Buyers Remorse?
Ok I posted this on Facebook but figured it was a good rant for my blog as well. ๐
I’m not sure if I fully understand Apples Marketing plan – I get the iPad mini (maybe) I mean it seems like they’re trying to back step to grab the kindle fire market. But I DON’T get the release of the iPad 4 only 6 months after the iPad three came out.
Yeah it has improvements but does that make more Apple users have buyers remorse that they jumped in for the “new thing” when it rolled out? Similar thing happened with the iPhone 4s, it was like wait for it…. OH cool uh not the 5. You know 6 months ago they knew about the iPad 4 did they seriously think that many people will ditch their iPad 3 after 6 months to have the new IT thing?
I’m bad about wanting to get a product out the door and then not releasing the trigger because I have one more tweak before I release it. I guess I’m trying to figure out when good enough is good enough and what will keep purchasers from having that buyers remorse I kind of see with the Apple Mini / iPad 4 launch.
Let me know what you think if you have an iPad 3 will you upgrade already? Will you ditch the new 3 for the iPad mini? Also if you’d like to comment let me know how you decide when the product is “good enough”.
Frankly I think Apple has turned into a bunch of marketing whores.
If I just bought a product and 6 months later a new flavor came out with more goodies I’d be pretty ticked off. Frankly it would be time to go back and ask for an upgrade, at no cost. Its hard for me to believe they didn’t know they were going to do this. Not that much has changed in the market place.
So it seems they are just out looking to make more money. As an engineer I know what its like wanting to add that one more tweak, then another, and at that rate the product never gets launched.
Working in the auto industry previously this was always the case, there was an expression, shoot the engineer and launch it. Toyota had an interesting philosophy when it came to changes. When an engineer, or chief engineer came in with a new idea they would say one of two things:
That idea is great and we can still do everything we need to validate it for this product launch,
or
That is a great idea, we can’t fully validate it for this model, but it will be in next years launch.
Apple needs to re- think their strategy.
My 2 cents.
I don’t feel the need, like most, to have the latest “thing”. I’m keeping my Ipad3. Quite content ๐
I have an iPad 1 so am ready for an upgrade. At $299 I probably would jump on the mini. But at $329 i don’t think so. Sure it’s only $30 difference but it’s the perception. Now I’m thinking get a 3? Wait for the 4? I’ll probably procrastinate till the 4 comes out. So Apple has shot themselves in the foot as far as my purchase goes.
I suspect they consider it two different markets. But the price difference isn’t great enough as far as I’m concerned.
Another thing that concerns me – they “say” that all iPad apps will run on the mini. But I got our my calculator (yes I was that concerned about it) and the screen ratio is simply not the same. So how can an app sized at 4:3 for example run in a 3:2 environment without some engineering? So now they lost me on the trust factor.
I’m really happy with my iPad 3 and I don’t see any reason or need to upgrade to the 4, especially since it’s been such a short amount of time.
If I was just purchasing an iPad now I would go for the 4, not the mini. I don’t see the point!
I see people around me gladly purchasing the next i – anything.
Yes, they do complain vociferously as they put their credit card down but seem to gladly show off their new toy as soon as it arrives.
Now, I must admit, I actually don’t own an i-anything.
I’m just a simple accountant and a student of marketing. And I’m very impressed at how Apple can create products that people, some who can barely afford them, will gladly gobble up.
Will the new products cause buyer’s remorse? Maybe, maybe not. I look at the sales numbers for answers (current and subsequent). I’ll be paying very close attention. ๐
As for when is the right time to release the next version of a product I create?
I would leave that decision to my customers.
If their demand for that one little tweak equals a large net income to me, then I would say, YES, it’s time for a new release!
Great point, Frank. Technology companies are notorious for releasing products before they are fully ready… Microsoft has always been the worst for this. I think that Apple is getting bad in this regard (think of the new maps app). They are releasing products too fast, and I believe they are running the risk of alienating their users. I have dropped my iPhone for a Galaxy S3…
Alright so I need to ask the question – I am seriously looking at getting a tablet since I am now getting more offline clients. My question is Apple, (and if Apple which one?), or Droid. When the ipad was the only one out it was an easy choice, but now with everything that is out there what is the best device to get? I have a Razr Droid and am very happy with it, so should I continue along the Droid line? Or will the apple 4 be the way to go. Then again I feel I’d be a guinea pig to go with a brand new device which likely has or will have some bugs to get worked out.
Any thoughts and or recommendations would be appreciated.
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is required to get setup? I’m
assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?
I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% certain.
Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Appreciate it