“The Rokr hardly ranked among Apple’s best-kept secrets… Apple worked its usual software magic on the Rokr’s version of iTunes, so anyone who’s ever held an iPod will be able to use it… While the concept of a musical phone has practical appeal — I can imagine using it to listen to some choice tracks to pass those long, fallow moments at the deli counter — Motorola’s execution left me cold,” Dawn Chmielewski writes for The Mercury News.
“The Rokr looks like any standard-issue cell phone and lacks the minimalist industrial design of Motorola’s other hot products, such as the sleekly sophisticated Razr phone. Needless to say, the Rokr is similarly devoid of the cache that has made Apple’s iPods high-tech fashion accessories,” Chmielewski writes. “This inexplicable blandness will doubtless hurt the Rokr in the mobile market — especially since Cingular Wireless plans to charge $250 for it, with a two-year contract. We think only the early adopters who are can’t resist a convergence play (you know, a digital camera, music player and communications tool rolled into one) will buy it.”
Chmielewski writes, “For everyone else, I’d recommend buying a Razr and super-gluing an iPod nano on its back… The iPod nano makes even the slender Razr look chunky by comparison… The device will replace Apple’s most popular iPod, the mini. It’s this kind of clever, even daring, strategy by the folks in Cupertino — killing off their most popular model before the competitors get a chance to develop a knock-off — that has given Apple a dominant share of the digital music player market. Even while seated at the Moscone Center, we could hear the faint yet audible sounds of competitors whimpering.”
Full article here.
Advertisement: Apple iPod nano. 1,000 songs. Impossibly small. From $199. Free shipping.
That pretty much sums up today’s two major hardware announcements nicely.
Related articles:
Tech pundit Enderle: ‘iPod Nano is a hit,’ Motorola ROKR ‘simply doesn’t have enough Apple in it’ – September 07, 2005
Jupiter analyst Gartenberg: ‘the market is going to go for Apple iPod nano in a big way’ – September 07, 2005
Analyst: iPod nano ‘could be Apple’s next home run’ – September 07, 2005
Video of Steve Jobs introducing iPod nano, ROKR iTunes phone now available online – September 07, 2005
Apple’s Steve Jobs predicts ultra-thin iPod nano ‘will become the highest volume iPod in the world’ – September 07, 2005
Apple introduces iPod nano – September 07, 2005
Apple announces Motorola ROKR iTunes phone, Cingular partnership, iTunes 5 – September 07, 2005
Apple, Motorola & Cingular debut world’s first iTunes mobile phone – September 07, 2005
Motorola ROKR Apple iTunes mobile phone availability dates for Europe, North America, and Asia – September 07, 2005
Dawn’s hearing must be pretty sharp if she can hear Sim Wong crying into his whisky from San Francisco.
Of course, if she can hear Steve Ballmer, I wouldn’t be at all surprised.
Yup, today Sim Wong Hoo took a poo…
first post
so how long till it comes in 6 fruity colors?
Apple’s iPod nano = End of Sim who???
But where is the MTV video pod as expected?
ok… not first post
that’s a slap in the face…
I think it looks pretty cool.
Yeah, I think Motorola’s ROKR looks cool too!
I said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s just a sleeker little sister to the iPod now, it’s not a cute mini anymore because theres no colors. The colors were a huge selling point for the mini for alot of people, and I think the nanotubes, although a good idea for a first accessory, fail horrably as a fashion statement. They look cheap. Cheapness should not be in any way associated with the nano other than in price, and using slip on covers for color I think was a horrable move by Apple. I just hope either Apple gets color versions out soon or ColorWare doesn’t charge a bundle for their paint jobs.
I want nano colors!
How about some red and green in time for christmas!
Go to cingular.com and check out the Rokr ads. Apple must have had the last word. The ads are awesome!!
The iPod nano does come in different colors…called nano tubes. http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/accessories.html
I read somewhere that this will eventually become a “free” phone. As a Cingular customer I’m absolutely getting one when my contract is up in June of 06.
Velcro iPod Nano to present phone!
10x the song storage
twice the battery life
Apple gets a profit
Horrable=Able to be horrible
“Yup, today Sim Wong Hoo took a poo…” – egarc
{MacMania, crawls back to his chair, his side still splitting from howling…}
egarc, that was impossibly funny!
Rock on egarc!
I put a finger up my butt and you dropped out.
“…this kind of clever, even daring, strategy by the folks in Cupertino — killing off their most popular model before the competitors get a chance to develop a knock-off….”
Dawn is SOOO right about this, and this is the reason why Apple has maintained such a big lead in the music space. Creative calls the Zen “innovative” and “sleek” but it’s just another sad attempt to replicate the iPod. Instead of conjuring up the Next Big Thing, Apple’s competitors spend their time working on variations. And what does Apple do? It just comes along and pulls out the rug from everyone.
No doubt the iPod nano announcement killed about a dozen prototypes players that were in mid-development. This is what’s called disrupting the enemy – Sun Tzu would be proud.
I love the new iPod nano ad
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> That thing is irresistable!
So do you guys think Apple is ‘hustling’ Cingular and Moto..
You underestimate how popular this phone will be..
The great thing (page from MS) about playing nice with partners is that you have 3 companies promoting one solution, instead of just one (In much the same way that Apple has three components promoting the iPod solution:iTunes, iPod, iTMS)
You guys forget what this phone will do for iTunes usage.. and hence, QT adoption..
MS has got to be crapping their pants about the thought of 50 million Cingular customers potentially getting a phone that forces them to install QT
Studying amazon.com sales rankings, it’s clear they didn’t get much upsell to the 6GB mini. as of late today, the silver 6GB was 85th (only 6GB in top 100), while the four colors of the 4GB were at 4, 23, 24, and 36. so amazon was getting upsell from the shuffle to the 4GB mini and then to the 20GB iPod (ranked 1, 15, and 16).
So paying $50 dollars for the extra 2GB did not readily attract consumers. I think people will find it more attractive to pay the $50 more for the same capacity but a much smaller and lighter device, and the added bonus of the color display.
Hit ‘n’ Ho-hum I’d say — iPod nano black has me drooling on the keyboard. But a *proper” Apple-styled phone is nneded. And where is my vPod (sob)…
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Did u notice during the keynote where SJ stated the iPod sales figures compared to those of the Playstation Portable last quarter (6 million iPods compared to 2 million PSP’s)?
Wasn’t the PSP supposed to be the “true iPod Killer”?
I didn’t think so.
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haliburton,
now that we know how you spend your leisure time, please leave.
MW: gone, as in: be gone!
Because Mayor Nagin and Gov. Blanco reduced the welfare rolls in New Orleans as of late with their incompetence and negligence.
I can now buy myself two iPod Nano’s instead of one and still give money to the Red Cross.
yeah!
Nothing like a few thousand handicapped people drowning in their wheel chairs to get the blood boiling huh?
Few thousand handicapped people drowning in their wheel chairs?!
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THAT IS TERRIBLE!
Great work again Bush&Co;
Motorola also dropped the ball again!
Damn it.
Next time they should let Jonathan Ive to desing some stuff for them.
iPod nano is so BEATIFUL!
I ordered one for myself. Have to have it. I wonder what to do with my iPod Photo 60G. It looks so clumsy and feels so heavy after nano.