Apple iPod Upgrade Fatigue
The new and improved Nano, with its "vibrant" colors, still costs a cool $149. Didn't Steve Jobs and his cohorts just try and shake me down for a few hundred dollars a couple of months ago for a new version of the iPhone? They did. I was there the minute the doors opened on the East Coast.
Oh, and the price for an 8GB Nano dropped $50 -- before you know it, iPods will be turning up in dollar stores.
If only we were that lucky.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that my personal computer is a Mac. I own an iPod. The only thing I haven't bought yet is an iPhone, and that's just because I'm waiting for the next version to come out sometime in the next 15 to 20 minutes -- I hear it will have the ability to perform advanced particle physics in Switzerland.
I'll probably get one. Personal black holes are oddly compelling.
I don't want Apple to stop doing what they're best at, but would some kind of upgrade package be out of the question? It might slash into their profits somewhat, but they could make that money up through new customers because of the fresh PR blitz they could launch.
Imagine the headlines: "Jobs delivers used iPods to Impoverished Youths; iTunes Subscription Withheld." Let's face it, the company still needs to turn a profit and just giving away copywritten content -- well, that's a whole other issue.
Here is how I would run the program, let's use the new Nano as an example. If you purchase the new 8GB Nano at $149, Apple should offer an upgrade guarantee for another $50, like a warranty. If a new version of the Nano is released with 18 months customers can go back to the retail outlet and receive the latest version for free. The free upgrade would be contingent upon returning the old hardware which could then be donated to charities, refurbished and resold by Apple or the old parts can be vultured and recycled into new products.
"Jobs Launches Hardware Recycling Program, Gets Hug From Redwood Tree." How's that for a headline?
That $50 upgrade fee would be non-refundable and forfeited by the consumer if they didn't take advantage of it within the allotted time or if Apple didn't release a new, comparable product within 18 months.
The cynics out there are probably thinking that Apple would likely wait 19 months before releasing a new version of the Nano. You might be right. But Apple stakes its reputation on innovation and always being in front of their customers with something new and shiny. Luring customers into their stores to spend money is their modus operandi after all. I haven't crunched any numbers or ran and cost/benefit ratios and the fine print would still have to be written, so this could be even more pie in the sky than it sounds. But think of how much more excitement Apple could generate among their fans and supporters if they all had $50 and a new toy riding on Steve Jobs' every word.