POLL: Are you satisfied with Apple's good faith $100 Store Credit

[Tinman]

I voted "Yes" in the poll, but that doesn't mean I am not disappointed in the turn of events.

For starters, before the price drop it seemed the iPhone was on fire. Then with one swift comment Steve Jobs doused that fire. The "magic" that surrounded the iPhone on 9/4/07 seems to be gone now. Today was the first day since it was released that Installer had no updates for any apps.

And even buying an iPhone now isn't without risk: Is this the new price because it will soon be replaced by another model? What if they drop it to $199 for Christmas? Does the new price mean it isn't selling? Will the new model have 3G?

For the life of me I cannot understand why Jobs made this announcement at a time when he was supposed to be focusing on iPods. Had he made that announcement today, along with announcing the $100 store credit, I think the reception would have been 1000 times more positive. (And maybe today's news would have been about the new iPods, not about the iPhone price drop.)

As for me, the luster is off my iPhone, at least for now. It's not about the money--I knew what I was buying. I can't really put my finger on exactly what changed. Maybe it was the nonchalant and unexpected delivery of the price drop that did it. I really don't know. Perhaps it was also the announced iTunes WiFi Store: if this comes out without any other (functional) iPhone updates it will be insulting (to me). We can give Apple more money, but we can't copy and paste? Yay!



--
Mike

 

[Leed]

Pirate Leopard, save the credit for something physical.

Although that would serve them right I just wouldn't be able to live with myself. With the good faith gesture and letter Steve has proven that he is not Microsoft. Some of these people don't get that it's the principal of the matter and not the money. I haven't purchased gas from a Mobil/Exxon in years due to their role in the price gouging debacle.

I own a number of Apple products and have been an Apple supporter for years (back when they only represented a 5 - 10 percent market share in the industry and products were incompatible with everything). Truthfully, the iPhone was never worth 5 or 6 hundred. They still need to release more features for it to be worth 400 especially considering you have to deal with ATT/Cingular. That said, I am usually willing to pay a premium for the quality and stellar customer support they offer which is usually far better than most. The announcement yesterday caused me to question my position. Today I feel a little better about being an Apple loyalist.

 

[The Toddfather]

The last two comments represent opposing views eloquently, well done.

 

[wintermute1]

Well the 4Gb model was not an economical choice anyway...

Im not satisfied with it.

Im the owner of a 4GB model, the model thats discontinued. $100 store credit means I paid $399 for a 4GB model (well I guess sort of since I have to buy an Apple product with that store credit) that isn't going to be made anymore.

- compared to the 8 Gb. Your "loss" was compounded by your own flawed decision making.

Have a nice day by the way!

 

[wintermute1]

Fair point - but I have one question for you....

It's like you going and hitting your best friend in the face with no remorse until he explains to you why it was wrong. And then you wait a day and go, "Ok, I'm sorry."

Ok, so you said sorry. Does that reallly fix the problem though? Is it that easy? I voted that I was satisfied, but I see Apple very differently now and it's gonna take a lot to change that.

How much money would it take for Apple to buy back your loyalty?

These are consumer products, not oaths of fealty! Get a grip for ***'s sake!

 

[Leed]

The last two comment represent opposing views eloquently, well done.

Thanks.

Actually, the explanation/apology would've probably been enough for me. The credit is just icing. I know it's not actually costing them 100 and they'll probably make even more on follow-up purchases but Apple did not have to offer anything. Besides, I was planning on purchasing Leopard anyway so less out of my pocket is a plus no matter how you slice it. All in all, the gesture makes me feel good about using and recommending Apple products again. Paying the premium for Macs over the years has subjected me to ridicule.

Ha.. My mom and I were shopping for notebooks around the same time. She purchased a feature-rich 17 inch HP for less than I purchased my 15 inch MBP 'nuff said. Not to mention I had to return it 3 times (and complain to customer relations) before I got a good one. Then, to add insult to injury, a couple months later they released a new model with more for the same price. All that and I'm still an Apple user (call me a sucker). I didn't mean to be negative yesterday for the sake of being negative. I really did feel burned.

 

[Silverado]

As for me, the luster is off my iPhone, at least for now. It's not about the money--I knew what I was buying. I can't really put my finger on exactly what changed. Maybe it was the nonchalant and unexpected delivery of the price drop that did it. I really don't know. Perhaps it was also the announced iTunes WiFi Store: if this comes out without any other (functional) iPhone updates it will be insulting (to me). We can give Apple more money, but we can't copy and paste? Yay!



--
Mike

I agree with this sentiment. What changed for me of having no confidence that this platform will live to see its potential fulfilled the way we see it. As I stated in this thread, this stunt showed such a high level of profit-centered behavior combined with serious disregard to users' real needs that is scary. In one move we were told that how exploited we were AND, in response to all our invaluable input and requests for improvements, we are given new ways to buy songs from Apple. We were also arrogantly expected to cheer like the audience, and be glad that we are being given the privilege to buy more from Apple so easily.

I now have little confidence that the platform will mature the way it could, or that the iPhone won't be like the iPod with version after version released with new features restricted only to later versions. The iPhone was reduced in my mind from a platform that is relatively stable over time to just another iPod model that can be tossed or replaced in a few month's time.

 

[josephvman]

I think that anyone who bought an iPhone at $599 and didn't expect the price to drop rather quickly was living in La La Land. $599 was a lot of money for what the iPhone is, a very stylish device with an innovative interface, a smallish iPod, a usable web browser (good for a phone) and a very average phone/texting device. Taken in that context there are many other devices that kill it on value terms. Do I regret buying one at $599? Absolutely not; the entertainment factor of showing it to others early-on was worth the money to me. Does Apple really owe me anything? Absolutely not. Trust me, Samsung hasn't sent me anything to compensate me for the fact that my Blackjack is now selling for less than half of what I paid for it just a few months ago. I'm a little disappointed that Jobs didn't have the foresight to see the backlash coming when he announced the price cut to $399, but encouraged that Apple is doing something in consideration of guys like me who had to get in early. Personally, I can't wait for some of my Windows-based PC's to start crapping out so I can justify one of the new iMac's!

 

[Silverado]

Trust me, Samsung hasn't sent me anything to compensate me for the fact that my Blackjack is now selling for less than half of what I paid for it just a few months ago.

The whole issue here is the amount of decrease and the length of time. I don't know anything about Blackjack pricing. Can you please be specific about when it was introduced and for how much, then how much later the price went down?

Thanks.

 

[hax]

The whole issue here is the amount of decrease and the length of time. I don't know anything about Blackjack pricing. Can you please be specific about when it was introduced and for how much, then how much later the price went down?

Thanks.

Yes, no other company is obnoxious enough to reduce pricing in a walmart fashion 2 months after putting it in stores and discontinuing a model at the same time.