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September 5, 2007
Apple Cuts Price on iPhone, Introduces iPod Touch, New Nano
Were you dismayed and confounded by the iPhone madness of June 2007? Did it disgust and disturb you to see your friends and colleagues giddily wait in line to drop $600 for the most-hyped mobile phone in history?
Well that sniveling trickster, Steve Jobs is back, and he may be the only one laughing this time.
Jobs' announcement of a new iPod came as a surprise to nobody. It looks and functions exactly like an iPhone -- only it doesn't function as a phone (get to it, h4ck3rz). Check it out, it's $299 for 8GB, or $399 for 16GB and it requires access to a Wi-Fi network to access the Internet. Or, gasp, you can use the iTunes store for free from your Pod at Starbucks (the agreement does not indicate whether or not you can otherwise browse the Web on Starbucks WiFi -- will StarFucker Patrol be on guard?)
Also introduced: the third generation iPod Nano, which comes in 4GB ($149) or 8GB ($199) capacity, and, as tiny as it is, plays video on a two-inch screen ("Zoolander" unfortunately not included).
But there was a surprise announcement and it wasn't a very nice one at all.
Just ten weeks after Apple's most loyal fanboys and girls religiously threw down, the honeymoon is over.
Apple all-but confirmed that the iPhone's exorbitant price was a blatant ripoff by slashing $200 off the price of both the 8GB model iPhone (now $399) and the 4GB model (now $299 and to be discontinued). Will this scam that led to hundreds of millions in additional profit for Apple affect it's hopelessly devoted hardcore fan base? How about a consolation nano for the early iPhone adopters, eh Steve?
We're still waiting for the next iteration of the iPhone -- in, who knows... 10 more weeks??? -- which hopefully will be capable of functioning on AT&T's 3G HSDPA network, which is good and strong in Southern California. But at these much more attractive prices, you can't do much better for a phone as killer as the iPhone (WiFi, OSX Safari, 2.0MP Camera) -- even our friends who paid a fortune for one haven't found any reasons to complain. Until now.
Photos of the new iPod Touch and iPod classic -- with the capacity (180GB) to keep you rockin' for a good 3 months without repeating a track ($349, $249 for 80GB) -- after the jump.
The new iPod Touch:
The iPod Classic:
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The Fake Steve Jobs posts on the new iPods are particularly and snarkily enjoyable: http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/
No one was really scammed. Apple released the phone at $600, no one forced anyone to buy it at that price. That's the price you pay to get it right when it comes out. Everyone knows (Especially apple fans, and I include myself in this group) that Apple drops prices, sometimes soon after a release.
Granted $200 in less than 2 months is a lot, and it sucks. No one was scammed.
It's all a matter of what the iphone is worth to you. If it was worth it for you to wait in line, and pay $600 from the get go, then cool. You got your product, don't worry about it.
If it's worth it for you to wait til the iPhone hype dies down, and possibly hope for a price drop, then awesome, your time to get an iphone has arrived.
I'm happy I'm too poor to buy an iPhone, but for those who bought one within the past 14 days, this a good tip on getting a refund: http://crunchgear.com/2007/09/05/crunchdeals-iphone-owners-can-get-a-refund/#more-12604
I didn't mean "scam" in the literal sense -- it was just the first word that came to mind. Personally, I've been thinking a next Gen iPhone might be out by late October, but I never ever imagined a 40%-off blue-light clearance (on the 4GB iPhone at least) so soon.
As the girls that frequented the halls of my high school might have said, "OhmiGod that's soooo roood-ah!"
I wonder if dropping the price was part of the original plan, or maybe they didn't generate enough sales? Sales were kind of disappointing, I think. Plus, with phones, it takes a while to make a change since with plans like Verizon's, you're locked in long-term , usually two yeas, unless you want to pay a couple hundred bucks to get out early. Now, that's a scam.
now i can have all the fun of an iphone and not use AT&T!
sure I'll have 2 gadgets, but AT&T sucks!
yay ipod touch!
Nobody was blatantly ripped off. Sales were slower than anticipated and I wouldn't be surprised if Apple is now selling the phones at the slimmest of margins (if not at a loss) to get more phones out there.
Consumers who flock to a first-generation piece of electronics ought well to know that they are likely paying too much for equipment that will soon be obsolete.
Bought the iPhone ten days ago...whew! Went in and got my refund...was in and out in about 5 minutes...all stores should be like the Apple store. Just sayin'...
yes, we may feel scammed, but its ok, I'm still happy with my iphone!