Apple: we should be praised, not punished

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by tompe

Why do you think that is strange? They did experiments asking about recieveing money. And people preferred less money if that meant they got more money than other people.

I think it is strange because it IS strange.
I understand perfectly the psychological mechanics behind it, but I'm also able to see past it. It seems you can, too. Which is why it surprises me that you're taking the explanation of how some people might react under certain conditions and using it for justification as to why they should react that way.

And it is annoying to pay more than other people.

Ah! Now we get to the crux of things.
I say this with all sincerity: as long as I didn't pay any more than than I was willing to pay for a luxury-type item ... I simply don't care what anyone else paid for it. Go them!

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by tompe

I am not sarcastic.

I usually do not spend the time to find "deals". And it is annoying to pay more than other people. I will be more happy if I do not pay more than other people. And one way to achieve that is if the price is the same for all people. I do not mine paying a bit extra for being more happy.

Hmm. Well, it is annoying to me to have to pay more than the previous highest price just so that prices can all be the same.

[mrscoach]

If someone doesn't want to know they paid more for something than others then they should buy said item then never look at prices of item ever again. They can happily continue on thinking they paid the same as everyone else. For ebooks they definitely avoid the deals forum here on MR.

See? Problem solved. Everyone happy.

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Originally Posted by tompe

I am not sarcastic.

I usually do not spend the time to find "deals". And it is annoying to pay more than other people. I will be more happy if I do not pay more than other people. And one way to achieve that is if the price is the same for all people. I do not mine paying a bit extra for being more happy.

I find it annoying to have to pay more because some people are too lazy to look for/too impatient to wait for sales.

[Geralt]

Apple, Snyder pointed out, “simply was not willing to start a new business that would lose money,” as he argued it would do had it followed Amazon’s $9.99 lead.

Yeah, because only Amazon can make it work for 10$. No way poor little Apple could do that. Damn, I feel so sorry for them

[Sregener]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I say this with all sincerity: as long as I didn't pay any more than than I was willing to pay for a luxury-type item ... I simply don't care what anyone else paid for it. Go them!

I was at a Bill Cosby concert recently, and he said he refused to give away tickets just so he could perform in front of a full house. His reasoning was simple: he didn't want to have a paying customer have the guy next to him say, "Hey, did you get free tickets, too?"

Sales set an expectation of a lower price. Nobody buys a mattress at full price because they know that all the models will go on sale, and everyone wants to feel like they got a deal. So the real price of the mattress isn't the list price, but the sale price. If eBooks typically go on sale, the incentive is for customers not to buy them at full price but to wait for a sale. And if margins are tight enough at company X that they can't make money if the products go on sale, then they will not want to compete against company Y that can.

Apple couldn't make a $9.99 eBook work for their model. Too bad, they shouldn't have entered the market. Or they should have found a way to make their eBooks worth $12.99. After all, you can get a 10" tablet for 1/5 the cost of a new iPad, but new iPads sell like crazy because people believe they're getting value even at 5x the cost. Maybe get author exclusives, throw in a discount coupon for the movie adaptation of the book, or (gasp!) actually have eBooks formatted properly for the screen. They could have the monopoly on chess eBooks if they put a premium on proper formatting. Instead, Apple wanted to sell the same thing as everyone else, but be able to charge more for it. Which required collusion and price fixing.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by tompe

I am not sarcastic.

I usually do not spend the time to find "deals". And it is annoying to pay more than other people. I will be more happy if I do not pay more than other people. And one way to achieve that is if the price is the same for all people. I do not mine paying a bit extra for being more happy.

Personally I love a good bargain and I think that people who don't like a good bargain mean that I get more good bargains Maybe unfounded but thanks for that anyway.

And you are right. I do know people who are actually happier or less unhappy anyway if they think everyone pays more. I also know people who think that every item on sale is an attempt to get rid of old or inferior products.

Taking advantage of sales and/or coupons has enabled me to have a higher standard of living overall, and put a bit more than many people can away for my looming full retirement.

