Competitors can't touch iPod price, UI, coolness
updated 02:25 pm EST, Tue December 13, 2005
PJ on iPod Competition
Investment research firm PiperJaffray today said it believes the only way competitors can steal market share away from the iPod is to price their devices below Apple's -- and so far that is not happening. Creative, for example, has priced its 30GB video iPod competitor at $330 -- 10 percent more than the iPod. While it may offer more features, Piper says consumers will stick pick the iPod for its ease of use and "cool" factor. "We believe that non-iPod devices must compete on price to gain adoption, but Apple has such massive relative shipment volume with the iPod that other MP3 player manufacturers are not able to replicate the economies of scale achieved by Apple. We believe this reality will allow Apple to sell iPods at the lowest prices in the market, thus retaining the iPod's pole position for years." The firm also said in its report today that it expects 2006 to be a stronger year for Apple both in terms of its iPod line and Mac products (with Intel machines just around the corner).
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2003
Absolutely
Amen! I hope the new Intel Macs fly off the shelves the way that iPods have been in recent years. Stock analysts keep under-forecasting the price of Apple's stock, term after term, and I hope that the ability to run Windows natively on a hard disk partition of the new Macs will lure millions of former PC owners in the years to come. Then, only price will be holding them back from doing so, as they'd no longer have any excuse to buy a non-Apple computer.