05/04/2005, 8:15am, EDT
Wednesday, May 4th
iPod shuffle share jumps to 58 percent
Based on data obtained during an interview with Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer, Milunovich noted that Apple's iPod market share in Japan was around 40 percent, representing a "good" international growth opportunity and that the "stunning" numbers from March, during a supply-constrained quarter, would make April numbers even more interesting.
During the same interview, Oppenheimer said that Apple was not concerned about the cell phone threat to iPod. According to the research note obtained by MacNN, Apple's management believes that the iPod still offers the best way to manage and listen to music and the ability to listen to music in cell phones is a complementary feature--rather than a replacement for iPod. Oppenheimer said that the "worse" user interface and limited battery life would help iPod maintain its competitive edge over the "mobile phone threat."
Despite rumors to the contrary, Apple management also believes that it find a way to work with the mobile carries to bring iTunes to mobile phone users. Many industry reports said that said that the delay in the introduction of the Motorola iTunes phone was in part due neogotiations with mobile phone carriers who see digital music as an incremental source of revenue. It is believed that mobile carriers, eager to see a slice of the profits, wanted the cell phone to be the primary interface for purchasing songs (rather than the computer, as in the iTunes model).
Apple said it "doesn't foresee problems working with carriers," implying that negotiating shared economics wouldn't be a deal killer, according to the research note.
Milunovich also said that he expects wireless and video capability in iPods for the holidays. "Our guess is that iPod will run short video clips, such as Britney Spears gyrating while 'Toxic' plays."
The note also indicated Apple may begin another heavy ad campaign highlighting Macs. Currently, Apple's TV spots only feature the iPod, but the analyst is lookig to coming Mac ads to augment the halo effect.
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The Shuffle is the best deal going. I don't miss the display (the MUVO display is unreadable), it takes zero effort to reload it, runs forever, is a flash drive besides over USB. I never thought I'd have a flash player. The only use for the iPod display has been Contacts, but Tiger can now sync my phone like Panther couldn't - so it all works with less juggling.
when are they going to put Paris Hilton in Apple Stores? It's the only way to save them!
/M$ whoring anal-yst
Wonder how long before they try to roll out their own shuffle knock off...?
First, its got no FM tuner.
Add in the lack of display (how are you supposed to find the song you want to listen to without a 3x5 screen?).
There's also no voice recorder. How can you record all those hours of conversations with your friends without a voice recorder. Linda Tripp wouldn't dare be without one.
Then there's the lack of choices. You can't buy music from anywhere but iTMS. No Napster, no Walmart. Certainly no support for the quality and affordable subscription services out there.
Now tack on the lack of a stopwatch. How are you supposed to time things without a stopwatch? Those three-minute eggs you're making turned into 5 minute eggs. Haha! If you had a real MP3 player, you wouldn't be eating overcooked eggs!
Basically, what it comes down to is that those 58% that use the shuffle just don't realize how they're screwing up their lives!
Life has the potential to become fairly complicated in so many ways that a return or digression to simplicity and less organisation/control is often a dream. For many, an iPod Shuffle might just suit that dream.
I love iTunes and digital music but I don't go for portable music players so I take an outsider's view, which is often amusing. It's just when you read opinions from individuals who clearly have issues in other aspects of their lives that I am motivated to comment.
BTW, I wouldn't call Voice recording a premium feature. The voice recording feature built into MP3 players is paltry compared to a dedicated voice recorder that professionals use. It's a toy.
And testudo, that was hilarious! Made me laugh.
Link please.