iPod touch is a zune killer. However.... setting the 16-gig iPod touch as expensive as the 8-gig iPhone is a mistake. Can't imagine they'll sell too many of those.
1) "Zune killer" - how can you kill something that's already dead?
2) Had I been given the choice between a 16GB ipod Touch and the 8GB iPhone for the same price, I would have likely been tempted to go with the iPod Touch. The phone capabilities, cool as they are, weren't the main draw for me in wanting this. It was a lot more about the UI and WiFi capabilities.
The iPhone is more appealing to those who are invested in convergence but as it is now, 8 GB of free space isn't enough for me to replace my existing iPod (30GB) even if I was able to let go my previous phone.
My sense is that the iPod Touch is going to take a lot of sales away from the iPhone vs. the other way around.
3) Partnering with Starbucks probably makes good business sense but no one should confuse the two brands as being that similar. (At least, no self-respecting Apple junkie would dare make that suggesiton).
self-respecting Apple junkie? What amount of integrity does Apple have over Starbucks??
As someone who just got screwed over by the company you're defending, it seems you're a bit drunk on the kool-aid. I think it's brilliant marketing because, for all intents and purposes, the consumer market (at least here in NYC) is IDENTICAL.
Can anyone touch on the rumors of $5000 iphone bills with humongous charges for data transfer?
I am in the market for a new ipod, so this is dope.... should I wait a bit to cop though? (bugs related)
self-respecting Apple junkie? What amount of integrity does Apple have over Starbucks??
As someone who just got screwed over by the company you're defending, it seems you're a bit drunk on the kool-aid.
I believe the latter point is already implied by "Apple junkie."
And I'm not mad that Apple lowered prices. As others have rightfully noted, that's how the technology market works. I'm just annoyed at the timing but that's more of my issue than Apple's issue. Of course, there's going to be thousands of people sharing "my issue" which very well may turn into Apple's issue. I don't feel like I'm owed a refund.
As for the first point - we're talking about perception of identity rather than any actual empirical comparison between Starbucks consumers vs. Apple loyalists. The two (in the mind garden of the latter) are not the same even if, from a marketing p.o.v., both companies are chasing after the same demographic.
Can anyone touch on the rumors of $5000 iphone bills with humongous charges for data transfer?
I am in the market for a new ipod, so this is dope.... should I wait a bit to cop though? (bugs related)
1) That happened to someone roaming overseas, using the EDGE network for data transfer. It would not happen to someone in the U.S. People who roam almost always get fucked over (see my 10 minute call to Taipei on T-Mobile earlier in the year).
2) Now that I re-read some of the features, I take back my previous point about a 16GB Touch = 8 GB iPhone since the latter has access beyond wifi, something I didn't stop to think about before. A strictly wifi iPod is "ok" but won't do you much good on the road which is a big reason I like having internet access away from home. In that respect, what you gain in memory may not be worth what you lose in features.
To answer your question more directly JP: one of my good friends trains Geniuses (a Genius' Genius?) and so deals with all the major tech support issues. So far, the iPhone - and thus, presumably, the Touch - have not experienced huge problems. The unknown, long-term issues would be 1) battery life, first and foremost and 2) "dead" spots on the touchscreen. The software though seems pretty good and personally, I find the UI to be fucking incredible even though the keyboard needs work.
I've also been playing with third party add-ons and it's helped improve the functionality of the iPhone (and again, presumably also the Touch) in some notable ways.
If I were in a market right now, I'd definitely consider copping either the Touch or iPhone rather than an iPod classic but that's because I already have a 5th gen iPod and thus, upgrading to the Classic holds little appeal.
The only concern you might have is another possible price drop closer to the holidays. Normally I'd say, "it won't happen" since they just introduced this new line now but of course, look at what happend to the iPod inside of two months! That part is what's craziest but as others noted, not unprecedented.
However, 16GB still isn't a ton of memory if you're intent on having a gazillion songs and videos. It might be worth waiting for the 2nd gen just to have greater capacity. I'm already close to maxing out my 8GB and I only have a single movie on there (provided, a 2GB sized movie, but still).
At this price point these are going to sell like gangbusters. When the holidays hit the demand is going to be through the roof. I'll bet AT&T is putting in some hefty $$$ of their own to finance the price drop, predicting it will get them a slew of new customers.
Think back 5 years when $300 got you a 10 gig black and white iPod. The technological innovation boggles the mind.
At this price point these are going to sell like gangbusters. When the holidays hit the demand is going to be through the roof. I'll bet AT&T is putting in some hefty $$$ of their own to finance the price drop, predicting it will get them a slew of new customers.
