So yesterday Steve Jobs announces the "iPod Touch" - basically everything an iPhone does just minus the phone part. It takes great pictures, has great music, a gorgeous screen, browses for WiFi, etc. It costs either $299 for an 8GB model or $399 for a 16GB model.
Hmmm... sounds a lot cheaper than the $499 and $599 iPhone models. It is! So, voila! iPhone prices drop. The $499 4GB model is gone and the $599 model is now only $399 for 8GB.
So basically people like me who spent $599 for the iPhone in June paid a $200 premium. I wasn't pleased but what are you going to do? Well, some people wrote to Jobs directly and told him to put his apple where the sun doesn't shine. What does Jobs do?
Jobs does what politicians rarely do. He apologizes AND he offers a $100 credit at an Apple store for the early iPhone buyers. Nice move.
So why don't more politicians follow his move?
Why don't more politicians who get caught with their pants down say, "You know what? I was wrong, I am sorry, I am going to do something about it?" Why is that sort of humility so rare?
I don't get it.
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Because politics doesn't attract humble people. You have to be some kind of egotist to think you deserve that much power and are entitled to keep it once you have it.
Some degree of humility is the difference between a politico and a statesman or stateswoman.
There are notable examples of apologies - David Vitter, the Louisiana senator apologized and didn't run away from the DC madam charges. Others like Bill Clinton have eventually apologized and George W. Bush has sort of apologized for the Iraq failings. But these have been apologies of last resort. What is impressive about Jobs is that the apology was so quick and that it was followed up with a penance of sorts - the $100 Apple gift credit.
Um, doesn't most technology drop in price once its been on the market?
Gene Robinson isn't nearly as sanguine ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090602272.html
The difference is simple: Steve Jobs is afraid that he's lose you as a customer, and therefore Apple's slim share of the cell phone market. Politicians know that thanks to party loyalty, party money, and gerrymandering, they don't have to worry about holding on to their jobs. People will vote for them again and again because the incumbent is well known, and the only other option is a member of the "scary" opposition party.
I don't see Apple offering credits to iPod owners who recently bought 80GB iPods for $349 now that the new 80GB iPod Classic is only $249. That's because the iPod has the market sewn up. What are angry customers going to do, go buy a ZUNE?!?
But Apple has a slim portion of the cell phone market and they are desperate to keep customers and attract more. It's easier to be humble when you don't have all the power.
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