What's with Apple and portable devices

[roguerower]

For the record, I don't use Macs since I'm not in video or picture editing and I love my PC. When MP3 players first came out I bought an Archos Jukebox which was this huge hulking piece of machinery with a laptop hard drive in it. Then when that died i bought a small Rio that I've had for the past 4 years. Meanwhile, I've seen the Ipod come to power and as it's evolved, the mini, then the Ipod w/ video...etc. And I am seriously thinking that I might just have to see if the Iphone is the next in Apples line of if not great, then excellent handheld products.

Does anyone know how apple was able to almost completely gain a hold on the market for MP3 players?

BTW...just looked at the Iphone site again and I've gotta say, the thing looks sick and hopefully it'll be bug free when they release it.

EDIT: Just looked at the price...499 for 4gb and 599 for 8gb. Damn

 

[TheoPetro]

all things apple beotch

 

[ric1287]

Originally posted by: roguerower
For the record, I don't use Macs since I'm not in video or picture editing and I love my PC. When MP3 players first came out I bought an Archos Jukebox which was this huge hulking piece of machinery with a laptop hard drive in it. Then when that died i bought a small Rio that I've had for the past 4 years. Meanwhile, I've seen the Ipod come to power and as it's evolved, the mini, then the Ipod w/ video...etc. And I am seriously thinking that I might just have to see if the Iphone is the next in Apples line of if not great, then excellent handheld products.

Does anyone know how apple was able to almost completely gain a hold on the market for MP3 players?

BTW...just looked at the Iphone site again and I've gotta say, the thing looks sick and hopefully it'll be bug free when they release it.

EDIT: Just looked at the price...499 for 4gb and 599 for 8gb. Damn

is that still the general misconception? A pc can do any of that stuff nowadays.

 

[Gibson486]

marketing. before the ipod, no one really marketed there mp3 player. then Apple came along and marketed it....then they introduced the mini in different colors and that marketed itself just like the imac did.

 

[torpid]

Marketting alone wouldn't have done it. They also focus extensive money and effort into usability, which in my opinion is what sets the ipod apart.

 

[yowolabi]

Originally posted by: roguerower

Does anyone know how apple was able to almost completely gain a hold on the market for MP3 players?

It's pretty simple, really. Ipods are made using the blood of unicorns. Makes the things sell like magic. Unfortunately, the blood doesn't have any magical properties that can save the unicorns. Being white and lightweight actually helped Steve Jobs to spot them and round them up.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: torpid
Marketting alone wouldn't have done it. They also focus extensive money and effort into usability, which in my opinion is what sets the ipod apart.

Yep. Also, the form factor of the original iPod is far more useable than those old Creative Jukeboxes, which IIRC were the only other HD-based MP3 players at the time the iPod was introduced. I got a first-gen 10GB iPod in early 2002 (actually I still have it), and I remember how amazed my friends and family were by it - it really was a groundbreaking product.

 

[nakedfrog]

Marketing, marketing, marketing. They pulled off the stunt of becoming "it."

 

[AlgaeEater]

Perception of quality and marketing should not be underestimated. Once you establish a perception and have your market base, you can simply perform at a "B Grade" level and pass off as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Sony has been doing this for years and years.

 

[AnyMal]

Ugh... so sick of all the iPhoney crap. If you want to see how it's really suppose to be done, look no futher then Cingular 8525/T-Mo Wing/HTC Hermes. It does everything Iponey does, it does it better, and it does more!

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: AlgaeEater
Perception of quality and marketing should not be underestimated. Once you establish a perception and have your market base, you can simply perform at a "B Grade" level and pass off as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Sony has been doing this for years and years.

Actually Sony is a good example of what happens when a company establishes a good name, then fails to maintain the integrity of its reputation. Sony has been tanking for years. Apple, OTOH, has continued to make very good products that work easily and elegantly.

 

[AlgaeEater]

Originally posted by: DonVito

Originally posted by: AlgaeEater
Perception of quality and marketing should not be underestimated. Once you establish a perception and have your market base, you can simply perform at a "B Grade" level and pass off as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Sony has been doing this for years and years.

Actually Sony is a good example of what happens when a company establishes a good name, then fails to maintain the integrity of its reputation. Sony has been tanking for years. Apple, OTOH, has continued to make very good products that work easily and elegantly.

I agree, but it's also the same dynamic that you just quoted. Apple right now is what young Sony use to be.

Paypal also rings a bell to another company that showed a lot of promise, brought a lot to the table, made a lot of people happy... and then just became corrupted and arrogant.

