Writers Block Live

I suppose it’s fair to say I know Steve Jobs; at least more than most people know him. I’ve been in meetings with him, I’ve been chewed out by him (more than once), I’ve had lunch with him, and I’ve even been in his house. But it was all ‘in the line of duty’, and didn’t give me the kind of insight into how he thinks that I wish I had today.

Because today, like the past two days, I’ve been trying to figure out what really happened with the iPhone price cut, and the subsequent outrage that led to Steve apologizing to us early-adopters. Was it planned from the beginning, and carefully orchestrated (as has been suggested by many commentators)? Is Steve some kind of evil genius who plans these things out seventeen moves in advance, with no regard for how it affects his loyal customers? Or was is a simple case of Apple/Steve underestimating the backlash and then doing the right thing? I want to know as a marketing professional, and I want to know as a long-time Apple observer and Apple fan.

As I’ve poured over some of the countless articles and forum posts which have appeared since Wednesday, I’m unhappy to find that the cynics do make some valid points. I’ve also reached back into my memory bank to find any clue or scrap of evidence which might help illuminate this problem. (Continued…)

I’ve been to hell and back the past several months, but things are beginning to stabilize…at least enough that I feel I can start writing again. Time will tell, but I’ll try.

Some time back I was forced to close registration for this site, due to the huge wave of ‘fake’ registrations being made by spammers (in advance of their attempts to post comment-spam). It pissed me off so much, I just said ‘fuck it’ and shut the whole thing off. Well, I’ve mellowed a bit, and decided to try it again.
I also reactivated the email contact form so you can reach me directly.