“The biggest problem for Apple will be educating buyers to understand what the shuffle does and doesn’t do. If I were in charge of iPod marketing, I’d be especially concerned that first-time buyers who get a shuffle won’t fully appreciate the magic of iPod, because they’ll miss the joy of getting the music they want at the exact moment they want to hear it,” Mike Langberg writes for The San Jose Mercury News.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: A good point, but an iPod shuffle combined with iTunes and the iTunes Music Store is still such a good experience that we think Apple has little to worry about. Plus, most people already know someone who has a “real” iPod anyway, so they should easily understand what’s different about the iPod shuffle vs. iPod mini and iPod just by word of mouth.
Double pak! Get an iPod 20G and iPod 512Mb shuffle for $350….
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
If I buy a less expensive product I won’t fully appreciate what a more expensive one can do. How is this unusual?
“It does exactly what it says on the tin”, UK readers will recognise that advertising slogan. The iPod shuffle shuffles, what part of that is difficult to understand?
Double Pak! iPod 20G and iPod Shuffle for $349!
I originally had a 1GB Shuffle on order. Then, upon finding it backordered (surprise, surprise), I let my impatience get the better of me, and I bought a 20GB 4G iPod. All I can say is, “Wow.”
you get what you pay for.
can’t expect a BMW on a Yugo budget.
OK, well not a Yugo. but maybe a VW Jetta. but still. you get the point.
I’ve ended up with precisely the “Double Pack” referred to above by “s”, though I bought ’em years apart rather than as a pack. It’s handy to have ’em both. I’ve been reorganizing my iTunes playlists so that I’ve got a bunch of ’em with just just under 512MBs of music, each with a different mood, ready to load on the Shuffle. The reloading doesn’t take all that long if the replacement playlist is ready to load. The idea that we may each “need” more than one iPod seems a bit farfetched, but I’ve no doubt that Aple will be selling a whole lot of Shuffles to folks who already own a larger model.
I disagree with DavidO about not too many Shuffles being sold to iPod owners. I believe these two device will be used in completely different setting. One for office/home and the other for outdoor/excersize. In one setting you like to have complete collection of music, but in the other situation, you want small, light and simple. Apple also do not have to convince iPod owner how great iTune is, so Shuffle will be easier sell to the iPod owners (and hopefully reverse will be true).
The shuffle is designed for a whole different use niche than a screened iPod. I will be getting on eventually but the times and things I will use if for will be very different than the things I use my 30 gig iPod for and so the purchase will be justified.
If this is the best FUD that the Microsofties and their shills can come up with then Apple has little to worry about.
So the WMA backers think Apple is diluting the iPod brand. They aren’t, the iPod Shuffle works as advertised. Their poor attempt at a negative article shows just how bad their position is when it comes to MP3 players. This article has been picked up by the usual suspects but the FUD won’t work.
Users have choice. They choose iPod. Get over it Billy.
Yo “s” — You wrote: “I disagree with DavidO about not too many Shuffles being sold to iPod owners….” I had written: “…I’ve no doubt that Aple will be selling a whole lot of Shuffles to folks who already own a larger model.” Where do we disagree?
iPods I currently own: 1G 5GB (retired), 4G 40GB, Green 4GB mini (wife’s), 1GB iPs
So as you can see I have a lot of experience with iPods.
AUTOFILL: That is the “magic” of iPs, it’s different that the other iPods though. Without autofill, the iPs would most likely fail. The classic iPod simplicity and elegance is not lost on the iPs and after a week of use I don’t miss having a screen. In fact I now realize just how useless screens are on flash based players with small storage capacities. (The iPs replaced a NikePSA which I used for running, never really used the screen on that one either).
I’ve been using the iPs for about a week now and it has replaced all my other iPods for daily use. Every morning I just plug the iPs into my PowerBook and hit autofill. 240 new songs on shuffle for the day. Perfect for working out, the office and in the car.
If this is the best FUD that the Microsofties and their shills can come up with then Apple has little to worry about.
—
Totally… “Well, it’s not as good as another Apple product”
Ohhh.. what a burn..
Playsforsure my ass
Well duh, of course not. All music players of any brand that cost $99 aren’t as good as their counterparts that cost $299. Same goes for anything electronic. If you want to play you’ve got to pay. This story is a waste of time…
DavidO
oops… I misread your message.
What a great idea – an “iPodBundle”! I’d almost consider upgrading…
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smirk” style=”border:0;” />