Nick Wingfield writes for The Wall Street Journal that there’s “a downside to the pace of innovation at Apple Inc.”
“By constantly redesigning its products, introducing new ones and trumpeting the changes in high-profile marketing campaigns, Apple has habituated many of its customers to living in a semipermanent upgrade cycle for new gadgets. The risk is in disappointing consumers who feel their new purchases are instantly outmoded. Someone who got a Mac laptop over the holidays, for example, could feel bitter if Apple, as expected, introduces a new portable Mac at Macworld,” Wingfield writes.
“Apple users may feel the sting of obsolescence more acutely than those of other companies’ products. In recent years, Apple has averaged about one major new release of its Mac operating system a year. In contrast, about five years passed between major releases of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows XP and Vista operating systems,” Wingfield writes. “‘Given the fact that the pace of Apple product improvements is between two times and four times faster than PC-based products, Apple buyers will always have a higher degree of buyer’s remorse,’ says Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Citymark” for the heads up.]
Apple’s rapid pace of innovation could lead to buyer’s remorse, but what’s the alternative? We’d much rather experience technology the Apple way than wait forever for badly-faked versions of Apple’s old products.
Direct link via YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvn_Ied9t4M
As Wingfield himself quotes in his full article, here’s what Apple CEO Steve Jobs had to say on the matter just a few months ago, “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. If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you’ll never buy any technology product because there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon. The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.”
therefore buy it as soon as it’s released
apple rarely discounts their products, with the exception to the iphone.
in any case, consumers always never research when buyng… if they had, they’d be looking on MDN and waiting for macworld before buying
Gee, my 2002 Quicksilver runs the latest OS and stuff just fine. Oh, and my 89 Mustang is working great too.
So, buyers remorse? No. I think they were wise purchases.
My Windows XP machine, which I put together in 2004 is going out the door soon. Viruses, strange XP things like losing network settings, and just general system slowdowns. That is buyers remorse there.
Here’s one – OSX.
Can you answer four questions for me please –
1) How do define … pushing the human race forward?
2) How and what is your personal contribution to this objective?
3) Why are you so angry and full of self loathing?
4) What’s it like living in the dark-ages?
@Steve : “… … you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.”
Like suitable garphic cards to upgrade older MacPros, for instance?
Please Steve, do something about having the “futur obsolete” machines to be still usefull for, at least, the next 3 years… My MacPro “was” a top of… You know.
“WSJ: Apple’s rapid pace of innovation could lead to buyer’s remorse”
Translation: “Apple’s rapid pace of innovation could lead to anti-Apple tech writers finding it increasingly difficult to come with anything negative to say about Apple.”
It is amazing, just amazing that you were not put down at birth – now that would have pushed the human race forward.
It is amazing, just amazing that you are even allowed access to a computer at the asylum.
It is amazing, just amazing that you have not yet achieved a “Darwin Award of the Year” (FYI – The Awards honour people who ensure the long-term survival of the human race by removing themselves from the gene pool in a sublimely idiotic fashion.) but hey! hang in there … anytime soon we suspect.
It is amazing, just amazing that I am responding to the inane drivel of a knobhead.
This would be true if the product being replaced sucked, and the new version was much better. With Apple, that is seldom the case (at least not recently). Because the older version of Apple products is usually great, I often find myself regretting not getting it while it was still available new. For example, I like the old (first gen) iPod shuffle USB stick design more than the current clip-on version.
A bit sad if people would rather be in the situation where they are saddled with old technology, like it or not, than a real choice of either staying with something or moving up to something at least potentially better, should they choose to do so. If they are happy with what they have then why be upset with choosing not to update- its simply called being adult about your decision making. Obviously if people want to be shielded from the opportunity to use better technology because not having it will make them depressed is not a good indication of their ability to deal with life generally.
Of course one could stick with the Microsoft concept of doing your best to prevent anyone doing anything better by controlling the market place so that their customers are deluded enough to accept what they have as at the forefront of technological achievement thus reducing costs and maximising profits so that the big white chief can promote himself as the most generous man in the World. However that way someone some where who you cant snuff out or buy off WILL eventually take away your markets with a better alternative. History tells us that.
Another FUD spew. A load of kaka. An jerk journalist spins Apple’s innovation machine into a negative.
