HP to stop selling Apple's iPods

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 47
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    the whole OS thing is starting to unravel as devices begin to take on more of the original core abilities of the OS. How do I know? Look at all of the "who cares" for Longhorn/Vista and yeah, Tiger is great, but it is iPod not Tiger bringing folks to Apple. Tiger helps keep them, but it is more lack of viruses, not positives like Dashboard that is increasing market share.



    So both MS and Apple are having to do other things and I think MS is starting to get desparate by competing against game consoles and now small business. So it isn't being evil, it is the start of a paradigm shift.



    Back to HP, yes, they need to do what Xerox did when it became the "document" company. There is no reason why they can't imitate some of Dell's model and so they are not going anywhere. IBM could sell off ThinkPads because they still make chips and big iron. HP I think needs more of the PC presence as they move to being the "printer" company.
  • Reply 22 of 47
    Hp will have to offer value in their towers with things that Dell hasn't got like the media bay drive the memory stick device built-in and lightscribe DVDs, as well as competitive prices-and great printers-all of which they have done and effectively. Apple however coming to bat in the Intel arena is going to take a beating in ways it never imagined thanks to revenge for hornswaggling HP over the iPod. THAT is going to bite Apple back in the ass HARD, as Apple has enjoyed a significantly higher price point than competing PC Iron. Apple is in for a few rude shocks, the main one being people are going to see Apple as an overpriced stylish clone finally, which is what it will become after all in order to survive Steve Jobs death, go mainstream and all. HP will viciously compete against Apple with all the aggression it can muster-thanks to Job's latest "brilliant iPod maneuver". The days of high profits from Apple hardware are gone forever with the Intel transition. It's going to be painful for Apple in many ways......but as I said there, Apple is in for a rude set of jolts. Steve Jobs will cash in with interest the adage of he who seeds the wind...reaps the whirlwind........but theres ol' hypomaniac Jobs at work, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, as usual.....except that his "reality distortion field" only puts off the inevitable. There was some advantage to a PowerPC Mac. Now that Jobs effectively killed off innovation due to methodical insanity....well don't be surprised if fewer than hoped will buy tickets for Job's "Titanic" attempt at another run at Microsoft.
  • Reply 23 of 47
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,239member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by melgross

    Apple has been behaving badly the past few of years.



    Competing with their dealers by not supplying them with product. Raising the requirements to remain a dealer. Now opening a store a block away from the biggest Mac dealer here in NYC.




    From an idealistic point of view, you're right. But put yourself in the shoes of Apple. Image is EVERYTHING! If a reseller is not showcasing Apple products and portraying them the way Apple wants, they have every right to come along and do it themselves.



    This is an OPPORTUNITY for retailers to compete against Apple at the SERVICE level. Price is hardly a differentiating factor with Mac products. If the resellers are just going to whine and complain, then they deserve what they get.



    Now, to bring it back on topic... I think HP is pissed that Apple has agreed to deal directly with RadioShack. However, time will tell if the "strategy" that HP is working on is what we think it is. Afterall, they began building computers with build-in iPod docks, so it hardly strays from their strategy as we thought it to be.
  • Reply 24 of 47
    frawgzfrawgz Posts: 547member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by fahlman

    According to the USA today article Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said, "Apple has decided that reselling iPods does not fit within the company's current digital entertainment strategy. As a result, HP plans to stop reselling iPods by end of this September."



    Apple is evil




    Strange, in the article I read, Natalie Kerris says "HP has decided that reselling iPods does not fit within the company's current digital entertainment strategy."



    Both papers pulled the same AP story, but only one is misquoting Kerris. Considering the rest of the story goes on to talk about a reorganization within HP with Fiorina's departure, it makes more sense to me that HP was the one to pull the plug.
  • Reply 25 of 47
    rasnetrasnet Posts: 37member
    I hope Wal-Mart is or will be selling the Apple iPods. I know they have HP ones, but last I knew that was it. The difference from my mother's 10% employee discount would have been a great encouragement for me to buy an iPod if I happened to come in to enough spare money to buy an mp3 player. If I can't get it there, I don't think I'd even bother.
  • Reply 26 of 47
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by coolfactor

    From an idealistic point of view, you're right. But put yourself in the shoes of Apple. Image is EVERYTHING! If a reseller is not showcasing Apple products and portraying them the way Apple wants, they have every right to come along and do it themselves.



