My good buddy, Woz, is fuming over the recent price drop on the iPhone and says the refund policy isn’t fair.
Nobody expects a product to drop that much in price in such a short time,” said Wozniak, the driving force behind the original Apple I and II computers. “Steve Jobs and everyone expects technology to drop in price. The first adopters always pay a premium. I am one of them. I am used to that. But that one was too soon, too harsh.
His complaints are fueled by the fact that he can’t recoup the any of the refunds on the iPhones he gave away as gifts.
If I bought it and gave it as a gift they get the discount,” he said of the Apple $100 credit policy for early iPhone buyers. “Why don’t you just take my receipt and give me the money back? And of course it always comes back to Apple Store credit. So instead of getting $100 back you are getting $50 back sort of. It is very optimal to the company. I feel badly about the situation for everyone. I don’t think Apple should have even done it. Maybe a very much more gradual price reduction, $50 at first or find ways to bundle it into a savings on your account.
He’s also not too happy about the way Apple has veered away from making a simple and useful UI like they did back in the good ole days. Woz compares Apple to MS in that they’ve become a monopoly and the work is shoddy. Like whoa.
We have learned the formulas and a lot of that (innovative) thinking has gone away,” he said. “Now we (at Apple) are a monopoloy as much as Microsoft. If you’re going to buy a Macintosh you’re going to buy a Macintosh and we don’t need quality to sell.
He isn’t too keen on the iPhone’s voice quality, either, so he has a separate mobile for calls.
I was bit surprised when I read this next quote, but it sort of makes sense. This is all in reference to the Web browsing experience that sets the iPhone apart from all other smart phones. (Multi-touch being the other obvious feature)
Sony should have done it,” he said. “They had the Clie long ago with the big screen and they just didn’t find the right formula. In a lot of these cases, Apple has replaced Sony in making the best products that everyone wants.
I’m inclined to agree with Woz on this point. Now if only he’d come clean about Kathy Griffin.
Apple Legend Woz Blasts iPhone Price Drop And Refund Policy [Channel Web Network]