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Originally Posted by KenWittlief
A good example is the new Apple video Ipod. There have been video&audio cables out on the market for years with the 3.5mm 4 conductor connector on one end, and the yellow/red/white RCA plugs on the other. Camcorders have standardized the pinouts - you can buy these cables off the shelf at Radio Shack or any AV store. So what did Apple do with the AV cable for the Ipod Video? (Take a guess) they changed the pinout so only $30 cables from Apple will work! Whats more they had to put the video signal where the ground signal should be on the 4th pin of the plug - they had no problem compromising the engineering design to take more money out of their customers pockets.
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However the simple fact that you know this pinout means that they are at least somewhat open to competiton. Whether they released it themselves, or someone reverse engineered it (which obviously wouldn't be very hard..), they did nothing to hide it. There are plenty of companies that are capable of making an A/V cable for the iPod and I'm sure that some will be available soon. I would not put it past Griffin, MonsterCable, XtremeMac, or any other company to develop their own cable priced at or above the Apple cable price point.
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Originally Posted by KenWittlief
When you walk into an Apple store and hand the Apple saleman $1200 for a computer, when you could get something better for $600, then he knows he has you!
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This really isn't true. A big part of the Apple selling method is to ensure that the customer receives what they need and nothing more. This is the reason that Apple retail employees, unlike those at most other retail chains, are paid hourly salaries and do not receive any commission. We are really there to help people. If someone comes into the store and has absolutely no need for a Mac, we aren't necessarily going to suggest that they purchase one. This is especially true for additional hardware. For instance, a woman came to me looking for a flat-panel monitor for her MacMini. She was told by a friend that the Apple displays were the best way to go. She, however, did not need such a display as she really doesn't do much more than typing documents and browsing the internet, and so I sent her to CircuitCity with printouts in hand of the exact monitor to best suit her needs.
Yes, we do want to sell computers, but not at the expense of the customer's happiness. The price point is not set primarily for hardware. Much of what you pay for is the operating system and the experience you get when working with a Mac. If that is not for you then you don't need to purchase a Mac, but many people prefer it. I'm not going to suggest that someone who only browses the internet and wants to try out Mac OS purchase a PowerMac for $2000, I would suggest a MacMini to get them started and if they want to go up from there to the iMac so be it. Despite what many people believe, Apple employees are there to help the customer first and foremost, and to the best of their abilities even if that means telling them to purchase a non-Apple product.
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