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Since introducing the iPod in November 2001, the company has unveiled more than 10 new iPod models. The music player has also sparked an ecosystem of more than 4,000 accessories, ranging from fashionable cases to speaker systems. More than 70 percent of 2007 model cars in the United States currently offer iPod connectivity.
Apple's iTunes Store has seen comparable success in selling items from its catalog of more than 5 million songs, 350 television shows and 400 movies. The company says it has sold more than 2.5 billion songs, 50 million TV shows and 1.3 million movies, making it the world's most popular online store of the digital media.
Apple's success with the iPod continues despite a plethora of music player competition from other companies, including Microsoft. The software giant in November introduced its Zune music player, whose sales thus far haven't come close to challenging Apple's dominance in the portable-music market.
iPod fans are now awaiting Apple's iPhone, which combines the functionality and design of the iPod with a cell phone. AT&T's Cingular Wireless is set to begin exclusively selling the iPhone for $500 or $600 in June.
Even though initial sales of the iPhone are still two months away, and the device wasn't on display in March at the CTIA Wireless convention in Orlando, Fla., it continues to generate a steady buzz throughout the gadget and cell phone markets.
See more CNET content tagged:
music player, Apple iPod, Apple Computer, success, Apple iPhone
They are coming up from BEHIND.
Look over your shouldr.
Bill Gates owns 3, 2 are owned by Steve Balmer, and some guy from the general public owns the other one.
I think an ipod with the iphone touch sensitive screen is the next logical choice, but who would pay for an iphone-less ipod with a touchscreen?
storage capacity than the iPhone). I hate Crapular, an dwould not
get an iPhone for that reason alone. Besides that, I just don't want
an iPod that is as large as the iPhone, but has so little storage
capacity.
Quality control, design failures, and serious limitations in the offering seem destined to make this device a forgotten and unwanted item.
Apple isn't even advertising their own product. That has to tell you something about the confidence they have in this device. :/
Of course, what was the 1G iPod's review? It was just "ok". Three weeks do not make a trend in electronics sales. Apple TV will become an extension of iTunes, especially since the explosive growth of media sales will drive iPod users to expand and purchase either a Mac and/or an Apple TV.
gen iPod at launch), but its a hacker's dream. Not only do people
now have essentially full versions of OSX running on it, with all
the apps and games that implies, but its even simpler to hack it
so you gain SSH and NFP access, then you can add whatever
codecs to it you like and watch virtually any downloaded file
(except WMV, they're working on that). If you somehow missed
all of that in the last 2 weeks, check out www.appletvhacks.net
and http://wiki.awkwardtv.org/ , they'll set you straight. Apple
isn't advertising AppleTV yet because from all reports they're
barely keeping up with demand from hardcore mac heads like
myself, once they have a more robust channel we'll start seeing
TV spots mention it.
I looked at the apple TV and was disapointed, very small hard drive and a waste of time. It may attract some customers, that don't know any better, but it seems too basic.
If apple sticks to this, they need to come out with something that has a large storage unit inside of it, atleast 300GB or 500GB drive!
What they put in there is a joke. I love apple products, but I wouldn't buy this, maybe after they revise it later on.
TV is. It's been out less than a month and you say it is "wither(ing)
on the tree"? Please.
Most of the reviews I have seen anywhere are good. What have you
been reading? What quality control issues are you talking about?
What design failures? What serious limitations?
I think you have something against Apple.
You remind me of the original iPod Naysayers back in 2001.
Wait and See.
Check our the SlingBox announcement today regarding streaming
Audio Collections via Apple TV to Digital Music Players and get
back to me.
CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN.
Just watch it wither.
I must be reading all the good news and reviews then, and not from
Apple-head sites.
http://www.apple.com
Right on the front page.
Allow the USB port to be used for extra storage, then the 40GB limit is gone.
Allow Apple TV to play some Mac games, perhaps games purchased through iTunes like the iPod games.
Enable Safari (or something similar) so Apple TV can surf the web. Allow USB devices to be used for control, and make sure it works with YouTube.
Make it easier to get any/all video content that's on your PC/Mac into the Apple TV.
Basically, I want it to be a simplified Mac Mini with a remote and DVI connector. I would pay $500 for that before I would pay $300 for the current Apple TV.
Obviously you've never seen one, used one or bought one & are only here to spread FUD.
Stick to your brown Zune turd dude & good luck finding someone to share a "squirt" with...
have been one. I got a green iPod Mini in 2005, just before
leaving for china, as a free-after-rebate item with a new iBook.
