Comments on: iPad and iPad mini: As Google and Amazon fight up, Apple refuses to fight down

By: chano

chano — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:22:59 +0000

Older products are not irrelevant or lacking in value. I read somewhere that Apple was among many organisations offering to buy used iPhone 4S models.
In my experience as a multi-decade Apple product user, almost all products have a worthwhile residual value after even 4 years, certainly after 2 or 3. When I say ‘worthwhile’ I mean in its own terms as well as in comparison to resale values for products from other manufacturers.
On longevity, I wholly agree but this is another reason for the enhanced residual values – the damn things stay useful and usable for a very long time – especially given the OS upgrade path.

By: leakfreeroof

leakfreeroof — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:21:43 +0000

Spend too little and you’ll end up having to spend again to get what you really wanted …..

In the long run you end up spending almost double …..

In our trade, we say ….. The most expensive work, is rework!

By: felipe carlos

felipe carlos — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:18:39 +0000

Apple already does dominate in the tablet computer market. They created it, and do it better than anyone else. Quality control and customer services would be the problem with going for the low price/low margin market, and “total” market share as a goal (think India, China, Indonesia, etc…) why be GM when you can be BMW! I love Apple, have since the beginning, but a world where Apple was all you got to pick from would be too reminiscent of the days when M$ was a near monopoly. And M$ didn’t have to manufacture all the hardware. The sheer scale of one manufacturer owning all the market share is almost too daunting. With the little fish nibbling at the crumbs of a market Apple invented, it allows Apple to then invent the next big thing, the next market, and do it all over again.

By: silverhawk1

silverhawk1 — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:09:59 +0000

Is there even a resale value on a Kindle or Android tablet?

By: felipe carlos

felipe carlos — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:07:50 +0000

Why do you need to upgrade an iPad2? It can still run all the apps, and well. I’m still using an original iPad, because the damn thing just keeps doing it’s job… I think I’d like to be able to update iOS to the latest version, but up until iOS 6, I could still use the latest version of iOS 5. I’d probably be happy with an iPad2 for another couple years, as long as I kept my Mac up to date…

I guess I should offer to take your iPad2, since you don’t know anyone to give it to… I’ll take it… !

By: Pridon

Pridon — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:37:08 +0000

No need if you are selling all you can make and making record profits.

By: CitizenX

CitizenX — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:31:40 +0000

Apple has been this way since the early 80′s.

By: kingmel

kingmel — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:06:59 +0000

In truth, Apple is a premium brand, but not like Rolls Royce. Apple is a premium brand in terms of quality and utility offered at a competitive price via economy of scale manufacturing. The key is that competitors offering comparable devices will be hard-pressed to profitably match Apple’s current product pricing.

Apple is somewhat akin to Sony back in the late-1980s and early 1990s. You knew that you were paying a little more for a Sony Trinitron monitor, for instance, but you were willing to do that because you were confident in the quality of the product that you were getting. Back in those days, the accepted wisdom was that you “couldn’t go wrong with Sony.” Times have changed, of course, and that analogy is not a perfect one by any means. Apple, for instance, brings a whole ecosystem to the table rather than just individual products like a monitor. But the idea of quality and value is much the same.

By: C++

C++ — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:03:20 +0000

Also known as “buy once, cry once”

By: MBBM

MBBM — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:49:14 +0000

Quality over quantity is the best way to do business. We’re not talking about Whole Foods where $330 will only last a couple of weeks (I can see where someone wouldn’t want to spend $660 every month). Apple products are designed to be useful for a great deal of time. That said, I’m sttanding in line for early voting. Left iPad in car just in case line was long. If I already had my iPad mini, this wouldn’t be an issue.

By: G Spank

G Spank — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:04:28 +0000

I, for one, would LOVE to see Apple reduce some margins and attack for marketshare. At this point in the game, why not just DOMINATE?

By: disposableidentity

disposableidentity — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:24:11 +0000

I’ve said it before, but it’s appropriate here again:
Spend too much and you regret it once. Spend too little and you regret it every day.

And at only $330, for a computer you’ll use every day for years, regret isn’t even the word I’d use.

By: Would that Royce ...

