Jobs is all about image and style and selling things at high cost which means high margins which means high profits. Bottom feeding isn’t. These speculations are all about Apple fanboy lust just like the Apple dropping DRM rumor. Not that Jobs wouldn’t sell a ton of each of these items if they were produced and rake in vast sums of iCash from ‘the rest of us.’ Hmmm… So maybe this debunking is part of Jobs’ plan. So maybe we WILL see these. I wonder when I can order them…
Apple fans love speculating about imaginary new products almost as much as they love getting their hands on a brand-new MacBook Air.
But it’s easy to get carried away and take these speculative flights of fancy as true, or even as somewhat credible rumors.
The latest of these rumors is the $100 Walmart iPhone, such a preposterous proposition that we thought we’d take a look at the rather obvious reasons why Apple won’t be stripping either the price or the capacity of its highly successful cellphone.
And while we’re at it, let’s debunk the Apple netbook and the Apple tablet, two other rumors that refuse to die.
On a vaguely related note: Psystar, the Apple cloner, may have interesting backers.
I lost all faith in the author after reading his ridiculous position on the tablet.
The touch is not a PC. Its not even a proper PDA.
The only thing hes right on is price – between the Apple tax and the built-in Wacom tablet it would be expensive. But that’s never stopped Apple, the “premium” computer vendor before.
It wouldn’t replace a Mac pro with Wacom, but it would be good for students and on the go artist types. Apples target market would eat it up. It would also be another opportunity to show up MS.
Apple makes overpriced underfeatured garbage in shiny boxes for hipsters and people who find using a real computer too hard.
You will never see Apple products cheap, its not what they do. Part of their sales strategy is to overcharge for smugness and apple logos.
These are wishful thinking Apple fan wannabes who cannot afford Apple’s offerings currently so they keep spreading rumors hoping Apple will come down to their price range. My question to them is “Have you ever known Apple to sell anything cheap”? We look at Apple’s hardware as if it is something better then all the rest. Unless their importing parts from a advanced alien race I think they pretty much use what everyone else does. Now, I do like some Apple products but not because they are Apple. But because they fill the requirements that I need. For example I bought a iMac because my other choices did not fit my needs.
The trouble with some Apple fans is they tend to sacrifice their needs just to own a Apple product. I am like many who think Apple has missed a great opportunity by not making products for all income brackets.
The big rumor of a cheaper laptop certainly fell silent. But you would think Apple would take note of how popular of a ideal that was.
No, Steve Jobs has his richer Apple fans who continually can be convinced to upgrade on a frequent basis with little gripping about price or lack of features. What more could a CEO want?
I continue to be baffled about what the bfd is with Wal*Mart selling iPhones. They already sell other apple products (iPod, Nano, Shuffle). I don’t know what the pricing is, but I’ve seen them in there.
Computerworld says Wal*Mart is going to sell them, Bloomberg says Wal*Mart is going to sell them and that “associates” are being trained to sell them starting Dec. 15 (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a4YIU21gLaSY&refer=us); what’s with all the resistance to the rumor?
#1: What exactly is a PC by your definition?
The Touch runs an OS, has an easy to use UI, email, contacts, web browsing, music, video, photos, calendar, maps, notes, games, google docs… what more do you need?
I will give you that it doesn’t have a proper copy/paste implementation, but give it time.
#4,
First problem… You read computerworld… They are a crap publication. Hey did you see they printed a retration on your “Dell sells XP for $150” story, after a strongly worded phone call from Dell?
At least this time you go and get a second opinion from Bloomberg. It looks like Bloomberg did some fact checking beyond what Computerworld did.
But even then… Im thinking that after Christmas, sure Apple has no problem selling hundred dollar iPhones. Thats a price in which Apple totally domiates the market over the next year. It is a price that discounts for the crappy and expensive AT&T cell phone plan. Which AFAIK, apple gets a kick back from.
Im sure Apple has some economist out there saying… Woah look at all the stuff we are selling on iTunes, we should just give the iPhones away and make up the price on the back end.
Same as Microsoft does on the Xbox…
#3 jescott418
“For example I bought a iMac because my other choices did not fit my needs.”
You mean you work at a fashion magazine using photoshop to thin out pop/country singers and erase illicit drug abuse marks in starving models?
C’mon there’s plenty of room in this industry for variety. Here’s where gramps waxes nostalgic and says – I remember when there were lot’s of computers and each one was a world onto itself. For myself I make to much use of my computer to use an apple. 20 some years ago I went to buy a computer and I was to choose between a Commmodore Amiga 2000 or a Macintosh. Didn’t take long to decide for the Amiga. Simply put it was good for doing more things.
I think they’ve almost got it sussed with this iphone thingy because it can do so much, but cellphones, media players, and portable gaming platforms are consumer products and need to be priced as such. I don’t think an iphone qualifies as a status item anymore so this is a very smart move, if true.
Now if they’d just abandon itunes, I’d buy one myself.
I think another factor is the unique chinese ability to take every successful product on the market, reverse engineer it, and produce a decent low priced imitation.
If apple’s iphone isn’t too expensive people will be less enticed by cheap chinese imitations.
ikelleigh
I could be flip and say that the ability to run apps not blessed by Jobs would be important. You took my copy paste snyde remark too. =)
Seriously though, I see what you’re saying. It is a computer platform and very useful for certain activities. But its a matter of the right tool for the right job. Having a touch screen does not make it a tablet or an appropriate substitute.
Who cares about Apple!!
Where do they keep finding these great pictures of naked women with averts on them?
Um Boy!!!
#13 – ‘dro
STFU.