CUPERTINO, CA — The same people who were totally in love with Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs and his much anticipated iPhone just a few short months ago fell decidedly out of love with the man and his plan when the price of the spendy new tech toy recently plummeted in a move to make Americas feel it was even more indispensable.After learning that the iPhone early purchasers had spent a tidy $600 on had been dropped to $400 in an attempt to make them more affordable, an outcry of protest swept the country.
Jobs, in an attempt to appease disgruntled fans of his combination cell phone, music player, and Web browser posted a letter of apology and explanation on the Apple.com website, stating that “Even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of the iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job of taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price.”
To sweeten the deal, Jobs announced that a $100 store credit would be available to early buyers who purchased their iPhones at Apple or exclusive service provider AT&T stores and are not qualified for other rebates.
The move, motivated to acknowledge and lessen the ire of those whose loyalty or curiosity compelled them to sample the new gadget upon release, came after two days of falling Apple shares, which some worry may be a result of the price cut and associated rebates could cause damage to iPhone profits.
Although Apple has not revealed total sales numbers, Reuters reports that the company claims 270,000 sales during the first two days of availability and anticipates selling 1 million iPhones by the end of this month.
According to Jobs, hundreds of angry users have written to him directly, while untold numbers more vented their spleen via websites and message forums.
“Early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like this,” Jobs admitted, acknowledging that early purchasers were feeling unappreciated and taken advantage of.
Although offering the rebate as an apology of sorts, Jobs’ letter argued that the “iPhone is a breakthrough product,” and that consumers need to remember that “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 new whatever,” concluding that “This is life in the technology lane.”
It has been an Apple policy to refund price differences when products become less expensive within two weeks of purchase.
The full text of Jobs’ statement can be found at Apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter.