Well, the ever ending new line of intel chips every six months or so helps to give this feeling.
Remember the power pc days? You’d buy a powerbook or a powermac to find out that in eight months they upgraded your model ..from 1.33 to 1.42 ghz!
Make no mistake, I’m glad Apple chose the road it did. It’s just that the ‘six months later, my machine’s obsolete’ feeling is a natural consequence of that. And before you flame me, I said it’s a feeling.
…too much change isn’t good.
1: Glossy screens
2: OS insecurities
3: iPhone insecurities
4: “Stacks”
5: Employee burnout
6: Long lines at the Genius Bar
7: Over complicated OS
8: Lack of corporate space in Cupertino
9: Third party developers not making a return on their investment because the OS changes, thus they have to provide too many updates which costs money.
10: Boot Zune Tang off of MDN.
On the other hand, since the US economy is headed for a recession now, it’s perhaps best for Apple to introduce something new for those who can pay.
Because most people won’t be able to afford anything except essentials in the near term and Apple still needs to make a buck.
Oh, and just like anything else, the decision to upgrade or not is still common sense: if the machine you’ve got does what you need it to do, keep using it. If it doesn’t, or if a new machine will pay for itself in increased efficiency or productivity, upgrade.
The Amish have the solutions.
So let’s be a little more accurate in posting Microsoft garbage. The truth of the matter is that Microsoft began working on “Longhorn”…. remember Longhorn, vintage 1996? Just because they changed the name of the project from Longhorn to Vista, doesn’t mean they worked on it for 5 years, because the “reality distortion field” FACT is that Microsoft worked on their “next generation” operating system for 10 years.
Apple, on the other hand, began working on Copeland around 1995, purchased NeXT and rolled that OS work into the OS “X” project. Not quite as long in development as VISTA, but one would have to go back to NeXT to find out how long the OS had been worked on before the Apple acquisition. Bottom Line is that no matter how long it took, Apple beat Microsoft to market by several years with their respective “next generation” OS.
Damn it… a spade is a spade!
Hahahaha – buyer’s remorse. My Macintosh Cube from 2000 is still running strong (on Tiger), and my old 60 GB color iPod still gets me through workouts. I’m so broke up with remorse I can hardly stand it.
This asswipe is trolling for hits. MDN – you need to post your disclaimer “Think before you click”.
Do journalists actually get paid to write this nonsense. I hope car manufacturers don’t come out with better brakes because I’ll have buyers remorse. Such stupid thinking or is this just pure paid FUD.
All my Apple products still work the the same or better due to software updates as the day I bought them.
HA, Welcome to my world switchers!
Don’t turn us into Microsoft because YOU can’t handle “the ride.”
That’s a price I’ve paid being along for the fast paced ride (since the 1980’s) with Steve & Co.—-the coolest innovating company on the planet! Is it aggravating at times? YES. Would I want to change that scenario? NO NO NO.
Smack that guy…nick.wingfield@wsj.com
@Sometimes…
You are about to be trashed. No matter how dead center on target you are, around here YOU have just become the target. Don’t you know, his Steveness can do no wrong. NO WRONG. Do you hear me? Moron.
apple rarely discounts their products, with the exception to the iphone.
Which is good.
Look at so many automakers: they don’t offer discounts to be charitable, they offer discounts (in part) to create artificial demand & move overstock self-caused by brain-dead supply chain management.
I’d rather see Apple make money, not lose it.
On the other hand, since the US economy is headed for a recession now, it’s perhaps best for Apple to introduce something new for those who can pay.
Apple-branded soup bowls?
Good idea Nick! Let’s all go with MORE MEDIOCRITY. That’s what we need.
It’ll be really really good for us and we’ll all be happier!
Stick with Dell and Windows then old boy!
I can’t believe people get paid for this stuff. One year Apple is getting criticized for not updating the ipod in a whole year and then Apple gets criticized for rapid change.
Apple hasn’t changed the “this or that” in so long and then BOOM, Apple sucks because they upgrade too often.
Anyone of us could be writing this crap. I read more informative blog posts than supposedly well respected magazine articles.
So, keep up the god work posters.
Buyer’s remorse has always existed with technology and Apple isn’t contributing anything new to consumers.
This WSJ author is just writing FUD.
I agree. I’m stupid. Sorry!