[Dark Helmet]

"People who buy an iPod to 'look cool' are more likely to switch to another brand of MP3 player next time around."

One of the stupidest stories I have read in a while:
http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/70735.html?aff=rss

[Kevin]

Actually they just might! But you'll see them switching back soon after.

[- - e r i k - -]

That clearly depends on another MP3-player being "cool". Frankly I don't see any likely candidates.

[sek929]

The posers now want the Zen Micro...in Pink.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by sek929

The posers now want the Zen Micro...in Pink.

Eeewww.

-t

[gururafiki]

Don't worry, they will only switch to the black iPod.

[nonhuman]

I understand how that's useful marketing data, but how on Earth does it warrant a news story?

[rozwado1]

Michael Greeson, president of The Diffusion Group, who did the study, said: "It is widely recognized that early adopters embrace new technologies because of factors such as novelty and social status.

iPods on the 5th Gen. Why are we mentioning early adopters?

[SirCastor]

Oh... I bought the iPod on it's 1st gen because I considered it to be the best product available. I wasn't trying to be cool, or obtain social status. $400 was an awful lot to pay for social status.

[waxcrash]

Originally Posted by SirCastor

Oh... I bought the iPod on it's 1st gen because I considered it to be the best product available. I wasn't trying to be cool, or obtain social status. $400 was an awful lot to pay for social status.

Same here. Still have the original iPod and it works great. The ironic thing is I got made fun by all my co-workers when I got it, but 4 years later they all have one.

[- - e r i k - -]

OK, what MP3-players are there even left anymore? Hot on the heels of MP3-pinoeer Rio giving up, and Creative announcing they will focus more on soundcards than MP3-players again, Olympus is abandoning their relatively popular (and some even say sexy) line of M:robe-players on the grounds that it can't compete with Apple.

Is Apple going for a monopoly here?

[The Godfather]

The mobiBLU beats the shuffles with their pants down.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3756866

[brokenjago]

Remember, monopolies aren't illegal, only illegal ones are!

[Brien]

Whoa. I'd totally lose that thing.

[JoshuaZ]

Dude... its like an iPod Brick!

[SirCastor]

That brings up an ineteresting question, If everyone else gives up, will that make what Apple has a bad monopoly? For the most part I'd say it's the iPod itself that has brought Apple to the top, not Apple's underhanded tricks and sheer marketing power that destroyed everyone else.

The whole MS monopoly thing came about because they literally forced IE upon millions of users. Netscape didn't have a chance to get their product into the hands of consumers. I guess it'd be pretty cool if Apple were giving iPods to everybody...

*As noted before, only illegal monopolies are illegal.

[Eriamjh]

Who cares about posers?

[sek929]

I don't think I know a single person without an MP3 player that doesn't want some variation of iPod.

[andreas_g4]

IMHO, the iPod's "cool" factor does attract many buyers, yes. But it's ease of use and quality makes them buy a newer one.

[production_coordinator]

When people think MP3 player... they think iPod.

Apple has a GREAT hook that ties people in. iTunes ase of use, OK price, and a music store. Once you buy $10 worth of music from the iTMS, you can't go anywhere else without losing the ability to listen to your music on the road.

[volcano]

That brings up an ineteresting question, If everyone else gives up, will that make what Apple has a bad monopoly?

That's something to consider. Although I doubt Apple would completely exploit their success in the MP3 player maket, they could if they wanted to. Think about it: what drives innovation? Competition. You always want to be better than everyone else, and that requires your devices to have the latest and greatest features and technology currently available on the market. If Apple keeps losing competitors, that could [potentially] hault future creative production of the player, and it could cause Apple to become vulnerable if they become "too comfortable" in their blatant success.

Just a thought.

[Kevin]

Back in the 80s for those who remember the Walkman, any portable tape player at the time was called that no matter if it was made by Sony or not.

This decade the iPod is the new Walkman. People call most any mp3 player an iPod.

[raymond42n]

"Analyst sees terabyte iPod in Apple's future
By Charles Starrett | 11.11.05 | iPod | tell-a-friend
"Apple could possibly create an iPod with 1 terabyte of storage, as well as a true “iPhone” says one analyst. “A terabyte iPod might sound crazy today, but we believe in five years a terabyte iPod will emerge as a portable home media center,” says Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster in an research report obtained by iLounge. “We continue to believe that Apple will enter the mobile phone market. We would not expect an ‘iPhone’ to be launched for at least 12-18 months.”

