I'm not quite sure I "get" the new iPods...

24

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 63
    consider this: every non-apple person i have come across thinks that this product is overpriced and will not buy one. they might have considered it if the price was more reasonable, as it should be to start with (instead of waiting 6-12 months for apple to wake up and realize they f**ked up again). living in a very anti-mac part of the world, but yet seeing dozens of ipods everyday i have become optomistic that things have gotten better. this new situation, however, is not helping in any way. it is merely reinforcing the attitude that apple overcharges for everything and that the product is pretty and fancy but really not worth it. these people could easily be won over if the price were right from the very beginning.



    return of the cube...
  • Reply 22 of 63
    Other people have made the point better than I, but I'll say that most of the people I've spoken to are reacting just how Steve wants them to. "$50 more for all that? Cool!!" And if they go "But for $50 MORE - even COOLER!" then so much the better for Apple. That was the exact thought process two of my friends went through - people who would never have touched an iPod otherwise are now contemplating the 15 gigger.



    I think there is some devious financial kung fu at work here in terms of the mini being a market-bridging product as opposed to a market-capturing one, at least initially. Remember that Apple doesn't want the mini to take away from existing iPod sales, at least not just yet, so it makes some kind of sense for them to encourage regular sales while warming the "high-end flash" market up at the same time. Right now, it looks like the mini is sexy bait to get people interested in the Way of the Great White Pod who wouldn't be otherwise.



    That said I don't know what would happen if Apple did price it at $199 and hope to make it up in volume. Till we get the figures, I'm thinking there's something more than meets the eye at work.



    Oh yeah, someone else pointed out - $229 miniPods for students. Now, that's a deal.
  • Reply 23 of 63
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    I think all this proves that people here, and maybe most of the US and Europe, do not place much value in the more compact case.



    It's like expecting a notebook computer to be cheaper because it's smaller. They usually have less storage too. So where's the value in that?
  • Reply 24 of 63
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    i think smaller (and lighter) is great...and, as and edu person, 229 is a nice enough price...but i would love to see three models



    iPod sport---flash based (no skipping)-256 mb and 512 mb models



    iPod mini---2 g, 4 g and eventually up to 10 ---199, 249, 299 (edu prices of 169 (sweet!), 229 and 269)



    iPod classic--20 gig, 40 gig, 80 gig (299, 399, 499)



    g



    yes the iPod mini and iPod classic are the same price at 10 gig for the mini and 20 gig for the classic...so people would buy for either more storage or smaller size
  • Reply 25 of 63
    wrong robotwrong robot Posts: 3,907member
    I think a big issue with the new iPods is that All the tech reviews, magazines, TV shows...etc. won't be lumping the new iPod with the flash based players, because it's not one!



    how can apple be hoping to go after a market that survives by people who want solid state players that don't skip? by giving them a moving parts player that has skip-protection, but still CAN SKIP



    but I dunno, maybe this thing will work.



    there is definitely a lot of weird marketing at work (for $50 more...) not too mention the appeal is there!, the new iPod is gorgeous, I really like it, TINY and still functional, so, there is still a big lust factor, which was the driving point of the older pods.
  • Reply 26 of 63
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    I think all this proves that people here, and maybe most of the US and Europe, do not place much value in the more compact case.



    It's like expecting a notebook computer to be cheaper because it's smaller. They usually have less storage too. So where's the value in that?






    of course small is great. i have a 12ALbook and the original ipod and love them for their size. however, isn't the ipod already small enough? especially if it holds MORE for about the same price! thats the issue here. the mini is small, but i dont think its small enough relative to the regular ipod to warrent this type of pricing.
  • Reply 27 of 63
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    I think it's smaller than most people realize, but that is probably not enough for most except maybe the Japanese.



    But you wonder why there's a 31% market share of similarly (actually, same) priced players that are larger bodies and have the same storage capacity. What's the secret there? I don't know, I think my first statement is probably true. But I was wrong about the first iPod so I figure I'd be foolish to be too skeptical about this one and be wrong again.
  • Reply 28 of 63
    gabidgabid Posts: 477member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    I think it's smaller than most people realize, but that is probably not enough for most except maybe the Japanese.





    Size aside, the asthetic of the colours just screams Tokyo to me. I can see these pastel colours actually beeing very popular in Japan. This is based solely on a 2-week trip there over the summer but with all of the cuteness, bright colours and cool tech toys I saw I wouldn't be surprised. Makes me wonder why they didn't release in the US and Japan at the same time at least. I'll throw my hat in with those hoping for some international Music Stores to go along woth the global launch in April.
  • Reply 29 of 63
    spykyspyky Posts: 55member
    It seems a lot of people are upset about the pricing of the new iPod mini. I think they are forgetting the original price of the first generation 5GB iPod. The line was later expanded to three capacities. I think what is particularly telling was when Steve said something along the lines of "we think 1000 songs is the minimum amount for someone..." It seems that they could have easily made a 2GB version at released it at the same time, maybe for the $199 price point, but this wasn't done because Steve demands a larger capacity. I expect to see within a few months, a larger capacity (8GB or 10GB maybe) and the 4GB version drop to the "magic" $199 price point. This will also give Apple time to ramp up production volume.



