Experienced Mac users may not have the perspective that it takes to see what makes Windows users stay with Microsoft, and let’s face it, some Mac users (not you or me, of course) are just downright zealots.

4. Price
The perception by Windows users is that Macs are more expensive than Windows PCs. This may have been true in the past, but the new Macs are very comparably priced to similarly equipped PCs. Unfortunately, the perception remains.

5. Lies
Let’s face it: Apple tends to bend the truth once in a while, especially about Microsoft and Windows.

I remember watching the 20 or 30 minute Vista-bashing session at the WWDC conference and wondering why Steve Jobs is so insecure that he has to berate the opposition. Can you imagine shopping for a car and having the salesman only talk about what’s wrong with the competition’s cars?

8. Mac Users
Okay, I’m not talking about you or me here, but there are some Mac users out there who have just a little too much love for Apple. When they are shouting (or typing in all caps) about how much better Macs are, they’re not convincing anyone to switch, they are scaring them away.

Labels: Apple, iPhone, iPod, Mac, PC, Vista

Microsoft had their chance at defining a market. They pushed for the creation of the Ultramobile PCs (“UMPCs”). The Windows-based mini-tablets have not found their market. However, the Apple iPhone (and now the iPod touch) is actually the UMPC done right.

Labels: Apple, Internet, iPhone, Mac, PC

I blame Steve Jobs [for] seduced me into buying his sleek machines, even if their delicate organs seem to fail with alarming regularity, like the beautiful consumptive heroines in Victorian novels.

Steve--we'll call him Steve because he seems like a first-name-basis kind of guy--is the human incarnation of the average Apple product: He's good-looking, he overpromises, and he's notoriously temperamental. He evokes the feel-good indie populism synonymous with the company's brand and manages to retain a solid reputation as a creative person while managing a $118 billion business.

The image is, of course, a facade. The dollar-a-year salaryman has been rewarded with at least one corporate jet.

We forgive Steve in a way that we won't [Bill] Gates. We do this because outward appearances are important to us, and the products are a reflection of how we think of ourselves. Apple products are stylish and innovative. (We're stylish and innovative!) We love Steve for the same reason. He's creative and he seems appealingly antiestablishment. (We're creative and antiestablishment!)

Labels: Apple, iPhone, Mac, PC

All the big guns want an iPhone killer. Even I, mad for all things Apple as I am, want an iPhone killer. I want smart digital devices to be as good as mankind’s ingenuity can make them. I want us eternally to strive to improve and surprise. Bring on the iPhone killers. Bring them on.

I have, over the past twenty years been passionately addicted to all manner of digital devices, Mac-friendly or not; I have gorged myself on electronic gismos, computer accessories, toys, gadgets and what-have-yous of all descriptions, but most especially what are now known as SmartPhones. PDAs, Wireless PIMs, call them what you will. My motto is:

I have never seen a SmartPhone I haven’t bought.

Labels: Humor, iPhone, PDA

So Apple has finally posted a page on the iTunes Store that explains the all-too-complicated and restricted process by which iPhone customers can make (and pay twice for) ringtones. Here's what it looks like:

But what's that I spy at the bottom right of the page? Yep, it's some ringtones Apple has synced with their iPhone: "Imperial March" (John Williams, from "The Empire Strikes Back," an excellent song for a ringtone), and "Like a Rolling Stone," presumably the Bob Dylan version, since Apple CEO Steve Jobs is such a huge Dylan fan:

Let's go find them in the iTunes Store and make some ringtones!

First... Imperial March, er ah... hmmm....

Curious. It's not available as a ringtone. Now why would Apple use that in their example? Surely, we'll have better luck with the Dylan song. I mean, Jobs loves Dylan.

Huh.

This time, you can actually buy a song with that name, assuming you want the versions by The Rascals, The Young Rascals, or Dino, Desi, and Billy. And who the heck wouldn't?

Long story short, this whole ringtones thing remains a joke one week later. Obviously.

Labels: Humor, iPhone

The immediate effect on supply-and-demand is not the only issue at stake when it comes to this (or any other) price-cutting decision: it also impacts the perception of authenticity ... we treat Apple as an exemplar of what we call "original authenticity." Almost everything Apple designs -- from its gorgeous computers and sleek iPods to its retail experiences -- seeks to stimulate in customers a sense of discovery and self-exploration. But what this decision seems to do -- and what the reaction from early iPhone adopters bears out -- is lessen the originality of the concept. It's clearly a swing for the masses, leaving behind those who saw themselves in the uniqueness of the design. It says the iPhone is a commodity like any other phone, not original enough even in its own designer's eyes to maintain a premium price. We thought the real Apple was better than that.

