slash the price by 33% after only two months!  I have never known Apple to do something like this, especially on such a high profile item.  I expect a price cut.  It’s inevitable when it comes to technology.  BUT, 33% after two months!!!!!  $50, maaaaybe $100, and I would still be annoyed.  BUT $200!!!!!!

I’m very worried that their success is going to their heads, and they are losing touch with the people who have gotten them back on the map.  I know at least 5 iPhone owners who are furious, and that’s just 5 minutes after the announcement.

I have gladly accepted all the Apple taxes through the years, but this is really starting to make me take notice of how much I have given them through the years.  Apple is not going to lose me as a customer, I just love their machines too much.  However, it is going to make me think twice about how much I spend there, and how often I upgrade.....  I don’t need to buy the latest and greatest from them all the time.

Curious to see what everybody else thinks......

The price cut was expected, but probably not that much. It might mean that they’re selling well, but not great, hence a good way to stimulate demand.

Another look is to compare the iPod touch pricing. It does less than an iPhone, but has the same ore more memory. The price is decent, but Apple couldn’t have such a huge gap between the iPod touch price and the iPhone price, hence a reduction.

I’m less disappointed in the price drop (hard to argue with unless you bough yesterday), than I am the lack of camera in the iPod touch, no iChat, no Mail.

Sometimes you gotta wonder what they’re thinking at Apple.

yeah, it really makes me think.  It wasn’t until this moment that I realized how much Apple bleeds us dry.  Slowly upgrading, slowly making things better.  Always half way.  Smart business, but people are starting to catch on.  The Apple tax is now the blood tax to me.  I have been drinking the Kool-Aid for a while.  It’s time to put it down, and rethink all of my purchases in the future.  One thing for sure, I am not going to buy any non-Apple merchandise from their store anymore, and I am not going to be so quick to upgrade anymore.  I could have lived without the recent upgrades of iLife and iWork.  I was doing just fine before.

Just because they put something doesn’t mean you have to buy it.  One problem with early adoption is you pay dearly for the tech and the price drops rather quickly...look at dvd recorders, blue ray etc...goes with the territory.  If you need the next big thing right now you will pay for it, if you can wait you will get it cheaper.  I am of the ilk that I buy something when I need or want it.  I know full well that next week Apple may release a new mac or something, but if I need one now I buy it.  If I wanted an iPhone so bad I had to have it the day it was released I would have paid for it.  I don’t blame Apple for my impulse to buy things or my bad timing on a purchase.  It works for me.

Oh, I agree.  I am usually very careful how I spend my money with technology.  What has me bugged is that Apple has never done anything like this before.  They are always very consistent with their pricing.  yes, they come out with new products and shift things down in pricing, etc.  That’s always to be expected.  I have a $1700 camera that is probably worth $400 now.  That doesn’t bother me in the either.  What I don’t get is, after only 2 months the lower their price by 33%.  And, there is no idication that it isn’t meeting expectations. 

I guess I have been drinking the Kool-Aid so long with them that I lost sight of making a thoughtful purchase.  I’ve come to rely on the fact that things stay consistent, and I have a warm fuzzy feeling about my purchase.  I think a lot of people would agree with me, as irrational as it may be....

But, now that has all changed....

The iphone actually saw a relatively large dropoff in sales.  They sold like 220K in 2 days in June, but only 220k for the whole month of July.  they said they were on pace ot sell a million by the end of Sept, but with the dropoff is sales perhaps they are worrried about missing that target.  Ultimately Apple provides price protection for 14 days, and all those people who bought it at 600 bucks thought it was worth that at the time.  I realize its not what they usually do, but I for one am happy to see them drastically lower prices.  I am guessing its a combination of slowing sales numbers, and they couldn’t justify such a price diff between the iPhone and touch.

Apparently Apple will give early iPhone buyers a $100 rebate.  I think thats more than generous and fair.

Yeah its a little insulting to have such a massive price drop in such a short time.  The $100 store credit helps alot.  I have also heard rumor that the next gen iPhone will be out in November.  By the time my two year contract is up, the 4th generation iPhone will be out.  Maybe the old one will be a collector’s item…

The contract is bad...not even to have the option of a 1 year contract...that is the cell companies for you.  Just as a note from my personal thinking I don’t understand why everyone who bought one right away is complaining...you thought it was worth the 599 when you bought it.  That is always one of the risks of being an early adopter, hell the same thing could be said when Apple switched to Intel chips, they essentially left all of those who just purchased a G4-5 based machine our in the cold.  I just have very little sympathy in this case.  that is of couse just my opinion, and I don’t have an iPhone so I am not out the 100-200 bucks.  I think the people that have some beef are the ones who bought the smaller iPhone that was obsoleted 2 months after its intro.

Maybe I’m stupid (feel free to not get back to me right away on that) but I have to admit I was kind of surprised by this backlash to the price cuts. I hope it doesn’t signal a decline of the whole early-adopter mentality, because that’s been the biggest contributor to the rapid advance in technology in recent decades. I’m not one myself (mostly because I can’t afford to be most of the time,) but I know and have talked to many, many people like the ones that stood in line to pay $600 on Day One, and they’ve all told me something like this (I’m paraphrasing, obviously:) “Yes, that’s a lot of money for such a device (Not just the iPhone, but dozens of others over the years) and I realize it’s going to be a lot cheaper pretty soon. I want it now, I can afford to buy it now, and I want to signal to the world that this is something new and great that a lot of people should buy. I take pride in contributing to the popularization of really important new technology like this, and I hope a lot of people follow suit when I and my fellow early-adopters have enabled the price to decline sooner rather than later.” I hope this iPhone backlash doesn’t signal the extinction of this kind of technology buyer, because they’ve contributed a lot to the advancement of society!