|
Yet Another Rebate, Folks (11/20/00)
|
 
|
| | |
Wow, suddenly we've got rebates coming out of our ears. (No, not literally. Grow up.) Not long ago, spurred on by slow Cube sales and PowerBooks that appeared hideously overpriced compared to their recently-refreshed little iBook siblings, Apple launched a pair of rebate programs intended to help move merchandise off the shelves. One offered customers $200 back on any PowerBook bought before the end of the year, and the other gave $300 back on any Cube purchased with a matching Apple display. Not long after that, Apple added a RAM rebate which offers customers a buck back for every custom-configured megabyte of RAM over and above the Mac's original amount.
But if that's not enough please-allow-six-to-eight-weeks-for-fulfillment fun for you all, fear not-- faithful viewer Ben Cruz was first to point out Apple's latest addition to the happy rebate family: get "up to $500 back" when you buy a dual-processor Power Mac G4 (with or without an Apple display) by December 31st. You get the full $500 if you spring for the dual-500 MHz model; skimp and get the dual-450 MHz instead and you'll only get $300 back. Then again, even $300's nothing to sneeze at, and you can add to your savings by taking advantage of Apple's extra-RAM rebate, too.
Of course you all realize the greater implications of this promotion, right? If Apple's now blowing out its Power Mac inventory for the next five or six weeks, then the possibility of faster G4s at Macworld Expo suddenly seems even more likely. So here's the conundrum: will Apple's rebates move merchandise by lowering net prices to consumers, or will they actually slow sales as potential customers suddenly realize that nicer gear is probably a mere month and a half away? Blimey, this channel-clearing stuff is trickier than we thought!
| |
| |
 |
SceneLink (2690)
|  |
 |
|
And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
| | | |
|
| |
|
 | | The above scene was taken from the 11/20/00 episode: November 20, 2000: Apple admits littlebuddy.apple.com's existence-- but is the company's explanation the real story? Meanwhile, Apple resellers are justifiably peeved at the company's not-so-secret plans to open its own retail stores this April, and you can add the Power Mac G4 to the list of Apple products qualifying for hefty rebates, adding to the evidence of faster G4s by Expo...
Other scenes from that episode: 2688: "Are You There? Pick Up!" (11/20/00) There comes a point in the life cycle of every exposed cover-up at which it becomes impossible for the perpetrators to maintain a stance of plausible deniability. At that time it's generally considered wise to drop back and punt with a damage control strategy instead... 2689: Crossed-Fingers Promise (11/20/00) Now that the news about Apple's planned retail outlets has graduated from "speculative rumor" to the coveted status of "well-documented certainty" (thanks to the blabbermouths on the Palo Alto architectural review board), the repercussions of the move are starting to sink in around the community...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
|
|
