Tue, January 9, 2007
Holy Effing Ess.—11:45 AM
Last week, my adorable aunt treated herself to a new 40" Bravia widescreen LCD HDTV. I've heard of these but I haven't really watched one, except for walking past them at the electronics store once in a while, and even then I try to avoid eye contact for obvious reasons.
But last night she had us all over to watch the BCS Championship Game. Sweet Flaming Jeebus, that was awesome. So awesome, in fact, that an exciting but otherwise lopsided game was still spectacular.
It's always been a given that my own TV setup will be upgraded at some point. I've tried to wait as long as I can, because it'll be expensive (a new TV will necessitate a new TiVo and eventually a new DVD player) and I'd like to get the best components and hopefully last at least 8 or 10 years before the next major upgrade. I started getting serious about the research two months ago when stupid football forced me to watch half an episode of Without a Trace on the computer after watching the first half on TiVo. I've watched downloaded episodes before (which come from an HD source), but never half-and-half. The difference was striking.
Anyway, football intervenes again. The countdown can now be measured in days instead of months. Every minute of television I watch between now and HDTV, I feel like I'm wasting my eyeballs. The only thing holding me back is the promise of greater things right around the corner. (But even then, it's only money, right?)
AC — Tue, 1/9/07 2:19pm
Hold tight, matey!
Not long ago, I was shopping for a TV with my sister, and I found myself perched in front of a 48" Sony LCD. I kept looking at the price, which was less than the cost of a new Mac, and I remember that it was suddenly not a big deal that it was so pricey. But I managed to break free.
Besides, you need to save your dough for your new iPhone first!
Bee Boy — Tue, 1/9/07 2:29pm
Har! I think I can stand to wait on that, considering all the hell I went through with Sprint to activate the Razr Mom got me for Xmas. Can one get the iPhone sans Cingular contract, and just use the widescreen iPod features? Ebay, perhaps.
"Christi" — Tue, 1/9/07 3:45pm
Please don't put any more HDTV dreams into my husband's head.
Bee Boy — Tue, 1/9/07 3:50pm
We're up to three households! Four if I can talk my mom into it (last night was very convincing). Maybe we can get a package deal!
Bee Boy — Wed, 9/5/07 3:58pm
Asked and answered. (It was only a matter of time, of course.) And WiFi is included, too! Much better. Keep it in mind, Santa.
AC — Thu, 9/6/07 5:10pm
Aw! I'm so proud of Steve for thinking of his most loyal customers: An open letter.
I completely agree with his argument. Even though two months stings, I'm too happy with my phone to complain about it. But 100 iTunes songs is just the icing on the cake.
Bee Boy — Thu, 9/6/07 7:24pm
I disagree, and as a stockholder I'm minorly perturbed that Steve is handing back half the cash to the early adopters. $599 was the price people were willing to pay for an iPhone, or they wouldn't have paid it. It made damn good sense to control demand, and to make a little scratch on the side. Nothing personal, but I hope there's a reason iTMS specifically wasn't mentioned in Steve's letter. If the coupon is only good for Apple hardware and software, at least people will be encouraged to buy those, rather than songs that would basically siphon money out of Apple's coffers.
People who bought iPhones in the first two months were not necessarily "Apple's most loyal customers." In your own words, they were classless "Star Wars sitters."
Well, obviously some of us are. And others – like you – saw an opportunity once the lines cleared, and wanted the candy. No shame in that. It's a beautiful product and, for power dialers, a very significant improvement over any other "smart phone." But if it seemed overpriced at $599 plus a two-year AT&T contract, it was perfectly easy to wait. There was never any doubt that the price would come down. People who buy at $399 this year will miss out on the 16 GB iPhone which will surely arrive by next June at the very latest. But that's the trade-off. As Steve says, "there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon."
The very fact that the clamor over this pricing change was enough to create a "backlash" that forced Apple into action is evidence enough that you were right on the money: "a lot of those switchers lack the class of the 'old Apple' vanguard." We paid dearly for our blissful user experience, and we liked it.
AC — Fri, 9/7/07 1:45pm
when I said I agreed with Steve I meant that I agreed with the defense of his original pricing. I wouldn't have expected them to offer the credit.
And about the music I meant that I can go to the store and buy an itms card.
Overall I'm not upset about the lower price. I feel like I got my money's worth regardless.
Bee Boy — Fri, 9/7/07 2:31pm
Oh, I know. You said despite the sting it was well worth it, and I think most iPhone users would feel the same way. I just don't think customer loyalty or fairness enter into it. (Not that you explicitly said they did; I misinterpreted your agreement with Steve a little.) Still, I'd be surprised if they'd let you use the $100 to buy an iTMS card or a gift certificate. Most coupons are pretty careful to prevent wishing for more wishes.
Bee Boy — Fri, 9/28/07 10:04am
The fine print, from the Toldja So dept...
But almost anyone who bought an iPhone in the first couple of months was likely planning to buy Leopard sometime between now and the end of time.