Comments on: Apple to offer $100 store credit to iPhone customers

The credit is a quick response to early adopters frustrated by dramatic iPhone price cuts announced just a day earlier.

[drhamad]

Apple should NOT have had to do this

Apple should NOT have had to do this... it's silly. People are
complaining about a price cut? Give me a break. If Apple had
introduced a 16GB iPhone at a higher price point, and kept the 8
GB at $399, you wouldn't have had any complaints... but since they
just lowered the price, you do. Lame.

[funkypickl]

Nicely Played

Wow, that is quite a precedent from one of the industry big dogs. I didn't buy the iPhone, but I'm sure I would have been a little sore about the price drop, but like Steve eludes to in his note, that is sometimes the price you pay for going all-in early. I think what he is offering those customers is more than what can be expected from Apple, good job. That being said, I will be running out to get my hands on that lovely new iPod Touch as soon as it hits the shelves, and will be doing so knowing full well that shortly after doing it, there will most certainly be a bigger capacity one right behind it.

[herbdye]

The other shoe for iPhone screwups

Unless Apple does something about AT&T and the outrageous International Data Fees they charge all businesses and idividuals who travel outside the US should stay away. Had I known of the charges I would not have purchased the iPhone. I spoke with both Apple and AT&T and got a "we'll kick it upstairs response." $0.68 per email and $0.05/KB make the device useless. Yes they will turn off Edge and possibly the virtual voicemail listing so that you just have an over weight phone when traveling outside the US. This was noted by Walt Mossberg in the WSJ in the past and I'm surprised there has not been more protest about it. If Apple is serious about getting the business dollar they had best look to these issues.

[m.meister]

european carriers

Apple is expected to name some of their European partners
before the end of the year.

Come on -- if you didn't read the fine print going into a contract
with AT&T, don't blame Apple for that. It would be good for
AT&T to come up with a solution -- Apple isn't the carrier here.

This is an issue with any AT&T phone, not just Apple. I don't
know if the other carriers have a similar problem. The US
carriers definitely give an extra screw to US customers. I hear all
the time how in Europe, you only pay for outgoing calls and
folks laugh at the fact we get charged in both directions.

[andrewhrivnak]

money

i agree, they should not have to refund the money. this is part of
apple's beloved hype is that there may or may not be something
new coming out tomorrow. I've thought about what my response
would be had I bought the day bfore the discount, but really, what
can you do? That's life.

[m.meister]

buying the day before

Actually, the day before (or 10 business days before) is easy.
Apple's policy is to refund the difference if there is a price change.

That said, if you bought an 2nd gen nano and want a 3rd gen nano,
that's trickier. But then again, unless you were under a rock, you
probably knew to expect a new crop of iPods for the last week.

[Vegaman_Dan]

$100 store credit.. is stil Apple's money

Note they aren't offering a refund. They are offering a store credit. That's not the same thing- they are giving back credit on money you paid them anyways and.. well, they still keep it.

Now if we had the option of going to an Apple store and bringing in a selection of Bluetooth handsets, chargers, travel adapters, and cases in exchange for $100 off a new iPhone, THEN we could be comparing things correctly. Somehow I don't think you'd get that sort of deal though.

So on one hand it's good that they recognized their horrible PR move and are willing to do something about it.

On the other hand, offering people half of the amount that was cut, AND doing it through a shady store credit only deal is a bit of an insult.

How many more times can you insult your loyal customer base, I wonder? What sort of excuse can you use? Jobs had one-

"That's technology."

And that's me not buying into your excuse.

[m.meister]

some folks will never be happy

It's clear you are looking for any excuse not to be happy.

Do you also go back to your car dealer and declare they should
now give you that rebate they are offering today for the car you
bought two months back?

This was a good compromise on Steve's part. Bravo to Apple for
listening to the complaints and doing something about it.

[boopiejones]

that IS technology

all tech drops in price soon after it is introduced. apple worshipers are a big bunch of crybabies and i am shocked that jobs bent over and offered people ANYTHING.i'll bet every piece of technology in your entire house can be purchased for an average of at least 30% less than you purchased it for. just because you camped out of the at&t store for a week doesn't entitle you to a refund.

[Penguinisto]

*shrug* - so what?

Dan: Please show us when you purchased your iPhone.

Oh, that's right... you don't have one.

Price cuts are the nature of the beast; Apple didn't have to offer anything at all to earlier purchasers (Dell, HP, MSFT, etc certainly don't), but Apple did anyway.

[i]"How many more times can you insult your loyal customer base, I wonder"[/i]

Ask Dell, HP, or any other OEM that does such things with impunity on a very regular basis ;)

/P

[open-mind]

Where's The Zune Credit/Refund?

Zune price dropped 20% yesterday to $200. Rebates? Refunds? Credits? Nope, nope, nope.

Where are the Microsoft complaints?

Oh wait, I remember now ... you only complain about Apple. ;-)

[valauris]

what

i should not upset you , i am sure that you don't have an IPhone

[dirty55409]

$100 Store Credit?