Jobs is being a bit disingenuous when he says, "This is life in the technology lane." No, such an immediate price decrease is highly unusual, smacking of desperation. Perhaps the iPhone isn't really the original breakthrough that Apple says it is -- but an iPhony! In this lies a lesson for all businesses: don't sacrifice long-term authenticity of your brand or your business for short-term revenue gain, as sustaining revenue over time hangs in the balance.

Labels: Apple, iPhone

Early adopters of the iPhone weren't the only ones receiving in-store credit from Steve Jobs. In an overlooked announcement, Jobs said that early adopters of the Apple Lisa would be receiving a $7000 in-store credit.

Apple released the Lisa in January of 1983 for $9,995, and the similar Macintosh was released a year later for $2,495.

"I've felt bad about people who bought the Lisa for a long time. Anybody who bought one of the first Apple Lisas really got screwed," said Jobs. "Now that we've got some cash, I think it's about time we made it right."

Analysts think that Jobs could be setting a bad precedent which could cost Apple millions. "What about Newton owners? Apple III owners? This could quickly get out of hand," said industry watcher Devon Scanlon from Goldman Sachs.

Labels: Apple, Humor, iPhone

Labels: iPhone, iTunes

Labels: iPhone, iTunes

Labels: iPhone, iTunes

Apple today announced it sold its one millionth iPhone yesterday, just 74 days after its introduction on June 29. iPhone combines three devices into one—a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and the best mobile Internet device ever—all based on Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers.

“One million iPhones in 74 days—it took almost two years to achieve this milestone with iPod,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We can’t wait to get this revolutionary product into the hands of even more customers this holiday season.”

Labels: iPhone

Let me get this straight: Steve Jobs insists that songs on iTunes cost 99 cents and television episodes cost $1.99 because consumers crave simple pricing.

Except, of course, when it comes to Apple’s own products.

There were wrinkles created by all the dynamic pricing. Customers who paid $599 when the iPhone came out two months ago saw their status drop from early adopter to, well, sucker, after Mr. Jobs cut the price of the device by a third. After Mr. Jobs was crucified for playing it too cute on the so-called “Jesus phone,” he issued a non-apology apology and a $100 store credit to help those early buyers salvage some dignity.

A pricing error? Absolutely. And when you think about it, the media companies Mr. Jobs is fighting with want the opportunity to make the same mistake.

Apple saying it would not carry television shows from the coming NBC season because the network wanted double the $1.99 price and NBC saying that was not true.

“Apple is not telling the truth. We never asked to double the wholesale price of our shows," said Cory Shields, a spokesman for NBC Universal. “Our negotiations were centered on our request for flexibility in wholesale pricing, including the ability to package shows together in ways that could make our content even more attractive for consumers.”

Labels: Apple, Digital media, iPhone, iPod, iTunes

Newsweek:

Last Wednesday Jobs donned his costume of black mock turtleneck and jeans-like Olivier dabbing on the greasepaint-and unveiled to a San Francisco crowd of media and employees a bunch of cool stuff. But this time Jobs lost control of his story.

In June, as you can't help but know, the iPhone became Apple's most-hyped product ever, so much so that the company's fate became intertwined with the groundbreaking device.

Before he left the stage, Jobs dropped a bomb: Apple cut the price of the iPhone from $599 to $399. Slashing the price by $100 might have been high-tech business as usual. But slashing the price tag by a third, only two months after hogging high tech's red carpet, was startling. And it became the story of the day. Since reports had been rife that sales of iPhones weren't soaring, some critics opined that this drastic cut was born of desperation. And wouldn't those who bought one at the higher price now feel like suckers?

Jobs ... was making a timely gamble. A lot of people are going to be giving phones as holiday presents, and Apple's research, he says, shows that they want to choose an iPhone but believe it costs too much. Bringing the price down means making the sale. "We have one chance to go out and go for the holiday season," he said to me. "If we don't take that chance, we wait a whole other year. We're willing to make less money to get more iPhones out there." What about people who just bought one for $599? "I feel for them," he said. "But, you know, we're not harming anybody."

