The iPod has dominated the MP3 player (and portable video player) market so far. It began the ultimate revolution in how we listen to our music. Competitors have come and gone, while the iPod stood strong, but really, will the iPod ever die? Well there are a few points that say NO and some that say YES.
NO! It will not die! (at the bottom of the article we look at the possibility of it actually dying, but for now the NO points outweigh the YES)
1. Its just too cool
The iPod has become so much of a cool factor today that teens prefer it over any other MP3 player. They don’t care much about functionality, but how cool it looks. That’s where Apple’s ingenious design wins them over, and as long as the whole social group has iPods, it�s going to stay that way. People just don’t consider the Rio players or Zune cool looking: as the Apple sleek white design is just so much simpler. And Apple is getting better every day, with the recent introduction of colors (which we all love) and at even tinier (way cooler) iPod shuffle. So the driving force behind the iPod’s success is it is the coolest thing to have, to use, to show off, to carry around; and it will stay that way at the pace that Apple is making it cooler every season.
2. Its known
When we think of MP3 players we think Pod. That was not true a few years ago, MP3 player could mean Sony or Philips or any other brand, but today the word that first pops into our head is iPod. The iPod is now global, even here in India we see the white ear buds walking the streets. You can get an iPod probably anywhere in the world.
3. Price
Apple always has very competitive pricing for iPods, especially with the iPod shuffle. That�s one of the main factors teens look at, and combine that with the fact it�s just so cool, hey, how can we resist?
4. Competitors aren�t getting it.
Competitors like Creative and recently Microsoft (although the Zune does have a lot of potential) don’t know what the current generation is and what they want. We want simply stuff, which looks good and works. While competitors focus more on functionality which not many will use, Apple focuses on pushing the limits of creative design: which many people appreciate more. Would you rather have a tiny glossy iPod which plays MP3s only or a bigger bulkier competitor’s product which plays all known formats? Exactly. Apple made sense of it all giving us only what we will need, and sometimes more.
5. Accessories in all directions
We all love to personalize our stuff. Apple lets you do that with the countless number of accessories. It�s like pimping your car with rims: iSkins for iPods, headphones with glowing wires, lanyards, stick ons and what not. No company in the near future can create so much personalization to match up with what the iPod already has in its large accessory market.
6. We don’t like to change.
Once an iPod user, probably always an iPod user. If the iPod was your first MP3 player, you will probably never change if it�s worked well for you. When you plan to upgrade you will go for the newest iPod, not the Zune.
7. Getting better.
The iPod is getting better every season. With smaller sizes, bigger drives, better functions etc. So far no company has been able to match with the pace that Apple has set in introducing new iPods which keep us anticipating to what they will do next.
8. Personal Touch
Mentally we are fixed that Microsoft is a big company with no taste and no ‘coolness’. We see Apple as a bunch of fun loving guys which brings them closer to you than Microsoft or Creative. Their fun Ads on TV or their quiet sense of humor sometimes allows us to connect with the brand easier.
9. Killing the PC
As Apple converts even more people to Macs (and businesses) and as Macs get cheaper and more compatible with Windows, the iPod parade follows. More Macs, more iPods, more iProducts, more Apple.
10. Its just better
Well an odd concluding point but that�s the truth. The iPod is just one concept that will probably never die. It might change its name, it might evolve into something completely different from today, hey it might even be bought by Microsoft for all you know, but the iPod concept, the iPod coolness, will live forever. Adding to that:
Apple knows how to sell a product. (evident from the iPod’s success). With its addictive Ads, witty catch phrases, and good taste in music, they don’t even have to convince you to buy it, you just know you want (even have) to.
YES! It will die!
Well in this paragraph let�s look at the possibility of the iPod dying. What are the potential reasons that could lead to its death? Well for one some people find it hard to keep pace with the models being released so often. The iPod could soon lose its touch if Apple makes one wrong move and tries to get into the whole “Lets protect the artist’s rights” thing and prevent illegal music from getting on to it. Another possibility is the iPod becoming so so common that people will start buying other products just to be away from the crowd of iPod users and be unique. Hey, you never know.
The 5th generation Video iPod can not only hold thousands of songs, play your favorite TV Shows, Movies, and Podcasts – now, it can even play games. The Video iPod is in an interesting place as a gaming device. It’s a step above cellphone games as far as graphical capability and screen size are concerned, but a pretty big leap away from a system like the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP.