The iPod Is No Longer Cool, And That’s Good
Dan Pourhadi on MacTeens tells of a friend telling him “iPod’s aren’t cool anymore”.
And she’s right. When George Bush and the Queen own an iPod… I’m sorry but you know they’re no longer cool.
When too popular kills cool
But that does not mean they are no longer “must have”. The iPod may no longer be the “must have gadget” but it is still the “must have music player”. It is still rated the best music player in virtually every comparison made. So if you are in the market for a music player, it should be your first consideration. But just don’t think that buying one will make you cool.
This cartoon I did recently probably sums it up well:
Everybody is getting them. And something that everyone has, can never be cool. The world of cool has moved on, the iPod is no longer the gadget to be seen with.
No matter what Apple does, the iPod will never be “cool” again. That’s a very big statement I know - especially to the Apple zealotry who inhabit this site. But after you’ve wiped the bile off your screen, think about it more seriously.
It had to happen
This was always going to happen. Certainly the PSP seems to have taken over as the “must have” gadget, but lets stick to music players. Most people who want to think themselves cool, will already have an iPod. Most people who are not cool - well…they’ll do what either their friends, the salesman or their wallet tell them to.
It’s been 20 years since any portable music player had as much cool factor as the iPod, so I suspect - despite some flash in the pan from music playing mobile phones - that there won’t be another music player so cool as to kill sales of the iPod for a very long time.
Even though people won’t buy them to be cool, they will buy them because they like them and for second timers, they have an investment in iTMS music which they aren’t interested in going through the process of converting to MP3 to enable playing on other players. It’s obvious now why Apple have fought to keep iTMS songs compatible with only iPods, after all, it is on iPods, not music sales, where they make their money. This is what Microsoft achieved with Windows - they created a dependency that made changing platforms a chore.
But sales are slowing
You can’t win. You like Apple products being cool and somewhat elite, but you also want everyone to buy them. Hence many initially reacted with shock to the Intel announcement as it dented our egos, it takes away some of the eliteness of the Mac
Although iPod sales have slowed in recent times, analysts are predicting an upswing in sales in the second half of the year so there are some potential customers left in the world - and many people are buying their second or third - I know I want another one or even two!
The future
So it’s not the end of the iPod. Sure no longer being the “coolest gadget” is a hard pill to swallow, but it’s just part of the natural life-cycle of a successful product. Apple may make an iPod that’s even more popular than any in the past, but it will never have that same cool factor again. That said, there will be small bouts of iPod associated cool - e.g. must have accessories and VidiPods.
So no, the iPod is not passé but Dan’s friend is right, the cool factor is gone.
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Comments
Hmmm, let’s ponder this for a second….
Nah, they’re still cool.
iTunes 4 the second generation store was launched October of 2003. Thus Apple is approaching 2 years to move from 4.1 to iTunes 5.0. Something big has to be brewing for Apple to nicke n dime their way up to 5.0.
The iPod’s popularity seems to be waning but I look at as more likely the calm before the storm. Why else would they have so many micro-updates to add features but not much else. There are still a lot of people that can potentially buy iPods but what I see with iTunes 5.0 is the ability to move iTunes into the car and the living room. I see Apple offering subscription capability and making more deals for iPods and cars. It’s the OEM deals where Apple can really make a mint.
We’re just getting through the first leg..you haven’t seen anything yet.
When George Bush and the Queen own an iPod…
Maybe that’s how Jesus talks to him.
The iPod is definitely not as cool as it was last year, but at the same time, there’s always the potential that Apple will introduce a new iPod that makes it cool all over again. The iPod mini was an example of that, where instead of merely trying to do the same thing, but better, Apple introduce a completely new form factor to pile on even more coolness.
Similarly, the Shuffle was another attempt to reinject vigor into the iPod mainstream. I don’t think it was successful as the mini was, but it shows that Apple is still willing to take big risks to keep iPods relevant in the cultural jetstream.
One big reason Apple has been so successful with the iPod is that they market it like a fashion label markets a new line of handbags. There are literally hundreds of different labels on the market, but the big fashion houses still manage to keep their brands cool, vibrant, and dominant by continually introducing new interpretations of the same basic concept of a bag. Apple is similarly just a new iPod model away from re-igniting the tech lust fires in the minds of consumers.
As for all the talk about iPod sales “slowing,” I think it’s a load of crock. No business can continuously grow 500% per year as the iPod has been doing. But the important thing is, iPod is still growing at a triple digit pace. Consider that in first 3 years of its existence, Apple managed to sell a total of 16 million iPods. That was January 2005.
Consider now that the most conservative estimate for iPod in 2005 alone is 20 million and ranges as high as 30 million. It’s also a fact that Apple sold 5.3 million units last quarter. And 2006 sales are estimated to be 35 to 45 million. But if you listen to people who mutter darkly about iPod sales “slowing,” it sounds like iPod sales are on the verge of evaporating and Apple is - once again - about to go out of business.
All I say is, there is a huge difference between “slowing” to 100% growth per year and slowing to zero percent growth. It’s a distinction that seems to escape a lot of analysts, though.