Steve gave the people exactly what they wanted. More video iPods, larger capacity, a touch screen iPod and a lower price for the iPhone.
In all the updates and excitement the lowly shuffle was lost in.. well the shuffle. It got some new colors and that's pretty much it. Sure, you can purchase a (PRODUCT) RED shuffle for a good cause. Other than that, what you get today, is what you could have gotten yesterday.
Spy photos and hilarious videos concerning the iPod nano we're on the money with the new form factor. The shorter, wider nano got updated colors including a (PRODUCT) RED version, but just like what your guidance teacher told you, it's what's on the inside that counts. A new menu interface that includes cover flow , introduced on the iPhone, was introduced along with the ability to play videos. The nano should be in stores this weekend for $149 and $199 for the 4GB and 8GB versions, respectively.
The iPod got a new case and new name. The iPod classic, not to be confused with Classic Coke, is wrapped in a completely metal shell and sports the new interface introduced on the nano. If you've been waiting for an iPod that will fit all your music, this might be what you've been waiting for. The 80GB classic is $249 while the whopping 160GB will set you back $349.
The real news was the unveiling of the iPod touch. All the multimedia power of the iPhone without the mobile phone. Sporting Wi-Fi, the Safari web browser and the new iTunes Wi-Fi music store, the iPod touch is missing the Google Maps program found on the iPhone. Sure you can access Googlewith the Safari browser, but a dedicated program would be nice. While intially it seemed like a goofy addition to the iPhone, the YouTube program is fun little time waster and bringing it to the iPod touch was a good choice. thinner than the iPhone and with 22 hours of audio playback and five hours of video playback, the iPod touch will fill in that gap of who lusted for the iPhones multimedia and browsing capablites but didn't need or want a new mobile phone. The 8Gb and 16GB iPod touch should be shipping in a few weeks for $299 and $399, respectively.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Steve announced a $200 price reduction on the 8GB iPhone and eliminated the 4GB iPhone, which can found in the Apple store clearance bin. Bringing the price to $399 and giving iPhone owners all over America buyers remorse.
Roman's early adopter remorse
Anonymous
September 08, 2007 at 8:35am
...apple is the devil, i knew i should have gotten a motorola... :(
magyarman
September 07, 2007 at 4:07am
Happiness? Anger? Disappointment?
I am an Apple user/fan from my first machine in '90. But I don't tie my happiness to consumer products. That in itself is a recipe for unhappiness, anger and disappointment.
Back away from the consumer lifestyle (you don't have to live like an impoverished monk!) and learn to find your happiness within yourself.
Roger Dupuy
September 06, 2007 at 8:48am
I am still waiting for a true PDA application solution.
So does iPodtouch do:
1. Notetaking
2. a BETTER calendar ap than iCal or GCal that works offline.
3. CUT and PASTEthese are some of the things that I want in an Apple mobile device.
Anonymous
September 06, 2007 at 6:59am
Think about it... the initial $600 price was a marketing ploy. Rveryone said "Apple couln't possibly keep up with the hype of teh iPhone" well they slapped a high price on it knowing initial manufacturing would be slow, this kept teh phone in the hands of early adopters, kept Apple from running out, and brought in an extra $200 per unit. Now manufacturing of teh phone is in full swing, it's a proven product, and it's a natural to sell at a decent price, especially before the holidays.
Sorry if anyone feels screwed but you knew you were paying a premium in teh first place, why else would you shell out $600 for a phone in the first place. You wanted the unattainable, and some of you were even willing to pay more on ebay if needed. I still can't afford $399 but it sure is a better chance I'll get one at Christmas now, and in the end it's about Apple thriving and creating more great ideas and the hope that this year you won't have to upgrade your phone twice and still not be happy. Hell, that might be worth $600 to some guys.
Anonymous
September 06, 2007 at 10:35am
For those that continue to state that "We all knew the price was going to drop eventually", I would say yes, but not $200!!! in 2 months. That is just simply not possible to predict. No other product that I am aware of has done that. So yes, Apple needs to answer some justified anger.
tywebb
September 06, 2007 at 3:52pm
No they don't have to answer anger. A $200 price drop is not a bad thing. It's a good thing. This gives rise to happiness, not anger.
