See, I've always hated buying something that is hyped. I've never seen the Titanic, and never will. I couldn't care less about what Pulp Fiction was all about 'cause I never saw it. And when the iPod was touted as the next best thing since sliced bread, I vowed to stay away - why? Because I've been burned too many times by the hype, and been burned too many times by the early adopter idiots who call themselves Metrosexual New Yorkers.
So I purchased a Creative Nomad Zen NX. This was to me, the clear underdog. The rival that would topple the mighty White One. Two days and an exchange later, I had the Zen Xtra in my hand. The device was cool-looking enough for me, yet I immediately found the actual use of the player less than perfect. The menu system isn't bad, but the jog-dial interface is really, really, not the best. Apart from its inaccuracy, the jog-dial, after an extended scroll, would continue the scrolling even after its release. A software bug? Probably. The Nomad turned out to have alot of these.
But, I tried to make do. I had never used an iPod, and I thought that this wasn't so bad, for half the price, after all. Then came the hell. The damn thing crapped out on me. To make a long story short - I sent it in for repair, recieved a brand new one 2 weeks later, which was defective because of a charging malfunction. That was returned for another, which had an audio-jack problem (sound only in mono). That was returned for one that was dented and scratched beyond belief upon my arrival - apparently after sending two new defectives, they thought they'd try their luck with a refurbished one. Nope. I pissed down their throat, and they sent a brand new one.
So, I sold it on ebay - untested. Nothing unethical...if they have a problem, there's the oh-so-long 90 day warranty for that item that they can use. I also through in a free license to Notmad, another thing I bought, and ended up pissing down the drain.
So I buy an iPod off ebay. $379 shipped for a 30g 3G iPod. A price that I was willing to pay (NEVER would I pay the exorbitant price Apple is asking), and one that I could afford.....
And let me tell you. WOW. What follow through. What design. Apple really thought this out - but apparently felt it was worth charging an arm and a leg for. And in retrospect, I see why they can. It's miles ahead of any competitor. BUT, and I guarantee you. NOT FOR LONG. Someone, somewhere, is going to come out with something, that's "good enough" to compete, and for a better price, and will knock Apple off its pedestal. This is, of course, nothing new - simply a replay of Apple's experiences many times over.
Apple needs to realize that capturing a market share with a superior product and then leveraging that to force an exorbitant price only works until someone comes up with something "good enough". After that Apple nosedives as people start jumping to that product, recognizing the optimal cost/benefit ratio that Apple loses sight of. It's happened before, and it will happen again. If only Apple would learn...
So I purchased a Creative Nomad Zen NX. This was to me, the clear underdog. The rival that would topple the mighty White One. Two days and an exchange later, I had the Zen Xtra in my hand. The device was cool-looking enough for me, yet I immediately found the actual use of the player less than perfect. The menu system isn't bad, but the jog-dial interface is really, really, not the best. Apart from its inaccuracy, the jog-dial, after an extended scroll, would continue the scrolling even after its release. A software bug? Probably. The Nomad turned out to have alot of these.
But, I tried to make do. I had never used an iPod, and I thought that this wasn't so bad, for half the price, after all. Then came the hell. The damn thing crapped out on me. To make a long story short - I sent it in for repair, recieved a brand new one 2 weeks later, which was defective because of a charging malfunction. That was returned for another, which had an audio-jack problem (sound only in mono). That was returned for one that was dented and scratched beyond belief upon my arrival - apparently after sending two new defectives, they thought they'd try their luck with a refurbished one. Nope. I pissed down their throat, and they sent a brand new one.
So, I sold it on ebay - untested. Nothing unethical...if they have a problem, there's the oh-so-long 90 day warranty for that item that they can use. I also through in a free license to Notmad, another thing I bought, and ended up pissing down the drain.
So I buy an iPod off ebay. $379 shipped for a 30g 3G iPod. A price that I was willing to pay (NEVER would I pay the exorbitant price Apple is asking), and one that I could afford.....
And let me tell you. WOW. What follow through. What design. Apple really thought this out - but apparently felt it was worth charging an arm and a leg for. And in retrospect, I see why they can. It's miles ahead of any competitor. BUT, and I guarantee you. NOT FOR LONG. Someone, somewhere, is going to come out with something, that's "good enough" to compete, and for a better price, and will knock Apple off its pedestal. This is, of course, nothing new - simply a replay of Apple's experiences many times over.
Apple needs to realize that capturing a market share with a superior product and then leveraging that to force an exorbitant price only works until someone comes up with something "good enough". After that Apple nosedives as people start jumping to that product, recognizing the optimal cost/benefit ratio that Apple loses sight of. It's happened before, and it will happen again. If only Apple would learn...
Facebook
Twitter