Double Trouble from Apple

[Q Classic]

Verto has taken up Mr. Nice Guy's mantle.

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That said, Nano's a nice idea, but after a certain point, it becomes too small to be comfortable or even useful. I have a funny feeling that Nano's coming closer to that point.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Spiffor
I just can't imagine how the mobile phone + itune market could possible not get off.

I mean, it's the epitome of whimsical consumption. When you have a MP3-phone in your pocket, you have the potential to hear any song recorded on this planet. It's a gorgeous prospect, and it's make a gorgeous gadget. For artsy types just as much as for anybody who enjoys music.

You can't download songs using the cell phone network, you download them in iTunes for an overly inflated price then transfer them to your phone.

Look at the device -- not only is it big, it's ugly and limited and less functional.

It reminds me of the times in the late 90s when everyone was all about convergance...all these appliances and devices would be merged into one...and it turns out it was a niche market.

[Kuciwalker]

I sympathize strongly, now, with those who like the really small players - since school started, I've been bringing my Zen in with me rather than leave it in my car, but the first day I actually kept it in my pocket. I was wondering why my leg was hurting towards the end of the day, and then realized it's probably because I'd been walking slightly differently with the weight in my pocket.

Of course, now I just keep it in my backpack, so it's not an issue.

[laurentius]

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000683041511/

The Nokia N91 is part of Nokia’s new media-centric N series, and apparently they’re throwing down against Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and Samsung and putting a 4GB hard drive in there, an industry standard 3.5mm headphone jack, support for playback of MP3, M4A, AAC, and WMA audio files, and USB 2.0 so you can just drag and drop your files over from your PC. Better still, the N91 has 3G (WCDMA) and both built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. Should be out sometime around the end of the year.

[Asher]

My favorite feature of the new Motorola phone is Apple forcing Motorola to limit the amount of songs on the device to 100, regardless of the size of the memory card people put in the device.

Apple, here for the consumer.

[laurentius]

In regards to playing mp3s via decent camera-phone..all I can say is N90+1-4GB mmc card

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Asher
You can't download songs using the cell phone network, you download them in iTunes for an overly inflated price then transfer them to your phone.

All Apple merchandise has an overly inflated price, but it certainly didn't prevent the Ipod to take off. And more generally, depite being quite expansive, MP3 players have an immense success.

Look at the device -- not only is it big, it's ugly and limited and less functional.

That's a primitive device, not the only device that could possibly be made. This argument is like saying (in the 80ies): "portable phones will never take off - they're entirely unpractical, with them being as big as luggage".
The thing will evovle, just like phones have evolved since the mid-90ies, or just like portable music has evolved since the cassette-walkman.

It reminds me of the times in the late 90s when everyone was all about convergance...all these appliances and devices would be merged into one...and it turns out it was a niche market.

That's funny. It seems that pretty much all cell phones now have a camera function. Yet it's really a gadget.

To me, MP3 playing abilities will be the obvious feature on phones if the near future (if it isn't already), and with the progresses of cellphone-supported internet, the download of music to cellphones will be huge.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Spiffor
That's funny. It seems that pretty much all cell phones now have a camera function. Yet it's really a gadget.

That's different -- how many people will go on vacation and take all their pictures with a camera phone?

Camera phones are supplemental, they're there for those times with friends when you don't have a real camera (most of the time). They don't take marketshare away from real cameras.

[Sava]

IMO, all this stuff is garbage and a waste of money...


GG on wasting your money on stupid useless crap

why do people feel the need to have music constantly pumped into their head?

why the need to have your phone do 80 million things? (and not one of these things it does well)

and the devices get smaller and cheaper so they break easier

and they're all made in china by slaves and children

don't even get me started on stupid custom ring tones

and morons actually pay money to download them from the internet

I just want a phone...

and stupid botox queen Catherine zeta jones needs to go fight Joan cusack to the death

can you hear me now?

[mrmitchell]

Apple is behind the times...the Cowon iAudio U2 is almost as small as a AA battery, $170, 1GB, includes FM radio.

Because using your MP3 player will drain your cell phone battery.

Because the interface is clunky.

Because the device is a hackjob.

It's a niche market.

Yeah but these devices are getting better all the time...I guarantee you that before 2010 an mp3-camera-phone will be released with a good battery life that will have features you would drool over. Personally I liked the Nokia one pictured earlier in this thread but it's probably uber expensive and I don't need to replace any of my mp3 player, camera, or phone...

I was wondering why my leg was hurting towards the end of the day, and then realized it's probably because I'd been walking slightly differently with the weight in my pocket.

I've been carrying my cell phone in my pocket for the last few years now...never hurt my leg. I should probably be more worried about testicular cancer.

[Kuciwalker]

My Zen is a lot heavier than a cell phone.

Of course, it could've just been that I was adapting to the desks again.

[Sava]

Kuci's not used to having heavy things in his pants.

[Kinjiru]

The phone thingy will be huge. The reason is simple, teens.

My kids already download music clips as ringtones, and they are very annoyed that they can only get 10-sec clips. They have been wanting to get whole songs for quite a while.

27 million teens with phones already + money to burn + the ability to set a unique song with each person in their contact list = $ billions to Apple.

Ah, but that formula isn't quite right. Apple will only have the market to themselves for a short while. Once another manufacturer brings out something similar that is also more easily hackable and tradeable (i.e. not using iTMS), Apple will quickly lose the teen market.

But that just means that the parents will be the ones stuck with the old phones. And they will HATE the music selections already loaded up by their kids, so they will replace a couple tunes with something more age-appropriate.

So....

27 million teens + money to burn + link song to contact + say 4 months market capture = $millions for Apple
plus
maybe 10 million phones go back to the parents + 2 songs 'reloaded' each = another $20 million for Apple
plus
maybe 500,000 of those parental phones will see extended use and get the parents hooked on this whole downloading music thing, so that's maybe another $1 million monthly...

Not a bad little business plan...

Game over.

[Kuciwalker]

Well, not in my left pocket at least.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Ooooh... that Nano is nice. Wish it had a Hogwarts crest .