Anyone want to post a photo of Nelson Muntz?

There'll ALWAYS be a price drop around the corner, if you just wait a little longer ...

I'm still planning to wait for 3G and IM, though.

I bought a refurb 4gb iPhone for $399 a few weeks ago. Doh!

At least I didn't pay MORE than $399, and the iPhone is pretty slick. I guess on the bright side more people will buy iPhones now, and that should mean more support for it as well as more cool hacks.

<---------Just uploaded a pic to my profile..."Your image will appear shortly"...Let's see if this works...

@Buran: IM works pretty well on Meebo already, and there's an IM client that's progressing nicely called Apollo if you need something more serious. Tabbed IMs are coming in the next release.

@Canadian Impostor: I know, but I'd rather not depend on some thirdparty website for IM. Some people don't mind. I'm not comfortable with it.

Fair enough, like I said Apollo IM works pretty well too.

[gizmodo.com]

I don't want to hear ONE complaint from somebody who HAD to be the first, they HAD to wait in line, they HAD to show off.

Well now you see what your greed in being the cool kid on the block has wrought you.

I for one laugh at the early adopters of this product. Warnings were EVERYWHERE, especially from us long time Mac mavens. Wait we said, wait out the bugs and wait out the inevitable price drop when new iPods come out.

Were you listening? Are you now?

Yup. The surcharge is for bragging rights and the ineffable thrill of flaunting the latest and greatest. Nothing new in that - to each their own.

Yeah, although I thought it would be at least a year off. Oh well, that's annoying as all hell.

I'm very surprised they dropped it so much so quickly.

I was always of the mindset that I knew "the next big thing at a lower price" would happen, so therefore I'll enjoy what I have at the price I paid and be happy.

No point being overly bitter about it.

@Antediluvian: This is a much larger price drop much faster than most price drops happen. I was expecting $100 off in time for Christmas.

I'd guess that most people who had $600 to spend on the iPhone are okay with the fact that, in hindsight, they paid $200 for a couple months' advance use.

It's one thing to express a personal opinion that a certain gadget is overpriced, but lecturing strangers about how they spend their money is really unnecessary.

Best quote of the day by Steve Jobs...

"Wi-Fi, as you know, is not only faster than 2.5G, but it's faster than any 3G network"

Haha, keep dreaming there Steve-O.

I was one of the early adopters, and I have no re

Woah there, Captain. I think you had a little too much drama in yr coffee this morning.

It's good to see a price drop getting the rest of us a step closer to a more reasonable (read: 30 gigs, $300) product. At this rate, I may actually be ready to pick up a phone some time next year.

Whoopsie. As I was saying, I snapped up an iphone when they first came out, and I've already gotten at least two hundred dollars worth of sheer fun out of it.

I think the other gadget freaks out there know what I mean. I've endured two months of people asking me to show them my iphone, then lecturing me about being stupid for buying the first version.

To each their own. I love having the latest gadgets, you love telling me I shouldn't!

@maevro:

Um, it IS faster than any 3G network: 12 or 54Mbps vs. 5Mbps at the most for the next-gen WiMax.

How foolish I was to buy that flat screen TV. The price keeps dropping.

How foolish I was to buy that DVD player. The price keeps dropping.

How foolish I was to get a Razr Phone 4 years ago. The price keeps dropping.

Ok, back to my IBM PC Jr. I'd get a new PC, but I'm afraid it will get cheaper in a few months.

Message to all of the early-adopters of the iPhone: Sucks to be you!

This is exactly why I NEVER rush out to buy something new right away.

Still wouldnt buy one. slick interface coupled to a crippled phone. 2nd gen phone will probably be worth it though.

Having been a long time lurker here I finally feel compeled to add to this little discussion. As always, the best time to buy new tech is when you need it, there will always be something faster and shinier around the bend.

I got an iphone exactly 18 days ago, apple has said they will refund price differences for anyone who purchased within 14 days (as per their usual price protection plan) Still miffed, and out 200 bucks, I called the Apple store where I purchased the phone, spoke to an excellent manager, explained how long I had been an apple customer and how many apple products I own, and was promptly issued a $200 credit, which I then used to buy my partner his own iphone... I know this isn't everyone's experience with apple, but they have always done right by me

They've also released a new iPod that has the same functions as the iPhone (and looks the same) without the phone for $300. A Wifi surfing iPod! I'll definately be picking myself up one of those when the price drops below $100 for used ones on ebay.

