Just got HOTTER!! Apex GB-4308 43" TV - $449.99 A/R, Apex GB-5108 51" Projection TV - $799.99

[xwinger]

jvmitche1,

Your argument would have make some sense if we are talking about cars, but we are talking about a TV.

I would be either buying an Apex (China) or Sony or Panasonic (Japan but made in China), or Samsung (Korea). O.k., maybe GE is an option, but their TVs are made in China also.

So exactly which American would lose his or her jobs if we buy Apex TVs? I would be very interested in hearing your reply.

 

[chemist2003]

Postcountislife:

Yup, I'm trying to pick one for that exact reason. yes, I expect these things to be disposable. And at $500, i can afford to chuck it away 3-4 years from now for a HDTV set.

And remember folks, HDTV prices will only continue to come down as technology becomes more mature and competition become more intense.

So if you think about the falling prices, it makes more sense to buy a cheap TV now. Here is a senario:

(a) Buy a good HDTV monitor now for $2000 + $300 for set top box when the format is finally nailed down by FCC. = $2300

or

(b) Buy 43" TV now for $500, chuck it or sell it for $200 on fleaBay when 2007 come around.
Buy a better HDTV in 2007 for $1500 + $300 set top box = $500 + $1500+ $300 - $200 fleabay = $2100.

Of course this is just a thought experiement. But it shows that the march of technology and depreciation can tilt the deal in favor buying cheap TV.

 

[spikemike]

deal is dead its now 999$ at amazon for the 43" model

 

[jvmitche1]

Good points everyone, but I want to point out I'm a fairly progressive person. No extreme here, I don't think free trade and the WTO is the end of the world, nor am I a flag-waving conservative.

That said, there are two ways of thinking, short term and long term.

"The Herculean task of maintaining a steady exchange rate means the Bank of China intervenes incessantly in the currency markets, buying billions of dollars from currency traders just to manipulate the yuan's price. In doing so, China amasses huge sums of dollars, which it spends to buy U.S. Treasury-issued securities.

By buying Treasuries, the Chinese are buying America's debt and extending the U.S. a loan. And the U.S. urgently needs foreigners like China to advance it about $1 billion every day so that Americans, who run a trade deficit with many of its trading partners, can continue to buy more than they produce.

If China changed course and stepped out of the Treasury market, the world's biggest economy effectively would lose a line of credit in a move that could whipsaw back on the U.S. economy.

So, in a simplisitic sense, the booming Chinese economy is actually helping us out. The problem is long term. Eventually, there will be no one left in this country with a job decent enough to maintain this unequal relationship of trade and manufacturing between the US and other countries. It's almost like nature, anything this out of whack can't last forever, it eventually has to even out. If you don't believe it, look at the recent trends of IT, programming, and developer jobs moving out of the country to places like India. They've predicted US high-tech firms will outsource one out of ten positions
by the end of next year. If you've called Dell Tech Support lately, you're chatting with India.

I guess one upside is that we might see an increase in standards of living in other countries. The bad news is that India or China alone could absorb the U.S. labor market several times over, so it will be a while before things stop sinking here. Anyone who thought the middle class in this country would continue to rise is in for a shock.

Short term profit is a decent thing for shareholders and companies, but what does it mean for the country when in the end we lose the skills and capacity to produce anything worthwhile.

Again, no need to panic and start building your compound for the revolution, but just things to keep in mind next time you go shopping, compare products, and make consumer decisions.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: robisc

Hey, now it's $999 + shipping.

Yeah I guess for those of use that waited around on this the price has now gone back up, oh well.

GDI, I can't believe i didn't jump on it at $399.00 . that was just this morning.

 

[osiris3mc]

Look, I think spending 400 bucks for a crappy projection tv is not worth it. Projection tvs are a thing of the past, and for all any of us know, this is probably composed of leftover parts from other manufacturers; in other words, parts that are obsolete. I think if you are willing to spend 400 bucks on the tv and this over a hundred for shipping, just go get an average 32" flat screen. Believe me, they are out there for that price. it's not worth the extra screen size to watch inferior picture quality, not to mention a good chance of it breaking down within a year.

