There’s a Worm in My Apple…

Well, Apple has done it again.

Remember when the iPhone was released, and then a few months later they reduced the price? An uproar of epic proportions arose when the people who had waited in line for hours realized that not only do they need to get a wee bit more of a life, but that they’ll have $200 less cash in their pockets to do so. Apple, in a slight mea culpa, offered $100 vouchers to those who had, obviously, overpaid for the privilege of being among the first to have one.

Yeah.

I don’t think that Apple really did anything unethical. They’re allowed to reduce their prices if they choose. But I’m not sure if it’s worth the bad taste that’s left in the mouths of the original buyers, let alone the rest of the computer-shopping world.

Well, for Christmas I bought my husband the new computer he’d been saving for. As a graphic designer/art director/production director he really needed a new one, as his old one was 7 years old and had been updated as much as it could be.

So, in early December I ordered the MacPro with an upgraded 8 core processor and 1G of RAM (or something, I’m computer illiterate), and plunked down $4000 for the privilege. He was in disbelief when he opened his present on Christmas morning (he’s quite familiar with my frugality). He was thrilled! I was thrilled that he was thrilled (though I tried really hard not to think of the $4000)! All was happy in our house! Yay!

Then, yesterday, I got a call from said husband. Apple has just announced the new MacPro, with the 8 core processor as standard, and 2G of RAM standard, and more things that are … better than what we bought. For less than we paid for the inferior version, 4 weeks prior. And they sent us an e-mail announcing it!

Husband was very unhappy. He wanted me to call Apple and see what they’re willing to do. I told him it would be better if he called, because my call would sound something like, “The computer we bought doesn’t have as many bells and whistles as we could have gotten if we waited a month! What bells and whistles? Um, the thingy that makes it go fast. And the whatchamacallit that does something else my husband needs!”

Besides, once again Apple did nothing unethical. But it sure left a bad taste in, well, several mouths.

He did call them, and they issued a $200 voucher that my husband will use to buy more RAM, so he’s happy.

If he’s happy, I’m happy. And, you know, that’s what I live for.