rants - IKnowRusty.com

As many people will know, I am not a big Apple person. I have been a PC guy since before I can remember. I have admittedly owned an iPhone for the last 5 years and had an iPod since the 4th generation iPod Photo. I have recently changed over to the Android side of things for my main phone and loving it! Now, with all of that out of the way, I want to get to my main point, about my distaste for Apple and their pricing. I will say this on the front end. Apple makes GREAT products, don’t get me wrong there. My problem is, the pricing that they apply to their products, claiming their superiority over all things, based upon their design and quality. I get that, in a sense, but after seeing the latest black Friday promotion from Apple (and many other pricing issues) and seeing their “discounts”, it just disgusts me. They think they are doing the Apple FanBoys a favor by giving them such a small discount on their products, and they are STILL making, I am assuming, a sizable profit off of the product.

So let me show you what I am talking about. Black Friday is suppose to be about deep discounts on items that are either meant to get you in the door or to buy multiples of one item. And when I say deep discounts, I am talking about a 50″ LCD HDTV that is going for $298. I am talking a 32GB SD Card for $15.99. I am talking an iPad 2 for $399 with a $75 gift card. Now the latter is what I was really getting at. Apple is holding their own black Friday “event” as well. Just not as much of a discount. So lets compare the Walmart deal and the Apple deal. You can get an almost 2 year old product for the GREAT LOW price of $399 direct from Apple today, right now with no discounts or anything like that. They just released the 4th generation iPad back a few weeks ago if you didn’t know. So worldwide retailer Walmart has added in a nice $75 gift card with their iPad deal. What has Apple done? $31 off. Let me repeat that. $31 off. Walmart is beating you by $44. Now don’t get me wrong, that isn’t $44 cash, it is a $75 gift card for you to spend more at their store, because the idea is, that you will buy more than $75 worth, and see the gift card as a discount. It’s a psychological thing that they hope that you do after you get the card. Even all of that aside, it seems the place to get your iPad 2 is Walmart. Apple? Why not offer more off and do it as a gift card, or just take more off of your 2 year old tablet, without Retina display, I may add.

There are many more instances I can speak of, but this was the only one that really sparked my interest. Apple thinks so highly of itself, that basically, they don’t allow their retailers to go much cheaper, or give much of a discount in their own store. I just don’ think they should call their sales, a black Friday event. More like a , “hey, we know you want our stuff, and everyone else is doing better discounts, but c’mon, you know you want us” event.

Just a thought that I had today on this day of giving thanks.

-Rusty G

I am just ranting here, so if you don’t want to read it, I am warning you now.

Ok, I am just completely tired of these big companies pulling out on their projects so quickly. It’s like if the thing doesn’t make a profit after 3 months or so, pull the plug, we don’t need to waste the time on it. For example, the Windows Phone 7 has now basically been on the market for 3 months, and it seems from the Steve Ballmer speech about revenues, that Xbox Live is killing it, and everything else is just background noise. I have already heard speculation that they may pull the phone from the market, much like their KIN phone that failed last summer. WHAT?? I really hope that this is pure speculation because from the early adopters, I have heard nothing but good news. Even Alex Albrecht had made mention of it on diggnation somewhere after episode #287, but before #291. He said the phone is a great phone, but it is a 1.0 product. There isn’t any multi-tasking built into the phone, and there isn’t enough developers for the platform just yet. I think part of the reason is that Microsoft came way too late in the game in this one. At this point, if you are going to come to the game, you better bring your A game and then some. Android and iOS devices are leading the pack, no matter what Blackberry says.

I would even like to try out a Windows Phone 7, well up until I ran into the Motorola Atrix. That seems to be the phone that will put Motorola back on the map like the V3 did back in early 2000s. Which actually brings me to the 2nd product. The Motorola Xoom. A tablet that is apparently already having issues with retailers. Why is it before the thing even launches, we already have nay sayers?? It isn’t even on the market! All I am hearing is about the sticker shock that people are having about the price of the thing, and the fact that it doesn’t have a wifi version. Which apparently is the way the Galaxy Tab went as well, to help subsidize the price. The only problem is, LOTS OF STUPID people can’t seem to lock themselves into a 2 year contract.

(ranting about commitment)

Are you kidding me?? REALLY? How often do you people change carriers? Like is this a 6 month thing? Do you constantly look for the blog post from INSERT_BLOG_NAME_HERE that tells you how to get out of your contract once the TOS changes, or do you constantly just pay the ETF fees? I don’t get it. You people have turned int to commitment fearing, single mother or father living, spineless pieces of CRAP. I AM SICK OF IT. (I am looking at you most of the tech world) (in my most sarcastic boo hoo voice) Oh, it’s so scary to sign a 2-year contract. I don’t want to be locked in. I’ll just keep paying MORE for my month to month. I can’t commit to that, who knows what will happen in TWO years! That’s just to much pressure. I can’t take this.

SHUT UP! Do you know how fast two years goes by? I’ve been with AT&T since 2001. That’s 0. 1. that’s right, 10 years. Just pick a provider you like and stick with them. I just don’t understand it anymore, I am so sick of hearing even good friends of mine, and NEIGHBORS who say they don’t want to be locked in. You got married didn’t you? How hard was that? I have neighbors who won’t sign a 1-year lease, 1! They say they don’t want to be locked down. REALLY?? REALLY?? You’re married and have an 8 year old kid. Have you seen your porch? It looks like you have been stocking everything out there like you are going to be there for a while. Oh wait, you’ve been there for 7 years. 7!

Now back to my original thought, I guess Microsoft and all these other companies are expecting overnight success. The Xbox 360, the Kinect for Microsoft has done well. The Kinect may have been a slight overnight success, but you have to understand the R&D that went into that and the years that it took to bring to market. I guess everyone is expecting that every product they bring to market, to be a an instant success. It takes time. SERIOUSLY. Don’t give up after three months. Just because it isn’t making sales numbers. Let the public know what it is, let them try it out, let it be blogged about, DANG. Just go back to the drawing board, start all over again, and try to come out with something that blows us all away. Like Apple did with the iPhone.

I am not saying Apple is the end all be all, but they have been very successful with their iOS devices. They started a whole new revolution by staying away from all other crap that was out there, and Steve Jobs said, there is NO WAY I am putting anyone else’s crap on my phone, and I am doing it my way! That’s what he did. Now look at the iPhone. You people have to step back and re-invent. Don’t just copy and expect it to win.

I’m done. I could go on, but at this point, I am 885 words in… I think that’s enough.

Tag: rants

The prices are ‘great’ for black friday

Success isn’t overnight (Or in 3 months either)