 

[zenghd]

Originally posted by: osiris3mc
Look, I think spending 400 bucks for a crappy projection tv is not worth it. Projection tvs are a thing of the past, and for all any of us know, this is probably composed of leftover parts from other manufacturers; in other words, parts that are obsolete. I think if you are willing to spend 400 bucks on the tv and this over a hundred for shipping, just go get an average 32" flat screen. Believe me, they are out there for that price. it's not worth the extra screen size to watch inferior picture quality, not to mention a good chance of it breaking down within a year.

Very subjective in my humble opinion. The bad thing is you don't have evidence to support your comments.

Wait a few days and we'll see how this thread goes -- let the fact speak for itself.

 

[NICKel]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
I'm going to pass on this for several reasons, none of which I am going to post here

If the Grand Nagus himself is passing on this I am a bit worried about my order now.

 

[Daleon]

Personally I prefer to pay $2500 for a tv that will last 4-5 years vs $6000 for one that will last 10 years. Know why? B/c technology advances and prices come down. 4-5 years ago you would have paid $6000 for a tv you could get today for how little??? Think about all the people who went out and bought High Def tv's when they first came out... aren't those going to be incompatible with the newer High Def system soon?

 

[chemist2003]

For all those who wanted to pick up the $399 AR + shipping. Keep your eyes on Amazon.

It was back in stock again this morning around 11. I managed to squeeze myself into one, and bought it using a mastercard to get the free 2 year warranty. But it seems to be of stock again.

Since this is the 3rd time it's out of stock in the last 7 days, I would suggest keeping your eyes peeled. Check back every hour or so to score one.

As for the debate. Technology advance so quickly, it's almost never justifed to buy be best. Every year, the prices fall, the specs go up. Buying electronics is like buying a computer -- It's underpowered/overpriced the moment you bought it.

 

[chemist2003]

oh, and thanks to Canoner for the info on the free extended warranty from mastercard.

Edit:

And i would like to remind everyone that you get a $20 off from Amazon if you apply for their Platinum Visa card. And you earn 3% cashback. No annual fee.

So conceivably you can make this deal even hotter. $499 - $100 + $119 - $20 - 3% ($15) = $484 shipped. The down side is that since you bought with Visa, you don't get the free 2 year warrnty. But if you are one who wanted to buy the 3-5 yeah exteneded warranty from Visa, it actually plays to your benefit.

 

[osiris3mc]

Originally posted by: zenghd

Originally posted by: osiris3mc
Look, I think spending 400 bucks for a crappy projection tv is not worth it. Projection tvs are a thing of the past, and for all any of us know, this is probably composed of leftover parts from other manufacturers; in other words, parts that are obsolete. I think if you are willing to spend 400 bucks on the tv and this over a hundred for shipping, just go get an average 32" flat screen. Believe me, they are out there for that price. it's not worth the extra screen size to watch inferior picture quality, not to mention a good chance of it breaking down within a year.

Very subjective in my humble opinion. The bad thing is you don't have evidence to support your comments.

Wait a few days and we'll see how this thread goes -- let the fact speak for itself.

Go read reviews about this company and this TV in particular. Also, look at some previous postings and you'll see, Apex = Problems

 

[huesmann]

LOL, I heard a story on the radio about the first Walmart opening in China. The people who went there to shop were disappointed because the merchandise was all the same old Made in China crap that they have in all the other stores there.

 

[Kuhlman]

As for the debate. Technology advance so quickly, it's almost never justifed to buy be best. Every year, the prices fall, the specs go up. Buying electronics is like buying a computer -- It's underpowered/overpriced the moment you bought it.