FYI, if you bought your iPhone form Apple in the last 15 (maybe 30?) days, you can apply to Apple to get a price-protection credit. If not, you could always return it and buy a new one for cheaper.

@ChrisC1234: Avoid first generation products because there will be bugs, incompatibilities, and other general wonkiness. Don't avoid it because the price will drop because the price always drops for these things. If you believe it's worth the price then buy. In the few months or years you spend waiting for a price drop, you could actually be using it and enjoying it.

@JustAGuy2: Yeah, but it's laughable to somehow imply that WiFi connectivity is comparable to a real 3G network. Unless you happen to travel exclusively in areas that have WiFi blankets, how exactly will the superior speed of WiFi help you?

@beyond: I think it will be a while before the price drops to <$100 on ebay.

Better suggestion: Make friends with an Apple early-adopter. Tell him or her that when it's time to replace the item you want, you'll offer a fair price for the used equipment. You'll each have some certainty in the future: you'll get a nice product, known owner, and at a fair price; your friend has a known-good buyer waiting for the used item, offsetting the cost of the new one. Win-win!

Alternatively, you could become the Apple early-adopter and make friends with people who will buy your stuff one generation removed. :-)

@ChrisC1234: Whatever. I've got a phone I absolutely love, was okay (not great, but okay) with paying the price I did, and will have used it for several months or more before the next version arrives. This was part of the math I do when deciding whether to buy something or wait:
Will I enjoy it enough for the amount of time I use it before the new ones come out? Yes? Buy it now. No? Wait longer.

Personally, I needed an new PDA and a new cell phone at the time the iPhone was released. I wavered, but was swayed upon using it. The hubby was the final factor: he really wanted one now, so we bought.

I bought the iPhone the day it came out. I'd do it again. It's a great phone and having it for two months is worth $200.

The price drop is for THE SAME PHONE, not a new version. So your argument that waiting will get you a better product is moot in this case.

Your advice is good if you can't afford it or have to go into debt to buy it. But I'm not in debt, and can afford $600 for a badass phone. F**k off for trying to make me feel bad about my purchase.

HAAAAA hahahahahahahaha! As soon as I can figure out how to activate it with my current AT&T subscription, I think I might buy one. Or wait until the NEXT price drop.

Suckers...

This is crap.
Two MONTHS is a ridiculously short time for a 30% (THIRTY PERCENT) price drop.

For a site who loves to pity those idiots who try to get frequent flier tickets with two weeks notice or knock companies for pricing 100 calorie snacks higher than the "economy size", somehow THIS is the issue where it's "Buyer Beware"?

And let's note, no one is complaining about the bugs or kinks on the machine, it's specifically the price.
Seriously, a 30% price drop within 2 months is unprecedented.

(yes, I bought one...)

I think the chinese have made a pirated iphone called a tphone, if anyone is interested.

[www.yourfilehost.com]

To all those that bought at $600.00 and are grousing:

You thought it was worth $600.00 when you bought it, didn't you?

And what's with all the snarky Apple-baiting on the Consumerist?

I don't usually buy first gen electronics, but usually because of potential bugs. For the most part, price isn't something early adopters can complain about - you almost always get screwed. This applies doubly to mobile phones. My RAZR dropped in price by $125 dollars 30 days after it's release on T-Mobile's network. It happens.

And yes, I bought two 8GB models on release day. I was happy when I bought them and I'm still happy today.

@CaliforniaCajun:
I don't see any comments here from someone who bought one and is grousing. The only grousing comments seem to be from people who DIDN'T buy one.

The closest is probably my own comment that it's annoying that they dropped the price so much so quickly. Historically Apple has never done a price drop that large that quickly, and I had factored that into my purchase decision.

What would the posts look like if it was a year later that the first price drop happened? Would people by saying "ha ha" you should have waited a year?

Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

@CaliforniaCajun:

My impression is that it is now becoming cool to hate Apple because of its ubiquitous iPod and increasing market share. The masses have taken away the high of liking something that few others did, and no self-respecting person in the know about such things can admit to liking a mass-consumed product. That or envy.

I've been screwed out of my 200$, and from traffic on the apple fan boards, it pissed a lot of people off. Apple rarely ever does price drops, they just add more features. This reeks of desperation to hit the 1million mark by the end of September, but it will also cause a lot of people to avoid buying apple next time.

