Finally the product which a lot of people have been waiting for... a lot like the iPhone without the phone :-) http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/

Apple has also added a full video screen to the nano. Very impressive for such a small package: http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/

What a big statement to people who spent $599 on an iPhone.

Despite my loyalty to Apple, they're gonna start whizzing people off by doing this price cut stuff two months after they release a product.

How about this?

http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/05/apple-killing-4gb-iphone-299-while-supplies-last/

M

iPhone early adopters should have been prepared for something like this since it happens constantly with all sorts of high tech stuff - caveat emptor. Instead of buying immediately after a product launch, wait a few months. You can usually get something better, less buggy, and cheaper at that point.

Apple is in business to sell stuff and make money and this is just a marketing decision to try and move a lot of phones. Would I be happy if I'd bought an iPhone before? No. But that's why I didn't buy one right away...

I'm not a past or present user of anything Apple, and I feel just the opposite of Nate. If you don't want to pay premium prices, don't be on the bleeding edge. Besides, the overall iPhone + service price isn't much out of line with any competing new gadget like a Treo. Even though I don't want one and they may not be described as inexpensive by most, the other new iPod features WITHOUT the phone aren't out of line for a brand new gizmo.

I remember paying similar price way back when for my Palm V with a b&w lcd screen. BTW, anyone want it...it is still sitting in a "stuff to get rid of" box...oops, that's for the the Private Classified Ads!

As Mike has implied with the link, hey, it's the way of the world. Just bizniz.

[QUOTE=Boyd Ostroff;739738]iPhone early adopters should have been prepared for something like this since it happens constantly with all sorts of high tech stuff - caveat emptor. Instead of buying immediately after a product launch, wait a few months. You can usually get something better, less buggy, and cheaper at that point.
QUOTE]


Very wise words from the youngster. I was ONE of those that waited 3 years after Windows XP came out to upgrade. I was only hoping that SPRINT would get off their limited mental laurels and come out with something that was iphonish, instead it was some 17 year old geek on Foxnews.

iPhone early adopters should have been prepared for something like this since it happens constantly with all sorts of high tech stuff - caveat emptor. Instead of buying immediately after a product launch, wait a few months. You can usually get something better, less buggy, and cheaper at that point.

Apple is in business to sell stuff and make money and this is just a marketing decision to try and move a lot of phones. Would I be happy if I'd bought an iPhone before? No. But that's why I didn't buy one right away...


When is the last time a highly anticipated product dropped 33% in 2 months? To my knowledge, this has never happened. The problem here is that nearly 1/3rd of everyone who bought the iPhone was a first time Apple purchaser, all had to sign a 2 year contract, many had to pay a fee to get out of a current contract. This is not merely a device that got cheaper, more complicated than that.

It makes sense for Apple to recoup $200,000,000 toward their R&D by overcharging early adopters from a business point of view but it is going to give them some BAD PR from the non-fanboy people. People are already calling this the "fanboy tax" which is pretty funny.

Personally, $200 isnt a huge deal to me. I think it is lame but I would probably do it over again.

As far as the new iPods? I agree with the general sentiment, big whoop. Apple has set the bar really high and these just dont cut it. The Nano is interesting but with a screen that small? Ehhh. 16GB touch would have made more sense, PRE-iPhone, it will not appeal to anyone who already has an iPhone. The 160GB classic is nice for those who have to have all their media with them at all times. In general, these seem like bridge models to something cooler next year. I suspect that next September we will be talking about a 64GB touch ipod or iphone...

I am anxiously awaiting a Mac Pro update though...


ash =o)

As far as the new iPods? I agree with the general sentiment, big whoop.

Seems like a pretty big whoop to me: finally a decent widescreen video iPod at a price most folks can afford without committing to a two-year cell phone contract. I wish I'd known this was coming before my wife and I bought a regular video iPod a few weeks ago.

I for one, like the little nano. Just to store my little projects to watch when I am bored or something along those lines. I think it's great. As for the big Ipod.. Hmmnn... Don't know.. But I think they will sell tons of the video nano's to cheapskates like me! LOL :-)

It's understandable why people are upset, but the situation really wouldn't be much different if the price drop came 3 months or 6 months after introduction. You need to determine whether a product is worth the cost at the time you buy it. What happens later is another matter. But it's a pretty safe bet that anything high tech will get cheaper/faster/bigger/cooler very quickly and you always pay a big premium to be the first kid on the block with a new gadget.

And from the perspective of all the people who haven't bought an iPhone yet, this is welcome news. Apple has a long history of p*ssing off their early adopters by releasing cheaper and faster versions of computers rapidly. You really need to go into this kind of thing with your eyes open.