I'm hoping Apple doesn't follow the same route either, because I have no brand loyalty when it comes to choosing the best equipment to get the job done. Just putting emphasis on the original poster's question about Apple "doing portables right" is because they've done their marketing and brand perception right. Their quality is really good, but still has viable competition and is not anywhere near monopolistic levels.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Ugh... so sick of all the iPhoney crap. If you want to see how it's really suppose to be done, look no futher then Cingular 8525/T-Mo Wing/HTC Hermes. It does everything Iponey does, it does it better, and it does more!

My coworker just got the 8525 and it's basically just a windows mobile PDA phone. I have the verizon samsung one. It may do more, but I find it unlikely that it does things as well. Some of the basic functions on these WM devices are extremely poorly designed. I sure hope the iPhone does those better or it will be an abysmal failure.

 

[BrokenVisage]

I don't care for Apple one bit, I simply don't like the UI, the toy-ish look and feel to their products, and I simply just don't buy into the marketing hype. Plenty of my friends had their ipods crap out on them within a year, that's enough for me to not jump into this boat.

Hey, I'm a stringent PC user who would've liked to give Apple products a chance, but their commercials annoy me and I never go with something just because it's the 'popular' thing to have. I prefer to take the "smart shopper" approach and actually research the products of something I want to buy, it takes more then a stupid shadow dancing with an ipod to sell me. That's why I went with Creative over Apple, iTunes doesn't appeal to me either so I honestly don't care to have it, I'm sick of DRM so I didn't go in that direction, and the video quality/playability is simply better with the Creative.

So there you go, that's what's "with" Apple portable devices, a whole lotta marketing and popularity approaches to appeal to the masses who would rather buy on looks and convenience then buy smart and to fit their wants.

 

[TallBill]

I guess the the products *look* good so they must be, plus sleek advertising. $600 for a phone is we-todd-did!

 

[ForumMaster]

actually, the main excuse for apple is that they were in the right market at the right time. digital music was just getting big and they managed to get new tiny harddrives from toshiba plus portalplayer's scheme and apple's design produced the right product.

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Ugh... so sick of all the iPhoney crap. If you want to see how it's really suppose to be done, look no futher then Cingular 8525/T-Mo Wing/HTC Hermes. It does everything Iponey does, it does it better, and it does more!

My coworker just got the 8525 and it's basically just a windows mobile PDA phone. I have the verizon samsung one. It may do more, but I find it unlikely that it does things as well. Some of the basic functions on these WM devices are extremely poorly designed. I sure hope the iPhone does those better or it will be an abysmal failure.

What do you mean by "just a Windows Mobile phone"? It's a phone that has far more built-in functions, far better and greater expansion capabilites then Apple. As a long time user I base my opinion on a first-hand experience, and I can tell you that it does everything well, very well.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: roguerower
Does anyone know how apple was able to almost completely gain a hold on the market for MP3 players?

They were the first on the market with an easy-to-use MP3 player product. It became popular (as in trendy) and took off from there. It remains popular because it's easy to use - even my grandma was able to figure out how to use the touchwheel. The interface is simple and the songs only cost a dollar. You hear a song on the radio, you buy it on iTunes, you plug in your iPod, voila. It couldn't be easier if they tried. Apple tends to make products that are focused around what people really use. Most people use their MP3 players to play...music. The iPod shines here, especially in terms of usability. This offends many Anandtech users because it doesn't play Doom, join the Folding group to cure cancer, play non-standard formats like Ogg, surf the Internet, or allow them to VPN into their home machines remotely.

Apple is all about making common tasks easy and making their hardware as nice to look at as they run. As a result, Joe Average loves their products because it does what they want them to do. You'll hear a lot of criticism on computer nerd forums because nerds like to tinker and hack their machines to push the envelope of usability, thus Apple typically does not meet their requirements. Personally I think the iPhone looks awesome. I have a Motorola Q and love it, but it's super inconvenient to do stuff on it. Google Maps takes like 2 minutes and 50 clicks to find a stupid location while the iPhone does it quickly and easily. The iPhone has the only decent stock MP3 player I've ever seen on a phone. Again, Apple makes common tasks easy. People like convenience. People pay for convenience. Just look at McDonalds, how badly are they doing? People like and will pay for convenience. That's about all there is to it

 

[yowolabi]

Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
I don't care for Apple one bit, I simply don't like the UI, the toy-ish look and feel to their products, and I simply just don't buy into the marketing hype. Plenty of my friends had their ipods crap out on them within a year, that's enough for me to not jump into this boat.

Hey, I'm a stringent PC user who would've liked to give Apple products a chance, but their commercials annoy me and I never go with something just because it's the 'popular' thing to have. I prefer to take the "smart shopper" approach and actually research the products of something I want to buy, it takes more then a stupid shadow dancing with an ipod to sell me. That's why I went with Creative over Apple, iTunes doesn't appeal to me either so I honestly don't care to have it, I'm sick of DRM so I didn't go in that direction, and the video quality/playability is simply better with the Creative.