"The report also discusses possible future plans for iTunes and the Mac mini. “The key to iTunes in the next 12-24 months will be gaining access to more video content… Apple will work with networks, film studios, and other content providers to coerce them into offering more content via iTunes,” continues Munster. “Expect Mac to become a hub for consumer digital media as Front Row technology gets incorporated into the Mac Mini.” The report also mentions a possible AirPort Express for video to stream video from iTunes to TV."

I got a Creative Zen micro as a form of rebellion, because a LOT of people in my country were lugging around iPod's. When i finally gave in and got myself an iPod photo, i realized the reason why Apple is leading the industry: ease of use and audio-visual superiority. Now i have the iPod video, and its ability to play my DVD's (after conversion to mp4) just puts it head and shoulders above the competition.

From the above, i don't think Jobs and company are worried about the 'coolness' factor at all. Keep it up, boys!!

[mduell]

Originally Posted by SirCastor

*As noted before, only illegal monopolies are illegal.

Having a monopoly is not illegal. Using it to do some things is.

[raymond42n]

Seems kinda ludicrous to accuse of monopolizing an industry, when all the other industry players give up because they couldn't cope.

[lamewing]

Originally Posted by sek929

I don't think I know a single person without an MP3 player that doesn't want some variation of iPod.

I don't know you, but my first digital music player was a minidisc recorder back in 1996, before mp3 players were around. I later tried a Diamond flash player with 32MB!!! WOW!!! Went back to minidsc after that. Next came the iPod, 1st generation. I LOVED the SOLID, bulky, hefty feel to it! Kept it til last Xmas.

I won't touch a newer version iPod as I just don't like the construction quality compared to the first models. I now use HiMD recorders and Cowon's A2 PMP and X5L. I miss the original iPod, but they are just so trendy and really don't sound as good as the players I use now.

I guess you now know someone who has a mp3 player but doesn't covet an iPod.

lamewing

[siMac]

Originally Posted by The Godfather

Of all the stupid form-factors for a pocket device.... Is that a MobiBlu in your pocket or (insert your own punchline)?

This is exactly why the iPod is king.

[Commodus]

I think Apple will probably stay ahead of the game for awhile when it comes to luring in the fashionistas. Why? Because the company doesn't stay still.

In 2004, they put out the iPod mini and the iPod U2, so you had a way to stand out visually. In 2005, you have the iPod shuffle (which is practical, but also a way of showing off if you don't have a lot of money), the iPod nano, and the 5th-gen iPod. The nano replaced the mini even though Apple had no particular reason to do so. They could have put out 6 and 8 GB minis with colour displays, maybe tweaked the colours a bit, and they would still have sold tons.

Next year, I'm sure we'll see something else we didn't totally anticipate, like an iPod shuffle with a screen or another special edition full-size iPod. But Apple almost always has a 'hook' that visually differentiates the new model from the old one, and makes you feel like you're lagging behind if you don't run out and buy a new model.

[rheise]

The idea of the iPod is now entrenched in popular culture. It's not "what are you listening to on your MP3 player?" it's "what are you listening to on your iPod." It's just like Google. No one says "just search for it on the internet," it has become "just google it."
The iPod is not going to be going away anytime soon. People that do buy one for fashion purposes and then decide to switch to another brand of MP3 player because EVERYONE has an iPod these days will realize that there is a lot more to it than just style. It has by far the best interface and syncing via iTunes. The only thing that could be improved, in my opinion, is the amplifier in it, battery life, and quality control.

[ibugv4]

Originally Posted by lamewing

I don't know you, but my first digital music player was a minidisc recorder back in 1996, before mp3 players were around. I later tried a Diamond flash player with 32MB!!! WOW!!! Went back to minidsc after that. Next came the iPod, 1st generation. I LOVED the SOLID, bulky, hefty feel to it! Kept it til last Xmas.

I won't touch a newer version iPod as I just don't like the construction quality compared to the first models. I now use HiMD recorders and Cowon's A2 PMP and X5L. I miss the original iPod, but they are just so trendy and really don't sound as good as the players I use now.

I guess you now know someone who has a mp3 player but doesn't covet an iPod.

lamewing

Wow. You are old school, I suppose OS 9 also serves you better?

I have a 3G ipod, one that I hand-made out of two dead units. I liked the original iPod, but the new ones are just as durable. Infact, I think more so since you can't destroy their dock connection port like the FireWire port of the original and second generation (which has happened to every. singly. one. that I have owned).