The device worked well, until it started showing the sad iPod
icon about 2 months later (which is a nostalgic kick in the balls
to old-skool macheads like myself, btw). I couldn't find any
place in Beijing that would cop to being an "authorized" apple
repair center, and I wasn't in China long enough at that point to
send it back to Apple and get it back before getting to the
states, where I figured I would just bring it back to the Apple
Store I got it from. When I did get back 3 months later, I gave it
to the Apple Store, they took it, tested it for a few minutes, and
then brought out a brand new mini and handed it to me. That
was March 2006, and its worked great since then, although the
wheel has gotten a bit icky from me messing with it in the car ;)
My Bro has a Gen2, the battery life on it is low now but you can
get new batteries, people assumed that since Apple refused to
mess with it there wouldn't be a way but the market will answer
consumer demand, always does and always will, at least
eventually.
Also, I think AppleTV should count as an iPod, albeit the most
powerful one ever :)
I looked at the ZUNE and I didn't like it, clunky buttons and interface, a poor imitation of iPod.
nothing but FUD.
You did not claim your own iPod died after a year. Can I assume
you don't own one?
If you don't own one, then why would you bother making a
comment about their longevity? There is no widespread
reporting of "most iPods dying after about a year."
If you do own one, and it doesn't work, I assume you would have
said so in support of your comment.
If you owned one for more than a year and it does work, you
would have had at least some proof against your baseless
comment.
If you have owned one for less than a year and think most will
die after about a year, then you will be pleasantly surprised
when is lasts much longer.
Have a nice day!
one. Probably afraid to buy because of your impression. My wife
and I have bought 6 between us. 2 originals, now in the hands of
relatives because we upgraded, bought many years ago and they
still work wonderfully. We each have a video iPod that is used often
for trips to the east coast and to Europe. No problems there. We
each have a Nano with Nike+ that we use for running every day. No
problems there. So, did your impression come from personal
experience, or did you pull it out of your a$$?
Here are the NPD-January share numbers:
Category: MP3
Rank Brand Unit Share
1 Apple 72.7%
2 Sandisk 8.9%
3 Microsoft 3.2%
4 Creative Labs 2.9%
5 Samsung 2.0%
What IS surprising is how S-L-O-W MSFT has been in bringing a flash-based player to market. Did they NOT realize that such a device (or family of devices) was going to do better than another HD-based (sales) slug?
INCOMING!
occasionally stopping to hoot and holler incoherently, then
proceeds to fling negative Zune sales reports at them like the
proverbial feces.
Ok, that indulgence to MS-hate aside, no need to be too hateful
to the PC dudes Setag, all it does is rile the trolls and turn off
potential switchers. Whether you love or hate the ads, I do like
the attitude of the Mac character, which is basically "I have no
problem with you PC, I just like to do things a little differently,
lemme know if you wanna know more about it, etc". People (esp
Gates) take that as specifically against PC users as being dorky,
slow, etc (although truth be told John Hodgman is the cooler of
the two, so I don't know what the complaint is about), but its
really more about how PCs aren't even bad machines, they just
have some serious flaws in the way their dominant OS works and
some of their lesser quality manufacturers put machines
together (Dell, etc). Much of the anti-Mac trolling and hate is
based not just on ignorange/FUD/etc but also on experiences
with Mac fanboys being rude and elitist. I know (been a mac user
for 20 years) better than most the litany of reasons why
Macintosh is a better, simpler to use system than Windows, but I
really try to combat FUD with fact without inserting invective and
ad homind attacks.
Just a thought.
(cue lots of gripes about year-on-year sales, etc etc... but seriously; I'm just looking at raw totals here, and I see one hell of an entrenched market that the Zune simply is not going to crack).
/P
I don't know why they did it, but the results speak for themselves. I don't think it will be around in a couple of years.
I don't know why they did it, but the results speak for themselves. I don't think it will be around in a couple of years.
Where is the new latest and greatest Apple OS, and those fantastic business solutions and applications?
I find it comical that at nearly every turn there is someone to conclude that with a sales milestone such as the 100,000,000th iPod being sold, that Microsoft gives a rat's ass.
You have to be kidding, if you think Steve, or Bill, or Santa Clause gives a rip about this milestone. Naturally Apple cares, as well they should. This is quite a sales milestone, and I too would be proud of it if I had been part of the team that brought this innovation to the market.
But don't forget that Apple is now hocking TV and Music players, and perhaps phones in place of computers and OS X (?).
Meanwhile, despite the horrible reviews, the luke warm response (according to the media), and all of the bashing that happens at just literally every level and in every venue of news, Microsoft is still a highly profitable company with truly useful products.
Bash them all you want, but if you want a centralized management solution for business, or if you simply want to play video games, or anything in between, you CAN do it with Windows. You can do some of it with Linux, some of it with Mac, or even some of all of it with both, but you have to be careful, pick and choose, compromise, and in the end, you will still end up using Windows unless you are very technically astute.
With all that being said, Apple appears as though it depends on entertainment gadgets at the end of the day for a revenue stream to maintain profitability. Apple will always play 2nd fiddle to Microsoft (on balance), and maybe even 3rd fiddle to Linux as Linux surpasses Apple is usefulness.
and that elusive iPhone"
You might want to look up "focus". Aside from your list they are
also "focusing" on computers, software, iPods, and who knows
what else.