If everyone trying to unlock the phone (and not get their asses sued off) succeed, AT&T won't necessarily even be a player. I would have definitely stuck with T-Mobile and swapped out my SIM card had I known that'd be an option.
interesting insights on the iPhone all around. And cosign on the Starbucks marketing strategy. seriously, take the most ubiquitous MP3 player and pair it with the most ubiquitous coffee shop (Dunkin Donuts being the only probable exception) and you have the potential to reap serious rewards.
Having just come from Seattle I think it's gonna do big things. Interestingly enough, at the theater where we were performing at last weekend, everyone was using Macs, which I thought was interesting considering we were in Microsoftville. And the sound tech told me he liked his iPhone, but the memory was misleading because the 8gb was for music ONLY. He said he kept having problems running out of space for text and emails, and that the archive function within iTunes would not let him access his messages on his computer. Can anyone confirm or expand on this? That sounds like a serious drawback if you have 8gb of memory, but can't use any of it towards the data functions.
And the sound tech told me he liked his iPhone, but the memory was misleading because the 8gb was for music ONLY. He said he kept having problems running out of space for text and emails, and that the archive function within iTunes would not let him access his messages on his computer. Can anyone confirm or expand on this? That sounds like a serious drawback if you have 8gb of memory, but can't use any of it towards the data functions.
from my experience, this is only true with text messages and emails (although older emails can be re-downloaded to browse through... its much easier said than done though). i do though get the occasional "your text message inbox is near full, please delete" message.
that said, movies, music, photos, contacts, and the third party/jail break'd software are all stored on the "8-gig" drive. There are programs out there that allow data storage on the drive, as well as navigating through it. the programs are pretty clunky, but the fact that it is possible is telling.
Apple is fucking murdering the competition. The Zune is officially the biggest technoflop since the SegWay.
Definitely... an iPod is a desirable object that looks, feels, and operates just as you want it to. Zune is the gift that your rich uncle buys you because he walked into a best buy and talked to the wrong salesman. Lame design, crappy wifi restrictions, bad UI.
I have received hundreds of emails from iPhone customers who are upset about Apple dropping the price of iPhone by $200 two months after it went on sale. After reading every one of these emails, I have some observations and conclusions.
First, I am sure that we are making the correct decision to lower the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399, and that now is the right time to do it. iPhone is a breakthrough product, and we have the chance to 'go for it' this holiday season. iPhone is so far ahead of the competition, and now it will be affordable by even more customers. It benefits both Apple and every iPhone user to get as many new customers as possible in the iPhone 'tent'. We strongly believe the $399 price will help us do just that this holiday season.
Second, being in technology for 30+ years I can attest to the fact that the technology road is bumpy. There is always change and improvement, and there is always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever. This is life in the technology lane. 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. The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.
Third, even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.
Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple's website next week. Stay tuned.
We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple.
gosh, they're sweet is there any other company that would do this?
Probably but amongst the kool aid quaffers???, it's just further "proof" that Jobs is God.
In all seriousness though, this is pretty brilliant as a PR move since 1) it gets Apple back in the news for an extra day, 2) it restores good will to people who - frankly - wouldn't have abandoned Apple regardless over this, pissed as they may have been for a day, 3) is probably going to net even more sales for them since a lot of folks will probably buy something that's $100+, thinking, "hey, $100 off," forgetting that they just "overpaid" for their iPhone by $200.
gosh, they're sweet is there any other company that would do this?
Probably but amongst the kool aid quaffers???, it's just further "proof" that Jobs is God.
In all seriousness though, this is pretty brilliant as a PR move since 1) it gets Apple back in the news for an extra day, 2) it restores good will to people who - frankly - wouldn't have abandoned Apple regardless over this, pissed as they may have been for a day, 3) is probably going to net even more sales for them since a lot of folks will probably buy something that's $100+, thinking, "hey, $100 off," forgetting that they just "overpaid" for their iPhone by $200.
Well played Steve, well played.
definitly a smooth move by jobs. i wonder how awarding the credit would work. sounds like a logistical nightmare. maybe something with the serial #?
gosh, they're sweet is there any other company that would do this?
Probably but amongst the kool aid quaffers???, it's just further "proof" that Jobs is God.
In all seriousness though, this is pretty brilliant as a PR move since 1) it gets Apple back in the news for an extra day, 2) it restores good will to people who - frankly - wouldn't have abandoned Apple regardless over this, pissed as they may have been for a day, 3) is probably going to net even more sales for them since a lot of folks will probably buy something that's $100+, thinking, "hey, $100 off," forgetting that they just "overpaid" for their iPhone by $200.
