[Jahn]

i'm pissed. i paid 50 bucks more and it was the old mini. crap. 2 times in a row i got burned - one week past the return date. deja vu all over again. oh well, what the wife doesn't know wont hurt her.

 

[PodMan]

they are not in a hurry to add radios, mics, or napster support. Microphones exist as add-ons already. One of the reasons why the ipod is so profitable is the tons of accessories and add-ons you can get for it. Apple runs its own rival music store (Itunes) so why whould they support napster? Neither will there be WMA support, since Apple is promoting AAC.

also the talk about the mini eroding sales of the 1gb shuffle, I read on CNN's article on the new minis that the mini actually has a higher profit margin than the shuffle so it is actually in Apple's favor if more people buy the mini.

the 40gb drive would probably reappear next time they update the iPod classic. the 30gb disappeared for a while (it was on the 3G) but it has now returned (although in slimmer form). the 40gb should return in a slimmer form as well.

 

[Edwood]

Is there another milestone they will introduce? 5G this year perhaps? Why bother with these incremental upgrades if 5G iPods are just around the corner?

So I guess it'll be a longer wait for the 5G iPod's or whatever they evolve into.

-Ed

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomRemixed ... at least make it compatible with napster.

Err... is this a joke? For those that want Napster compatibility or drag and drop USB support, please review the success and synergy between iTunes and the iTMS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveman_84 If there is one thing they should have discontinued, it's the U2 iPod. Does anybody care anymore? The hype over the new album is long gone, and this way it would be more "limited edition".

I doubt the decision was only based on one album. I thought it was a smart marketing move (for both parties) introducing the "special edition", I'm just not sure why anyone really cares about U2 for a decade now?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood Why bother with these incremental upgrades if 5G iPods are just around the corner?

Why not? It keeps them more current and increases sales.

 

[maxsnowboard]

I had already posted in another thead how much I wanted a Zen micro but woudn't be able to get it, well, now my mom told me I could get the micro, BUT NOW IM UNDECIDED!!! the micro no longer has the one gig advantage but still has radio, recorder, radio recorder, and removable battery. The mini brings gig and 18 hours batery...Of course my choice would still be the micro because the world and his brother have ipods and I want to be diferent, but I wanted to know if maybe im making the wrong choice.

 

[bLue_oNioN]

Looks like the people posting iPod prices in the Head-Fi FS forums have a new competitor. With these price slashes in place, new model prices aren't very far off at all from the generally advertised for used.

[size=xx-small]maxsnowboard - I would move your post to a new thread. It has the potential to entirely derail the current discussion on iPod news.[/size]

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn i'm pissed. i paid 50 bucks more and it was the old mini. crap. 2 times in a row i got burned - one week past the return date. deja vu all over again. oh well, what the wife doesn't know wont hurt her.

hey jahn,

that's why you gotta get the rev. A as soon as it comes out...sure, it may be buggy, but at least you won't get burned by the updates - or the burn comes much later...

 

[blessingx]

I really don't get the 'burned by updates' thing I've heard repeated about the iPod. I saw someone over in the amp forum suggest against the SuperMacro because Xin is always updating so your amp 'is always out of date'. What? Go with another manufacturer because they don't update?. Same thing here. It's all psychology. Sure you'd be disappointed if something better came up just after buying, but wouldn't you feel the same way even if it was from a different manufacturer? Except for maybe third party form fitting case makers, why the negative about updates? Apple is getting simultaneously hit by "falling behind" and "too many updates" complaints.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx I really don't get the 'burned by updates' thing I've heard repeated about the iPod. I saw someone over in the amp forum suggest against the SuperMacro because Xin is always updating so your amp 'is always out of date'. What? Go with another manufacturer because they don't update?.

Hah, Xin even lets you upgrade your existing amps, what an argument.

If you're the type who gets "burned" by Apple and feels it, keep an eye on this site http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

 

[BigFil]

If your the type to feel easily burned don't buy computer or electronics products. The whole industry moves fast so you just have to plant your stake and live with it.

 

[IstariAsuka]

This is amazingly good marketing on Apple's part. It fits perfectly in with existing marketing facts.

For example, ever wonder why most things, like fast food meals, come in 3 sizes? Because that's what works best to get people to upgrade. If there are just 2, then people think that it's splurging to upgrade to the larger size. If there are 4, then people think they're getting ripped off. 3 is the most effective number to increase perceived value by the consumer.

This is just like that, instead of having 4 products, 2 of which were almost identical, they now just have 3. And those 3 are well differentiated.

20GB
+10GB AND color
+30GB

Very nicely defined.

Not only that, but the prices are much more reasonable as well. The Base iPod costs $300. Before it cost $50 per 10GB, and $100 for color, to upgrade from that base. Now, those upgrade prices are reduced to $33.3 per 10GB and $16.6 for color. Much more reasonable.

These two things combined will have the net effect that though Apple will not increase full-sized iPod sale volumes much due to this shift--after all, the base price hasn't changed, it's still $300--it will increase ASPs (Average Selling Price) significantly.

 

[HiroshimaJoe]

Does anyone have the release dates of the previous iPod generation, this could maybe help estimate the release of the 5G iPod.

EDIT: Googled a bit and iPodlounge had a brief history of the iPod:

1G Nov 2001
2G July 2002
3G Maj 2003
4G July 2004

So looks like the summer of 2005 is a good estimation of a 5G release date.

 

[Target1]

I think its silly to say that apple shouldn't do incremental updates. They basically fixed everything that people complained about on the mini and photo. Battery life and size for the mini. On the fly photo loading and price for the ipod photo. Then when the big complaints are fixed the very same people complain that they make too many little changes and they should come out with a 5th generation ipod rather than tweaking this one. Not only do they improve the product and keep it hip, but they gain valuable marking info that will help the 5th gen ipod to hit the market in just the right way.

Mark

 

[myself, aka me]

I noticed the Australian Apple site sells a 20GB iPod for AU$499, and a 30GB iPod photo for AU$499. What were they thinking?

 

[episiarch]

If you go to store.apple.com and click the big red SAVE tag on the right, you'll find good deals on the iPod Photo 40GB and 60GB with dock and AC adaptor: $379 and $479 respectively.

(Perhaps this has already been pointed out here, but if so, I didn't see it.)

IMO these closeouts can't last long, so act fast.