I don't spend a lot of time on it, maybe an hour or two a month, but I would guess I save about 30% on staples and more on the luxury items, such as new toys and dining out etc. I could forgo the luxury items and save more, but what is life without a bit of luxury now and then

And I think I have to thank the people who willingly pay a higher price. Without them, the manufacturers and retailers would not be trying to build up a loyal customer base by offering sales and bargains.

Those are the people whom they are trying to lure into their respective markets, not people like myself who go for the best quality at the lowest price.

Helen

[EowynCarter]

I don't spend much time looking for sales or other stuff.
Most of time, stuff on sales will be stuff i don't want / need at that particular moment.

I buy stuff when I want it, or need it. Not because it's on sale. Or you end up buying tons of stuff you don't really need and spend more money in the end.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

I don't spend much time looking for sales or other stuff.
Most of time, stuff on sales will be stuff i don't want / need at that particular moment.

I buy stuff when I want it, or need it. Not because it's on sale.

I only buy what I want or need, but if I can save money that is a bonus. It is a habit I developed ny being very poor when I was young so it requires very little effort on my part and I often save 50% on things that I want by waiting a week or two. Just my choice and no reason for anyone else to do it

Helen

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

For those in need of a good laugh today, here it is.

http://www.slashgear.com/apple-were-...xers-04284934/

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by tompe

Totally rational arguments. It is well known that the absolute value is irrelevant. What is important is that you do not want to make a bad deal. So it is time-saving to have the same price.

I hate all coupons and the time waste it is to handle then. So I think the situation without coupons with a well known price is much better.

In my case, I was being sarcastic because:
1) In general, ebook prices increased after agency pricing went into effect.
2) When I commented on the DOJ case, I compared my ebook purchase prices from before the agency pricing to what was being charged after agency pricing had been in effect for over a year, and I would have paid over twice as much for the same books, which would have cost me several thousand more than what I actually paid. Maybe you don't buy enough books that it's worth it to you, but it's been worth it to me.

Any time Apple tries to make the argument that what they helped orchestrate was beneficial to the customer, it just makes me so angry. If the publishers really were losing money on ebooks (which I don't believe they were), they should have just raised the prices, and not plotted with Apple for force all prices higher.

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by Sregener

Apple couldn't make a $9.99 eBook work for their model. Too bad, they shouldn't have entered the market. Or they should have found a way to make their eBooks worth $12.99.

I'm sure Apple could have made a profit competing with Amazon's sale pricing, but they were interested in maintaining their 30% gross margin, and they weren't going to be able to do that across the board like they could with their other iStores. They colluded to make it happen to the detriment of bargain hunters like me.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

For those in need of a good laugh today, here it is.

http://www.slashgear.com/apple-were-...xers-04284934/

Has anybody else noticed that according to the article DoJ's attorney made claims and Apple's attorney made suggestions?

And I'm confused by why this is supposed to mean:

As for the most-favored nation (MFN) clause Apple negotiated – which guaranteed it the best deals with the publishers – Snyder pointed out that Apple wouldn’t have required it if it already knew the nature of the deals being agreed with other retailers.

[calvin-c]

Originally Posted by Sregener

They could have the monopoly on chess eBooks if they put a premium on proper formatting.

Really? I haven't tried any books from Apple but I was under the impression that you could only read them on iOS.

Regarding psychology, AFAIK the person who becomes dissatisfied when others get a benefit (s)he doesn't is selfish. My SO often complains about people with long hair saying "I can't tell if it's a man or woman". I reply "Why does it matter-do you want to date them?"

If you're happy with whatever you paid then it doesn't matter what others paid. If you aren't then who forced you to buy it? People who think otherwise are sick.

Just realized I'd split buyers into only 2 categories. There is a 3rd category, those who aren't happy with the price they paid but bought it anyway. I did ask why they would buy it if they aren't happy but failed to clarify that there *are* various reasons for doing that. Those people, later discovering a cheaper price, have a right to be unhappy with what they paid.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by calvin-c

People who think otherwise are sick.

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