Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!mips!apple!keith
From: keith@Apple.COM (Keith Rollin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: New Apple Self-Help Tools
Message-ID: <51554@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 16 Apr 91 04:35:14 GMT
References: <13063@goofy.Apple.COM> <1991Apr16.040127.5260@wlbr.imsd.contel.com>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 41

In article <1991Apr16.040127.5260@wlbr.imsd.contel.com> fdm@WLV.IMSD.CONTEL.COM (Frank D. Malczewski) writes:
>
>Is there some method to this madness, or did you just throw darts to
>figure out what these things were gonna cost?

Is there some method to your complaint, or are you just griping? I
mean, I don't understand if you are complaining that the prices are too
high, too low, scattered all over the place, or what.

I used to work in the group that is providing these programs. Because I
am no longer there, I don't know what discussions went into the
pricing, but I have a pretty good idea.

The first consideration is the price of the components of each
package.  For instance, sez here that the Mac C Programming package
consists of THINK C, Mac Programming Primer, Human Interface
Guidelines, and Mac Programming Secrets. THINK C runs $200-250, and you
can figure about $20 for each book. This means that the total price
should be in the area of $280-$330. The actual price is $250.

Now, this sort of leads to the second consideration, which is the
discount that Apple gives you. THINK C by itself costs $249 from APDA.
That means that Apple is throwing in 4 books for $1.

The third consideration is "perceived value". The prices of some of the
packages have to be set to let people know how valuable the package is,
not just according to how much the materials cost. For instance, the
self-paced programming courses were originally at some ridiculously low
price, like $99 or $199 (I can't remember which). However, no one was
buying them! When we asked around, we found out that customers didn't
think that such a package could be any good at that low of a price. So
Apple raised the price and the course started selling more briskly. 
And the customers we've talked to _still_ say that the packages are
a steal!

-- 
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Keith Rollin  ---  Apple Computer, Inc. 
INTERNET: keith@apple.com
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"But where the senses fail us, reason must step in."  - Galileo