Would that Royce ... — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:21:12 +0000

… happen to have the fuel economy and cargo capacity of my Mazda i3 HB? Maybe I would, at a similar price point. But, good acceleration and better handling are rare on cars in this class. “This” being a) 40 MPG highway, c) small-wagon capacity.
I’m not saying the M i3 HB is the best choice for everyone … different strokes and all that … but that Royce has a high benchmark to insert it’s “quality” into.
The PC brands have a good balance, as well. Half the price for half the expected life (and >twice the expected problems?). It isn’t just about the money. Usually.

By: Price and value are ...

Price and value are ... — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:09:03 +0000

… important when what you want is not “a working model” so much as “the latest working model”. I’m not saying the latest Android is in any way superior to a recent iOS, just that Apple products can be ANNOYINGLY long-lived. My wife has almost got the hang of her iPad2. That’s how long we’ve had it! Time for a new one, right? Who can we give it to?The grands all have better, already. A $199 bargain would have had the good graces to DIE already, giving us the stimulus to upgrade.

By: RastaMouse

RastaMouse — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:42:03 +0000

Resale value is not irrelevant when you want to know how much you can sell one for…

By: Zulkifli

Zulkifli — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:36:38 +0000

The problem is the device itself.
Apple compared it to an ipad 2 while the 4th Gen Ipad is 4 times better that the Ipad 2.

The price difference between the 2 is too small to be a logical purchase when comparing usage/technology and size…

By: Bizlaw

Bizlaw — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:35:07 +0000

While I understand your analogy, it’s not really appropriate because Apple isn’t really a “premium” brand just for the sake of throwing in luxuries just to be considered premium, and therefore demand a higher price.

I would say that Apple is a high-quality brand, a company which does not compromise its customers’ experiences simply for the sake of shaving a few bucks off the price. This is apparent in the materials used (aluminum vs. plastic for example) and the lengths Apple goes to in manufacturing complexities to create a thinner, lighter device. But quality costs money, aluminum costs more than molded plastic, but people appreciate the product and understand the differences.

By: Bizlaw

Bizlaw — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:30:27 +0000

Resale value for most computer and personal electronics gear is really irrelevant, especially from Apple’s perspective. It is difficult to get a good price from something you have owned and used for a year or more, and with the at which speed devices improve, your older model is quickly significantly outdated. Apple’s iDevices hold their value better than other devices, but the drop is still precipitous.

The more important measuring stick is longevity, and Apple soundly trumps the competition here. My iPhone 3GS are asking to be updated to iOS 6, while Android phones just a few months old can’t upgrade to the latest Android OS because the phone manufacturer doesn’t want to release the update (they want to sell you a new handset, not provide software).

By: 24january1984

24january1984 — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:29:51 +0000

I know a guy who always buys “cheap.” Has an Android tablet. Outspoken about the low price. Never mentions quality.

Every time I break out my iPad, his forehead gets shiny with defensive inner turmoil.

I pull it out whenever I can.

By: Netcruizer99

Netcruizer99 — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:22:40 +0000

What I don’t understand is how every one will make an issue of Apple’s prices, yet, we all know that Apple is a premium brand. With that said, not everyone can afford a Rolls Royce, its a premium brand, and regardless of what the true cost of manufacturing a Rolls Royce, people either buy one or not depending on whether they can afford it or not. The same true of Louis Vuitton handbags or any other designer items. You buy a brand based on real or perceived quality, and based on your personal spending ability.

Apple is no different, who would really want a Rolls Royce at $15,000 USD? I’m sure a lot would, but it is not going to happen. Same with Apple. the iPad, iPhone, & iPad mini. if I wanted a cheap tablet, I’d go with something cheaper and suffer the consequences, if I want quality, longevity, and premium components, I’ll buy Apple products.

By: RastaMouse

RastaMouse — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:20:07 +0000

I agree, price is irrelevant when you consider the longevity/resale value of an iPad in any flavour.

How many shitty $199 tablets will people go through while a single iPad keeps running?

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:16:15 +0000

They are entering a smaller tablet market so it makes sense to explain how the mini is worth getting compared to the cheap crap out. This is certainly normal for even apple. Remember the I’m a Mac commercial?

By: peterblood71

peterblood71 — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:10:31 +0000

I love how people go after Apple on what I think is fair pricing and making a profit on the device, when their competition are giving their’s away. Kinda two different corporate mindsets and philosophies that cheap & clueless Fandroid & Fanazons don’t seem to understand or appreciate the difference.