[ibugv4]

Originally Posted by Commodus

In 2005, you have the iPod shuffle (which is practical, but also a way of showing off if you don't have a lot of money), the iPod nano, and the 5th-gen iPod.

hmm.. I recall someone bying like 26 of them at one time as "gifts" like within the first week of it's announcement. I really, really liked mine too. I don't think it's designed to say I'm frugal, I think the idea was to make an indestructable iPod for kids, athleates and those who, yes, are on a tight budget.

[lamewing]

Originally Posted by ibugv4

Wow. You are old school, I suppose OS 9 also serves you better?

I have a 3G ipod, one that I hand-made out of two dead units. I liked the original iPod, but the new ones are just as durable. Infact, I think more so since you can't destroy their dock connection port like the FireWire port of the original and second generation (which has happened to every. singly. one. that I have owned).

My firewire port worked perfectly the entire time. The secret was to take file to the little bumps onthe firewire cable so that it just slid into the connector eaisily.

OS9 huh? Uh, no. I have the following....

AMD 3.7Ghz
1 Gig Corsair RAM
BFG 6800GT video card
WinXP service pack 2

and

Mac mini 1.42Ghz
1 Gig of Ramjet RAM
external 80GB hard drive

[lubberwort]

Some may say that Apple does have a monopoly just because of the flash memory. Did you read the news in the past few weeks as other mp3 player companies were calling foul on apple on securing deals with flash manufacturers to get lower prices and to get the flash memory before other companies could. So, you could argue they do have a monopoly.

[Tesseract]

Getting preferential treatment and/or discount prices because you buy more flash memory than others does not make you a monopolist.

(Apple may or may not have a monopoly on digital music players but their deals with flash producers have nothing to do with it.)

[Totemacher]

Anybody really that buys an iPod nowadays ismost likely either buy it for the name or style. If you want a quality MP3 player then why the hell would you buy an iPod???? I happened to work Geek Squad in Best Buy...iPods are the ONLY, and I repeat, ONLY MP3's player than ever come for exchange or repair. They're such pieces of sshit that we won't fix them anymore, we just replace them because it's not worth fixing something that's probably going to come back. Worst Apple product ever, A friend of mine that works there in now on her 3rd *broken* iPod...she's had it for two weeks. At this magnitude, it logically couldn't be the users, it has to be the product....though people do tend to miss treat iPod HD players. The only flash players that come in are the Nano's....pieases of crap! The iPodMini's were's too bad though. I got the last gen mini and it works fine..it took Apple long enough though. The iiRiver I like though.

[savoirfaire]

Originally Posted by Totemacher

Anybody really that buys an iPod nowadays ismost likely either buy it for the name or style. If you want a quality MP3 player then why the hell would you buy an iPod???? I happened to work Geek Squad in Best Buy...iPods are the ONLY, and I repeat, ONLY MP3's player than ever come for exchange or repair. They're such pieces of sshit that we won't fix them anymore, we just replace them because it's not worth fixing something that's probably going to come back. Worst Apple product ever, A friend of mine that works there in now on her 3rd *broken* iPod...she's had it for two weeks. At this magnitude, it logically couldn't be the users, it has to be the product....though people do tend to miss treat iPod HD players. The only flash players that come in are the Nano's....pieases of crap! The iPodMini's were's too bad though. I got the last gen mini and it works fine..it took Apple long enough though. The iiRiver I like though.

Wow, that's interesting to hear. What you don't seem to be taking into account, though, is that this is largely going to be determined by which mp3 players people are buying in the first place. With iPods occupying an estimated 80+% market share, it stands to reason that about 80+% of the returns you see will be iPods, assuming that all mp3 players are more or less equally vulnerable to problems. My personal experience is that I haven't seen a SINGLE PERSON with a non-iPod mp3 player on campus or at the health club for months. (I do see people with portable CD players and radios, just no other mp3 players.) It's the same reason why Hondas and Toyotas are the cars most likely to be stolen when you look at pure numbers. Adjusted for numbers of cars in circulation, however, the top two are actually Chryslers and no Hondas or Toyotas appear in the top 10.

[savoirfaire]

Originally Posted by savoirfaire

Wow, that's interesting to hear. What you don't seem to be taking into account, though, is that this is largely going to be determined by which mp3 players people are buying in the first place. With iPods occupying an estimated 80+% market share, it stands to reason that about 80+% of the returns you see will be iPods, assuming that all mp3 players are more or less equally vulnerable to problems. My personal experience is that I haven't seen a SINGLE PERSON with a non-iPod mp3 player on campus or at the health club for months. (I do see people with portable CD players and radios, just no other mp3 players.) It's the same reason why Hondas and Toyotas are the cars most likely to be stolen when you look at pure numbers. Adjusted for numbers of cars in circulation, however, the top two are actually Chryslers and no Hondas or Toyotas appear in the top 10.

