From the Desk of the Liquid Engineer

Unlocking, Part Deux

I suppose I must admit that I’m rambling about the iPhone more and more lately because since the price dropped, it’s become a device I could see myself owning one day, as opposed to an “oh, wow, that’s really nifty but I can’t even come close to justifying the cost” gadget. (And by the time I’m actually ready to buy a new cell phone in 2009, it’ll no doubt be even cheaper.)

In my previous post on the subject, I noted that the method covered by Macworld, involving lots of command line manipulations, was by no means an easy process. That’s changed now, as the iPhone Dev Team has announced a version of their software with a graphical user interface. Just put the application on your iPhone, press the unlock button, and in 3-5 minutes you should have a working, totally unlocked device. Nifty. The Geek Factor for doing the unlock is probably, in my estimation, now a 2/10. Before I would’ve said it was an 8/10, for sure. Too much command line kung fu that could easily go wrong.

A Touch of Music

The recently announced (but not yet shipping) iPod touch (no, that’s not a capitalization error) is being marketted as an iPhone without the phone. It’s still got Wifi, so you can use it to surf the web wherever wireless internet is available. Starbucks, for example. Apple and Starbucks would both really like it if you took your iPod touch there. Frequently.

That being said, there are some important differences between the iPhone and the iPod touch that prospective buyers of either device should be aware of. They are summed up quite nicely at iProng. As a sidenote–and this is purely my own speculation, backed up by nothing more than my own musings as I stared entranced into the swirling spices of my Thai Red Curry with Beef on Friday–note that the iPod touch comes in two capacities, 8 and 16 GB, whereas the iPhone only comes in 8 GB. I strongly suspect the iPhone price drop was in preparation for the launch of a 16 GB model for perhaps $100-$150 dollars more. I’m guessing the only reason we haven’t yet seen such a device is because of a shortage of available 16 GB NAND flash, the storage medium inside these devices. Apple wouldn’t roll out a product just to have to deal with constant supply problems.

The Rebate

Much has been made of the entire price-drop-rebate fiasco regarding the iPhone. Too much, in all likelihood. Most sane people wouldn’t get terribly upset that technology gets faster and cheaper. Rather than griping about it en masse, those who purchased it and felt they had been wronged should have persued their options. It’s standard Apple policy to refund the difference of a price drop within fourteen days of purchase, and most major credit cards offer some form of price protection. If neither price protection nor the Apple 14 day guarantee were available, well, that is certainly unfortunate, but it’s the nature of technology. When I bought my current laptop, a model with the same form factor, a faster processor, more memory, and faster USB connectors was announced within a month–for the same amount of money. That kinda thing–more features for the same amount of money–is arguably more galling than a price drop on existing tech. I was bummed, sure, but these things happen in the technology industry. It’s inevitable.

My bottom line, I guess: be comfortable with your tech purchases. A newer, faster, better, cheaper product will come out, whether it’s computers or MP3 players or toaster ovens. But when you go to buy something, you should be pleased with what you’re getting, happy enough with what you’re getting, that you won’t care. The device you’ve just bought will be enough for your needs (or possibly more than enough), so it’s okay that something new arrived. If you think something costs too much money, or you’re afraid something brand new is about to come out immediately, hold off. My strategy for this, as an Apple user, is simple. If something new is supposedly coming in a set amount of time that will replace the thing you want to buy, wait and see if it actually materializes. Never buy right before Apple special events, be they scheduled annually or announced specifically. If a new piece of software from Apple is coming in a short amount of time (like Leapord, due the end of October) hold off on your hardware purchase until after it’s out, so the software will be bundled with your new hardware. These principles apply equally well to other tech areas, though I’ll admit I only actively use a calendar to plan purchases when it comes to Apple products.

Having said all that, two caveats. First, if you really need something now, get it now. Your new laptop that does everything you need and more will not stop being awesome because something new came out. Sure, the new thing may be more awesome, but odds are you’ve already got more awesome than you will really need for a long time to come. Second, you’ll be a happier consumer if you put a little planning into your purchases and less likely to get sideswiped with new products a month or two after you buy something, but occasionally, despite your best efforts, you will get bitten by something like this iPhone price drop. When it happens, pursue whatever fiscal compensation you can through price matching, but remember that companies that sell things do so to make money. They are, in general, not out to screw you, but they certainly won’t hesitate to charge the highest price they can for as long as they can. As a consumer, you implicitly agree to the supply/demand arrangement through your purchase, and early adopters always pay more for less.

Apple’s in store rebate was less a concession they had done anything wrong and more a way to get an overly loud minority of fanboys with entitlement complexes and a lack of understanding of basic economics to shut up. In reality, Apple only spends about fifty dollars on an in store rebate for 100 dollars because of wholesale prices, etc., and likely ends up making even more money because having that rebate in your hands makes you a lot more likely to want to buy something that costs over 100 dollars, like a new iPod touch. To reiterate, Apple loses nothing, comes away with good PR for responding so swiftly and decisively to perceived customer outrage, and sucks even more of your money into its coffers.

The paranoid part of me wonders if they planned this the whole time.

[tags]iphone, apple, apple iphone, unlock, iphone unlock, ipod touch, starbucks, rebate, iphone rebate[/tags]

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