Portable Planet

Apple’s $200 iPhone price cut has been a mixed blessing for consumers. 

On the one hand, it’s great for everybody who hasn’t run out and purchased the must-have gadget of the moment yet.  On the other, there are a lot of people who shelled out $599 just a couple of days ago who are none-too-thrilled with the development.

Steve Jobs has come up with a solution that ought to make at least some people happy.  The open letter he has written to address the situation follows.

To all iPhone customers:

I have received hundreds of emails from iPhone customers who are upset about Apple dropping the price of iPhone by $200 two months after it went on sale. After reading every one of these emails, I have some observations and conclusions.

First, I am sure that we are making the correct decision to lower the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399, and that now is the right time to do it. iPhone is a breakthrough product, and we have the chance to ‘go for it’ this holiday season. iPhone is so far ahead of the competition, and now it will be affordable by even more customers. It benefits both Apple and every iPhone user to get as many new customers as possible in the iPhone ‘tent’. We strongly believe the $399 price will help us do just that this holiday season.

Second, being in technology for 30+ years I can attest to the fact that the technology road is bumpy. There is always change and improvement, and there is always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever. This is life in the technology lane. If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you’ll never buy any technology product because there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon. The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.

Third, even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.

Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple’s website next week. Stay tuned.

We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple.

Bplus is the team behind PLÄTTCHEN - twist ‘n’ paint, which is the first title that was announced for Wii Ware, the sort-of Nintendo Wii version of Xbox Live Arcade.  

In a recent interview, Bplus’ Bernd Geiblinger, the PLÄTTCHEN Art Director, talked about the new online service and how it’s different from what’s already out there. 

N-europe.com: What was your motive to develop a WiiWare game rather than a game for the Xbox Live Arcade? How do you see WiiWare stacking up against a rival service like Live Arcade?

BG: Wii allows developers to deliver a game experience like no other console currently available on the market. That made our decision very easy. Nintendo suggests developers to create unique software that really stands out. This will make the Wii download service, like the console itself, very different to anything the competition offers.

The interview can be read in its entirely here.

According to The National Enquirer And Star Magazine, actor Owen Wilson has been hospitalized after an apparent suicide attempt.  Their sources claim that he cut his left wrist as well as consuming an indeterminate amount of pills.

However, this has yet to be confirmed by more reputable sources.

The Santa Monica Police released the following statement: “On Sunday Aug. 26. 2007 at 12:10 pm officers from the Santa Monica Police Department responded to a medical assistance call from the Santa Monica Fire Department at the 900 block of 23rd Street. The person was transported to a local hospital where they are being treated.”

Because of medical privacy laws, the police did not release any further information.

The tabloids report that he was transferred from St. John’s after being stabilized and was going to be detoxed.

If you’re holding off on a buying a Wii title thinking that it’s going to be released on a future budget label…don’t.    The company has admitted it has no plans to reinstate the Players Choice line, which released popular first party games at cheaper prices after a period of time. 

“We have no plans for a Wii budget label. Nintendo Wii software is performing very well at its current price points,” a Nintendo rep recently told MCV.

“It’s important to note that Nintendo do not set prices. It is retailers that will ultimately set the prices of both hardware and software. And with brand new software titles available at estimated retail prices of between £19.99 and £34.99, we feel Wii represents great value over any current new competitor titles.”

Much as we’d always like to see prices slashed, it does seem perfectly logical for the company to keep the status quo for the time being.  After all, it’s not like they’re having any problem with sales these days.