iBook Sellout Leads to Stampede

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784465530' target='_blank'>http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784465530</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Picture%205-8.jpg" /><br /><br />First a little background; A few years ago Apple struck a huge deal with the Henrico County Virginia school district to provide iBooks to all Middle-school students. The district decided to sell off 1,500 of these aging iBooks at a bargain basement price of just $50 per unit, available only to local taxpayers. The people you see in the photo were anxiously (perhaps too) waiting in line to buy iBooks as soon at the gates opened. And open they did...with the a loud crash followed by the moans of trampled victims. The line was said to be more than a half mile long! 8O<br /><br />By the way...is that <a href="http://dalecoffing.typepad.com/my_weblog/">Dale Coffing</a> in the foreground? :wink:

[brianchris]

By George, I think that IS Dale......a deal is a deal :wink:

[Jason Dunn]

Jeese. People are animals! 8O It's amazing people will hurt each other just to get a cheap laptop.

[Chris Gohlke]

What idiot decided that $50 was fair market value for these machines.

[Kent Pribbernow]

What idiot decided that $50 was fair market value for these machines.

These are 4 year old systems beaten up by middle-school students over that period. Many are said to have serious firmware issues. What makes you think $50 is too cheap? :?

[brianchris]

What idiot decided that $50 was fair market value for these machines.

I'm assuming you mean they were priced too LOW, thus causing the melee? If so, my understanding was these were only open to tax payers of that county, so people had already paid into them somewhat. STILL, they should of anticipated demand and done some sort of lottery instead of "first come, first wounded".

[Crocuta]

First road rage, then beanie babies and now this. Can the entire collapse of our civilization be far behind? :snipersmile:

[Chris Gohlke]

Kent and BrianChris:

I quick ebay seach seems to suggest these have a FMV of $200-$300. The CNN article mentions that they had a testing station at the site, so I am assuming you get to try it out to make sure it is not a dud.

All of the residents of the community paid for them, so by selling them super cheap to only certain residents they are not being fair to all the taxpayers. They should have sold them at FMV and allowed the procedes to benefit the entire community. For example, say the community bought 10 $30,000 vehicles and turned around and sold them for $1000 each when the FMV was $10,000, even if they went to residents, it certainly was not fair.

[mcsouth]

I agree, Chris. My guess is that the administrator put in charge of "disposing" of these laptops probably wanted as little hassle as possible, and figured pricing them that low would:
1. Make them sell fast, thus minimizing the time required to get rid of the laptops.
2. Minimize the inevitable complaints about defects - "Hey, you got it so cheaply, there's no point in complaining if something doesn't work".

It's unfortunate that this situation had to occur - is the county ready for the possibility of lawsuits due to persons being injured in this melee? Or being sued by residents that were unable to obtain one of these "cheap" laptops, when they paid for them initially through taxes?

Sometimes, there is an advantage in turning over the inventory to a wholesaler for some fixed lot price, and being done with it......

[Jason Eaton]

There is a long and sorted story about these laptops, I won't go into too much detail as you can do a google search if your interested. Short take... a select few in that area had strong opinions against Apple and used what power they had to remove the laptops.

*sarcasm* As you can see the parents of the county where very much against Apple and thought the laptops were horrible. That surely they should just rather have no laptop instead of four year old laptops for their kids. */sarcasm*

[jeffd]

I hope the school gets its ass sued. ^^ That was horribly handled.

And that shot of dale is farking hilariouse!

[peterawest]

The sale took place as the local education district sold its Macs to make way for new machines from new supplier, Dell.

I guess they just didn't want to move to Dell! 8O I'm glad I live in Chesterfield, so I didn't qualify for the sale. 8)

[randalllewis]

Now wait a minute John, this wasn't about Apple, it was about cheap. If these had been $50 Windows laptops or $50 Linux laptops, the result would have been the same. Face, it most of us are cheap. If you've ever watched people elbow each other to get the free samples at a Costco store, you'd know this.

