October 29, 2001
Media Contact: Race Meider <race@macinstein.com>
iPod Not Enough (revisited)
I received a lot of e-mail and a few feedback responses that disagreed with my take on the iPod. Some agreed. Across the Mac web there seems to be a definitive split in opinion over the iPod. Comparing to MP3 players with larger hard drives, that are not as compact and have a slower connection (USB), seems to allow some people to believe that the iPod is worth $400. Not me. I am admittedly not a big music fan and following the newest computer fad isn't what directs my life. That aside, I truly wanted the new breakthrough product that Apple was going to unveil last week to be a smashing hit, music related, or not.
Of course Apple had to push the envelope, they do with most of the products they offer, but at the same time, they push it with price, too. A sizeable screen and FireWire is a good way to outdo the competition, but paying for cutting edge technology, like the more expensive FireWire connection, doesn't represent the majority of consumers. Having a faster connection for your music is much more convenient, but convenience only speaks to some pocketbooks. To save a couple hundred dollars and have the inconvenience of waiting for your MP3s to transfer to your MP3 player isn't $200 inconvenient. Letting the songs transfer while you still busy yourself with other things on the computer is not the end of the world. Buying lower end is a common practice. During my years on the Mac, I have continually bought the low end current machine. The extreme example of buying the second run of PowerPCs, I opted for the 6100/66. Even then, a thousand dollars or more didn't make another 14 MHz worth it. Function is very important, features if you can afford it or can justify the cost.
Another argument I was given was that 20 GBs of music was ridiculous and unnecessary. That point only goes so far, because choosing between 1000 songs seems a bit much, too. Unfortunately, like the MHz myth, a layman consumer would see a cheaper price on an MP3 player with 4 times the amount of space and being told that it was smaller and downloaded faster, I can hear the staple answer "so I will wait". Think of your uncle, your miserly cousin, your not so well-off rest of the family, how many people really wouldn't fall into this category? Cool doesn't make the grade when it comes to spending hard earned cash.
When the Cube was released, I thought it was the neatest thing since sliced bread, but then I was very uneasy about the price. The thrill factor of the Cube was design and the small size. The Cube went belly up as Apple slowly gave discounts and rebates trying to slowly edge down and find the magical top price people would pay to make some good money on it. They were slow to decrease the price and this helped the Cube never be the success it could have been with all the acclaim it received. I fear that the iPod will find the same fate. Other manufacturers will now get FireWire on their MP3 player and slim down the size and they will get those sales as well. Being Mac only, Apple may not be so focused on having a money maker and just starting their library of "digital hub" products. Showing their wares to non-Mac users may impress when they have all their intended "digital hub" products launched, but if the prices all loom around the price of the iPod, people may be impressed, but not jealous. Rolling their eyes at what they would have to invest to get what they have elsewhere for a lot cheaper would not sway many converts. The comeback Apple made with the iMac was design and ease, but the price is what moved so many out the door. The Cube had the opposite fate in our smaller niche market, so which scenario is safer to follow?
macinstein.com
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