Why iPod reigns supreme
Holy crap! I had no idea it was this bad!
Here is the estimable Target's line up of "over 512MB" mp3 players.
Now, granted, Target is not your upscale electronics boutique, but they move a lot of stuff, and what they have on their shelves probably isn't that different from a lot of mass retailers.
Scroll down their offerings and what do we see? Various iPods, minimalist and cool looking. And the other manufacturers that are busy cooking up "iPod killers"?
They range from bulbous to odd looking to hideous to "Gosh, I didn't know Sri Lanka had an mp3 player manufacturer!"
To be fair, Samsung has a couple in there that don't scare me, and there's that full screen iRiver but it's $250 for a 1GB player.
I know that Creative, which Target doesn't carry, make some decent stuff, but I'll wager an awfully large percentage of players get bought when Mom and Dad head on down to the big box retailer. Imagine encountering that lot, vs. the iPod, even if the iPod wasn't on everybody's want list. It's almost funny, like the iPods are from a different planet.
Obviously, I'm aware that Apple is way out ahead in this market, but I kind of figured the competition was doing something, and Apple's closed system, as much as the design of the iPod, was accounting for keeping percentages dominant.
But good god a mighty, it's like these guys aren't even trying!
Here is the estimable Target's line up of "over 512MB" mp3 players.
Now, granted, Target is not your upscale electronics boutique, but they move a lot of stuff, and what they have on their shelves probably isn't that different from a lot of mass retailers.
Scroll down their offerings and what do we see? Various iPods, minimalist and cool looking. And the other manufacturers that are busy cooking up "iPod killers"?
They range from bulbous to odd looking to hideous to "Gosh, I didn't know Sri Lanka had an mp3 player manufacturer!"
To be fair, Samsung has a couple in there that don't scare me, and there's that full screen iRiver but it's $250 for a 1GB player.
I know that Creative, which Target doesn't carry, make some decent stuff, but I'll wager an awfully large percentage of players get bought when Mom and Dad head on down to the big box retailer. Imagine encountering that lot, vs. the iPod, even if the iPod wasn't on everybody's want list. It's almost funny, like the iPods are from a different planet.
Obviously, I'm aware that Apple is way out ahead in this market, but I kind of figured the competition was doing something, and Apple's closed system, as much as the design of the iPod, was accounting for keeping percentages dominant.
But good god a mighty, it's like these guys aren't even trying!
Comments
Apple (and NeXT's) stuff stands out.
( later Windows and BeOS stuff is somewhat palatable...but the Apple stuff still really stands out...Steve does have an "eye" for these things )
Everything else makes your eyes hurt.
But NeXT? No way.
Actually...
If you take the time to actually use some of the other MP3 players out there, there are many that are more feature rich than the iPod. Also, there are many that are built a great deal better than the iPod, and are much easier to use than the iPod.
I bought my wife an iPod based on word of mouth and reviews. I wish I had saved my money.
After 13 months and a replacement screen the unit died. For a fourth generation unit there were still way too many design flaws.
After it died, I purchased a creative unit and have been very happy with it. It came with a holder and clip as well as a built in FM tuner. Adding and removing songs is simple. I don't have to run any programs like iTunes or sync to anything. I just hook up the usb cable and drag and drop to a folder.
On the OS from NeXT...
If you took a look at that machine and the OS, it was way ahead of its time. I don't care much for Steve Job's. To me most of his products are nothing but hype. However, I have to give it to him on NeXT. However, as is typical with him, it was way, way overpriced. That helped kill it before it could get going. My college profs and DSP labs had several of them. I was a big Amiga fan at the time, but had to admit that NeXT even beat the Amiga.
Later,
Ocriss
Originally posted by Ocriss33324
After it died, I purchased a creative unit and have been very happy with it. It came with a holder and clip as well as a built in FM tuner. Adding and removing songs is simple. I don't have to run any programs like iTunes or sync to anything. I just hook up the usb cable and drag and drop to a folder.
Hey Ocriss,
I'm an ipod user myself, and am pretty satisfied with the experience (though there's not really much else out there for macs). I was just wondering how many songs do you keep on the creative, and how easy is it to manage meta data, organize play lists, etc? I'm not trying to argue for itunes+ipod, just curious.
Edit: Also, can you add address book type information and photos, and how easy is that? (It seems odd but I do use that 2 inch screen to show off photos an awful lot.)
Originally posted by Ocriss33324
For a fourth generation unit there were still way too many design flaws.
Such as?
Originally posted by Ocriss33324
To me most of his products are nothing but hype.
Perhaps. Perhaps not. Most have been ahead of their time in many ways. Apple II. Mac. NeXT. iPod.
Originally posted by Ocriss33324
However, as is typical with him, it was way, way overpriced.
I think this is a bit of a unfair characterization.
First for its time, NeXT wasn't as outrageously priced as it might seem now. It is tough to make apple-to-apples comparisons because it had features and functions that other machines didn't have. Then, of course, there was the OS.
Second, as far as "as is typical with him"...did you realize that on the original Macintosh he originally wanted a much lower price ($1000 I believe, then it hit $1500)...when it was go to market time $1995 had to be the price...but Sculley argued for $2495. ( http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?pro...m&search=price )
Third, I have read Steve saying that they were striving to create an iPod for less than $100. Finally they did.
I think Steve genuinely wants to sell good quality products at affordable prices. The operative phrase here is "good quality". Sure you can buy lots of crap for much cheaper. Or you can build something yourself for the same or better price (what is your time worth). But I think Steve is unfairly accused of being in love with high prices. I think he is in love with higher quality, better design, etc. and unwilling to compromised on these things (within reason...all thing break from time to time and nothing is perfect).
P.S. And profitably.