So there you go, that's what's "with" Apple portable devices, a whole lotta marketing and popularity approaches to appeal to the masses who would rather buy on looks and convenience then buy smart and to fit their wants.

Good until the bolded part. What makes you think that looks and convenience isn't buying smart and fitting their wants? I'm not seeing a lot of ipod owners complaining that it doesn't do what they want it to do.

 

[BAMAVOO]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Ugh... so sick of all the iPhoney crap. If you want to see how it's really suppose to be done, look no futher then Cingular 8525/T-Mo Wing/HTC Hermes. It does everything Iponey does, it does it better, and it does more!

I hope you are joking. I have tried every smart phone availabe from Cingular and still go back to my PEARL and earlier Blackberry models before I had the Pearl.

I for one can't wait to try the iPhone, it really does look cool. I am sure I will still go back to the Blackberry though as I have found nothing to replace it yet.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: yowolabi

Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
I don't care for Apple one bit, I simply don't like the UI, the toy-ish look and feel to their products, and I simply just don't buy into the marketing hype. Plenty of my friends had their ipods crap out on them within a year, that's enough for me to not jump into this boat.

Hey, I'm a stringent PC user who would've liked to give Apple products a chance, but their commercials annoy me and I never go with something just because it's the 'popular' thing to have. I prefer to take the "smart shopper" approach and actually research the products of something I want to buy, it takes more then a stupid shadow dancing with an ipod to sell me. That's why I went with Creative over Apple, iTunes doesn't appeal to me either so I honestly don't care to have it, I'm sick of DRM so I didn't go in that direction, and the video quality/playability is simply better with the Creative.

So there you go, that's what's "with" Apple portable devices, a whole lotta marketing and popularity approaches to appeal to the masses who would rather buy on looks and convenience then buy smart and to fit their wants.

Good until the bolded part. What makes you think that looks and convenience isn't buying smart and fitting their wants? I'm not seeing a lot of ipod owners complaining that it doesn't do what they want it to do.

Exactly. It's like complaining that your Ford Focus can't go off-roading. If you want an MP3 player that does something other than play MP3s, don't buy an iPod. It's as simple as that.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: BAMAVOO

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Ugh... so sick of all the iPhoney crap. If you want to see how it's really suppose to be done, look no futher then Cingular 8525/T-Mo Wing/HTC Hermes. It does everything Iponey does, it does it better, and it does more!

I hope you are joking. I have tried every smart phone availabe from Cingular and still go back to my PEARL and earlier Blackberry models before I had the Pearl.

I for one can't wait to try the iPhone, it really does look cool. I am sure I will still go back to the Blackberry though as I have found nothing to replace it yet.

It's funny talking to people about the iPhone. Some people go on and on about how the Windows mobile platform is so much better and open, but when I ask them what they use their phones for they pretty much just use it for calling and texting and maybe some games to pass the time. Very few non-professionals I know with a Windows mobile smartphone or PDA phone actually use many, if any, of the features that it's capable of. They just like to have technology and talk about it and gloat about how it's so much better than anything else. If you like convenience and want an iPod, a cell phone, and a better Internet browser than I've seen on any phone before, get an iPhone. If you need to VNC into your home machine, convert FLACs to OGGs, watch your Slingbox on a tiny 2" screen, then don't get an iPhone. I don't think that Apple needs to be bashed just because they don't fit everyone's needs.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
What do you mean by "just a Windows Mobile phone"? It's a phone that has far more built-in functions, far better and greater expansion capabilites then Apple. As a long time user I base my opinion on a first-hand experience, and I can tell you that it does everything well, very well.

Functions and expansion don't mean diddly squat to most people if it requires computer geek powers to operate. As a long time user myself (of the samsung and a couple of other windows based PDA devices before it) I can tell you that the average person on the street would give up in frustration trying to do basic functions with a WM device. And no, it does not do everything very well. Just adequate. There is virtually nothing on WM that is as easy to do as it would be on a basic windows XP machine, that I have found anyway. If the iPhone is going to succeed, it needs to be much more user friendly than WM devices. If it isn't, then it will fall victim to its own hype and bomb.

I like my WM device quite a bit, but it's hardly fit for mass consumption.

 

[Aharami]

people arent willing to pay $600 for a PS3, but people will pay that much for a souped up phone?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Aharami
people arent willing to pay $600 for a PS3, but people will pay that much for a souped up phone?

From a logical standpoint, I don't think the price is that bad. $300 for an iPod + $300 for a smart phone = $600. Not that I would ever pay that much for something that might accidentally drop in the toilet :Q