Apple pursues interest in micro-acoustics, Hi-Fi successor

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Despite mediocre sales of its iPod high-fidelity speaker system during its first year on the market, Apple Computer is proceeding with plans to build a family of micro-acoustic devices for the living room.



A recent iPod engineering job listing posted to the company's website seeks "an acoustic engineer who will be responsible for the design and development of many aspects of consumer loudspeaker systems such as Apple?s Hi Fi."



Apple says the position will entail "loudspeaker enclosure design, passive and active filter design, transducer design, and design validation." More generally, the company said ideal candidates will be responsible for growing a team's "overall capability in the micro-acoustics field."



Earlier this year, it was rumored amongst insiders that Apple was prepping a smaller cousin to its $349 iPod-dockable Hi-Fi speaker system. The device, which was to cater to the sub-$199 iPod speaker market, failed to proceed beyond the test build phase, some said.



Since its introduction in February, the iPod Hi-Fi has garnered an approximate 8 percent share of the iPod speaker market according to NPD Group, good enough for fourth place behind similar but less costly solutions from Bose, Logitech and i-Fusion.



iPod Hi-Fi "mini" concept rendering



But when it comes to revenue share, Apple's Hi-Fi places second to only Bose, which sells a similar system for $299. That means the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is generating a steady stream of incremental revenue from sales of the rudimentary device.



When it reports results each quarter, Apple lumps sales of the Hi-Fi into category labeled "Other Music Related Products and Services." During the 2006 fiscal year, sales revenues from that category grew some 71 percent.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 43
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider


    Despite mediocre sales of its iPod high-fidelity speaker system during its first year on the market, Apple Computer is proceeding with plans to build a family of micro-acoustic devices for the living room.

    Since its introduction in February, the iPod Hi-Fi has garnered an approximate 8 percent share of the iPod speaker market according to NPD Group, good enough for fourth place behind similar but less costly solutions from Bose, Logitech and i-Fusion.



    But when it comes to revenue share, Apple's Hi-Fi places second to only Bose, which sells a similar system for $299. That means the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is generating a steady stream of incremental revenue from sales of the rudimentary device.



    When it reports results each quarter, Apple lumps sales of the Hi-Fi into category labeled "Other Music Related Products and Services." During the 2006 fiscal year, sales revenues from that category grew some 71 percent.



    i'm not sure how this qualifys as mediocre sales.



    Is Apple expected to vastly outsell every other product every time?
  • Reply 2 of 43
    "Peruses?"



    I think you mean "Persues."



    You can't peruse interests...



    -Clive



    (damn. missed first post. I was being too much of a smart-ass.)
  • Reply 3 of 43
    If they can incorporate their airtunes inside the iPod Hi-fi



    http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/



    this will be a great idea. You can play all your song you have in iTunes wirelessly. This will be an advantage on competitor.



    Also AM/FM of course.
  • Reply 4 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gigi


    Also AM/FM of course.







    Or even better: Skip AM/Fm altogether! Who needs ad ridden airwaves that mostly play Top 40 crap anyways when one has 24/7 internet access?
  • Reply 5 of 43
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by melgross


    i'm not sure how this qualifys as mediocre sales.



    Is Apple expected to vastly outsell every other product every time?



    My thoughts exactly.



    Only introduced 9 months ago, it is already number 4 overall and number 2 behind Bose in the $300 range. People have seriously unrealistic expectations of Apple products.
  • Reply 6 of 43
    I can see Apple coming out with a 5:1 and a 7:1 sound system that is wireless. If "iTV" can do wireless video and audio via 802.11, certainly Apple can come with a wirless Home Theather speaker setup to complete the experience.
  • Reply 7 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by melgross


    i'm not sure how this qualifys as mediocre sales.



    Is Apple expected to vastly outsell every other product every time?



    I totally agree with Mel. I think having second place in revenues for this category is great. Especially since they are going up against other products such as those made by Bose which are more well established. Also, Bose has a better reputation for designing awesome speaker systems. It's not fair to compare unit sales of a $350 device with those at the sub $100 price point. I'll bet Apple is making more profit selling less of its device than most of the competitors are by selling many more.
  • Reply 8 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by doemel


    Or even better: Skip AM/Fm altogether! Who needs ad ridden airwaves that mostly play Top 40 crap anyways when one has 24/7 internet access?