The iPhone does have a significant benefit: being able to browse most pages from anywhere. Until other smartphones have that, they're just not practical. It's amazing how many times you need the web. For example, to look up a recipe at the grocery store or compare prices while at another store

HAHAHAHAHAHA! i-suckers! I've had all these capabilities for over a year on my tytn, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

And while Microsoft isn't exactly best friends with most consumers, the fact that Apple would so blatantly screw their customers out of hundreds of dollars is just sad. 30% in 2 months?!?!? For all your iphone owners, I hope the $600 shiny brick in your pocket was worth the 2 months of novelty. Because thanks to Apple, now you're outdated.

It isn't like they exploded in their face or something. They still have a perfectly good phone, but paid a little more for it.

Geez. People excited about something that enhances their lives is a good thing. Don't be so hard on them.

i've had my iphone for about a month.

no regrets. i knew i was being a douche bag for buying a phone like that but i usually don't end up buying a phone at subsidized price. my pearl was $300 when i got it. it's now $50 after rebates and such. i didn't regret that either. i look at the product and weighed the features i would use against the price. i thought it was worth it and i don't mind. and admittedly, flashing that thing around town for the last month was worth it. hahah. i know. i'm a dork. actually i'm stoked for my little cousin who has been saving up at his retail gig to buy one.

I'm loving all those profiteer iPhones on Craigslist & ebay! Thought you'd get $1K for that thing - wrong. Then maybe at leat cost + 10% - wrong. Now what you gonna get?

@autogeneric: I got an iphone exactly 18 days ago (14 days is their usual price protection plan). Miffed, and out 200 bucks, I called the Apple store ... and was promptly issued a $200 credit, which I then used to buy my partner his own iphone

I had the same experience buying a Nano. Bought one for a friend one three weeks before the slim, shiny model was announced. Showed up at the Apple Store with big, puppy-dog eyes. The rep smiled and said, "That doesn't seem fair. But we don't have the new models in stock..."

Reflexively, experienced in dealing with normal retail people and consumer electronics companies, I was readying to marshall an argument to pummel them with Justice. Only to be interrupted by her saying,

"How about if we refund your Nano right now, and when we get the new ones in, you can get the new one?"

I'm imagining what Dell would do in that situation. Or the Zen people. Or Microsoft. Or Best Buy. A full refund, no muss, outside the window for a perfectly functioning device. With no strings. Simply trusting a customer. What a concept.

Needless to say, I was back in a couple weeks (the black one shipped a bit later than the white one), happy.

Some penny-pinchers say Apple is expensive (I'd argue they're a great value - cheap when taking in the whole picture). Ours are some of those examples proving it.

Today may go down as the day Apple jumped the shark.

I'd be ticked if I bought an iPhone only to be told 60 days later it was $200 cheaper. As a long time Apple user, I'll be waiting on any future purchases at least 90 days after release.

hey jules, look what i bought! it's a CD player. it set me back like 700 bucks. no! it doesn't play records! it plays CDs!

@itmustbeken:

Today may go down as the day Apple jumped the shark.

Congrats - you're the 10,000,000th person to think that in the last 15 years. Here's a cookie for your sharp business acumen.

@rmz: He's trying to get people to buy the slow EDGE-only phones. Apple goofed by not putting 3G in the phone from the beginning and wants people to forget.

@uricmu: Lots of phones can do it, but don't do it well.

I don't think, though, that people got "ripped off". Early adopters had the use of the phone for a few months already. That might be worth it to some.

@thirdgen: Good point. I bought something from them, the price went down a bit, and I phoned in and asked politely for the credit. It only took a few minutes and I got the credit posted to my credit card within a few days.

@Whoa: Either that or because there's been Apple-bashing for years, and people do it because it seems cool and the "in" thing, or it's a knee jerk.

For instance, I hear frequently about how Macs cost more, when in fact frequently doing the math shows that Macs actually have a lower total cost of ownership once you factor in things like needing AV software on the PC. So once a few people don't do the research and make assumptions and widely spread them around, others assume they must be true.

This hurts Apple as much as any actual problem they may have with products.

I called AMEX and tried to file under their Platinum Price Guarantee. Little did I know that this program ended in October 2006. They went ahead and issued me a $200 courtesy credit anyways, which made me a very happy camper.