Well played Steve, well played.
definitly a smooth move by jobs. i wonder how awarding the credit would work. sounds like a logistical nightmare. maybe something with the serial #?
gosh, they're sweet is there any other company that would do this?
Probably but amongst the kool aid quaffers???, it's just further "proof" that Jobs is God.
In all seriousness though, this is pretty brilliant as a PR move since 1) it gets Apple back in the news for an extra day, 2) it restores good will to people who - frankly - wouldn't have abandoned Apple regardless over this, pissed as they may have been for a day, 3) is probably going to net even more sales for them since a lot of folks will probably buy something that's $100+, thinking, "hey, $100 off," forgetting that they just "overpaid" for their iPhone by $200.
Well played Steve, well played.
definitly a smooth move by jobs. i wonder how awarding the credit would work. sounds like a logistical nightmare. maybe something with the serial #?
Could either be serial # or order #, both of which would be fairly easy to track since the iPhones were only sold in two retail locations (Apple and AT&T).
Comments
YOU GOT THE TOUCH
not on youtube yet but...
http://www.apple.com/itunes/
scroll down and in the middle of the page there's a link to watch the new ad
Do you go to your local Apple Store or can you do it online or...?
1) "Zune killer" - how can you kill something that's already dead?
2) Had I been given the choice between a 16GB ipod Touch and the 8GB iPhone for the same price, I would have likely been tempted to go with the iPod Touch. The phone capabilities, cool as they are, weren't the main draw for me in wanting this. It was a lot more about the UI and WiFi capabilities.
The iPhone is more appealing to those who are invested in convergence but as it is now, 8 GB of free space isn't enough for me to replace my existing iPod (30GB) even if I was able to let go my previous phone.
My sense is that the iPod Touch is going to take a lot of sales away from the iPhone vs. the other way around.
3) Partnering with Starbucks probably makes good business sense but no one should confuse the two brands as being that similar. (At least, no self-respecting Apple junkie would dare make that suggesiton).
As someone who just got screwed over by the company you're defending, it seems you're a bit drunk on the kool-aid. I think it's brilliant marketing because, for all intents and purposes, the consumer market (at least here in NYC) is IDENTICAL.
Can anyone touch on the rumors of $5000 iphone bills with humongous charges for data transfer?
I am in the market for a new ipod, so this is dope.... should I wait a bit to cop though? (bugs related)
I believe the latter point is already implied by "Apple junkie."
And I'm not mad that Apple lowered prices. As others have rightfully noted, that's how the technology market works. I'm just annoyed at the timing but that's more of my issue than Apple's issue. Of course, there's going to be thousands of people sharing "my issue" which very well may turn into Apple's issue. I don't feel like I'm owed a refund.
As for the first point - we're talking about perception of identity rather than any actual empirical comparison between Starbucks consumers vs. Apple loyalists. The two (in the mind garden of the latter) are not the same even if, from a marketing p.o.v., both companies are chasing after the same demographic.
1) That happened to someone roaming overseas, using the EDGE network for data transfer. It would not happen to someone in the U.S. People who roam almost always get fucked over (see my 10 minute call to Taipei on T-Mobile earlier in the year).
2) Now that I re-read some of the features, I take back my previous point about a 16GB Touch = 8 GB iPhone since the latter has access beyond wifi, something I didn't stop to think about before. A strictly wifi iPod is "ok" but won't do you much good on the road which is a big reason I like having internet access away from home. In that respect, what you gain in memory may not be worth what you lose in features.
To answer your question more directly JP: one of my good friends trains Geniuses (a Genius' Genius?) and so deals with all the major tech support issues. So far, the iPhone - and thus, presumably, the Touch - have not experienced huge problems. The unknown, long-term issues would be 1) battery life, first and foremost and 2) "dead" spots on the touchscreen. The software though seems pretty good and personally, I find the UI to be fucking incredible even though the keyboard needs work.
I've also been playing with third party add-ons and it's helped improve the functionality of the iPhone (and again, presumably also the Touch) in some notable ways.
If I were in a market right now, I'd definitely consider copping either the Touch or iPhone rather than an iPod classic but that's because I already have a 5th gen iPod and thus, upgrading to the Classic holds little appeal.
The only concern you might have is another possible price drop closer to the holidays. Normally I'd say, "it won't happen" since they just introduced this new line now but of course, look at what happend to the iPod inside of two months! That part is what's craziest but as others noted, not unprecedented.
