IBM Designed the iPod Before Apple Did

[Az]

Asher, you must admit that the iPod has spread far wider than Apple's usual following.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Azazel
Asher, you must admit that the iPod has spread far wider than Apple's usual following.

It's spread to not only include the usual artsy people, but to include people desperate to be hip.

Either way, IBM would fail in that...

[Asher]

Originally posted by MarkG
darn, it's so easy to make millions of sales isnt it? it just needs some faith in believing your product can actually sell

It's all about brand image.

Apple's very successful at taking things, getting them insane press coverage, get great marketshare, and then **** it all up.

IBM is only successful, and only comfortable in, the much larger corporate market.

Apple is its polar opposite. It's only successful in the anti-corporate market. With pinko commies or artists.

Now which side of that fence can appeal to the "hip" trend-zombie crowd better than the other?

[Az]

Either way, IBM would fail in that...

Maybe IBM should establish a hip brand, that would rebrand it's products.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Azazel

Either way, IBM would fail in that...

Maybe IBM should establish a hip brand, that would rebrand it's products.

Why should it?

It's moving away from products into services.

It could undermine its corporate image to make trendy things.

I know most people don't see this, but the revenue and profit the iPod make is ridiculously small to companies like IBM. IBM makes more money in more lucrative areas, like $10M servers...

[FlameFlash]

Originally posted by Agathon

It's non-existent, but who cares.

Anyway, I was the idiot who decided not to spend the extra $100 dollars in 2000 to buy a mac with a firewire port (because I didn't want to do digital video) and so can't use an ipod. I guess I'll wait until next year when I get a new computer.

Err... it's called an upgrade card?

[Az]

It could undermine its corporate image to make trendy things.

That's the point of having a completely different brand, and branding for specific market nieches.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Azazel
That's the point of having a completely different brand, and branding for specific market nieches.

I don't understand why they'd waste resources going for a smaller market when they can go for newer, bigger markets (like they're doing now?)

It takes money and resources to go for new markets, and as far as markets go, the MP3 player market isn't large.

[FlameFlash]

Just read through the rest of the thread... Agathon... with as much as you know about comps you could have easily just gotten an old PowerMac and upgraded it to the point of an iMac in 2000 and still be able to upgrade it today...

BTW, Asher... I'm still not sure I understand what your problem is with the iPod...

[Asher]

The iPod is a ripoff. Even at the new, lower price. It's technically inferior to most other players on the market in just about every way.

The people I see buying iPods are either Apple fans (makes sense), or otherwise complete airheads. The kind of people who wear GAP T-shirts or the now-popular "Triple-SOUL" T-shirts. The kind of people who rice up their Civics and get "BBS" stickers on their windshields even though they don't have BBS wheels. The kind of people who'll buy a Cadillac Escalade.

They make me cringe.

[Az]

I don't understand why they'd waste resources going for a smaller market when they can go for newer, bigger markets (like they're doing now?)

It takes money and resources to go for new markets, and as far as markets go, the MP3 player market isn't large.

I wasn't talking about the iPod in particular. The opportunities are so wide... Consumer electronics, for example... IBM could afford to take over a strong consumer electronics company. I am not against going to services, but generally, IBM has no reason to fear it's image as a "cold" bussiness company. It's a powerful image in itself, in the bussiness sector. All I am saying is that it's not a limiting factor, not an unsurmountable, really.

[Agathon]

Do you honestly see lots of kids wearing square-black boxes with the IBM brand on it, being hip?

Duh! They would market it through a created subsidiary with a new and cool name.

[Asher]

Everyone and their dog is trying to enter the consumer electronics industry. It's competitive and profit margins are shrinking. It's a bad market for a company like IBM to join in.

IBM thrives in really, really expensive and unique stuff. Like software which helps banks get up to date on the latest accounting laws. How many other people made software for that? They can charge a fortune for it.

IBM doesn't do well when it's in a crowded market, like PCs...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Agathon
Duh! They would market it through a created subsidiary with a new and cool name.

Like Lexmark?

It's stupid for a company like IBM to join a small market dominated by image rather than functionality. IBM is all about functionality.

It's just not a logical place for them to be. They're the kind of people to make components for MP3 players, not the MP3 players itself...they supply to businesses, not consumers.

History lesson: What happened every time IBM tried selling to consumers?

[Agathon]

Err... it's called an upgrade card?

Yeah, but it's too expensive for something I don't really care about. I find it difficult to listen to music while walking, due to environmental noise. And don't start on those noise cancellation headphones, I think they make the music sound flat.

Besides, the wife wanted an imac, and she was paying for half of it.