Top National News Stories of 2007

It's never an easy task to select a handful of stories from the hundreds that received national attention this year, but here are my top 5 national news stories for 2007:

Top National News Stories of 2007 No. 5: iPhone Price Drop

Apple shocked the electronics world by announcing a drastic price drop for their new iPhone mere months after the product finally hit the marketplace. Those who were first to purchase the 8GB model for $599 naturally were upset to see Steve Jobs authorize a price reduction of $200. The 4GB iPhone was discontinued at the same time.

The rule of thumb with any new technology is that the first people to buy it will, of course, pay more, but these early birds typically expect to enjoy at least 6 months to a year of exclusive usage before the prices plunge; this happened with the VCR, DVD's and personal computers.

To appease the anger of his customer base, Jobs offered a $100 rebate to customers who bought the iPhone early. This rebate, of course, came in the form of an online gift certificate good at the Apple Store. It was a grand gesture on Apple's part, but it will make consumers wary about buying a new product on Day 1.

Source: Gizmodo.com, "8GB iPhone Cut by $200, 4GB iPhone Gone"

Top National News Stories of 2007 No. 4: The Writer's Guild of America

On November 5, the Writer's Guild of America went out on strike and, as of this writing, things haven't improved much. As in previous years, the Guild wants a fair share of profits from new technologies and delivery methods, such as the streaming videos of television shows now available on the Internet.

Though generally unseen by the public, writers are the grease that keeps the Hollywood machine running, creating scripts and jokes for sitcoms, late night talk shows and movies. At this time, it looks as if the writers will not be able to work on material for the Golden Globes and the Oscars. Nominated celebrities also find themselves having to decide between supporting the strike or crossing the picket lines.