It's not the fact that the price was dropped, that'll happen as technology presses on and more devices come out. The problem here is that it happened so fast! Two months after a product is out!? That's insane and an insult to loyal apple customers. To add insult to injury they are offering $100 of store credit why? so you can buy more apple stuff duh! lol $100 rebate checks would've been a little more satisfying I'm sure. Oh well I'm not buying anything from apple so it doesn't affect me

[m.meister]

credits

If it doesn't affect you, why are you even opening your mouth?
I'm sure Apple is never going to satisfy your need. So go run
your WindowsMobile phone and be off.

As someone who did buy an iPhone at $599, the $200 price
drop stung, but I also realized it was part of being on the
bleeding edge. A $100 store credit makes that much more
bearable.

Yes, I'll buy more Apple stuff.. but I probably would have done
that anyway. iWork, Leopard, Bluetooth headset, and there is lots
more.

[beatmoses]

CRYPOD BABIES!!

This is great for you early people. What your never gonna buy 100
bucks of anything Apple? Hey what about 100 songs for your
phone?

SHUT UP. CRY BABIES!

[valauris]

nothing from Apple

then why do you care ?

[faust]

33% in 10 weeks?

Show me another product that went down 33% in 10 weeks.

They can give folks back something or risk loosing future sales, what costs more money?

Have you ever taken a business class?

[beatmoses]

Here

Bought a 50* Plasma 7500 years ago three months later it was
4500.... not three months but 3K?

[bommai]

Happens all the time. But is new for Apple

Apple products generally hold their value for a long time. Look at the Mac Pro. It is the same price for a year now. Also, the iPods are generally stable priced too. However, Apple has been selling iPods for years now and they know how to price them. Experience!! iPhone is new to them. They are still fine tuning. They figured they can increase the amount of phones sold from now until the holiday season by a lot (since they now have less component cost due to economies of scale of iPod Touch), they reduced the price.

Other companies do this all the time. They price something really high and they lower it just a couple of months later. For example Harman Kardon AVR 347 came out at $800-$900. I can see it priced at $600 at some places now. The H/K AVR 745 came out last year with MSRP of $3499. You can buy a new one for $1199 or $1099 now. I bought a refurb for $775. $100 gift card is actually pretty good since you can use it to buy a variety of things at the Apple Store (physical or online). May be Leopard. May be .Mac renewal. May be iWork, iLife.... Printers, etc.

[sevort]

Happens all the time

In the cell handset market this happens all the time, because of very strong competition between dozens of manufacturers. Many companies prefer to do price reductions in the form of rebates, but Apple traditionally just cuts the prices. Nokia, SonyEricsson, etc. routinely reduce prices after two-three month run of their more expensive new models.

[gianpo]

The treo 650

I purchased the treo 650 2 days after it went on sale for 350.00
one month later it was on sale for 100.00 dollars I didn't hear any
one complaining about that. Thats right its not an apple product so
there isn't people just looking for a reason to flame them.

[applehazelnut]

Apple Strategy Brilliant. High prices are what the customers want.

I really love how people don't think before they say something. I
wonder if the early iPhone people realize that they're actually
COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW APPLE PRICES ARE NOT HIGH
ENOUGH!!!!!

Retards all.

[mathmeister]

kneejerk

Please. They aren't complaining that Apple cut the price, they are complaining that they paid a higher price. A stupid complaint, since they weren't forced to buy an iPhone early, but no one is saying the price should have stayed higher.

[solrosenberg]

Quite generous

This is quite generous of Apple. The people who bought early bought for the "prestige" of being first on the block with an iPhone. Why shouldn't they pay extra for that? All technology products decline in price over time, so they knew it would be cheaper if they waited. The complainers wanted to have their cake and eat it too. Nice of Apple to let them.

[garygroc]

Credit is nice

The only thing that really pissed me off about the price cut is that I don't think my Iphone is worth the 600 I paid for it. So I have another 22 months of constant reminder that I overpaid for it. 100 bucks back though seems to lessen the sting.

[kohyuta]

Why pay $600 if you didn't think it was worth it?

If you didn't think the iPhone was worth the $600 you paid for it,
then why did you buy it in the first place?

Had I thought the iPhone was worth $600, I would've bought it,
and though a $200 price drop within 2 months would **** me off a
bit, that's the price of being an early adopter. I accept that.
Technology goes on.

[rcardona2k]

I'm happy

Thank you Steve

[mathmeister]

YOU chose to pay $599 for an iPhone

You chose to pay $599 for an iPhone. Obviously you decided it was worth it, or you would not have made the purchase. Don't blaim Apple for your decision if you regret it now.

[Robert337]

iSheep get fleeced

A small repreive for you iSheep out there - never, Never, NEVER jump on the first new piece of hardware that comes down the pipe (especially where Apple is concerned). I willing to bet that the "phased out" 4Gb models will be on sale for $199 for the Christmas rush - just to clear the inventory and make way for the new models with more storage space, wi-fi and new built-in applications....