And it isn't just Apple, I've been reading a GPS forum about a series of products which Garmin just announced (the Nuvi 7xx series) that replaces the recent 6xx series and adds features which existing owners were hoping for in a free firmware upgrade. Lots of unhappy people there too. FWIW, I just bought one of the 6xx series myself and would have really liked to have those features also, but I made my purchase knowing full well what the current model did and what it cost. Such is life...

iPhone - price drop is nice, but I still refuse to be tied to AT&T for service.

160GB ipod - yeah, I've had something like that for almost a year now, nice big screen too. it's called the Archos504 and it can be used as an external self-powered hard drive in addition to playing every video codec and mp3s.

I've had many people tell me that running with the old Ipod Classic was dangerous because it was a hard drive and could be easily damaged. Does anyne know if the nano is the same or is it flash technology like the shuffle?

I've never had a problem with the hard drive iPods. I wouldn't say I'm a runner, but I've done some running with it.

I'm excited to replace my 4G iPod Photo with a new 160GB :)

Anyone know what the recording capabilities will be? I know that the 5G increased it to 16bit 44.1KHz. I wonder if it's any better in the 6G (not that it's a big deal).

I was happy and surprised with all the announcements. Sadly, I just bought a 20gig on woot the other day, so I won't be getting one any time soon.

I think that overall this shows how cheap media has become. 160GB? It would be fun to create a striped array.

16GB solid state is pretty nice, and I think that eventually those will upgrade as the price point of flash memory goes down.

I was surprised with the price drop of the iPhone, especially since it is doing well, and it probably wasn't necessary (yet). Obviously the internal sales people have a better knowledge of the prices, and either believe that the profit margin is good enough to warrant the drop, or think that to get a larger market hold everyone needs to have an iPhone.

Buy me out of my contract and I'll gladly switch, Steve.

I think its ironic that the audio product has more storage than the video product. Seems a bit backwards to me.

I'd go for the iPod Touch, if it had more storage. In fact, I expect that to be the case next year...

I had access to a 30GB Creative Zen last year. It was nice to be able to travel with quick access to ones video projects, as well as a music/photo collection.

One reason that a large drive would be nice would be to store higher resolution stuff with reasonable compression and connectors to a TV. It would be a quick way to share your video projects with others - and to be able to experience it with them. Watching somebody hold a gadget with earbuds plugged in isn't nearly as fun as watching something together on a TV.

What a big statement to people who spent $599 on an iPhone.

Despite my loyalty to Apple, they're gonna start whizzing people off by doing this price cut stuff two months after they release a product.


I didn't write that.
I didn't know you couldn't say "*issing" on the internet
my apologies.

Anyway, back to the task at hand. Even though I have AT&T, I still won't likely get an iPhone mainly because I can simply go online with the iPhone touch. I'm still not keen on touch screen though. I mean what if you're eating a PB&J and your phone rings, last thing you're gonna want to do is touch the screen with Peanut Butter on your fingers.

You have the same issue with your regular phone, though. I have a Sony thats face is one big screen, though the number pad flips out beneath it, and it's held up remarkably well. I've had it for more than two years now and it doesn't have any marks on the screen.

It's interesting that Steve's offering a $100 Apple Store credit to original buyers. I'm sure that's going to get him back into some peoples good graces, and since it's an Apple Store credit, it won't cost them as much as a straight refund.

My wife really wants an iPod Touch, and her birthday's coming up. Not until the end of October, though, and I'm not sure if she can wait that long. She doesn't travel much but when she's out of the house she can take along some music and some movies or tv shows. Maybe eventually some games too if we modify it or Apple gets more generous with an SDK. When she's home she can use safari sitting on the couch or in bed. That's pretty cool. I think it may replace her DS as the 'goes with me' gadget.

Also after this price drop I'm thinking an iPhone might actually be in my future. We may be carrying around shiny new black Apple devices in a few weeks. I regularly take pictures with my cameraphone and the one in the iPhone seems to produce a pretty nice image.

I didn't know you couldn't say "*issing" on the internetSay it anywhere you want, but not on my web site. Thanks in advance,

I was one of those who was a little disappointed back in January when the iPhone was announced. I have been wanting to see a widescreen iPod for quite awhile as I've watched cameras and television programming make the HD transition.

The iPhone, while nice, lacks a couple features I need such as using the phone as a modem (which I'm utilizing right now).

So, in a nutshell, the new iPod touch is the one I have waited for and will likely purchase. The touchscreen isn't even on my must have list, just the widescreen aspect ratio.