I wasn't interested in iPods till we got the video ones. They too had a price drop. Yet I decided to buy one straight away when they first came out. Then after the price drop I got another one, paid less and got more Gb's. This made me happy, not angry.
So to those who bought the iphone before the price drop, if you want happiness, not anger, I say - just buy another one!
Quaker Prof
September 06, 2007 at 5:14pm
I should say from the start that I've kicked the gadget habit, opting instead to get worked up into a lather less frequently and over less expensive items, like my treasured Moleskine notebook.
That said, I think that Apple is going in the wrong direction, possibly for the first time in a few years. The iPhone, while somewhat neat, must be a smudge and misdial magnet, as well as vulnerable to all sorts of screen damage. In addition, it's larger than most cell phones, and at 399, still too expensive for the average consumer given the average life of cell phones.
The smallest form factor iPod, the Shuffle, got no love this time, and is still incompatible with the radio remote. Is radio really a premium feature, considering the non-Apple options out there?
The new Nano, while still better for workouts than the normal iPod b/c of its flash memory, is now too thick to look cool on an armband, and who is going to watch videos on such a small screen? People in the airports watching videos that way don't look cool, they look like idiots- and we all know it.
The old iPod is now essentially obsolete because of the new Nano, and the iPod "touch" is a bizarre half-product that only total idiots would buy. It will be off the shelves by the end of the year as the iPhone gets smaller and cheaper.
The new iMacs are a good, but incremental improvement, and I think the glossy-only screens are a major mistake. Unless you work in a cave, this is going to pose a problem for most office types.
Finally, the smallest notebook, the MacBook, seems to have been abandoned, sitting there with a form factor from two years ago, never again to be updated. At five pounds, its heavier than the competition, and pricier, too. This risks losing the valuable college student market, and thus thousands and thousands of future office workers, IT people, etc.
Please, Apple, don't screw up the momentum you have going. Turn this ship around! Oh, and enough of Steve Jobs making every announcement himself. It makes Apple look like good old Microsoft.
Anonymous
September 06, 2007 at 11:16am
An irate Apple customer wrote, ‘I'll never buy another Apple product at launch again. And I'm not alone.’
Well, that’s $200 well spent to be cured of covetousness. Welcome to the rest of the group who now enjoy the satisfaction of being patient.
What made you first adopters decide that the extra $200 a few months ago was a reasonable expenditure then? Obviously, the price that you and others paid earlier to show off and/or use the iPhone was not too high, otherwise you would not have willingly paid the earlier price. Or, are you so gullible, envious, and anxious that nothing would have persuaded you to wait a couple months?
You’re miffed because you made a hasty decision, so how it that Apple’s fault? You must know that prices will always come down on these and similar products. This is history, people, if ya’ll would only pay attention.
Besides, aren’t you happy that you can now afford another iPhone? Any rumors about a price drop on the new iMacs? I'm thinking about buying one this month! Are there any Apple events planned that we should know about? I've waited nearly 7 years to get a new iMac, should I wait till December and get one with 10.5 alrady installed?
rloyola
September 06, 2007 at 11:55am
The iPhone -whether you bought one or not- sure makes people smug. The early adopters are smug (me included). The recent adopters are smug. Now there's a ton of smug "patient" people. This is ugly.
- Roman (the smug MacLife Reviews editor)
Anonymous
September 06, 2007 at 11:07am
No one forced you iPhone owners to go out and buy an iPhone for $600. You can't be angry at a company that is trying to gain a bigger following. You guys fell for it. I commend Apple for this price drop. Sure, it should have started off this price but you guys really can't bitch and moan. Your fault.
Anonymous
September 06, 2007 at 4:15am
The iPhone didn't come out a year ago.
The iPhone didn't come out six months ago.
The iPhone came out 3 months ago basically.
Now think of everything you've purchased.
This is quite a price drop for 3 months time.
