Has Steve Jobs Lost Touch With Apple Customers?


5
EdSeptember 6th, 2007

Has Steve Jobs Lost Touch With Apple Customers?

I think everyone can agree that the iPhone was pricey.  I was one of the people who forked over the $600 to get my hands on one, and was very happy with the purchase.  But when Steve Jobs announced Apple would lower their price point by $200, I’m sure most of my fellow early adopters felt a bit suckered.

Technology is never-ending; new models come out, prices come down, etc…  But 2 months is an awful short cycle to lower the price on a product, especially by 33%.  At that point it’s just screwing over the very evangelizing customer base that carried Apple through hard times, and propelled them in the good.  In short, Steve Jobs kinda screwed us loyal Apple customers.

Reading Steve’s email to us loyal customers doesn’t really make me feel much better.  He explains that he hopes the lower price will increase sales.  Well no shit.  I am all for more Apple users in the world, but I don’t really care enough to pay extra money to them.  It’s obvious Steve believes I should care about this, but it’s not my problem any more than my paying my mortgage is his.

Anyone who purchased an iPhone has gotten the little comments from the cheap, uninformed PC users about waiting until the price comes down, or waiting until the second generation so that the bugs are worked out.  We didn’t listen because we trusted Apple to do the right thing.  In this case, they didn’t.

Now luckily I used my American Express card to purchase my iPhones (I bought 3 in total), so I may have some recourse beyond the $100 store credit.  Hopefully I’ll be able to recover the $600 extra I paid.

In summary I have to say that I’m a little torn on the issue.  On one hand I was very happy with the product, it’s the best device I have ever owned.  On the other hand, I do feel that because I am such a supporter of Apple (Macbook Pro, Cinema Display, Hi-Fi, iPods, Airport Extreme, Airport Express, AppleTV, etc…) I was over charged and taken advantage of.  Steve screwed those of us who care the most.

So I guess they should enjoy their holiday bum in sales, but be aware that on the next big product launch that line may be a little shorter.  I know it will at least have one less person.  In the future I’ll just wait a few weeks for the price to get cut by 1/3.

[tags]apple, iphone, price cut, steve jobs, mac, store credit[/tags]

 
Read more stories in General Update

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • js

    That’s life…this is getting a bit ridiculous.

  • Ken

    “It’s the best device I have ever owned.”—Seems like it was worth the $600 you paid. I don’t see a reason to be upset. On the other hand, if Apple decided to keep the price at $600 when it could lower it, then I’d be upset.
    Remember, $600 was the initial price, not a market driven price. We’re now at a point where Apple needs to price it based on the market. I suspect the market has spoken.

  • Mac User

    If you didn’t think it was worth $600 you shouldn’t have bought it. The whole argument that early adopters somehow got ripped off is idiotic.

  • David K

    Hey,
    I feel your pain but I really don’t think you’re going to see a 30% drop in pricing from Apple of future products, do you?? I think they have a whole new category of a product and they realized if they are going to move it, it’ll have to be this Christmas season. The next season would be too late. Early adopters and those who didn’t gave them a purchasing pattern to base their decision. I do not feel their was a intentional overcharge by Apple or they would not have been so ready to make adjustments as they have. There are other companies that would have said tough crap. They didn’t. It’s the best product they have ever come out with. Be proud you were a pace setter and get over it.

  • mark

    Except it will probably never happen again. So then what? Keep waiting?


© 2008 Filthy Lucre, All Rights Reserved, Disclosure | Contact