Good, honest iPod article

malokata

As part of a feature on design innovation, the TImes has this article:



http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/30/magazine/30IPOD.html



It's interesting.

placebo

Quote:

Originally posted by Malokata

As part of a feature on design innovation, the TImes has this article:



http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/30/magazine/30IPOD.html



It's interesting.

Could you quote the text, or provide us with a login?



Thanks.

cubedude

Is it just me, or is every page after the first 9/10's advertisment, 1/10's article?



Not an ad for the iPod, but gigantic banner ads.

murbot

My connection here is going really weird, so I'm having trouble getting the article to load, but you can always log into NYT with:



username: appleinsider

password: appleinsider

buonrotto

That's just a great article on design, nevermind the iPod. I'm forwarding the article to a few choice architects and designers.



PS: doesn't this sound weird, "[The author] watched Steve Jobs approach in long, energetic strides. It was a perfect day, and he wore shorts with his black turtleneck, and sneakers." Shorts and turtleneck?

placebo

The article states that, "Apple was late to put CD burners in their computers." Are you kidding me? Apple had them in iMacs way before they were ever in PCs.

blabla

Quote:

Originally posted by Placebo

The article states that, "Apple was late to put CD burners in their computers." Are you kidding me? Apple had them in iMacs way before they were ever in PCs.

No, Apple actually copied this feature from Dell.

placebo

I'm not saying that Apple was the first to have a CD burner available as a BTO option, I'm saying that Apple was the first to have CD burners pretty much consistently across the whole line.

eman

Quote:

Originally posted by Placebo

I'm not saying that Apple was the first to have a CD burner available as a BTO option, I'm saying that Apple was the first to have CD burners pretty much consistently across the whole line.

Ummm... no they weren't.

murbot

<insert remark about Placebo and a crack pipe>



That was a great read, BTW. Thanks for the hook up, Malokata.

ghost_user_name

Quote:

Originally posted by murbot

<insert remark about Placebo and a crack pipe>

Quite right, murbot.



Placebo, you're way off the mark here. When Steve Jobs finally introduced a CD burner to the iMac, he admitted on stage that Apple had totally "missed the bus" on that one. Everyone else was already offerring CD burners and the iMac was an embarassment for not having ANY built-in way to copy data to a portable physical medium.

malokata

Quote:

Originally posted by murbot

Thanks for the hook up, Malokata.

Sure thing.

dmband0026

Quote:

Originally posted by blabla

No, Apple actually copied this feature from Dell.

# of times Apple has copied Dell or <insert PC manufacture/software developer here>: 1



# of times Apple has been copied by said manufacture/developer: <insert astronomically large number here>



I think that ratio is okay.

satchmo

I think Placebo may be thinking of CD-ROM drives. If I'm not mistaken, Apple was ahead of the game in that regard...but definitely missed the boat on recordable drives.



But interesting article. However, I'm still not completely convinced that a lower cost iPod can't still be introduced.

discussed here:



http://forums.appleinsider.com/showt...0&pagenumber=2



I do however, now really feel like updating my old 5gig wheel iPod to one of those new slimmer models.

ludwigvan

Quote:

Originally posted by Brad

Quite right, murbot.



Placebo, you're way off the mark here. When Steve Jobs finally introduced a CD burner to the iMac, he admitted on stage that Apple had totally "missed the bus" on that one. Everyone else was already offerring CD burners and the iMac was an embarassment for not having ANY built-in way to copy data to a portable physical medium.

If memory serves, Apple was pushing DVD-RAM burning before they jumped on the CD burning bandwagon.

foad

That was a great read. Thanks for the link!

pscates

I think the Flower Power and Blue Dalmation models were the first iMacs with CD-R drives, right? I remember those being really pushed for their "music connection" (appearing at the same time as the "Rip, Mix, Burn" commercial with the kid in the theater with all the famous people on stage).



Steve talked about the Dalmation and Flower designs "visualizing music" or something crazy like that.



Hell, bring 'em back and sell iPods that look like that.







Complete the circle...

chinney

I read that article in a nice hotel room with a really good cup of coffee and some fresh bread to nibble on and the Sunday N.Y. times spread all over the bed. Weekend away from the kids! <gloats> I love the little ankle-biters, but sometimes it is good to remind yourself that you and your loved one have a life beyond just being parents.



I digress...I liked the article. I especially liked it when Steve was quoted referring allegorically to the pain of watching Michael Dell dance.

rok

Quote:

Originally posted by Chinney

I digress...I liked the article. I especially liked it when Steve was quoted allegorically referring to the pain of watching Michael Dell dance.

agreed... i spit out my drink when i read the following, quoted from MacMinute.com:

Quote:

One amusing part of the article is when Walker asks Jobs if he thinks consciously about innovation. "No," Jobs replied. "We consciously think about making great products. We don't think, 'Let's be innovative! Let's take a class! Here are the five rules of innovation, let's put them up all over the company!'" Walker said there are people who do just that. "Of course they do," Jobs countered. "And it's like somebody who's not cool trying to be cool. It's painful to watch. It's like watching Michael Dell try to dance," Jobs said. "Painful."

pensieve

My favorite part:

Quote:

Jobs shook his head. ''But then you meet the girl, and she says, 'Let me see what's on your iPod.' You pull out a tape player, and she walks away.'' This was an unanticipated, and surprisingly persuasive, response. That's thinking long-term, I said. ''No,'' said Steve Jobs. ''That's being an optimist.''

So true. I need to get some white headphones and ditch my grado's for a while and see what happens.



Does anyone else remember that TechTV show with John Dvorak where he had a panel of "experts" commenting on some technology or other? There was a show where they had sort of a firing range of targets and Dvorak said "The iPod?" and several of the panelists agreed that it was crap that Apple probably just pulled off the shelf and would be doomed to failure. I wish I had that recorded somewhere so I could make fun of it appropriately.

1seaside1

Actually a very good article on design. I wish more papers would discuss the design of products in everyday lives ... all the better for designers.



I remember Apple pushing DVD drives before CD-RW drives, believing that consumers wanted to make and/or watch movies instead of burning files. With the introduction of iTunes, Jobs admitted they were behind the curve, but trying to catch up by adding CD-RW drives and Itunes/Disc Burner.