-gb-

I've used my current AT&T Edge phone as a modem with my laptop and it's way too slow to be usable. It's gotten a little better with their recent network tweaks, but not nearly as fast as my wife's Sprint phone. Oh well, the perfect world isn't one that we live in.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20624042/

Here's a site that reports about the store credit mentioned above.

I'm almost shocked that Apple is giving back iPhone buyers a $100. Sure, they need to please all the Mac-newbies that love trendy tech gadgets. But it's not Apples fault that 500,000 iPhone buyers weren't smart enough to realize Apple released a HUGE product mid year and every tech gadget goes on sale to sale price the day after thanksgiving. I still won't buy one until all the kinks are out of it. I may jsut get a 16gig iTouch.

and Chris,
I do apologize for apparently violating a 'cursing' rule. I respect the boards rules and usage terms. It would have been nice to receive a quick PM or email and I would have gladly edited it myself.
Much Obliged

I'm almost shocked that Apple did is giving back iPhone buyers a $100.Note that it's not $100 cash. It's a $100 in-store credit. Early iPhone buyers get $100 off their next Apple purchase.

Not a bad strategy. Apple will help take the sting off their most interested and free-spending customers - and will help spur sales of the new iPods.

This will probably be studied in business schools for generations.

Jobs announces yesterday morning that the price of the 8gig iPhone is dropping by $200 bucks to $399. A lot of us who paid the full price are a little miffed. I suspect it's not about the money, per se, since buying a $600 gadget is not something anyone sane does if they're on a really tight budget.

So the boards lit up with a lot of complaining.

So about 5 hours ago, in an open letter from Steve Jobs, Apple announces that they're giving what will probably amount to 800,000 people a $100 store credit rebate.

Not knowing the phone or other product margins, I'd still bet it means Apple will take a financial "write down" of $millions.

But - and here's the thing other business executives will be studying for years - I suspect that the PR value added to the retention of a large block of their most loyal customers and regenerated GOOD WILL will probably make them HUNDREDS of millions of dollars right back.

Business 101. Take care of your loyal customers and the odds of them sticking around and STAYING customers go WAY up.

Or, it might depress sales on the next 'big thing' as people expect the price to roll back quickly after it hits the market.

Frankly, it's too soon to tell how all this will shake out. Appl is playing it close as to WHY they are lowering prices. That makes the market jittery.

Latest rebate might be good... might be bad... probably a wash.

Well for one thing it isn't not quite a "rebate". It's a $100 credit which may be used for purchases at an Apple retail store. So they will get a bunch of people into the stores, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them don't spend more than the $100 credit. And even if they don't, it's $100 at retail price so it isn't really going to cost Apple $100. Very well done, should be a win-win.

But Steve Jobs echoed what some of us have already said,

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118910651781519626.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo

Mr. Jobs said, in his over 30 year career, the "technology road is bumpy," and there is "always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff dates and misses the new price of the new operating system or the new whatever."

"This is life in the technology lane," he wrote. "If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you'll never buy any technology product because there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon."

Note: this thread has been merged with a similar one about Steve Jobs announcement of the $100 store credit

I've had many people tell me that running with the old Ipod Classic was dangerous because it was a hard drive and could be easily damaged. Does anyne know if the nano is the same or is it flash technology like the shuffle?

Nano is flash based.

While on the subject, I have to say that I do a bit of hiking and jogging and the shuffle with the little clip is totally awesome for exercising. I just clip it to the bottom of my shirt and the darn thing will absolutely not fall off, even on 3-5 mile runs. I will never go back to arm bands now.

Er.. and now back to actual industry news items...

I'm happy that Apple made it right.

Legally...they didn't have to do a damn thing.

But I really don't think that Apple would want their loyal early adopter iPhone fans to become objects of ridicule.

Meredith Viera to Matt Lauer on the Today Show: "Sucker!"

Or something along the lines of...I waited and saved two hundred bucks.

"You got PWNED!"

Here's a cynical take on the whole thing:

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/apple-introduces-ipology/story.aspx?guid=%7B0109D115%2DF0E4%2D4CE7%2D9FF7%2D6010FD962B7A%7D&siteid=yhoof

a quick glance at the number of front page stories Friday makes clear that Apple has generated tens of millions of dollars worth of publicity through the scheme, contributing to the nearly continuous branding of the gadget into the public consciousness.
Apple is expected to make strategic use of the iPology in future marketing campaigns but is unlikely to license the concept to other companies because of the complex technical requirements needed for successful implementation of the strategy.

So there's no such thing as 'bad publicity'.