[kiwi]

IIt's unfortunate that this situation had to occur - is the county ready for the possibility of lawsuits due to persons being injured in this melee? Or being sued by residents that were unable to obtain one of these "cheap" laptops, when they paid for them initially through taxes?


8O

Okay, my turn for a rant! :bad-words:

Typical Fa(^&amp;*^&amp;*kin american response.. a Lawsuit.!!!

Thats one thing I really hate about living in Canada these past few years..
Seeing Canadians going the way of American life and Suing anyone for anything... total BS if you ask me!

Anyway, yeah, I read about this in todays paper.. pretty discraceful really.

b

[Felix Torres]

Flash crowd riots/stampedes are neither new nor rare; this one rated attention for the tech aspect, but anybody who's gone shopping on the day after thanksgiving or boxing day has seen similar (WalMart got somebad press last year over $100 TVs) and anybody who pays attention to the international news has seen worse coming out of soccer matches.

Just basic human psychology at work:
Human IQ is inversely propotional to the size of the crowd. :roll:

[that_kid]

I guess they just didn't want to move to Dell! 8O I'm glad I live in Chesterfield, so I didn't qualify for the sale. 8)


I live in Henrico Co and I missed the whole thing. Oh well I guess it wasn't meant for me to have a mac.

[bigkingfun]

I live in Henrico Co and I missed the whole thing. Oh well I guess it wasn't meant for me to have a mac.

Either that or it wasn't meant for you to get trampled by a crazy mob :wink:

[Jason Eaton]

Now wait a minute John, this wasn't about Apple, it was about cheap. If these had been $50 Windows laptops or $50 Linux laptops, the result would have been the same. Face, it most of us are cheap. If you've ever watched people elbow each other to get the free samples at a Costco store, you'd know this.

My apologies, my writting wasn't too clear as I was a little bit impassioned by the story. It was not my intent to make it sound like the incident happened because of the computers being Apple. True it would happen when anything is priced that low/wrong.

My comments where more directed towards the motive of removing Apple from the school program, then the added dig by selling them cheaper then their worth out of some twisted spite.

Seriously... the board bought the ibooks off their lease for $1 dollar. Why not move them down to lower grades, give them to other districts that don't have computers, how about to their own towns people who already paid for it in taxes (the town library perhaps)? If your saying to make money... then why didn't they sell them closer to market value?

If your asking why their pricing or handling of the situation doesn't make sense I think it is because your looking at this from a logical perspective and missing the other angle. That was the one that riles me.

[randalllewis]

I am glad we cleared this up. You obviously know a lot more about the specifics of the incident than I and based on what you've reported, I would agree there were many better options available to the school board. But my point remains true too. People are cheap and the board's poorly thought out approach to disposal of the laptops played right in to that too common human characteristic.

[klinux]

Just basic human psychology at work:
Human IQ is inversely propotional to the size of the crowd. :roll:

Ah, favorite quote of the lonely. :roll:

The group at commencement of Caltech seemed a lot bigger and a lot smarter than the group at the my local bar.

Face it, general statements disguised as insight is pretty useless. Example: opposites attract but you do not see birds of different flocks fly together.

[Felix Torres]

Just basic human psychology at work:
Human IQ is inversely propotional to the size of the crowd. :roll:

Ah, favorite quote of the lonely. :roll:



Not quite: that would be "there is nothing less common than common sense."

Before you roll your eyes, try asking any psych major about mob psychology.
Or any pimply-faced teenager about peer pressure.
Or insurance companies about teen driver accident rates.

The effect is real.
If you ever find yourself in a flash crowd you'll see exactly how it works.
(Good luck if you do; it's not a fun experience...)

As for those university grads?
Unless they cheated, they made it to commencement on the strength of test and coursework they took as individuals, not committees or a mob.

[klinux]

Whoa, chill out there. I am just saying generalization does not work. I have taken my share of psych to know mob mentality works, thank you very much.

I am just saying that your statement "human IQ is inversely propotional to the size of the crowd" is equivalent to a statement like "opposites attract". You can find plenty of supporting arguments but as well as exceptions.