ITProPortal: The first iPod generation appeared a few months after the worst of the last Internet bubble burst was over but with the forthcoming global recession looming, there are growing signs that the iPod line could be sidelined as Apple’s main money spinner.
So what are these reasons and symptoms why the iPod’s future looks positively bleak?
(a) The global economy is on the brink of recession and you know that there is a blip when Apple starts cutting prices – something that rarely happens.
(b) The iPhone has changed the game and essentially made it cool for people to listen to music on their phones and made it viable for companies like Sony Ericsson and others to tout their phones as music friendly.
(c) Convergence is the name of that new game; smartphones are the perfect illustration of Convergence at its best/worst.
(d) Competition is becoming more ferocious: from far-east manufacturers to global brands like Microsoft and Nokia, competition is heating up either by cutting prices or adding features.
(e) iTunes is getting more rivals : One of the main reasons why the iPod range is so successful is because of its tight integration with Apple’s own iTunes online service. Now, everyone else have announced similar ventures with some going as far as offering DRM free, better quality, free ad supported/cheap music tracks.
(f) The iPod Touch muddled the iPod range by bring a larger screen and more functionalities than ever to the range and essentially making the shift to the iPhone all too easy.
(g) The iPod range is not as focused as it was before: the iPod Touch can now surf the web, watch movies, download and install applications from the Apple Apps store and even make calls through unofficial VoIP applications.
(h) Most of the new features announced have more to do with aesthetics rather than ground breaking, head spinning features.
(i) Apple’s current state stems from the fact that it becomes ever more difficult to improve on an already very successful product line; the iPod cow has now been milked for seven years.
(j) Music Labels, without which Apple’s iTunes wouldn’t exist, become fed up with the fact that Apple owns 70 percent of the online music market.
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Azazello | Friday, September 12, 2008 at 2:05
you have no clue, buddy…
but have opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions/opinions
cheers!
c0nd3mn3d | Friday, September 12, 2008 at 2:17
“10 reasons why Apple’s iPod line is seriously running out of breath”
…my work will likely never be done. try it the grammatically correct way: “10 reasons Apple’s iPod line is seriously running out of breath”
thank you, and good night…
powersandwich | Friday, September 12, 2008 at 3:14
wtf? Are you serious?
(g) The iPod range is not as focused as it was before: the iPod Touch can now surf the web, watch movies, download and install applications from the Apple Apps store and even make calls through unofficial VoIP applications.
Sorry, but your the first to complain: “you got wifi in my pmp!!”
Umm… it’s called great features…
I guess “focused” is a synonym for primitive?
rollingeyes | Friday, September 12, 2008 at 3:34
The only thing more irritating than poor grammar is self-appointed grammar Nazis who pompously chastise others incorrectly.
From dictionary.com:
why
3. for which; on account of which (usually after reason to introduce a relative clause): the reason why he refused to go.
I’m sure you won’t be back, but if you are, be sure to set us all straight with more detail on what rules were being broken.
hardmanb | Friday, September 12, 2008 at 6:05
…:and you know that there is a blip when Apple starts cutting prices – something that rarely happens.”
What are you talking about. The dropped prices on the original iPod, the iPod Classic, the Nano, the iPod Touch and the iPhone.
My wife’s five year old MacBook will be replaced this Christmas by a new MacBook that costs $400 less than hers. My six year old iMac will be replaced by a new iMac which costs $600 less that the older one. The AppleTV, Cinema Display and just about every Mac consumer product I can name have been through price decreases, which Apple passed along to consumers as technology allowed better AND lower cost products.
For your information, my original 128k Macintosh costs $2,450.
Parco | Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 0:38
You are clueless. You obviously know nothing about Appple. Are you a hit whore?
Here is a little info from a more informed article
IPod Touch Capable of VoIP Calls
By Charlie Sorrel September 12, 2008 | 5:51:30 AMCategories: Apple, Apple, VOIP, VOIP
The new iPod Touch is fully equipped to work as a VoIP phone, according to our sister blog, Cult of Mac. Our old friend Kyle Wiens of iFixit found that the Touch 2.0′s headphone socket now has an extra fifth wire running to it. This is to support the new microphone and remote-control equipped headphones from Apple.
On the new Nano and Classic, the mic is solely for recording audio. But the Touch has Wi-Fi. While Apple explicitly forbids VoIP applications from accessing the 3G and EDGE networks on the iPhone, it appears that VoIP calls over Wi-Fi are fine. All it needs is somebody to write an application and put it in the App Store.
Of course, even if this fails, or the Mobile OS X SDK doesn’t provide hooks into the microphone for third party developers, there’s always another option — Jailbreaking. If there was ever a killer app to make it worth hacking your Touch, VoIP is it.
Confirmed: iPod Touch Can Support VoIP Calls [Cult of Mac]
iPod Touch | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 1:13
There will be a market for the iPod Touch for a little while longer. Sure, there is the iPhone which does the same things as the iPod Touch and does calls, but the problem is you don’t just buy the iPhone, you have to buy a contract. This makes it expensive. The iPod Touch is the cheap option for most people.
John