    This is an OPPORTUNITY for retailers to compete against Apple at the SERVICE level. Price is hardly a differentiating factor with Mac products. If the resellers are just going to whine and complain, then they deserve what they get.



    Now, to bring it back on topic... I think HP is pissed that Apple has agreed to deal directly with RadioShack. However, time will tell if the "strategy" that HP is working on is what we think it is. Afterall, they began building computers with build-in iPod docks, so it hardly strays from their strategy as we thought it to be.




    You haven't run a business, have you? I've had two over the last 30 years, and you don't behave that way, or you will be out of business. Apple isn't the only company that needs an image.



    Dealers can't compete with Apple on service because Apple determines what services they will be allowed to offer. They can't stock parts, can't do many repairs, can't offer large discounts. Small retailers don't have the money to offer nice roomy stores like Apple can. It's not easy.



    In parts of Europe, Apple pays for stores to get refurbished to look like Apple's stores. Do they do that here?



    Why would they move a block away from one of their most loyal, largest dealers in the country. One who has offered many services. Even Apple here sends some repair work to them.



    Apple is trying to cut out its dealers. What they really want is to be a Dell, but with stores.
  • Reply 27 of 47
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by rasnet

    I hope Wal-Mart is or will be selling the Apple iPods. I know they have HP ones, but last I knew that was it. The difference from my mother's 10% employee discount would have been a great encouragement for me to buy an iPod if I happened to come in to enough spare money to buy an mp3 player. If I can't get it there, I don't think I'd even bother.



    Do you read the newspapers? Apple has been selling some iPods through WalMart for some time. Thet just made a deal to sell the line.
  • Reply 28 of 47
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    By the way, what I've been reading (and been told) is that Hp was the one who decided to stop the sales. Apple is throwing a bit of spin on it.
  • Reply 29 of 47
    frawgzfrawgz Posts: 547member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by melgross

    By the way, what I've been reading (and been told) is that Hp was the one who decided to stop the sales. Apple is throwing a bit of spin on it.



    What spin? It seems both parties are in agreement that HP's quitting the iPod business. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press (with the exception of SFgate's version) all agree on that view.
  • Reply 30 of 47
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by frawgz

    What spin? It seems both parties are in agreement that HP's quitting the iPod business. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press (with the exception of SFgate's version) all agree on that view.



    Read the post by wnurse.
  • Reply 31 of 47
    frawgzfrawgz Posts: 547member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by melgross

    Read the post by wnurse.



    I did



    Only the first link he provides corroborates what he says, and it's an older version of the AP story that appears in the latter link. All up-to-date versions of the same AP story, including the one appearing on USA Today, say that it was HP that decided to quit -- from the mouth of an Apple spokeswoman, no less.



    AI got it right, according to all the major news sources out there. The only spin, it seems, is coming out of this thread.
  • Reply 32 of 47
    fahlmanfahlman Posts: 740member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by fahlman

    According to the USA today article Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said, "Apple has decided that reselling iPods does not fit within the company's current digital entertainment strategy. As a result, HP plans to stop reselling iPods by end of this September."



    The USA Today article has been changed. It now says: "HP has decided that reselling iPods does not fit within the company's current digital entertainment strategy," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said. "As a result, HP plans to stop reselling iPods by end of this September."
  • Reply 33 of 47
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by frawgz

    I did



    Only the first link he provides corroborates what he says, and it's an older version of the AP story that appears in the latter link. All up-to-date versions of the same AP story, including the one appearing on USA Today, say that it was HP that decided to quit -- from the mouth of an Apple spokeswoman, no less.