    Sometimes it would be nice to be able to switch over to listen to the game for a bit, or catch the news at the top of the hour.



    I am in the market for a reasonably portable (lugable?) speaker solution for the iPod. Im not sure which way I am going to go, but if I am going to shell out $250 for a honkin' piece 'o plastic, I wouldn't mind the radio option...
  • Reply 9 of 43
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by doemel


    Or even better: Skip AM/Fm altogether! Who needs ad ridden airwaves that mostly play Top 40 crap anyways when one has 24/7 internet access?



    That dominates but there are non-Top 40 stations, and several non-music oriented stations. NPR is a good one.



    "24/7" internet access isn't everywhere.
  • Reply 10 of 43
    The ipod dock on top design sucks. You cant put it on a shelf without clearance and toting this thing around with your ipod sticking out of the top is out of the question. Apple needs to design speaker system that has a front loading feature so the ipod is displayed on the face of the speaker and also functions as the navigation system.
  • Reply 11 of 43
    It's about time they put some real thought and engineering into their own branded solutions. They lose money on an add-on or accessory every time they sell an iPod. Plain crazy.
  • Reply 12 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Clive At Five


    "Peruses?"



    I think you mean "Persues."



    You can't peruse interests...



    -Clive



    (damn. missed first post. I was being too much of a smart-ass.)



    what does "persues" mean? the same as "pursues"?
  • Reply 13 of 43
    The Hi-Fi (which I own) is an excellent speaker product, but the size and price of the thing precludes of from being truly mass-market. The Hi-Fi mini product concept would probably be popular with the masses, though.
  • Reply 14 of 43
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gigi


    If they can incorporate their airtunes inside the iPod Hi-fi



    http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/



    this will be a great idea. You can play all your song you have in iTunes wirelessly. This will be an advantage on competitor.



    Also AM/FM of course.



    Can't see it. The iPod dock provides a way to get your music to the box. Adding wireless access to your iTunes collection would be confusingly redundant.



    At any rate, Airport Express adds this functionality to any stereo, without tying the expensive electronics to one box. Sort of like how it wouldn't make any sense for Apple to built a flat-screen display with iTV built in.
  • Reply 15 of 43
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macintel4me


    I can see Apple coming out with a 5:1 and a 7:1 sound system that is wireless. If "iTV" can do wireless video and audio via 802.11, certainly Apple can come with a wirless Home Theather speaker setup to complete the experience.



    Except who wants to either have to plug in or change batteries on each little speaker in a compact 5.1 or 7.1 system?
  • Reply 16 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by freeny


    The ipod dock on top design sucks. You cant put it on a shelf without clearance and toting this thing around with your ipod sticking out of the top is out of the question. Apple needs to design speaker system that has a front loading feature so the ipod is displayed on the face of the speaker and also functions as the navigation system.



    Exactly. C'mon Apple, no one wants their iPod precariously placed (or looking like it's precariously placed, for that matter) on top of a speaker.
  • Reply 17 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox


    Can't see it. The iPod dock provides a way to get your music to the box. Adding wireless access to your iTunes collection would be confusingly redundant.



    True only if you have an iPod. I don't.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox


    At any rate, Airport Express adds this functionality to any stereo, without tying the expensive electronics to one box. Sort of like how it wouldn't make any sense for Apple to built a flat-screen display with iTV built in.



    It'd be nice to have it all in one box using one cable or even on batteries and building it in would be cheaper than having an external unit. A wifi module isn't very expensive these days either. You can buy PCMCIA cards for about £10. I'd be surprised if it'd cost Apple any more than $5 to add wifi access to the HiFi.
  • Reply 18 of 43
    buckbuck Posts: 293member
    But what's "microacoustics"?

    Is it a term for a reeeally small speaker enclosed in a really small plastic cabinet?
  • Reply 19 of 43
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by admactanium


    what does "persues" mean? the same as "pursues"?



    If you use a Mac, there is a program called Dictionary in the application folder that you can use to learn the difference.
  • Reply 20 of 43
    Dictionary app won't help you, because "persues" isn't a word, and that's what admactanium was getting at.
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