Steve Jobs, ya let me down.
I’ve spent a great deal of time tonight reading some of the blogs and initial takes on the new MacBook and MacBook Pro lines you revealed today. Before they were released, I was in a lather, eager to (and trying to figure out how I could) buy one.
Then I looked at the one I wanted, the MacBook. No more firewire port? So much for capturing video! A non-standard video out port? No PCMCIA port (again)? And an entry level price of $1299??! WHAT?
Yes, the aluminum manufacturing process looks cool, as does the glass track pad and LED screen. BUT come on, Apple. If you have not noticed, the economy is in a funk. People (including me) are being far more selective about their spending. ALL consumer electronic prices are going down (Black Friday is going to be a shopper paradise, with deals everywhere). Heck, Steve, you even dropped the prices on your own iPhone. TWICE!
Analysts were predicting an aggressive price point on new laptops, and instead you dropped the entry level price of the OLD MacBook $100, and it’s STILL overpriced compared to similar Windows-based laptops. And, after spending an hour talking about how cool these new laptops are, who want’s last years model? ESPECIALLY since this comes off (to me, at least) as Apple’s attempt to clear out old inventory that did not sell during the back-to-school buying season.
Yes, R&D for this new tooling and hardware costs money, and those costs have to be covered by the “early adopter tax” that many Apple acolytes pay to have the newest products on ship-date (been there, done that, drank the kool-aid). But, really? TAKING AWAY something (Firewire) and charging MORE? Sorry, but no sale.
What an opportunity lost… Apple could have come out, said “we want EVERYONE to know how wonderful our products are – $899 for our new laptop!” They could have doubled their market share in a year’s time. They didn’t, and instead focused on maintaining margins and hitting thier short-term profit numbers. A damn shame, really. But hey, I’m not a CEO of anything, so what do I know?
(Though I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night…)
I MAY end up buying a new laptop over the next six months (and if the initial price goes down before spring, like what happened with the iPhone, I may get one of the new MacBooks). On the other hand, I may just stuck with my four-year old Powerbook.
It does the job when I need it.
AND it has Firewire.