Apple has announced $500 rebates on the purchase of the 23 inch Cinema HD Display and any G5. It is a mail order rebate and the purchase must be by June 26, 2004.

What is the point of a rebate? Why don't they just lower the price rather than force customers to go through the annoying and lengthy rebate process?

Because Apple realizes that many people won't go through the hassle of the rebate offer so they end up keeping the extra dough.

Cheers

Rebates versus price reduction have to consider thinks like MSRP, MAP, new products/feature comparisons with other products, and the possible return to "street price" after the rebate period. Of course, some percentage of consumers will fail to apply for the the rebate too. Usually, a rebate has a direct link to excess inventory and the need to liquidate it. To me, rebated products are tainted for this reason. Either they're about to be discontinued, which means their resale value is headed down, or there is a glut of them on the market, same effect on resale. Goota be a sweet deal to entice me, like my Pana DV852 at about 1/3 MSRP.

Rebate messups have become profitable. The consumer is held
powerless if the rebate doesn't come through. Check out the
Western Digital disk drive rebate messes:

1. The mail-in dead-line is short.
2. The "UPC symbol" is not obvious on many of the boxes
3. You can't return the drive if you've mailed in the rebate
4. After I mailed in two rebates, I received email telling me
both were invalid. A phone call (10 minute wait) resulted
in "revalidation" of my rebate. There was nothing wrong
with my rebate submission.

rebates are used primarilly so their retail outlets don't have to reprice and reprint all their merchandising.

coupon-style rebates are somewhat different. I'm someone who NEVER sends in rebates- shucks. But a $500 rebate is pretty different... new macs are coming out in a week (I think... 2.8 duals, etc...)

This is not the forum for the discussion of rebate theories and practices.