However, 16GB still isn't a ton of memory if you're intent on having a gazillion songs and videos. It might be worth waiting for the 2nd gen just to have greater capacity. I'm already close to maxing out my 8GB and I only have a single movie on there (provided, a 2GB sized movie, but still).
Think back 5 years when $300 got you a 10 gig black and white iPod. The technological innovation boggles the mind.
If everyone trying to unlock the phone (and not get their asses sued off) succeed, AT&T won't necessarily even be a player. I would have definitely stuck with T-Mobile and swapped out my SIM card had I known that'd be an option.
Fuck a 2 year contract.
All this, plus 160 Gigs? Buy on the fly? Looks like iPod will eclipse the 20-Million-sold mark this year.
Apple is fucking murdering the competition. The Zune is officially the biggest technoflop since the SegWay.
My only question: Can you download from blogs and other download sites onto the iPod/Phone? Probably not yet.
Man, 160 gigs??? 2 of those and I could DJ 24/7 for an entire month straight and still not hear the same cut twice!
Luck,
You can't download as in "store on your drive." But you can listen to MP3s on a website which is cool.
The limitation on saving files is likely something that can be hacked around eventually. After that, it's all over.
Having just come from Seattle I think it's gonna do big things. Interestingly enough, at the theater where we were performing at last weekend, everyone was using Macs, which I thought was interesting considering we were in Microsoftville. And the sound tech told me he liked his iPhone, but the memory was misleading because the 8gb was for music ONLY. He said he kept having problems running out of space for text and emails, and that the archive function within iTunes would not let him access his messages on his computer. Can anyone confirm or expand on this? That sounds like a serious drawback if you have 8gb of memory, but can't use any of it towards the data functions.
from my experience, this is only true with text messages and emails (although older emails can be re-downloaded to browse through... its much easier said than done though). i do though get the occasional "your text message inbox is near full, please delete" message.
that said, movies, music, photos, contacts, and the third party/jail break'd software are all stored on the "8-gig" drive. There are programs out there that allow data storage on the drive, as well as navigating through it. the programs are pretty clunky, but the fact that it is possible is telling.
Ha - I feel that. If only you can convince morning commuters that what they need is a smoothie vs. a triple latte.
Hey, it's something.
I am seriously considering getting a 160-gig model, which I'd probably dock almost permanently on the bedroom radio.
gosh, they're sweet
is there any other company that would do this?
Definitely... an iPod is a desirable object that looks, feels, and operates just as you want it to. Zune is the gift that your rich uncle buys you because he walked into a best buy and talked to the wrong salesman. Lame design, crappy wifi restrictions, bad UI.
To all iPhone customers:
I have received hundreds of emails from iPhone customers who are upset about
Apple dropping the price of iPhone by $200 two months after it went on sale.
After reading every one of these emails, I have some observations and
conclusions.
First, I am sure that we are making the correct decision to lower the price
of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399, and that now is the right time to do
it. iPhone is a breakthrough product, and we have the chance to 'go for it'
this holiday season. iPhone is so far ahead of the competition, and now it
will be affordable by even more customers. It benefits both Apple and every
iPhone user to get as many new customers as possible in the iPhone 'tent'.
We strongly believe the $399 price will help us do just that this holiday
season.
Second, being in technology for 30+ years I can attest to the fact that the
technology road is bumpy. There is always change and improvement, and there
is always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and
misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever. This
is life in the technology lane. 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.
The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them
well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and
satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.
Third, even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of
iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better
job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after
new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must
live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.
Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an
iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any
other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product
at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being
worked out and will be posted on Apple's website next week. Stay tuned.
We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize
for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your
high expectations of Apple.
Steve Jobs
Apple CEO
Well, at that point, you might as well just play your iTunes library straight from your computer. If it's a fixed unit, that is.
Probably but amongst the kool aid quaffers???, it's just further "proof" that Jobs is God.
In all seriousness though, this is pretty brilliant as a PR move since 1) it gets Apple back in the news for an extra day, 2) it restores good will to people who - frankly - wouldn't have abandoned Apple regardless over this, pissed as they may have been for a day, 3) is probably going to net even more sales for them since a lot of folks will probably buy something that's $100+, thinking, "hey, $100 off," forgetting that they just "overpaid" for their iPhone by $200.
Well played Steve, well played.
definitly a smooth move by jobs. i wonder how awarding the credit would work. sounds like a logistical nightmare. maybe something with the serial #?
I KNOW you guys have seen this. Fantastic comedic writing.
Could either be serial # or order #, both of which would be fairly easy to track since the iPhones were only sold in two retail locations (Apple and AT&T).