See, this is where the blind devotion to Apple just becomes nonsensical.

What is it with the apparent continued fascination with all things Apple? Their computers are really no better than PCs, iTunes sucks as a download business/platform, there are better and cheaper MP3 players on the market than iPod, and Apple's new phone and phone service seems to be having nothing but problems. Is this over-hyped company something only people under the age of 40 really "understands"? And we thought everyone in the '60s was overwhelmed and over powered by advertising.

Please, no more whining about everything Apple.

By the way, as a consumer, I'm not mad at the $200 price cut - it makes it affordable for me. I though I'd wait until the next iteration of the phone and I'm glad I did. Go whine, if you must, at Bush - that might actually mean something.

I picked up Apple's Bluetooth headset for $29 net. A pretty nice deal, I think. Works great, too.

I was able to use my credit towards the purchase of two $50 ITunes gift cards at the Apple Online Store (free shipping). Blog posts elsewhere suggest that people have been successful in buying the ITunes gift cards at their local Apple store.

The instructions state that the credit may not be used for another Apple gift card (like the one you get with your credit) OR an ELECTRONIC ITunes card. Seems like you can get an ITunes non-electronic gift card. The instructions could have been clearer about that distinction, but I imagine that the opaqueness was by design-- that way people would assume an ITunes gift card was completely out of the question and would shell out for some shiny new Apple product.

If anything, I would ask the blog to verify that this option is true and post an update, just in case someone out there is assuming that your interpretation is correct.

A couple of these posts make me wonder what people are smoking.

Blind devotion to Apple. Apple computers no better than PCs. iTunes sucks. There are much better mp3s than iPod. Terrible problems with iPhone, and on and on.

I realize these are simply rants, but the writers might consider how insulting they are, suggesting that the millions of people who think otherwise (voting with their wallets for the computers, iPods, etc. from Apple) are simply lemmings with no thought about how they spend their money. I would suggest an alternative view - that these products are well-made and designed, and appealing to buyers. Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal, an un-biased source if there ever was one (he doesn't drink PC or Apple Kool-Aid), recommends Apple computers, especially for first-time buyers, and raved about the iPhone.

These may be inconvenient facts to those with "blind devotion" to PCs or perhaps "blind devotion" to anything non-Apple, but they ought to be part of any fair conversation.

Did you buy the iPhone at iTunes? No. Do you think that the music at iTunes belongs to Apple, so it is free? No, Apple is just a retailer of music; 90+% of the money it generates at iTunes goes to the record companies.

You paid money for Apple hardware. Why shouldn't Apple expect that the credit would go toward the same account? Who are you to set the terms on a credit that you neither legally or morally deserve?

Next, no one fooled you into doing anything; you bought an iPhone knowing fully that it's price would be lower later. You merely didn't expect it so soon; this tread on your feelings of exclusivity. It appeared as though Apple valued the feelings of later buyers over that of the early buyers. If Apple had issued an improved iPhone at the old price point, you would have no gripe. It appeared as though Apple was inconsiderate in that it failed to keep in mind how you early buyers would feel about the price drop. But now, you whine about the terms of the store credit.

This proves the old adage "there's just no pleasing some people."

An on-autopilot response, positive or negative, to anything is pretty silly. That includes automatically dismissing or praising anything done by or created by Apple.

There is nothing that any honest or fraudulent or malevolent forum post can say to negate my own personal experience with Apple equipment and Apple customer service over the past 27 years. It has been real. It has usually made me very happy. It has occasionally exasperated me. The balance of my experience has led me back to make the next Apple purchase again and again.

Apple makes great designs. Apple usually translates those into wonderful machines. Sometimes a dog lurks in a corner but we wouldn't all agree on which corner and how big is the dog. I hated where the firewire port is on the 15" powerbook, for instance. Yah, so I got over it. The first iPod was as nearly perfect a design as I've ever seen in any portable audio device. The iPhone now tops that. And my $100 credit is edging towards that new green "phat" nano.

Apple keeps on truckin' because money on the barrelhead walks to the bank and ink (digital ink included) is just talk. Period.