Today Apple, Inc. CEO Steve Jobs issued an open letter to all iPhone owners who purchased an iphone before yesterdays price drop announcement.

The iPhone which went on sale June 29, 2007 was originally priced at $599 for the 8GB model, but yesterday in a live keynote to address the new iPod lineup Steve Jobs announced Apple was dropping the price of the larger 8GB model to only $399.

While many potential iPhone customers welcomed the great news, many found it hard to stomach the fact they just paid $200 extra just two months ago for a phone that now retails for a mere $399.

Of course one can say that the technology industry is a very fast moving industry and that this sort of thing happens all the time and it’s just part of the business. One can even argue that Apple itself is known for releasing products so quickly that many times 6 months later you feel like your product is almost out of date. Saturday Night Live even did a skit on this.

Well, instead of sitting back and just taking the loss, many dedicated Apple users and iPhone customers wrote emails to Apple and Steve Jobs personally detailing why they were upset. Just one day after the announcement Steve Jobs has listened and made the following announcement which is detailed on the home page of Apple.com…

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.

Steve Jobs
Apple CEO

I really have to say that Apple just gets it right. They listen to their customers, especially the loyal ones who obviously waited in line and took the initial risk of buying a $600 phone.

They didn’t have to offer $100 in-store credit, but they did. They appreciate their customers and it shows time after time.

Another example of this is when one of my good friends who waited in line with me on June 29th to get an iPhone and who is also an Apple shareholder had a few complaints and suggestions for Apple on the new iPhone. This was about a week after the launch. He called Apple expecting to be put on hold and maybe tell a customer service line his suggestions. Well, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

My friend told the receptionist a few of his concerns and was then told to please hold… Ok, so he figures he’ll get a voicemail or something when all of a sudden someone picks up and says “Hello this is Steve”. Yep, you guessed it. Steve Fricken Jobs one of the most recognized CEO’s or people for that matter answered his concerns on the iPhone personally. Now if that’s not customer service I don’t know what is.

I’m sure they’ll be some Apple bashers that will comment that I’m a fanboy or whatever, but I just say it like it is. If those people want to go on hating everything Apple just because, then there’s nothing anyone can do about it and in reality just makes them look foolish.

Yes I love using most of Apple’s products, but hell I still use some Microsoft products and many other companies products and software, but anyone who says that Apple doesn’t make good quality, clean, elegant, easy to use, reliable products is just lying to themselves.

I love all aspects of technology and will use any companies products as long as they’re good, quality products and provide good, solid customer service. It just so happens as of late that more and more of those products are the Apple brand.