“So far, Apple’s iPod is by far the best seller among high-capacity players. You can’t stand in a public place without seeing a pair of those telltale white earbud cords pass by; for once in its life, Apple gets to find out what it’s like to be Microsoft. The iPod’s success has spawned an entire industry of iPod cases, iPod accessories, iPod software – and now, inevitably, iPod imitators,” David Pogue writes for The New York Times.
“The rivals come from electronics makers (Samsung) and from fellow computer makers (Dell, Gateway), as well as from veteran music-player makers (Rio, Creative Labs, iRiver). Most have the familiar iPod ingredients: a screen, a tiny hard drive and a rechargeable battery, all packed into a rectangular case and accompanied by earbuds. Most come with jukebox software that loads your collection of music files – which you’ve either downloaded or ‘ripped’ from music CD’s – onto the player over a U.S.B. 2.0 cable,” Pogue writes.
“The other notable feature of these competitors is a marketing message that’s either ‘just like the iPod, only cheaper’ or ‘just like the iPod, only better,'” Pogue writes. “…if you want to shop at one of those $1-a-song music Web sites, buying an iPod pretty much limits you to Apple’s iTunes music store. (The Apple store’s AAC files play only on the iPod. The other stores, like Napster and Musicmatch, deliver WMA files that work on any player except the iPod.) Of course, that’s like being ‘forced’ to drive a Lexus or ‘limited’ to staying at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons, but you get the point.”
Pogues writes that the Dell Digital Junkbox (Dell DJ) “feels half-baked, especially in comparison with the highly polished iPod.” Pogues then covers the gamut of iPod-wannabe players from Gateway, iRiver, and the rest and concludes, “none of the companies who lust for some of Apple’s pie can deliver the elegance and convenience of Apple’s music trinity: iPod, the iTunes software and the iTunes music store.”
Full article here.
I love his comparison of: being ‘forced’ to use the iTMS/iPod is like being ‘forced’ to drive a Lexus… (even though I’d prefer a BMW)
I guess no one in the computer business industry has the genius of Apple. Its creativity and elegance, design and beauty… they have the gift to come up with a finish product, from the package to the tiny little detail. That’s why Apple tends to turn its costumers into faithful clients that will adore most of their products.
We �are� proud to look at the pc wintel industry as a primitive market and we giggle when they copy Apple ideas� yet, we get pissed when a windows user try to pretend that it�s been all done by M$.
I love this. All the other wanabes trying to play catch-up. Look at Apple; all they have done is what they have always done – create a superior niche product at what some would consider a premimum price (which people see their products are not). People, now are responding in droves saying “how cool.” It is nice to see Apple at the head of the demand market in terms of product sales and even imitations. When is the last time one of the Wintel companies said “just like a mac, but cheaper?”
dumb ass to know what its like to be microsoft hey would have to pumpout virus rideden software with more holes than could ever possibly be imagined over price it and discontinue it to force customers into a worse yet operting system and compromise more companies including national security. apple is apple there software works there users willingly upgrade becuse they know it will work 300 times better and still wont have any holes or viruses to contend with.
Hooty, I share your sentiments. Fortunately for Apple fans, the iPod/iTunes/iTMS is an example not only of Apple “creating a superior niche” or “getting it right,” but also packaging and marketing it right. Too often in the past Apple went its own way even as the personal computer evolved in a different direction *e.g., NuBus). In recent years Apple has successfully fostered and focused upon industry standards and the results have been tremendous. That said, even though AAC is an industry standard codec, it would seem to be in Apple’s best interest to create wider acceptance of the Fairplay DRM. M$ is pushing the proprietary WMA as a codec and sliding the DRM in with it.
Ideally the audio and video industries would converge on a single DRM approach that can be licensed for a nominal charge to support the DRM oversight organization.
In defence of M$ I have to say they produce the lowest priced software per security hole!
“I guess no one in the computer business industry has the genius of Apple. Its creativity and elegance, design and beauty… they have the gift to come up with a finish product, from the package to the tiny little detail. That’s why Apple tends to turn its costumers into faithful clients that will adore most of their products.”
Of course, as Michael Dell will point out.. technical innovation is nothing without business model innovation.
We shouldn’t be so quick to gloat concerning the road less taken.
Apple could make little while boxes, and focus on the worlds best windows apps being preloaded onto those systems at no extra cost and selling them standalone in stores.
But they want integration, as they see the computer experience requiring it.
I really don’t think a company with a 2% market share (I’m writing this on a brand new eMac) should be so arrogant, considering their ‘leader’s’ business blunders.
Just like the guy from Harvard said, “You’d think they’d release iTunes for the 400 million market first, and then hit the 30 million apple users.” But that stubbornness encapsulates Apple’s foolishness.
Of course, they could just privatize… but even then they have to worry about waning developer support.
Think about it: Why in god’s name would you ever want to write software for the mac? Guys like EA and Maxis must be just scratching their heads… and any product category that Apple inhabits, they conquer due to Mac users’ loyalty (for the most part) so… we know what a Monopoly feels like, even if we’re creating it ourselves (out of our own free will).
My only consolation is that they’re making profits from the iPod, and iSight, now for Windows AOL.. and there will be more peripherals in the future… so Apple won’t go out of business.. ugh.. but software will continue to wane.
“Ideally the audio and video industries would converge on a single DRM approach that can be licensed for a nominal charge to support the DRM oversight organization.”
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Aaaah the power of a brand… I hope you smell the irony