Apple is expected to roll out new music products on Wednesday, including an expansion of its iTunes service as well as new iPod Nanos, Shuffles and possibly an updated version of the iPod Touch. But does it make sense to keep the iPod alive and maintain a product that has clearly lived its life? It does not. The iPod needs a new idea. Music is just a feature that happens to be supported by iPods.
There were few that could predict the impact of the iPod when Steve Jobs first pulled it out of his pants back in 2001. The iPod story is history, but it wasn’t just Steve Wozniak who predicted already a few years ago that the iPod will be going away. Apple treated its iPod line carefully, avoided disruptive upgrades and perfected it over the past few years. But sales of the traditional iPods are declining and there is little Apple can do about that.
Seriously, we don’t need an upgrade for most iPods, but a serious upgrade for the Touch. Here’s why.
1. It’s good enough for what it does
The iPod Classic, Nano and Shuffle can hold your entire music collection and more music than most of us could potentially afford to buy anyway. The Classic (which may be dead soon anyway) can hold $30,000 worth of music and integrate in your home entertainment, the Nano and Shuffle are light enough to go with you wherever you want to listen to music, and they are affordable enough to be given to your kids as birthday presents. If it is just about playing music, recording audio or simple videos, the current iPods are good enough and it will be tough for Apple to convince many additional buyers that additional features are the reason for a purchase.
2. Everyone who wants one, has one
Maybe not just one. I believe we have six or seven in our household. Three Nanos, Three Classics and a Touch. I sincerely believe that, if you are a teenager or an adult and if you have not purchased an iPod, you simply don’t want one or you have purchased a different brand. Our kids are unlikely to be happy with just an MP3 player. The fascination of a small music player is gone and they will be looking for different features.
3. We have seen every shape and color
Small, big. Thin, fat. Black, white, red, green, yellow, silver, blue. I am quite sure that Apple has found the ideal form factor for the iPod. Apple knows what colors work (Microsoft knows that brown does not work.) Honestly, besides making it a tick thinner and adding a crisper screen, what value could Apple to the shape of the iPod, especially the Nano? Rumors are suggesting a touchscreen device, but as of know I have my doubts that I would want to use a small iPod with a touchscreen. Can the click wheel be reinvented? Unlikely.
4. Capacity does not sell anymore
The first iPod had a capacity of 5 GB. The capacity climbed to 160 GB and then dropped to 120 GB in the Classic. Flash memory iPods are at 64 GB and may hit 128 GB soon. The fact is that most iPods, including the small Nanos and Shuffles have more capacity than most of us could ever use in a portable music player. Capacity was, next to design, Apple’s only tool to lure new buyers. Who really wants voice recognition? Wit capacity being a commodity and being good enough for most of us, the iPod needs a new value proposition the Nano and Shuffle cannot provide.
5. There is little value in a standalone music player
We are consolidating our gadgets. Many have replaced their iPods with an iPhone, which is, effectively, the replacement for the iPod. If the iPod’s only value proposition is to play music, then it is dead already. Tomorrow’s iPod needs to do more and tomorrow’s iPod may just happen to play music, while its true focus may shift much more to being a connected entertainment device. In some way, our generation has devalued music and in the light of a new wave of mobile entertainment, music could, conceivably, turn into background noise that we simply expect in many scenarios. In that sense, Apple’s conservative upgrade strategy may be backfiring: A standalone iPod Nano or Shuffle just isn’t sexy anymore and won’t bring in growth.
The Future: The iPod Touch Entertainment Device
Apple’s focus on a music-related event surely plays into our human tendency to enjoy music, but I hope that we are not just seeing a new Nano. Hopefully, the Nano and Shuffle are largely left alone and simply receive a facelift for those who need to replace their existing player. Hopefully, the overall theme of the event relates to the anticipated iTunes streaming service.
The only iPod that is working out for Apple at this time is the iPod Touch. Apparently, it sees increasing sales and it is the one device that has a certain material value thanks to its large touchscreen and capability to do more than just playing music and videos.
The iPod Touch has to become a much closer relative to the iPhone, a device that provides more entertainment. It needs to become an even better gaming console and it needs to dive deeper into communications: Facetime, a much more intuitive VoIP interface, much more intuitive integration with your email, calendar and contacts, controller capabilities for the TV and/or iTV. There needs to be a very affordable entry-level iPod Touch that can replace the Nano eventually, while the Shuffle remains the ultraportable music player for your workout.
Today’s iPod Touch should be a device that just happens to play music – and turn into the data-centric mobile Internet device for those who are either too young for an iPhone or for those who just don’t want an iPhone and simply look for a connected entertainment device.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
