Apple dropped the price of the iPhone by $200, thereby offending every fan who stood in long lines on June 29th and paid $600, to be the first to be screwed by Cingula... oops, I meant to be the first to have the iPhone in their office.[And believe me, I could add here literally hundreds of links to news and technology sites, blogs and consumer lists - everyone this week had an opinion and the space to voice it - gotta love the internet :)].
This was followed by an "apology" letter that Steve Jobs issued (first time he has ever shown any interest in his customers), giving the early adopters $100 back in Apple Store credit (i.e. getting the money he gave back, and making some more on top, as you'd be hard pressed to find anything that costs just $100 in an Apple store).
All these and some of the other Apple monopolistic strategies, led this PC World reporter to post the question that is this post's title.
My opinion? As an Apple fan for 22 years (got my first Apple IIc in 1985), I've seen some very bad consumer behavior and tactics from this company.
The core fans of Apple like it because it poses as an alternative to the big, evil monopole. But the way they market and lock their operating system, music devices and now phone, suggests that maybe Steve borrowed a page from Bill's book...
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