Even Apple computers don't drop in price that fast.
I've been an Apple user for 30 years. I feel like
Apple just slapped me in the face. I know, just take
it like a man.
Dave
September 05, 2007 at 8:06pm
Hey when I paid $600 for mine it was with eyes wide open and with full acceptance that the price would drop and they'd release "something better" too.
I'm glad the price dropped. It'll hush the folks who who seem scandalized that it was $600 and it'll put them in more hands and they'll be more apps and more cracks and more fun. And when I drop mine in the pool or toilet, buying a new one won't hurt so bad.
Likewise in a couple of months when the 16 GB version with antigravity comes out, I'll be glad to see the product improve.
When I was a kid, in the 60s and 70s before computers and "consumer electronics" things didn't get cheaper and better - they got more expensive and more complicated.
macmikey
September 06, 2007 at 7:14am
They've had their iPhones all this time because they were willing to pay the premium. Without them, Apple would have no compulsion to develop the product (since the first version would have flopped). So my hat's off to all those who got in early! I would've, but I'm too poor to afford even the 4GB iPhone.
I just have one question: why would you drop your iPhone in a toilet? ;-)
And everyone knows the new iPhone will have matter transportation capability, not antigrav. Who wants to float around in mid-air when you can "call" yourself to a new location?
nathan
September 05, 2007 at 6:57pm
As a current iphone owner, I sat on my couch watching the ipod event in my headphones so my wife could enjoy I love the 80s version 9, I believe my exact remark when Steve announced the price drop was "Mother F******."
That said. no cryin' boys. we all know there's a price for early adoption. Its a brilliant move for them. They are going to move so many iphones, and really get a foothold in that market. Unexpected, and savvy.
Anonymous
September 05, 2007 at 6:48pm
Boo Hoo.
Prime example of why I never buy version 1 of the latest gizmo.
Anonymous
September 05, 2007 at 6:28pm
Hey steve! Where the hell is the iPhone rebate checks.
How about something for the ones who started the iphone freenzy.
Anonymous
September 05, 2007 at 6:27pm
I am really pissed at apple about this price break. It's only been 2 months and they drop the price by $200!!! that is just not fair to those that bought the first wave of iphones to justify their marketing and sales dept to drop the 4G and reduce the 8G price. Just not fair.
Anonymous
September 06, 2007 at 11:09am
Just not Fair? Fairs are for pigs and blue ribbons. Early adopters take the risk of price drops. Are you happy with your iphone? You thought it was worth buying at $599. Just think, when it breaks after the warranty it will be less expensive to replace! :)
pierre
September 06, 2007 at 9:01am
I agree they owe it to the faithful to come back with a rebate to those who paid $600.00 for their iPhone. And no I do not agree with those that say we knew what we were getting when we paid that high price for the phone. Come on Steve Jobs/Apple were is your allegiance with your loyal customers or with the almighty dollar?
I'll await for my rebate check to come in my mailbox.
P.O.'d in Palmdale, CA.
Shut up!
September 05, 2007 at 10:28pm
I feel no sympathy for you early adopters of $600 iPhones. No one put a gun to yer head to buy an iPhone! You whiners ought to have known that prices would come down for the holiday seaon, but no, ya'll were too anxious. This proves you had more cash than brains. So, what was your point?
Anonymous
September 06, 2007 at 5:52am
Everyone knew the price would go down, but a 33% drop in 60 days is unreasonable. Apple met its sales objectives, so this does not reflect an unexplected drop in the cost of manufacturing. There was no technological revolution. Apple is not desperate for cashflow. This is no fire sale.
Early adopters are right to complain, but they aren't the losers. They are only out $200 each. Steve Jobs is the loser. He just pissed off his fanboys and alienated one million customers. He set a precedent for volatile pricing. Why should anyone buy a new iMac or a new iPod if there is the possibility of a 33% price cut in 60 days?
At least early adopters have the defense that when they bought their iPhones, Apple had no track record of volatile pricing. Now that they do, anyone who is thinking about buying a newly introduced Apple product should consider delaying the purchase at least two months.
