“At up to $300, they are not exactly an impulse buy, but Apple’s popular iPod music players are fast becoming the must-have items among the tech savvy. Now, a company that is making it easier than ever to get an iPod says it plans to expand to meet the demand,” WCBS-TV reports. “Zoom Systems has installed iPod vending stations in airports at Atlanta and San Francisco. They have dozens of other similar stations in six cities.”
“Even though buyers are asked to plunk down a credit card for almost three bills to walk away with an iPod, the company says demand is strong, and they’ve started researching other locations,” WCBS-TV reports. “The vending machines, actually an automated kiosk, sell iPods and accessories and accept a credit card for payment.”
Full article here.
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Shibby…
But what’s to stop one from using a stolen credit card?
what stops anyone from using a stolen credit card ANYWHERE?
Shibby…
Dude where’s my iPod?
I wonder if the LOCAL iPod vending station is selling more iPods, or the accessories for them? I can understand needing to pickup a charger or sync cable that you left back at home, but impulsively buying even an iPod shuffle, that doesn’t have any music on it, isn’t going to be tons of fun on a two hours flight.
So.. Slap down a lot of money to be able to walk on to an airplane with an iPod with no music on it….
The games aren’t that good…..
“…but Apple’s popular iPod music players are fast becoming the must-have items among the tech savvy.”
The tech savvy have had iPods for years now…
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Shibby does not own a credit card….clueless.
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Maybe they are buying it as a gift to give to someone when they arrive at their destination.
many people travel with laptops, wa la, your ipod docking station.
There is a rumour at CoolTechZone that talks about a possible upgrade to the iPod Nano line (5GB & 10GB). The article says they would be expected to ship in May.
(An addition to my original post)
Oh, of course I interpret this as two new Nanos, not ‘upgrades’ per se.
Man, i know i want a musicless ipod with no battery charge…
Wouldn’t that be great if the person who used the machine before you had their iPod get stuck, and then you got two iPods for the price of one? That happened to me with a Clark bar once. It was awesome.
ever forget a gift or dont have the time to get one, or maybe you’re in transit and can’t go looking for one?
gift-to-go
I just want to know what this article has to do with Boot Camp and Windows? Where’s the relevance?
This is BootCamp Daily News, isn’t it?
Is there tax?
I actually saw one of these in the airport in Madrid, Spain when I was there in September 2004. I almost shit myself when I saw it. These iPod vending machines have apparently been in Europe for some time and are very popular.
I was in Lucern, Switzerland in ’94, where the train station had a huge vending machine that was about 10’tall, 10′ deep, and 25′ long. You could buy anything from food to diapers to medacine.
A little robotic cart would go up and down on the X/Y axis collecting the items that you were purchasing. Once you were done, the items were brought to a little door which opened and you collected your items.
It was sweet!
“I want to make a vending machine that sells vending machines.
It would be f***ing huge!”
-Mitch Hedberg
RIP
Saw one in Jamaica, actually had a line of several people. One guy was getting it after sitting three hours on the plane, he was loading it at the Hotel and having it for the trip back. Since the Hotel has free internet and computers it seemed like a good idea. Personally I have a hard time taking a computer on vacation, but it’s not that uncommon any more.
The vending machines, actually an automated kiosk…
In other words, a “vending machine”. Seriously, what the hell’s the difference between an “automated kiosk” and a vending machine?
I hope the delivery for a iPod is a little more gentle than for the average drink can. I think if you got hit with a drink can out of the typical vending machine you’d probably lose a leg.
Personally, I never skip using de ‘Hooker in a Box’ kiosks at the Copenhagen airport, and almost anywhere in Amsterdam. Sometimes the skank gets stuck when she drops. You know, after she’s released from that little corkscrew-shaped retainer. That looks like it can really hurt.
But for all those who are wondering, well, they’re pretty reasonably priced. I mean, I’ve never gotten screwed or anything.
Yeh-heh-hehehessssssssssss . . .
You know you’ve won the game when you product is being sold in vending machines.
Wow! This is beyond consumer electronics, it’s prectically to the level of consumables. (which given the embedded battery isn’t so far fetched)