That's true to a certain extent, but a TV doesn't go out of date nearly as quickly as a computer. You can't use a computer from 10 years ago to run current programs but you can still use a TV from 20 years ago. HDTV will be the standard for a long time. A good HDTV purchased now will very likely still be able to play the HDTV standard in 10 years. You may have a bulkier TV, but the TVs now will still be very functional in 10 years.

 

[chemist2003]

Kuhlman:

True enough. TV doesn't go out of style as fast as PCs. But still pretty darn fast. I guess the question here is will you still WANT to be watching HDTV from a 10 year old set. It may still be "functional", but can you live with... say.. inferior technology and visual quality.

Some would, some wouldn't. My father, being the penny pincher he is, still uses his AMD K6-300 MHz PC he bought on a BB thanksgiving bundle hot deal back in 1997 (for like $600 which was a killer deal back then). Sure, it is still fully functional. Still good for e-mail/web and the occational Word/Excel. Mean while, I have upgraded my computer 3 times since 1997.

So 10 years from now, god, 2013. Can I still live with an HDTV monitor I bought now? The longest I've ever kept a set is 3 years. Of course none of them is larger than 27 inches. Two years ago, I just couldn't stand my last set anymore -- a 25" with no component imput, so I got my current Toshiba 27". Now I'm retiring the Toshiba to bedroom viewing. So it doesn't make sense for me to by a $2000 TV that I'll replace in 3-4 years anyway. Hell, I already got my eyes on the new Samsung DLP technology. But since it's new, it's outrageously expensive. I wonder how those early adopter who shelled out $3-4K will feel when it goes on sale for $2K in 2-3 years.

 

[AmericasTeam]

Only upgraded your system 3 times in 6 years? Wow. I've upgraded my mb and processor each year since 1997.

My tv (43" Mitsubishi) on the other hand is just over 6 years old and doing fine (knocking its wood trim)

I just can see spending $500 on anything with the Apex name. I have read some reviews and its seems there is about a 1 in 4 chance that you will need to return it for some reason. Odds like that , no thanks...

but to each their own.

 

[Kuhlman]

I wonder how those early adopter who shelled out $3-4K will feel when it goes on sale for $2K in 2-3 years.

Well, it means they got to enjoy use of the TV for 2-3 years so they will probably be fine with it. I guess it comes down to what people can afford. If it's going to be financially painful to see prices drop it's best to just stay with lower quality and inexpensive TVs. If you can afford to buy something nice, do it and enjoy life.

 

[Kuhlman]

Originally posted by: AmericasTeam[/i]
Only upgraded your system 3 times in 6 years? Wow. I've upgraded my mb and processor each year since 1997.

My tv (43" Mitsubishi) on the other hand is just over 6 years old and doing fine (knocking its wood trim)

You mean your projection TV didn't keel over and die in 4 years? Wow!!! Consider yourself an extremely lucky person. It's like you won the lottery!

 

[chemist2003]

Originally posted by: Kuhlman


Well, it means they got to enjoy use of the TV for 2-3 years so they will probably be fine with it. I guess it comes down to what people can afford. If it's going to be financially painful to see prices drop it's best to just stay with lower quality and inexpensive TVs. If you can afford to buy something nice, do it and enjoy life.

Agreed. It's like what I was saying about my old man. Some people is willing to shell out big bucks for the best and greatest, while others are more willing to defer their pleasure to a time when it's more affordable. There is no right answer here.

I normally would agree with you that you shouldn't buy the cheapest stuff out there, since it's often true that you get what you pay for. (unless you are in the hot deal forum) My current set is a Toshiba, with panasonic DVD player and Sony home home theater. Never bought anything made by Apex before.

So normally, when I got for big ticket items, I go for the good stuff. But in this case, its a little different. HDTV hasn't been set in stone, and there is really no HDTV to be had right now. So buying HDTV is really just for show. And the best DVD can do is 480p. So I'm am buying a disposable Apex just to tie me over until 2007, when there is actually HDTV to be watched. Mean while this set's 480p capability fits perfectly to my 5-disk Panasonic progressive DVD player.

