Aww crap, not again

CubaTBird said:

Remember when apple had all those apple clones like power computer? Why did they start selling out like that? Because people were buying macs at the time.. Its happening again.. People are starting to buy ipods like crazy, now apple is releasing it to third parties which i believe hp will NOT be the only ones to adopt it. This could either go down in history as something really good, or bad.. As they say, history does repeat itself from time to time.

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Only time will tell... some would argue that licensing the OS to other companies was the best thing they did... others would disagree. I'll just stay on the fence for now

I read this in a magazine once...I think it was the Mac World one or whatever.

Steve had stated that the iPod was new territory for Apple. They felt that they could license this product out to others, and make t compatible with Windows without upsetting the harmony they have with their computers.

We shall see though.

The thing to keep in mind though is that the iPod is NOT the Mac. It's a product on all it's own. It will thrive or die on it's own independent of Mac's success (note I said Mac not Apple)

Mike

There is one MAJOR difference here though. Apple is still the only one making iPods. Hp buys them form Apple and then sells them. Sure Apple loses a little margin, but they are still making money on every iPod sold. It is not just a licensing thing this time.

CubaTBird said:

Remember when apple had all those apple clones like power computer? Why did they start selling out like that? Because people were buying macs at the time.. Its happening again.. People are starting to buy ipods like crazy, now apple is releasing it to third parties which i believe hp will NOT be the only ones to adopt it. This could either go down in history as something really good, or bad.. As they say, history does repeat itself from time to time.

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So basically, apple is selling HP more ipods for less so that they can end up selling more ipods thus selling more songs on itunes hopefully.

Also, what does it matter? If apple were still doing that there would be more people using macs because it would cost so much less to buy one. What is so wrong with competition? The Economy thrives off of it and it is usually a good thing.

CubaTBird said:

Remember when apple had all those apple clones like power computer? Why did they start selling out like that? Because people were buying macs at the time.. Its happening again.. People are starting to buy ipods like crazy, now apple is releasing it to third parties which i believe hp will NOT be the only ones to adopt it. This could either go down in history as something really good, or bad.. As they say, history does repeat itself from time to time.

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Simple fact. If Apple stays static as the only one offering the iPod and an iPod compliant music store they will be niche market within a handful of years. What do you think has been killing the Mac over the last 10 years? It’s because there is an industry built around Windows that Apple has not been able to crack. Apple isn’t looking for an industry to be built around the iPod but you can sure has hell bet competitors will keep releasing hardware until they find the right formula that will invariably include cheaper devices.
Also no one has any idea where MS is with its online music store plans. NO ONE. Remember this is a company with 40 BILLION in the bank in cash assets. When they decide to enter the market they are going to enter BIG..and stumble all over themselves for at least 2 versions of their store. (I’ve yet to see MS get anything relatively right on the first or second try. It usually the third time when the hit something that is moderately good and successful.)
So please stuff the ego and the Apple logo in the trash. Playing these “we want the market to ourselves” and “Oh god what is Apple doing!” games will only kill them in the long run. Apple’s gotten damn lucky so far. They’ve made some smart moves with the iPod and iTunes and those moves center around expanding their influence beyond that of the Mac. Its time to take it to the next level.

CubaTBird said:

Remember when apple had all those apple clones like power computer? Why did they start selling out like that? Because people were buying macs at the time.. Its happening again.. People are starting to buy ipods like crazy, now apple is releasing it to third parties which i believe hp will NOT be the only ones to adopt it. This could either go down in history as something really good, or bad.. As they say, history does repeat itself from time to time.

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This is nothing like Apple licensing the Mac OS and companies building computers that were better speced and cheaper than Apple's offerings. Mac clones only served to canabilize Apple's offerings, it did not expand their market share as they hoped it would. Cloning hit the Apple bottom line big time.

Apple hasn't licensed the iPod OS to HP for HP to build a competing product. HP is simply selling the Apple iPod and putting their name/logo on the SAME iPod Apple sells.

I don't see how this can be a bad thing for Apple. They gain access to distribution that they could only dream about before. They gain access to PC users who may have never considered an Apple product. They gain access to better shelf space at retail and outlets that Apple products have never been in (Walmart, Costco to name 2) They have iTunes and Quicktime pre-installed on millions of PCs and as the default music player. They keep Microsoft's music offering off of HP and Compaq PCs. The only thing they lose is a few margin points on the iPods HP sells since Apple will probably sell more wholesale than at retail. Even that is arguable. Bottom line, they will sell more iPods with HP than without.

Let's not forget about the iTMS. Don't buy Apple's BS, this can be a huge money maker for them as the market grows and if they can retain market share.