Bill can't even get rid of the iPod within the walls of his own company. If his own employees won't switch, I'd say he's facing a bit of an uphill climb in the marketplace.

I think the real competion will come from cell phones. Storage is the main issue there. Apple is all over this and will start to bring out devices that are way ahead of what's out now.

I love it, though, when they make those statements about a killer because when they crash and burn it must be a very humiliating mouthfull they have to swallow.

"A iPod buy back. Give us your iPod and we will give you $50.00 bucks towards a Zen? Oh wait they may really try that one."

Dell DID try that one - it died quietly after boucoup Mac Heds called Dell asking to buy the traded in iPods.

heheheheh

Z

belkin, dlo, NONE of what makes iPod so successful are listed. Meaning: I spent $7 for a car charger and $8 for a iSkin for my iPod on ebay. These retail for about $20/ea and I think that's just too expensive for these items since they are like 3 years old (I don't have a current iPod). No other play has Mercedes in-car connect options, no other play has as many cases from GUCCI and Luis Vutton, no other play can match iPod in the ACCESSORIES department which we ALL know is the tried and true method of what makes a product last. Plain and simple: iPod connects to more cars, more computers, more everything than anything else. I'm cheap, and buy total j** ripoff aftermarket stuff for my iPod, like my $1 retractable dock cable, my $7 generic car charger and my immitation iSkin ... all of these items work great and combined cost me LESS than any car charger at Apple Retail + tax. That's what makes iPod #1: anyone can get one from $100 - $500 and get accessories for it at any Walmart, Target, or eBay from $1-$500. When Creative offers me a $7 case and a $5 car charger... I'll conisder their player. Oterhwise, via la iPod!

http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2005/08/11/creative_results_q4_05/

This has been said over and over that there next player will dethrone the iPod. Well? So far according to the previous story above by Global Market Research no one has even comes close. I seriously doubt that anyone can. Why? Apple has the whole widget and has designed the whole widget from both a software stand point and the hardware. It is all integrated seamlessly into there music store as well. You don't need a stupid browser that blocks one or the other platform. And it just works easily.

Do they make anything that actually works?

Isn't is absolutely amazing that all the R&D depts of Sony, MS, Phillips, etc. can't match little Apple!?!?!? Always makes me smile.

I am amazed that Apple has been able to keep its dominance in a way it didn't with the pc. I would have thought by now someone would have gotten their wma act together. I would have thought by now that Apple would have had to open either iPod h/w or FairPlay s/w to the market to preserve its dominance in the other. Cringely has posited that the iTMS was the golden egg to save by opening up to other hardware, but what this report suggests is that the minute MS and others actually come up with a solution, I think Apple could enable wma on its iPod and that would destroy any "advantage" for the iPod killers for another 5 years! That would mean admitting to hardware for the long haul. Of course Apple has the headstart to give it time to make that choice if it ever needs to.

At the same time Piper Jaffery (not an unbias viewpoint) has shown that iTMS itself is becoming the significant revenue source that Cringley described. Possibly up to 10% revenue in the future?!?! Apple really does have its cake and can eat it anytime it wants to. Now if they can just get iPods into the hands of every nouveau middle class person in China......!!!!!

Also I am more and more thinking that phones will never be more than a minor part of the mp3 hardware landscape. The real next "killer device" has yet to be found that integrates pda, music and telephonics. Hopefully it's embryo is in a Cupertino lab.

actions speak louder than words

"Competing" shouldn't be confused with "immitating".

They just don't have the mentality that makes Apple so good at what they do. Apple products are DESIGNED in the most noble, humanistic sense of the word. They are carefully crafted in every way to provide an uncomplicated and satisfying experience. Sony generally has a similar approach with many of the product lines, but they are just too far behind Apple in the portable music sector. I mean, the iPod is a lifestyle element in its own right by now. Meanwhile, Microshaft is just too different culturally from Apple to beat them at their own game.

Also, at the risk of lowering the discourse of this thread, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind the vast meta-entity of Microsoft that it is welcome at any time to drop by and blow me.

What is really going to keep Apple in the drivers seat is that little port on the bottom of the player. A huge list of Car manufacturers, home stereo makers, home automation systems, etc, are all iPOD compatible, no matter who comes out with a nice competitive iPOD killer. But, it won't kill it because you have to change all these 3rd party compatibility component integration too. Not going to happen anytime soon. Maybe next 5 years or more.

They just don't have the mentality that makes Apple so good at what they do. Apple products are DESIGNED in the most noble, humanistic sense of the word. They are carefully crafted in every way to provide an uncomplicated and satisfying experience.

i work at a retail store in the digital music section. one thing i can tell you is that todays one-dimensional consumers care about one thing: the price. if it costs less while having comparable features, people WILL BUY whatever costs less. look at the exponential growth of wal mart. people only care about saving money and not about quality, brand or anything else that costs them more. if microsoft or anyone else introduces a cheap player clone with similar features, even if its c***, it will sell like crazy. the only thing left to blame is our meaningless consumer society.

I have mixed feelings about what happened with I-pod and Microsoft....

On one hand, if you have a good product, service, or an idea, no matter who you are, you need to protect it. If you dont protect it, you shouldn't be surprised if someone else takes advantage of you. Such is the case with Apple and their patent hiccup that will end up costing them millions.

On the other hand, with as much market share as Microsoft has, it is disheartening to see the big guy eating the little guy in this case, but then again....you dont get as big as Microsoft by sleeping at the wheel when it comes time to put patents on your products. Im afraid the oweness here lies on Apple.