(2\/17\/08 Apple Reality Distortion Field)<\/p>\n
I just walked 20 blocks in the rain to the flagship Apple Store on 5th Avenue in NY. I wanted to buy the new Aperture 2. I’ve surrendered a couple of hundred thousand of digital photos to Aperture and the new version promises to be at last usable. The speed of the previous version is excruciating.<\/p>\n
As a big Apple fan and stockholder, I was thrilled to see the store packed with customers on a rainy Sunday evening at 11:30 PM. There is a $99 upgrade path to Aperture 2, but not from education\/academic versions. So, I’m out of luck, but at least I can save $20 off the retail version as an educator, right? <\/p>\n
OF COURSE NOT. “You can’t get the Apple academic discount in the Apple store. Why not order the software online and wait for it to arrive?” asked the store employee. I figured that if I walked back to my hotel, I would make up for the price differential and surrendered more money to the Apple Gods.<\/p>\n
As I went to pay I noticed customers on either side of me purchasing five iPhones each. “Woo hoo! Perhaps my stock will rebound,” I thought to myself.<\/p>\n
Not so fast, the clerk swiped the credit card of the customer to my right, read the display and exclaimed, “You’ve already bought five iPhones! Her arms scooped up the product he was trying to buy with actual money.” <\/p>\n
Apparently the Apple Point-of-Sale system is sophisticated enough to detect if someone buys lots of iPhones, but not capable of giving me the academic discount.<\/p>\n
Back at my hometown Apple Store I’ve watched customers turned away for trying to pay cash for an iPhone even when purchasing other items as well. Using legal United States tender is some sort of no-no for iPhone customers!<\/p>\n
I realize that people are hacking the iPhone, but do not understand why that is a problem for Apple. Even if they lose the kickback they may receive from AT&T, they still made money on the device.<\/p>\n
As an Apple stockholder who lost more 1\/3 of value since January, I want Apple to make lots of midnight iPhone sales. I don’t care if people are crushing the iPhones and snorting them!<\/p>\n
Either should Apple!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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