Apple announced this week that an entirely new line of iPods is being released by Christmas. It’s not a surprise as Apple tends to upgrade the iPod line annually, just in time for technophiles everywhere to throw out their old "last year’s" model and get the bigger, stronger, faster model. It’s an annual tradition in many households and has served to make Apple billions of dollars. This year is slightly different though, as this is also the year in which Apple released its much touted iPhone, essentially a half-baked telephone installed on an incredibly cool iPod for $499.
What this means though is that those individuals who have been seeking the next best technology but without the bloated service contracts and poor telephone service can now buy a new iPod Touch (as they’re cleverly calling it) for only $299. Additionally, you can purchase a larger 16GB model for a little more.
The classic models are stretching their wings a little as well and now come in sizes up to a whopping 160GB, more portable capacity than any "legally" buying music connoisseur could ever need. If enough space for 40,000 songs isn’t enough, throw a few hundred videos on there and you’ll be set for as long a trip as you could possibly take.
The point of all this is that it is officially September and since their first releases in 2001, the iPod’s announcement has meant the beginning of the fall gadget rush. In the coming weeks, dozens of new products, video games, and DVDs will be released just in time for the holiday shopping season, which starts as soon as the Halloween decorations come down. The point is that the holidays breed excitement for new products and those products sell and then 9 months later, a new product is announced.
Apple is the prime example of this ridiculous turnover, but not the only one. It works with nearly any major industry. Films are huge for only a short time, until everyone has seen them once or twice. The same can be said for the cult of celebrity or the passion of sports. A team can, in one year, be the undisputed best team in a major sport and win the world championship. A year or two later, it’s possible that absolutely no one remembers who won the championship that year (except for those who are devoted to that team or that sport).
The point is that there are certain instances in life in which the human attention span shrinks by ten fold – most often and best illustrated by the iPod. Returning to the handheld multimedia messiah that has singlehandedly changed how a generation walks down the street or sits on a bus, we’ll find some of the reason for that flittering attention span.
First off, the iPod has grown exponentially in the 6 years since it was first released. Those first iPod’s were downright ugly by today’s standards. They were big – the size of a small brick – and had tiny black and white screens and 4 GB hard drives. Two years later they were five times as large in capacity and half the size in design. They added pictures and color display one year, video support the next year, and gaming the next. They grew smaller – infinitesimal for the runners among us – and now sport touch screen displays with 15 hour battery life and wi-fi internet access.
The most telling thing of all though is that they have always had the same price. Somehow, with only 10 months to develop and reengineer their bread and butter, Apple is able to offer a much better product for the exact same price. It’s demand though. The iPhone had a profit margin after building costs of over 50% and the iPod is likely not much different. However, the coolness of owning the newest gadget, especially the slick, simple iPod is almost impossible to pass up. So, the cycle continues and the gadgets keep getting cooler.
People are enamored with the concept of having the best, of being the best, of bettering themselves. By holding back new features and making each year’s new model look infinitely cooler than the last year’s, Apple is able to create a mindset for its millions of customers that they do not have the best anymore. Every ten to twelve months, Apple unleashes a new concept or creation on its fanbase that forces them to jump up and upgrade themselves so that they can remain better than everyone else.
This is by no means a knock on Apple or their ingenious marketing campaigns. They’ve proven that they are one of the world leaders in creating consumer electronics, not by offering the best product, but by offering the most consumer friendly and "best" product. This mindset has permeated the current generation so thoroughly that now all Apple needs to do is create a new feature every year or so.
Eventually, they will run out of ideas. The 160 GB model shows us that there is minimal room for growth after this generation. Even for the most avid video fiends, 160 GB is more than enough space for anything an iPod owner could ever want to accomplish. The bar very well might be rising too high at this point. However, it will continue to rise and until then we can try and guess where all the old iPods are being sent.
What this means though is that those individuals who have been seeking the next best technology but without the bloated service contracts and poor telephone service can now buy a new iPod Touch (as they’re cleverly calling it) for only $299. Additionally, you can purchase a larger 16GB model for a little more.
The classic models are stretching their wings a little as well and now come in sizes up to a whopping 160GB, more portable capacity than any "legally" buying music connoisseur could ever need. If enough space for 40,000 songs isn’t enough, throw a few hundred videos on there and you’ll be set for as long a trip as you could possibly take.
The point of all this is that it is officially September and since their first releases in 2001, the iPod’s announcement has meant the beginning of the fall gadget rush. In the coming weeks, dozens of new products, video games, and DVDs will be released just in time for the holiday shopping season, which starts as soon as the Halloween decorations come down. The point is that the holidays breed excitement for new products and those products sell and then 9 months later, a new product is announced.
Apple is the prime example of this ridiculous turnover, but not the only one. It works with nearly any major industry. Films are huge for only a short time, until everyone has seen them once or twice. The same can be said for the cult of celebrity or the passion of sports. A team can, in one year, be the undisputed best team in a major sport and win the world championship. A year or two later, it’s possible that absolutely no one remembers who won the championship that year (except for those who are devoted to that team or that sport).
The point is that there are certain instances in life in which the human attention span shrinks by ten fold – most often and best illustrated by the iPod. Returning to the handheld multimedia messiah that has singlehandedly changed how a generation walks down the street or sits on a bus, we’ll find some of the reason for that flittering attention span.
First off, the iPod has grown exponentially in the 6 years since it was first released. Those first iPod’s were downright ugly by today’s standards. They were big – the size of a small brick – and had tiny black and white screens and 4 GB hard drives. Two years later they were five times as large in capacity and half the size in design. They added pictures and color display one year, video support the next year, and gaming the next. They grew smaller – infinitesimal for the runners among us – and now sport touch screen displays with 15 hour battery life and wi-fi internet access.
The most telling thing of all though is that they have always had the same price. Somehow, with only 10 months to develop and reengineer their bread and butter, Apple is able to offer a much better product for the exact same price. It’s demand though. The iPhone had a profit margin after building costs of over 50% and the iPod is likely not much different. However, the coolness of owning the newest gadget, especially the slick, simple iPod is almost impossible to pass up. So, the cycle continues and the gadgets keep getting cooler.
People are enamored with the concept of having the best, of being the best, of bettering themselves. By holding back new features and making each year’s new model look infinitely cooler than the last year’s, Apple is able to create a mindset for its millions of customers that they do not have the best anymore. Every ten to twelve months, Apple unleashes a new concept or creation on its fanbase that forces them to jump up and upgrade themselves so that they can remain better than everyone else.
This is by no means a knock on Apple or their ingenious marketing campaigns. They’ve proven that they are one of the world leaders in creating consumer electronics, not by offering the best product, but by offering the most consumer friendly and "best" product. This mindset has permeated the current generation so thoroughly that now all Apple needs to do is create a new feature every year or so.
Eventually, they will run out of ideas. The 160 GB model shows us that there is minimal room for growth after this generation. Even for the most avid video fiends, 160 GB is more than enough space for anything an iPod owner could ever want to accomplish. The bar very well might be rising too high at this point. However, it will continue to rise and until then we can try and guess where all the old iPods are being sent.
No comments:
Post a Comment