Hopefully people reading this know that technology moves at an amazing pace and accept that if one waits for the next great product (or version of a product), you’d never buy anything.
However, I and many others, have been on the receiving end of an “early-adopter penalty” when we’ve bought recent Apple products.
So, here’s my list of the recent Apple product releases that were improved with Version 2.
I’d be interested in any others that you can recall - either post in the comments or on the Forum.
Also, the list is a warning for all those buying Version 1 of the MacBook Air. Be ready for Version 2 in the autumn, with probably a 120GB or 160GB HDD, a 4GB RAM option, and a 128GB SSD upgrade - all in the same price range as the current 1st generation release. Don’t complain when this happens.
Also, as the MacBook Air is a completely new type of product, early adopters will be the beta testers for Apple. For that I must thank them and I look forward to the improvements they will help drive in Version 2.
Early Adopter Penalties
- 1st Version MacBook and MacBook Pro: didn’t come with 802.11n wireless (2nd generation allowed turning on 802.11n for $2).
- 1st Version Airport Extreme Base Station: didn’t come with gigabit ethernet.
- 1st Version Mac Mini: cheapest model only came with Intel Core Solo CPU.
- 1st Version iPhone: was $200 more for the first six weeks and buyers only got $100 Apple credit.
- 1st Version iPod Touch: didn’t come with iPhone features such as Maps, Mail, etc. Has cost early adopters $20 to get these applications added.
- 1st Version Apple TV: only came in a 40GB version (a 160GB soon followed that many, like myself, would have bought if they hadn’t already bought the 40GB).
I’ve not included in the list the iMac Intel transition, where some people were annoyed that an updated, slimmer PowerPC iMac came out in October 2005, only to be replaced in January 2006 with an Intel version.
Also, Apple’s recent memory upgrades to the iPhone and iPod Touch could be seen as a penalty to early adopters if they would have been willing to pay the additional cost for these units. Personally, I would not have paid for the 32GB iPod Touch, so don’t see the new version as a penalty - but I’m sure others may not be so accepting.
hltr // 09/02/2008 at 10:11 am
What version 2 of any product is not improved? Isn’t that what an update is all about?
William // 09/02/2008 at 10:45 am
In retrospect it’s easy to criticize version 1 of anything. That’s why it’s important to decide: “does this product do what I need” before buying. A future revision will always be better, but if the product does what you need now, then buy it without regret. True version 1 failures like the Apple /// won’t be around to have a second revision.
The original Mac Portable weighed 16lbs and had the speed of a Mac SE. Nevertheless, it was what some people needed even at the $3,000 price. The Mac PowerBook 100, was the second mac portable and it made the original Mac Portable look like a overpriced whale. The PB100 was a grand cheaper and ten pounds lighter. But it also came out more than a year later, and to some people: having a portable Mac at all was what they were paying for.
Ebay is a great place to sell old Apple goods. You will find old Apple equipment to keep it’s value for much longer than the windows PC marketplace. If you look like you’ll like version 2 more, sell your version 1 product quickly and buy version 2.
PetieG // 09/02/2008 at 11:22 am
uuhh… 802.11n wasn’t available when the original MBP, mini probably couldn’t handle the heat (or they got a good deal from Intel), blah, blah, blah… You don’t like it, don’t buy apple. I bought the iPhone after positive reviews and I wasn’t pissie cause they dropped the price a few months later — i know what I was buying and i’d buy it again today. This is all the “price you pay” (ptp) for purchasing Apple products. Try buying a Dell computer w/ the lowest CPU speed and then try to buy it 2 month later, and you’ll find the lowest CPU speed is now the middle one when you were purchasing it. While Dell’s thing maybe economies of scale, Apple’s is ‘economy of cool’ and those Apple faithful can and will buy anything that comes out of the company regardless … with no other Mac OSX (legit) choice, we will all continue to drink the Kool-Aid regardless of timing (and possibly price).
Adam // 09/02/2008 at 12:06 pm
Face it Apple doesn’t need your money, not happy don’t use Apple products period.
ThiH // 09/02/2008 at 1:45 pm
Well, I got the first version of the iPod–monochrome screen and click wheel.
Then I got an iPod Nano 1st generation
Then a 5th generation iPod
And now am considering selling the 5th generation iPod (but it’s 60GB!!!) and upgrading/downgrading to the iPod Touch. It’s an up/downgrade because up for features but down for the capacity
Mr. Reeee // 09/02/2008 at 2:33 pm
The WORST omission from Rev.A of the MacBook Pro was FireWire 800.
Just before the Rev.A MacBook Pro was released, there were plenty of rumors. I had been burned a couple of times buying first release Macs: Mac IIcx (should have waited for the IIci), PowerMac 8500/120, PowerBook G3 Lombard, PowerBook Titanium G4 500 (Rev.A).
So, I decided NOT to wait for the release of the first Intel Mac laptop and opted for the LAST Rev. of the Aluminum PowerBook G4.
It may not have had the raw speed of the first MBP, but because it was a tried, tested and MATURE design, it worked perfectly, with none of the hassles that my early-adopter friends experienced.
Mr. Reeee // 09/02/2008 at 2:41 pm
Rev. A Macs often have a negative one-two punch of hardware glitches and some software compatibilities.
The shift to a full 32-bit OS in System 7.
68000 processors to PowerPC.
Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X.
PowerPC to Intel processors.
Wasn’t it over 18 months before Adobe released an Intel native version of Creative Suite? 2 years for MS Office to do the same (not that I use it).
I’ve suffered through those transitions and it’s better to wait until Rev.B or C.
BTW, I couldn’t be happier with my Rev.C MacBook Pro!
James // 09/02/2008 at 5:14 pm
“1st Version Mac Mini: cheapest model only came with Intel Core Solo CPU.”
Actually, 1st Mac Mini was a G4 processor, not Intel at all!
Ron Evry // 09/02/2008 at 8:48 pm
Yeah, my wife and I wound up buying TWO Rev A Macbooks. But I figure it’s Apple’s loss, not mine. If I could easily upgrade it to the faster “N” standard, then I’d have a reason to buy a new Airport base station at home. Since I can’t, then I have no need to spend the money. Apple’s loss, not mine. My Mac Pro is hard-wired to the network, so it runs just as fast as can be.
I call this the “Mac of the Month Club.” It doesn’t just apply to first models. A rule of thumb is that no matter what you buy, something faster, better, and maybe even cheaper will come out a week or two later.
The attitude to have is, when you buy a replacement model, say, five years later, the difference in the price you’ll get selling your old machine compared to what you would get if you had the next model to sell is either negligible or non-existent.
Take a look at going prices for five-year old Macs compared with four-and-a-half year old similar ones. You’ll see what I mean.
mikhailovitch // 10/02/2008 at 1:48 am
It’s just as meaningful (and true) to say never buy the first version of anything in the computing world, regardless of manufacturer. In 6 months or so, if the company is any good, the product will be cheaper and/or better. That’s the way the world works. Why single out Apple?