By the way, this is how politicians always spin the numbers. "Fun with statistics." Maybe some of Apple's competitors should interview you for one of their commercials. The average consumer would likely jump to the same conclusion that you do without considering how those numbers were calculated!

[analogika]

Huh?

"Spinning the numbers"? Which universe do you live in?

Say we get five times as many iPods in for repair as we did a year ago. Does this mean that iPods have turned to sh¡t? If you consider that we're selling TEN times the number of iPods as we did a year ago, the opposite is the truth.

That's not spin.

If 90% of players that come in for repair are iPods, that means square average reliability if 90% of players SOLD are iPods.

ANYTHING ELSE is spin.

[kshack]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

"People who buy an iPod to 'look cool' are more likely to switch to another brand of MP3 player next time around."

One of the stupidest stories I have read in a while:
http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/70735.html?aff=rss

If this dork (Quentin Reade) defines cool, then I guess I never will be cool.

[savoirfaire]

Originally Posted by analogika

Huh?

"Spinning the numbers"? Which universe do you live in?

Say we get five times as many iPods in for repair as we did a year ago. Does this mean that iPods have turned to sh¡t? If you consider that we're selling TEN times the number of iPods as we did a year ago, the opposite is the truth.

That's not spin.

If 90% of players that come in for repair are iPods, that means square average reliability if 90% of players SOLD are iPods.

ANYTHING ELSE is spin.

I'm finding it a little difficult to determine whether you are making an argument for or against the iPod... My argument was that the previous poster (who stated that iPods must be crap because he only sees iPods being returned) was not taking into account the fact that the vast majority of mp3 players being sold ARE iPods. Your example about seeing five times as many iPods come in for repair when there are TEN times the number of iPods being sold is similar to my example about the statistic that Toyotas and Hondas are the most likely cars to be stolen. So, I agree that "the opposite is the truth" meaning that iPods are not necessarily "turn[ing] to spit" just because the Geek Squad employee sees so many broken ones.

Your statement that "If 90% of players that come in for repair are iPods, that means square average reliability if 90% of players SOLD are iPods" is just a colloquial reiteration of my previous statement that "With iPods occupying an estimated 80+% market share, it stands to reason that about 80+% of the returns you see will be iPods, assuming that all mp3 players are more or less equally vulnerable to problems."

"ANYTHING ELSE is spin" is exactly what I have been saying. I think you read my second post (which was directed to Totemacher) and thought that the "spin" comment was was written by someone else responding to my first post. I meant that claiming iPods are crap because there are so many being returned is an example of "spinning the numbers".

[analogika]

Ah. Sorry, yes.

We are in agreement, und I not ried so gut sometime.

Jawohl.

[savoirfaire]

lol

I'm glad we're in agreement! That means we can gang up on Totemacher and shove iRivers down his throat!

Originally Posted by analogika

Ah. Sorry, yes.

We are in agreement, und I not ried so gut sometime.

Jawohl.

[roconnor38]

is the organ guy gay cause he sure seems that way

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by roconnor38

is the organ guy gay cause he sure seems that way

Wow pulled a thread out of 1 month retirement to ask an obvious question?

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by roconnor38

is the organ guy gay cause he sure seems that way

Why? Are you looking for a date on New Years Eve?

[analogika]

Originally Posted by roconnor38

is the organ guy gay cause he sure seems that way

Getting your hopes up?



BTW: The iPod actually currently has the LOWEST failure-rate among mp3 player, in units failed under warranty.

[JoshuaZ]

If the line at the Apple Store last Friday was any indication about the popularity of the iPod, then Apple should have no worries at all. The place was packed here in Milwaukee, and they kept selling out of iPods. It seemed everyone was there for an iPod or iPod accessory (which was why I was there, buying a case for my sister's new Nano.)

Plus Apple is still making large strides in the Japanese market, where the iPod had to challenge the MD player as the norm in Sony's own turf. Lets just say that the iPod is now #1 in Japan, and Sony is having massive troubles getting anything sold. Too bad it took so long for the iTunes Music Store to open in Japan. Hope they start providing TV content soon, as many Japanese techies I know love it. (Plus 100 Yen a song is about 10% cheaper then $1 a song. Go go currency)

[Steve]

Originally Posted by roconnor38

is the organ guy gay cause he sure seems that way

Inappropriate.