Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2
As good as the iPod is (and yes, it's pretty good) I have noticed a certain level of "zealotry" in defending it from people who point out its many flaws.
Just remember that the iPod is as "good" as it is perceived to be due to the millions who adore (worship) it. Not necessarily due to any technical superiority.
And yes, I have one and like it quite a bit.
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There is a same cult that looks to anything that isn't ipod and goes behind it because of it. So it works both ways.
Like most companies that control a given market; (Microsoft, Sony, Apple). At some point they made a product that was pretty good, well marketed, and then took control of their segment. Then they continued to maintain their market share by releasing subsequent versions that may not have been as revolutionary as their predecessors but did enough to keep control.
The portion of people that actually worship Apples products, is quite small. More in the computer segment really. Majority of the people have Ipods because of being in the stores, commercials, and perceived coolness associated to them. This being done be design and in marketing.
As for technical superiority, there isn’t any real superiority because Apple doesn’t make most of the parts in the Ipod. Being that Apple controls the market they have two distinct advantages over there competitors.
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(1) They get parts cheaper then there competitors because of the volume they do. Sometimes quoting a price per unit and stipulating all others must pay more. (Walmarts does this all the time)
(2) Most manufactures want to do business with them. They are the segment leader, so doing business with them would be the biggest account in the segment. Apple is able to pick and choose which parts to include in the Ipod to make it the best at a certain price per unit cost.[/size]