    AI got it right, according to all the major news sources out there. The only spin, it seems, is coming out of this thread.




    Yes, that mis-information was what I was replying to.
  • Reply 34 of 47
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by wnurse

    Don't want to defend HP but you don't work there. You have no idea what they are coming up with and one does not have to have a hot consumer item to survive. Microsoft is doing all right without an ipod, aren't they. HP will survive without an Ipod. I'm sure HP forgot to keep you in the loop about their future product plans. I'll send them an email to remind them to CC you on internal communications.



    I was just saying that HP hasnt innovated a damn thing in years, they make commodedy stuff, and Dell is spanking them on price.

    HP-UX is now dead, the PA-RISC chip is dead, thus the HP big iron is just another Intel linux cluster, like Dell. The quality on the iPaq, in my oppinion has fallen since the Compaq aquasition to the point where the Dell Axim would be a better buy, The one strength they still have is laser priners, but Dell is striving to commoditize that market as well, and most likely will in the next ~12 months.



    Where is the vision? the innovation, the invention?
  • Reply 35 of 47
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    Applewiz's trolling aside, it isn't good to go into Best Buys and get booted out, join with HP and get booted out, set up clones and boot them out.



    There is nothing wrong with "being Dell with stores", but Dell outcompeted other makers, it didn't screw them as far as I know. It made a great value to the uninitiated and a skin flint business model work. Apple makes a great value to the initiated with a boutique business model and it is a slow and painful transition to Wal-Marts unless it really has some great products for the next few years.



    Imagine GAP labelled jeans in Wal-Mart, Harmon Kardon systems at Radio Shack ...hopefully rising waters of sophistication - what the general public wants in a computer - raises Apple's boat and that Dell's anchor (Windows) slows it down.



    Apple can't keep burning bridges if it is going to be in stores other than bright shiny aluminum ones.
  • Reply 36 of 47
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Apple doesn't have to worry about competing against Hp. Hp itself is having problems competing. It continues to lose marketshare.



    The iPod was intended to give it some "coolness" factor. Appearently it wasn't enough to make up for the problems in the relationship.
  • Reply 37 of 47
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by melgross

    Apple doesn't have to worry about competing against Hp. Hp itself is having problems competing. It continues to lose marketshare.



    The iPod was intended to give it some "coolness" factor. Appearently it wasn't enough to make up for the problems in the relationship.




    But my question is WHY were there ANY problems in the relationship? Since you are correct, Apple and HP DON'T compete!



    Jobs has been shown to give when it came to the RIAA, so he needs to do the same with resellers ... simple as that. Apple can do whatever it wants if it just leaves its ego at the store front door.
  • Reply 38 of 47
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacGregor

    But my question is WHY were there ANY problems in the relationship? Since you are correct, Apple and HP DON'T compete!



    Apple can do whatever it wants if it just leaves its ego at the store front door.




    The last sentence says it all, doesn't it?



    Actually, Breen from Macworld has it right. Now that Fiorina is gone from Hp, they are undoing what she had done. Much as Jobs did when he came back to Apple.



    Hp is over the the hipness of her era. It's back to business. If Hp had price protection, and greater sales resulting from the lower prices, they MIGHT have kept it. But they didn't, so they didn't.



    Apple doesn't care anymore because they have enough sales of their own. They are getting into companies like WalMart and Radio Shack. It was thought that it wouldn't happen. But it has. My Radio Shack guys are happy about the idea. The manager is hoping that Apple will have Mac's there as well, because people are always coming in and asking if they have iPods.



    So they may have been squeezing Hp on price. It's too bad because Hp had a better warranty. Hp reportedly was NOT happy about apple moving into Radio Shack, one of their major distributors.
  • Reply 39 of 47
    frawgzfrawgz Posts: 547member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by a_greer

    Where is the vision? the innovation, the invention?



    What about this?
  • Reply 40 of 47
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by frawgz

    What about this?



    Yes, I've read the reviews. It's a nice printer, but no breakthrough.
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