Andrew, you've got a fan...
6:37 AM 12/05/2004
Methinks Andrew Kantor's Cyberspeak story on Yahoo! last Friday must've raised quite a few eyebrows, and must've made for more than a few nastygrams to Andrew and his editor. Why, you ask? Well, assuming that you haven't put yourself through the tiresome task of clicking that link, here's a screenshot of the article:
Somehow, copying out the text wouldn't have done that first paragraph justice! How's that for opening with a punchline?! The article goes on to talk about a lot more in the world of tech today, and does make for interesting reading.
I agree whole-heartedly with Andrew. There's a lot more in the world of solid-state and hard-drive-based MP3 players out there than the iPod. There are many with comparable form factors and competitive price-to-size ratios, there are many with smaller form factors that also sport digital FM tuners, voice recorders and file storage capabilities, and there are others with specific user-friendly functions that make for really easy listening. And these offerings aren't from new companies, or manufacturers that are available-only-from-the-other-side-of-the-planet (not to say at all that those are in any way not as good than the local ones - in fact, those are often better and come stateside after waayy too long). Viable alternatives to the iPod are made by big names in the business like Creative, iRiver and more. The iPod's somehow become for MP3 players today what Xerox was to photocopying yesterday. And while that's excellent news for Apple, it probably isn't great news for the average customer who spends three bits getting an iPod, another few getting a digital FM radio, and another few geting a voice recorder and another few getting a portable USB file storage device.
The way I look at it, MP3 players have gotten to be among the coveted "portable personal electronics" category of devices - the kind that consumers usually like to spend a few more dollars on to get good value out of. Till now, this space was largely the domain of the cellphone, and manufacturers have been quick to add functionality to the cellphone - including cameras, voice recorders and the new ones that sport hard drives, allow MP3 playback and stream TV. Portable MP3 players have climbed up the fence between "gotta have it", and "I'll think about it", and that says a lot for marketing 'cause the only "reason" I've ever heard for owning a portable MP3 player is - "I like to listen to music while working out".
Going by iPod sales, and the cumulative sales of other portable MP3 players, that would mean we're living in a nation of very fit and healthy individuals. Unfortunately, that's as far from fact as we're from the moon.
So, what drives iPod sales? And its brand synonymity with MP3s? And more importantly, how's the largely-Microsoft audience willing to buy a reasonably big-ticket item from a vendor that's been a Microsoft foe for the longest?
For starters, Apple should give out some BIG bonuses to everyone on the iPod marketing team. The fact that those three questions above exist in the Microsoft-dominated, Internet-powered bargain-hunting world of today is evidence enough of their excellent work. I've heard that Apple sales are also up; but that could also be 'cause their new release is an awesome (yet predictably overpriced) piece of e-eyecandy. And that sells like nothing else.
So, does the iPod have the e-eyecandy mix simmered right? I have a split opinion on this one. Sure, it looks neat, but it would take a lot more than that to make me part with the kind of money that iPods retail for. Also, in all fairness, the competition ain't that far behind or that bad. Panasonic's got some really neat ones, and so do a lot others. The Creative people were probably a tad "over-inspired" by the iPod when they approved the final design of their Nomad Jukebox Zen Extra, but hey - its a cutthroat, potentially copycat, world out there, and I think Apple's had enough time to file the necessary design patents so far.
Personally, I can't even make myself get a portable MP3 player. I'm all for tech toys, but I just can't justify the expense. I don't see myself walking around with earbuds in my ear all the time, and I imagine I would double up laughing if I heard myself say - "I bought a device that can store 5,000 songs so that I can listen to them while working out". I've probably not even spent 5,000 minutes at the gym in the last few years. I also don't think I could ever have 5,000 songs that I would like to have on a portable MP3 player, and I don't think I've ever had that many MP3s on my hard disk. In fact, I don't think my entire CD library would have 5,000 songs. Seriously, do the math. About 10 songs to a CD. 5,000 songs would need me to have 500 CDs. And that's a stretch to pay for and to store.
I'd say I prefer commercial-free radio instead, but that would mean that I have the time to listen to that much music in a month and to make the $10/month subscription of value to me. I wouldn't want to spend that much time in the commute, and I can't work with a favorite song playing in the background. I prefer LaunchCast. Quasi-customized music delivered in a radio format over the Internet; perfect for the occasional lunchtime listen, or for the infrequent hookup to the home sound system. And its free.
Sorta ripping through the entire music thing, ain't I? Sorry about that. I love music as much as the next guy, and have specific tastes that I've often paid a premium for (Tower doesn't carry all the CDs I like in its bargain bin!). I guess I'm either too old to understand the whole iPod thing, or perhaps I have been spending a lot less time in front of VH1 than before.
And I'm quite happy with either possibility.
I guess the bottomline that I've swum around for all this time is - understand what you need out of a portable music player before you rush to catch up with the Joneses. You could get a better device with better, more user-friendly features that's a better value for your money than the crowd favorite. Perhaps it'll be the iPod. Perhaps it'll be the little PQI fob off HSN that's the veritable buffet of MP3 players. Either way, its your money - spend it on what you like / want; and not on what the big billboard on the 101 tells you to.
As far as the comparison and the comment about the Camry goes - Andrew, you've got my vote....but watch your back! And if you need a place to crash, look me up!