(I find it ironic that the same Apple fans who in June were lofting their newly acquired iPhones in the air like they'd won the Stanley Cup are now complaining that they paid too much.)

Then you don't understand the mentality of these people, Mr. Levy. They're proud and defensive about their insular little private club. Now that they've been revealed as stooges, these guys have lost their cachet and thus their sense of self and ego. Not only are millions and millions of people suddenly getting into their club, they're doing so at a vastly reduced price. Imagine buying a Lexus for $40,000 and then watching the company put it on sale for $25,000 two months later. And no, you didn't get $15,000 worth of use out of in two months, delusional self-justification notwithstanding.

Anyway, Levy is right about one thing: The iPhone price cut certainly did overshadow the new iPods. But that's brilliant, because Apple will sell tens of millions of these new iPods this year regardless. Now they can sell millions of iPhone too. Brilliant.

Labels: Apple, iPhone, iPod

Apple announced a variety of new and kinda-new iPods dominated by the iPod Touch (iPhone minus the phone) and an iPod Nano with video (great for watching miniseries). At the very end of the presentation, Jobs announced the iPhone price cut. Why did he wait until the very end? Because he knew the news would be disruptive and might have obscured his presentation of the new products. He KNEW there was going to be controversy. So much for the “Steve is simply out of touch with the world” theory.

So why did he do it? Why did he cut the price? I have no inside information here, but it seems pretty obvious to me: Apple introduced the iPhone at $599 to milk the early adopters and somewhat limit demand then dropped the price to $399 (the REAL price) to stimulate demand now that the product is a critical success and relatively bug-free. At least 500,000 iPhones went out at the old price, which means Apple made $100 million in extra profit.

Had nobody complained, Apple would have left it at that. But Jobs expected complaints and had an answer waiting — the $100 Apple store credit. This was no knee-jerk reaction, either. It was already there just waiting if needed. Apple keeps an undeserved $50 million and customers get $50 million back. Or do they? Some customers will never use their store credit. Those who do use it will nearly all buy something that costs more than $100. And, most importantly, those who bought their iPhones at an AT&T store will have to make what might be their first of many visits to an Apple Store. That is alone worth the $50 per customer this escapade will eventually cost Apple, taking into account unused credits and Apple Store wholesale costs.

So Apple still comes out $75 million ahead, which is important to Steve Jobs.

Steve has a love-hate relationship with, well, everyone. Customers buy Apple products and they appreciate Steve’s design and market sense, but they also have opinions and NEEDS — two characteristics Jobs (and for that matter almost any CEO) would like to do without.

So Steve slapped his customers around a bit and what happened? Apple got free publicity worth tens of millions and the iPhone, which was already the top-selling smartphone in the world, will now sell two million units by the end of the year, up from an estimated one million. And Steve, having deliberately alienated his best customers, now gets a chance to woo them back. He has finally placed millions of people in the role of every key Apple employee — being alternately seduced and tormented. In this case the torment is over and the seduction will come next month when Apple ships OS X 10.5 (Leopard) — the company’s last chance to position its products for Christmas. Look for 1-2 very un-Leopard surprises at that event — surprises intended to get us all dreamy-eyed over Steve Jobs again.

Labels: Apple, iPhone

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.

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.

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.

Labels: Apple, iPhone

Labels: iPhone

Labels: iPhone, iPod

Labels: Apple, iPhone, iPod, Zune

Reports out of India suggest that Google will be releasing their rumored "Google Phone" worldwide in two weeks. The report is questionable for a number of reasons, the first of would probably have to be that it is only coming out of India, and the second of which is the unlikelihood that Google would stab their tech buddy Apple in the back by releasing a phone so soon after iPhone.

It does seem to be fairly well assumed that Google is going to release a cellphone at some point in the future - and that it might even be free thanks to advertisements that would run on it. Also fairly likely is a phone from Microsoft, which may or may not be a ZunePhone.

Labels: Google, iPhone

If your biggest gripe with Apple's flagship media player is that it refuses to make voice or data calls on anything but AT&T's wireless network, you're officially free. But the price of freedom, in this case, is either a very steady hand and soldering iron, or a willingness to send money to Australia in exchange for a "Turbo SIM," delivery date unknown. Of the two methods, I prefer the third: Buy a real phone. Following an exhaustive comparison of alternatives, I have overwhelming backing for my early conclusion that iPhone is vastly outmatched by several devices in its price class.

Labels: Humor, iPhone