I just want to thank Apple's Steve Jobs for reminding me that the holiday shopping season is already upon us ... even though here in Connecticut it’s still in the 80s and people are swimming at the beaches.
I also want to thank him for lowering the price of the iPhone from $599 to $399 barely three months after the phone hit store shelves. Now maybe I can afford to buy one as a Christmas gift for someone special. Or should I wait until January, when the price will drop to $199?
Granted, Jobs issued an apology to those who already bought the iPhone for the full price $599. Plus, Apple is now offering a $100 rebate to everyone who purchased it for the full price, meaning that the original full price was, in fact, $499.
But in my view, anyone who went out and bought the iPhone right away (perhaps even waited in line for it) got what they deserved. Personally, I never buy any consumer electronics until they’ve been on the market for a full year (or more specifically until a particular model has been on the market for a full year). I learned my lesson 10 years ago when I bought my N64 and PS1 game consoles from Nintendo and Sony, respectively. Months later I saw the prices drop on both units and said “#@%&! Why did I buy that so soon?” Naturally, I didn’t buy my PS2 until that model had been out for a full year and a half.
As far as Jobs’ comment that the price was lowered to stimulate sales moving into the holiday shopping season goes, all I have to say is, wow, $399 for a Christmas gift? I’m kind of appalled that someone’s telling me that I should go out and spend that much on someone else. I might spend that much on my wife … but then again, last year we promised each other we’d only spend $40 max on our gifts and that actually worked out really well. (So much for our contribution to the U.S. economy.)
So, yeah, sure, go out and spend $399 on a new iPhone. Be one of the first to have it on your block. Put it on your credit card and pay the interest. Then, 2 or 3 years from now when the next model comes out, you can ditch your current phone and move on to the next model. It’s the American way. You don’t want to suffer the embarrassment of being seen with last year’s model do you? People will think you’re poor. And of course you'll want to buy the iPhone as a gift for all your family members and friends, won’t you? I mean, otherwise you might look … cheap.
For now I’m content to use my computer to surf the Web and my landline phone to make calls. But then again, I’m getting to be kind of “obsolete” myself ... maybe I need a new iPhone to become "relevant" again?
I also want to thank him for lowering the price of the iPhone from $599 to $399 barely three months after the phone hit store shelves. Now maybe I can afford to buy one as a Christmas gift for someone special. Or should I wait until January, when the price will drop to $199?
Granted, Jobs issued an apology to those who already bought the iPhone for the full price $599. Plus, Apple is now offering a $100 rebate to everyone who purchased it for the full price, meaning that the original full price was, in fact, $499.
But in my view, anyone who went out and bought the iPhone right away (perhaps even waited in line for it) got what they deserved. Personally, I never buy any consumer electronics until they’ve been on the market for a full year (or more specifically until a particular model has been on the market for a full year). I learned my lesson 10 years ago when I bought my N64 and PS1 game consoles from Nintendo and Sony, respectively. Months later I saw the prices drop on both units and said “#@%&! Why did I buy that so soon?” Naturally, I didn’t buy my PS2 until that model had been out for a full year and a half.
As far as Jobs’ comment that the price was lowered to stimulate sales moving into the holiday shopping season goes, all I have to say is, wow, $399 for a Christmas gift? I’m kind of appalled that someone’s telling me that I should go out and spend that much on someone else. I might spend that much on my wife … but then again, last year we promised each other we’d only spend $40 max on our gifts and that actually worked out really well. (So much for our contribution to the U.S. economy.)
So, yeah, sure, go out and spend $399 on a new iPhone. Be one of the first to have it on your block. Put it on your credit card and pay the interest. Then, 2 or 3 years from now when the next model comes out, you can ditch your current phone and move on to the next model. It’s the American way. You don’t want to suffer the embarrassment of being seen with last year’s model do you? People will think you’re poor. And of course you'll want to buy the iPhone as a gift for all your family members and friends, won’t you? I mean, otherwise you might look … cheap.
For now I’m content to use my computer to surf the Web and my landline phone to make calls. But then again, I’m getting to be kind of “obsolete” myself ... maybe I need a new iPhone to become "relevant" again?
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