iPod: Why is the competition shameful?

[geokker]

I fondled the new iPod Nano the other day. The 4GB model costs £180 - it's lush. I bought a Sony [some soul-less, numbered model name] player a month ago for £150 at 1GB. Excepting the radio, the Apple product wipes the floor with it. Why is it that no portable music player manufacturer can come close to the iPod? Is it really that difficult to compete? Have they sucked up all the talent? Even Sony is left looking rubbish in its wake. As for Creative, Archos, Rio, Mpio - crapola - I feel their shame and embarassment. Everyone and their mother has an iPod because they are simply better at every turn.

(I don't own one purely because they don't have a radio. Damn them.)

[Tormod]

I'm pretty happy with my iRiver H10. My wife has a new iPod with a color screen and it's nice - but I have a radio in mine.

[alexander]

The answer is simple, even more so then you think; No manufacturer can come close to Apple's IPod, because IPod is the best!
there is no doubt about it, this is one of these ideas that microsoft just could not steal from apple in time, Apple created IPods, and has hundreds of people working on their improvement every day. Why can't the competition come up with anything better? simple, not enough money, time, experience, creativity and most of all, not enough perfection, Apple is a perfectionist company, their stuff sells well because it looks really awesome, always has new features, like video thing in the new nano, and Apple is the company that pays loads of attention to the look, nothing beats it because of that. After all, who would not want a top of the line technology, always new features, combined with reliability and that looks super awesome?
HCNA at NYC showed just how much Apple is dominating in that business, 95% of the people that were jogging in the central park or walking the streets listening to music had apple ear phones and 90% of those led to an IPod. (Is that not true Tormod?(or did you not pay that much attention?)) Apple dominates that market, and to tell you the truth, i wouldnt want any other company to do it, Apple is the ultimate IPod company

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by alexander

The answer is simple, even more so then you think; No manufacturer can come close to Apple's IPod, because IPod is the best!

Um, okaaaaay, but the question is why?

Originally Posted by alexander

there is no doubt about it, this is one of these ideas that microsoft just could not steal from apple in time

Well, Microsoft might consider stealing it in about 3 years. They might even do a decent job at it, looking at the XBox (I don't do video games, but from what I hear its not too bad).

The real question is why did Sony--one of the most experienced and monstrous consumer products companies in the history of the world--totally blow it here? When Apple, with NO consumer products experience, blew everyone away?

Simple answer: Steve Jobs. I've met the guy a bunch of times, and I hate him personally (he's a major horse's ass, as he's sure that he's the smartest guy he's ever met), he's also one of the most astounding business managers ever. He hires the best people and then he lets them do their jobs and, here's the real kicker that shows you what bad managers most American business schools produce (other than my alma mater of course!): he gives them the *time* to get it right! Wow! What a concept.

Apple will continue to surprise everyone for a long time to come as long as Steve's at the helm....

Cheers,
Buffy

[alexander]

He hires the best people and then he lets them do their jobs and, here's the real kicker that shows you what bad managers most American business schools produce (other than my alma mater of course!): he gives them the *time* to get it right! Wow! What a concept.

and that is what i meant by perfectionist company...

but the question is why?

Originally Posted by alex

Apple is a perfectionist company, their stuff sells well because it looks really awesome, always has new features, like video thing in the new nano, and Apple is the company that pays loads of attention to the look, nothing beats it because of that. After all, who would not want a top of the line technology, always new features, combined with reliability and that looks super awesome

The real question is why did Sony--one of the most experienced and monstrous consumer products companies in the history of the world--totally blow it here?

they sort of invested a few hundred million dollars into a development of this thing called a cell processor, could it be that they simply could not commit as much money to the project as Apple does?

looking at the XBox (I don't do video games, but from what I hear its not too bad)

Buffy, it couldnt be a dumber idea, take a computer, put weird system on it, a decent graphics card, write a few games for it and say its a new gaming console... PS3 is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaay more innovative, better built, higher benchmarked, with a better concept in their minds, new processor architecture, better, specially built graphics chipsets, overal a much, much better gaming platform, and dont look at the games that it will come with, what i reaaly want to see is the next gran turismo to actually be able to judge how good the console will be, and i mean GT6 not 5, 5 is being developed without truly knowing the power of the soon to come out console, engine is still from GT4

[geokker]

Apple are capable of (and have perpetrated) monumental design disasters, poor business decisions and bone-headed implementation (illuminated, upside down logo?). The iPod has gone through some questionable iterations and has included poor design elements e.g. no in-ear audible feedback when using the remote control, external audible feedback - handy when you've wearing the earphones, touch-sensitive buttons, Orangina* Shuffle etc. (Not much etc. though.)

My question is again, why is it that huge portable music specialist companies fail so miserably to compete with the iPod as far as the consumer experience is concerned? I don't want to hear about how good the iPod is - we know how good it is. Why is the competition so disproportionately garbage? Build quality, materials, aesthetics, advertising, cachet - with every possible yardstick, they're buried. Apple illegally (Apple Records agreement) entered the music biz and instantly conquered it and continue to dominate seemingly unstoppable. Why? I'm fairly confident I could design something comparable at least, something that humiliates the steaming chutney that is Creative Zen.

* Orangina is a low quality French drink which has a gunky precipitate at the bottom which was spinned as a 'feature': 'Shake the drink, wake the taste'. The iPod Shuffle without a display is a similar product. All potential consumers should puctuate their queries with 'Yeah, but it doesn't have a display - do you think I'm mental?'

[alexander]

My question is again, why is it that huge portable music specialist companies fail so miserably to compete with the iPod as far as the consumer experience is concerned?

Just like I said, becaus apple is the ones that came out with ipod, they make the best ipod hardware and they are anal about their hardware looks as well as easiness of use and usability. The competition is garbage because they dont have the money to put into their product, nor the time, by the time they come out with something good, ipods will be able to cook you dinner and serve it with propper wine too, set the propper mood with propper music that you might not even ever heard before while wirelessly connecting to your sound system for the speakers...

[rockytriton]

iPod is great if you are a teenager and you still steal the music to put on it, or if you are loaded and can afford to buy all the music to put on it. Personally, I have one so that I can listen to audio books on it, I belong to an audio book club where you can get 2 per month for 20 bucks. The only reason I use an iPod for it is that it's the only player that supported it, well there are others now.

[Tormod]

Yvonne has one and she loves it. She downloads a bunch of podcasts, especially about quilting.

(That anyone in their right mind can commute on local trains while listening to someone talk about quilting is to me truly astronishing, I wonder if it is some sort of self-preparation for a test drive of the total perspective vortex).

[alexander]

(That anyone in their right mind can commute on local trains while listening to someone talk about quilting is to me truly astronishing, I wonder if it is some sort of self-preparation for a test drive of the total perspective vortex)

so this entire forum is filled with aliens, neeto

Oh and to that ramble on why ipods are the best, add the fact that ipod sound quality is really amazing...