"(is Cisco playing nice yet?)"
That's a joke, right. That's been over for a while now.
"Where is the new latest and greatest Apple OS"
Coming out right on time, just around the corner.
"...and those fantastic business solutions and applications?"
Check the Apple web site.
"I find it comical that at nearly every turn there is someone to
conclude that with a sales milestone such as the 100,000,000th
iPod being sold, that Microsoft gives a rat's ass."
If they did not care they would not be in the MP3 player
business. Since they do care, you can bet they are watching iPod
sales closely.
"You have to be kidding, if you think Steve, or Bill, or Santa
Clause gives a rip about this milestone."
Nope, not kidding.
"Naturally Apple cares, as well they should. This is quite a sales
milestone, and I too would be proud of it if I had been part of
the team that brought this innovation to the market."
No disagreement there.
"But don't forget that Apple is now hocking TV and Music
players, and perhaps phones in place of computers and OS X (?)."
And they are doing a fine job, too. What's the problem?
"Meanwhile, despite the horrible reviews, the luke warm
response (according to the media), and all of the bashing that
happens at just literally every level and in every venue of news,
Microsoft is still a highly profitable company with truly useful
products."
For now they are profitable and useful. Give them time.
"Bash them all you want, but if you want a centralized
management solution for business, or if you simply want to play
video games, or anything in between, you CAN do it with
Windows. You can do some of it with Linux, some of it with Mac,
or even some of all of it with both, but you have to be careful,
pick and choose, compromise, and in the end, you will still end
up using Windows unless you are very technically astute."
Sounds like a sales pitch to me.
"With all that being said, Apple appears as though it depends on
entertainment gadgets at the end of the day for a revenue
stream to maintain profitability."
You need to look up the numbers on this yourself if you believe
that. You will never believe me when I say you are wrong.
"Apple will always play 2nd fiddle to Microsoft (on balance), and
maybe even 3rd fiddle to Linux as Linux surpasses Apple is
usefulness."
And you know this because you have used your time machine to
look into the future? It is your opinion, and I believe it is wrong.
Only time will tell.
Have a nice day!
where our industry is headed or about the quality of the MacPro
and the power of OSX.
Go away FUDboy.
Of course the Zune is not designed as a competitor to the iPod.
So, if you are technically astute, you use something other than
Windows? Yes, that's correct. I use an Intel Mac running OS X, and
Windows too.
Xp was my last MS OS. No Max X is my default OS and I am not planning to go back.
Apple is a company that sells more that just software or
hardware. Is that so difficult to understand? Isn't Microsoft also
trying the same thing with Xbox and Zune? So why laugh that
Apple has profitably sold 100m iPods? I laugh also, but that's
because I own AAPL stock which has soared recently!
You ask where their latest and greatest OS is? They have had at
least 5 major releases of OS X since 2000. All of them have been
ahead of Vista. All have been delivered on time. None of them
have been delivered with security holes so big you could drive a
truck through them. The next has been promised sometime this
spring, meaning before the end of June. It promises to be even
further ahead of the already lagging Vista.
In case you didn't hear, a Mac is a HARDWARE product. The Mac
can run Mac OS X, Vista, XP, VMS, DOS, Linux, Solaris, or just
about any OS you might want to drop on it. So, while my Mac
can run all of these natively, your PC cannot. That means that if I
want to run PC apps, I can do it just as fast as you can. If I want
to run Linux apps, same thing. If I want to run Mac OS X apps
like iLife, I can do that and, uh...you can't. So get off your high
horse about Windows.
Until you try it, UltraMegaChicken, you can continue to laugh
from the outside and never know what you are missing. Sucker.
- OK all you Apple Bashers
- by i,Jimbot April 11, 2007 3:54 PM PDT
- I'd really like to know what the Apple bashers beef is? Why hate
- Like this Reply to this comment
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- Not an issue with Apple, but with Apple Zealots
- by Vegaman_Dan April 12, 2007 9:14 AM PDT
- Apple has fine products. It's the few OS zealots that ruin the reputation of the products though. Look at those that repeatedly rant against anything non-apple and it doesn't take a genius to realize why people don't want to be like them. It's downright embarassing for Apple users with those folks working so hard to destroy any respect they may have had otherwise.
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(80 Comments)on Apple? What reason? Did you use OS 7, 8 or 9 and hate it that
much? Have you actually tried any of the Apple products you
bash? Or have you just disliked Apple from the beginning? If
you'd actually give it a shot, you might actually see why Mac fans
are so loyal to their products. There are a number of tech
journalists lately that have given the Mac a 30-day test drive and
have been converted. Is that maybe what you are afraid of? You
sound as though you are afraid that you'll actually like it and
have to eat crow. That's stubborn, stupid and funny!
It really doesn't take much in the way of a bad apple to ruin the crop.