Greetings. The reactions are already pouring in from my note earlier today relating to the 1/3 price cut in the iPhone, just two months after its introduction.

Before I summarize their fascinating content, I should note that I have no personal stake in this issue. I don't own an iPhone. I don't want an iPhone. I wouldn't use an iPhone if someone gave me one for free, since it wouldn't run any of the multitude of public domain and commercial third-party applications that I use on my PDA Phone. So I'm not out a dime on this.

Reactions are by and large falling into two categories:

I love Apple. I knew Apple was going to screw me on the price, but I still love Apple. I'll take anything Steve Jobs wants to do to me anytime, anywhere. Did I mention that I love Apple?

and:

Those Apple fanatics should have known that they were going to get burned by Apple on the price. What else did they expect for being early adopters? Prices always fall on this stuff.

I tend to agree with the second view, except for a key point. We all expect the prices on highly hyped consumer electronics to fall eventually.

But the kind of cut we're seeing with the iPhone, so very fast, is unusual. A cut for Christmas buying? Sure, why not? But this dramatic cut after only 60 days or so suggests that this development was in the hopper all along, at least as a likely possibility.

So I'll stand by my analysis. We can all agree that price cuts are a good thing, but so is having some gratitude for those persons who get your products off the ground, if you're going to have drastic price reductions so soon.

If Apple really cared about its customers, it might say something like:

"Thanks gang for making the iPhone launch such a success. We're already able to reduce the price by $200 after only two months, and in appreciation of your early support, here's a $200 credit at the Apple Store or iTunes. Thanks again! You've made us proud."

Don't hold your breath waiting for this one.

--Lauren--

Update (September 5, 2007 1818 PDT): From Business 2.0: The iPhone Rebellion

Update (September 6, 2007 0900 PDT): I'm sorry. I can't resist. Will It Blend? Don't breathe this!

Blog Update (September 6, 2007 1353 PDT): Steve Jobs Apologizes Re iPhone, Offers $100 Credit