 

[TekDemon]

If your Apex DVD player hasn't gone bad, well you're lucky because they use underrated capacitors in about half their model line. Maybe it's because you happened to have purchased a good model #, but I unfortunately got shafted with the AD-800 player. Go look at the nerd-out forum and see how many people have blown their caps, almost EVERYBODY has. LOL

Anyway, this TV is built by ChangHong(which Apex bought a stake in) so supposedly the quality control should be better than previous Apex products...but I'll hold back to see

 

[cjchaps]

My dad bought a 51" Sony Projection TV about 8 years ago, and it's still fine....

Originally posted by: Kuhlman

Originally posted by: AmericasTeam[/i]
Only upgraded your system 3 times in 6 years? Wow. I've upgraded my mb and processor each year since 1997.

My tv (43" Mitsubishi) on the other hand is just over 6 years old and doing fine (knocking its wood trim)

You mean your projection TV didn't keel over and die in 4 years? Wow!!! Consider yourself an extremely lucky person. It's like you won the lottery!

 

[tigerbait]

I'm running an Advent Videobeam front projection set from the 70's, and my dad has a 61" sony from 1993 that still works great.

 

[canoner]

Originally posted by: jvmitche1
While I hesitate to crap on any great deals, I think we all must balance the great deals with the long term consequences. The APEX items, while always a great price, and at times a great product (I have one of the original DVD players, the thing is amazing) need to be weighed in that light. Sometimes we end up selling out to save $25 or $50. Hey, I'm no Free-Tibet, Vegan, Hippie either -- I'm someone just like you who's starting to see the big picture.

The APEX items are manufactured in China, and presently the Chinese government is intentionally depressing their currency in order to make these items cheaper, causing trade deficits to skyrocket and businesses scramble to compete. While I know getting a great deal is part of American culture, so is having decent companies and businesses exist here in the US -- and while almost all electronics manufactuers are not based in the US, many are still based in countries with some semblance of fair competition in capitalism and democracy. While I know choosing something "Made in Taiwan" versus "Made in China" seems like a trivial difference (by the way, that's how bad it is, we have to choose between the lesser of two evils) -- choosing China really is bad news. Beijing's economy is forecast to grow 9-10% this year -- ask yourself how our economy is doing. In the meantime, more jobs and investments are headed there.

"Economists also concur that the tidal influx of goods with bargain-basement prices throws the U.S. economy out of kilter. China, they say, becomes a leading source of American "deflation" - a downward spiral of falling prices that depresses earnings, wages and hiring."

Read up and start opening your eyes and your friends eyes. The media is never going to push this. We all need to wake up and see these scary developments. Don't feel like you can't ever by another Chinese item, or get an awesome deal on a big screen tv, but just be aware and understand what's going on....

http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/aug03/162995.asp
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030806/wl_nm/economy_china_dc_2
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/dowjones/20030730/bs_dowjones/200307292144001822

First of all, Chinese government is not obligated to appreciate Yuan value, it is not a WTO rule.

Secondly, do you think buying a Panasonic or JVC or Sony that is made in China make any difference?

Thirdly, areyou saying that we should stop buying all Chinese made goods? Do you know how much more expensive living will be?

In a global economy, you do what you are good at, and leave other things to other people. China has a lot of cheap labors that no developed country can compete with. So you leave labor-intesive works to them.

It is not like that US doesn't benefit from China's entering WTO. The American agricutural products put a lot of Chinese farmers out of work.

 

[Kuhlman]

Originally posted by: cjchaps
My dad bought a 51" Sony Projection TV about 8 years ago, and it's still fine....

I'm not suprised. Good TV's will last a lot longer than 4-5 years. The build quality of Sony projection TVs is excellent. You might get 10-15 years out of it.

 

[Agamar]

Well, bringing this thread back on topic...My TV is showing that it is being shipped now


Wierd though...They picked it up, moved it to Atlanta, and they say that it is going to Longview....I live in Shreveport.