Assorted Afflatuses

It is no secret that Apple CEO Steve Jobs likes to surprise his audience. But nothing in my recent memory has created as much of a stir as Apple's decision yesterday to slash iPhone prices by $200, just two months after their release. Apple's share price fell by nearly five percent after the announcement. Investors, however, were not the only ones seething.

Admittedly, when I purchased my iPhone at the end of June, I knew that it would eventually see a price cut or some kind of improvement. But, as most industry analysts noted, such a drastic price cut two months after a product's introduction was, to say the least, unprecedented. I felt betrayed, wronged, and, above all, quite irate.

Even when I purchased a Nikon D50 for $1000, scarcely weeks after its release, it took Nikon over three months to cut the price by $100, or about 10%. Apple, in this instance, waited a scant two months to cut the price of the iPhone by nearly 40%.

But, around noon, Apple released a statement that, among other items, contained this statement:

Frankly, I still feel somewhat cheated, despite the fact that I will eventually receive a hundred dollar rebate. But, I suppose that is literal price of being on the cutting edge.