    -Spyky
  • Reply 30 of 63
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    I agree. Apple may be frustrating, but they seem to know what they're doing.



    Apple's picked up everybody willing to pay for a high-end music device.

    Now they'll go after those in the mid-range.

    Then (and only then) will then go for the low-end.



    I personally won't buy until the low-end is US$149., (after all, it's just a music player!) But it's hard to fault the company for trying to maximize their profits.
  • Reply 31 of 63
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Spyky

    I think they are forgetting the original price of the first generation 5GB iPod. The line was later expanded to three capacities. ...I expect to see within a few months, a larger capacity (8GB or 10GB maybe) and the 4GB version drop to the "magic" $199 price point. This will also give Apple time to ramp up production volume.



    -Spyky




    I agree that this will be how Apple "drops" the price on the iPod mini, by bringing the current model down in price, and filling the $250 spot in its place. I doubt they would drop the price and leave the $250 slot, as it would be hard to justify putting anything in that price later.
  • Reply 32 of 63
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    It'll drop all the way to 179, but I wouldn't wait for it.



    4GB $179-199

    8-10GB $249



    20GB 299



    40-50GB 399



    60-80GB 499



    Look for the bigger iPods to sprout some more features.



    This is sure a strange world. I get it, I like it. I think I'd buy it.



    The size difference is significant, and the weight. Don't get me wrong, the bigger iPods are still marvelously portable, but the minis are a better companion for outdoorsy types -- walking about in your shorts and sandals -- in a pocket, on an arm band, even hanging about your neck.



    This product is really crying for a built-in mic, not a sloppy add-on. Especially the minis. I've got a 10 pack of Mexican ciggs here, the mini's dimensions make it just a tad wider and a little shorter. About the perfect dimensions to use as a little mic too.



    Damn Apple, put a bleeding mic in all the iPods already!
  • Reply 33 of 63
    mcqmcq Posts: 1,543member
    While the price isn't *great*, it's perfectly acceptable, and they've put it right at the fringe of selling just enough to take the early adopters before moving the price down, and/or introducing another one at the $249 price point.



    Case in point: Rio Nitrus, another 4GB player which was announced Tuesday for an estimated street price of $249:



    http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/st...2083798&EDATE=



    Given that it's at the same price and same capacity (or even within $50), Apple will win the potential buyer for this market space in most cases (small as it might be IMO) given the 1) #1 iTMS 2) iPod ads 3) Apple's image 4) Better design/UI 5) Colors



    In addition, it's also kind of a foot-in the door policy, as others have mentioned... hey there's a 4 GB, wow for another $50 I can get a 15GB!



    I figure they've done the research and I think they've got the price right *for now*, so long as they bring it down appropriately in tune with the market in a few months.
  • Reply 34 of 63
    hledgardhledgard Posts: 265member
    I think some of this discussion is mirrors.



    The device is cool, at least a bit cheaper, and, importantly, smaller.



    I hope Apple has not made a mistake on the price, at least I do not think so.



    Hmmm.

    Dr. L
  • Reply 35 of 63
    Hell, a lot of people though Apple made a mistake pricing the original at $400. Two years later they're down to $250. When will people stop complaining?



    I have a 15 gig iPod and am seriously thinking about getting a mini. The iPod for going to work with all my music and data files and the mini for running and trips.
  • Reply 36 of 63
    corbucorbu Posts: 40member
    No offense but you guys are a bunch of friggin SPEC GEEKS...!



    I know we all want more Megs, Gigs, etc for our cash...but you have to realize that the mini pod is EXEMPT from that kind of critique. This is not a nerd product, this is a fashion accessory.



    Beautiful + expensive = exclusive.



    This product is not intended for the type of people who post on computer forums late at night.
  • Reply 37 of 63
    homhom Posts: 1,098member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by corbu

    No offense but you guys are a bunch of friggin SPEC GEEKS...!





    I believe that the proper term is Spec Whore®.
  • Reply 38 of 63
    buccibucci Posts: 100member
    I think one of the biggest draw backs of the mini-Pod is that the low end iPods won't drop in price, unless the mini's do first. The same is true with updates. The mini's can't be upgraded with any new features until the iPods are. In the end, developement on the iPods and mini-Pods will slow to accomodate this problem, and our "bang for our buck" will decrease, as we all fall prey to marketing.



    It's going to be the same situation that we have with the PB's and iBook's. The iBook's cannot be updated until the PB's get a new revision, otherwise they'll be spec'ed too closely.



    I see these new mini-Pods being more of an annoyance than anything else.



    But that's my 2 cents.
  • Reply 39 of 63
    nwhyseenwhysee Posts: 151member
    Is this mini-ipod in any way better for joggers or those with active lifestyles?
  • Reply 40 of 63
    I wasnt a Mac user when the original iPod was launched but looking around the web these past few days it appears Apple have scored a massive own goal here with these iPod minis - the Mac community seems in general revolt over the pricing.
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