[Chingchong_Wingwong]

$100 and you CANT use it for iTunes???

That is lame. What are you gonna buy at the store for $100? A bag, a mouse, or something more useless?
Another slap in the face from the Steve, the devil himself.

I'm starting to almost feel sorry for you sheep. Almost...

[m.meister]

what to buy

Why the no iTMS? Because Apple's margins are so tiny. Apple is
trying to offer this w/o taking it in the shorts.

Apply your $100 credit to:

iPhone case
iPod speakers
Bluetooth headset
iWork '08
Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
AppleTV
iPod nano
iPod shuffle
iPod classic

[valauris]

sheep

Don't feel sorry for me , i payed $599 for it and i have absolutely
no regrets ...... rebate or not ....

[ikiru71]

Apple Whiners!!!!!!

Talk about a bunch of privileged, selfish, whiny jerks! I'm sorry if you can afford to pay $600 plus $70 a month just to get the latest and greatest cell phone then you have no business complaining about a price cut. Do you know what happens if I buy anything at an electronics store and 3 months later it's 30% cheaper? NOTHING! Apple should never have bowed to their whiny fan base! You all should be ashamed.

[SilverbackRK]

When is next iPhone Price Cut?

Well, isn't it great! $200 off in 60 days!

Just imagine, at this rate, the iPhone will be free in 120 days, right after Christmas when AT&T will give it away if you sign up for service!

The iPhone will join the Motorola Razr and other 'hot' items that had their moment in the sun, and then got widely imitated by everyone, leading to a collapse of pricing.

Consumers win.

Now.... about that Google phone rumor....

I want my free phone!

[b8375629]

Cry me a river, Apple crybabies

Whaaaa....whaaaa...whaaa.... ;/

C'mon, fanboys. You knew this was gonna happen. Don't act shocked because I wasn't, that's for sure.

Why do I have no sympathy for a bunch of crybabies who felt they had to be the first to have the iPhone?

Couldn't you wait a few months? Do you always have to camp outside the first day to get the latest gadget or fad?

Not only does the price come down but all you early suckers have all the bad firmware and bugs to deal with.

Too bad fo yu...

[crue24]

Not necessary, but very cool...

I managed to get lucky. The announcement came out on day 14 for me so I got to the Apple store and got my credit for $210. My knee jerk reaction was disappointment, but not anger at Apple, it happens all the time. I paid $350 for a blazer at BR and a month later it was on sale for $99, I didn't get a refund from BR. If you buy clothes, you deal with this all the time. How many times have you bought a hard drive, RAM, etc. and seen price reductions or rebates within weeks that cut the price in 1/2 or more?

Apple went above and beyond with the store credit. And I don't think its the Apple faithful that were making the fuss, early adopters always get screwed on price. Happens with all kinds of products, technology and otherwise. It's hardly a secret.

It would be nice to be able to use the credit for music, but my guess would be that retail and the music store are different business units and you don't want the negative numbers from one unit screwing up the numbers for another. It's business.

And for the Apple haters, why do you waste your time reading and posting on Apple articles? You just like to hear yourself talk? How many times to you see Apple "fanboys" posting comments on Windows articles saying that it sucks? You don't see it, we'd rather spend our time reading and posting about things we're interested in.

[oludir]

Sorry Microsoft

The Zune is officially dead!

[Vegaman_Dan]

Along with the Pinto

Which also doesn't have anything to do with this subject, but hey, might as well mention it. :)


The Zune was never meant to be a contender in this market.

[kcar27]

Sorry, Microsoft (well, not really)

"The Zune is officially dead!"

It'd be great if Steve Ballmer jumped around the stage, sweat pouring from his face and armpits, yelling "Zune dead! No Zune! Zero for Zune!" Or something like that.

Then, it'd be really great if he took out a Zune, poured lighter fluid on it and torched it, just like Hendrix did to his guitar at Monterey Pop Festival.

Yeah, that'd make my week.

At this point...who really cares what Zune 2.0 will look like? I'm sure it'll be better than the one-pound brick out now, but it's still going to have Ballmer's sweaty-feet stink to it.

[kcar27]

Has a hi-tech firm ever done this before?

I'm a bigbig Apple fan, but I have to say that Apple goofed in cutting the iPhone's price so soon and so drastically. Part of me is exasperated with those complaining about the cut, and part of me realizes I'd be shocked and upset if it happened to me.

Anyway...does anyone recall a computer company or any other hi-tech firm offering a rebate like this because of an unexpected and deep price cut? Companies have extended warranties and offered refunds when their products fail or don't work as advertised, but I can't recall a previous rebate because of a price cut.

I hope this move eases the unhappiness of most early buyers. It may be that the next time Jobs introduces a big product, he'll have to promise not to slash its price within three months in order to get people to buy.

One final thought: was this cut due to the impending announcement of the Google phone, which could be even better than the iPhone?