Apple Gives 2nd Generation iPod Shuffles to Employees

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif

In an email sent to Apple employees yesterday, Steve Jobs reportedly promised a new 2nd Generation iPod shuffle to every "Full-Time and Part-Time employee" of Apple (including retail). The gifts will be delivered after all pre-orders for the new iPods are fulfilled and shipped to customers. The expected time-frame for the delivery of the shuffles to employees is by the end of the November.

The 2nd Generation shuffle just began shipping last week, after being announced in September.

Apple previously gifted iPod shuffles to many of its retail employees back in January 2005 as a thank you and incentive.

The first customers have already posted photos of the newest iPod.

[electronboy]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif

The first customers have already posted photos of the newest iPod.

What is the point of publishing these pictures? Why would anyone want to see a personal picture that is no different, or even worse than the photos on Apple's website? Or is this an advertisement for Flicker (whatevr) ?

[ribbonthecat]

That's pretty cool.

[Stella]

Who was the scrooge who voted this negative?!!

[arn]

Originally Posted by electronboy

What is the point of publishing these pictures? Why would anyone want to see a personal picture that is no different, or even worse than the photos on Apple's website? Or is this an advertisement for Flicker (whatevr) ?

people just love photos of hardware. I can't explain it, it's just true.

arn

[ChickenSwartz]

Sweet deal. I would probably sell mine on e-bay.

[ChickenSwartz]

Originally Posted by Stella

Who was the scrooge who voted this negative?!!

Dell store employees.

[AppliedVisual]

Originally Posted by ChickenSwartz

Dell store employees.

They shouldn't be bitter... After all, I'm sure they'll get a coupon for 10% off that brown Zune.

[Ja Di ksw]

There's an Apple store in town, time to get a job!

[electronboy]

Originally Posted by arn

people just love photos of hardware. I can't explain it, it's just true.

arn

Yes, but not of current consumer goods produced en masse. Cool pictures might be: discontinued models still in service, modified computers, etc.

At least we weren't posting pictures of covered banners again.

Originally Posted by Stella

Who was the scrooge who voted this negative?!!

employees getting free iPod Shuffle = positive
posting ridiculous pictures = negative

[quigleybc]

Good for them
meh for us

[danielwsmithee]

Originally Posted by quigleybc

Good for them
meh for us

If it is true my wife will be pretty happy.

[miniConvert]

Originally Posted by electronboy

employees getting free iPod Shuffle = positive
posting ridiculous pictures = negative

People just want to see hardware in different contexts and scaled to their surroundings when considering a purchase, that's all. Lovely photoshopped images on the Apple site hardly give a real-world representation of the product.

Plus hardware = drool

So yeah, believe it

[PlaceofDis]

Originally Posted by electronboy

Yes, but not of current consumer goods produced en masse. Cool pictures might be: discontinued models still in service, modified computers, etc.

At least we weren't posting pictures of covered banners again.

you don't have to click on the link if you don't want to. rather easy not to get worked up about it, isn't it?

[tk421]

Originally Posted by electronboy

What is the point of publishing these pictures? Why would anyone want to see a personal picture that is no different, or even worse than the photos on Apple's website? Or is this an advertisement for Flicker (whatevr) ?

Wow, you really hate these don't you?

I don't mind them. Sometimes it's nice to see a size comparison with other objects and stuff like that.

[slackersonly]

Originally Posted by danielwsmithee

If it is true my wife will be pretty happy.

why would it not be true.
Jobs is smart. Its like clothes brand models. The brand makes them were their clothes all the time. The models show a card when they go into a store and get to walk out with whatever clothes they want for free.
brand building and making your employees fees special. not rocket science but still genius.

[gekko513]

Originally Posted by electronboy

What is the point of publishing these pictures? Why would anyone want to see a personal picture that is no different, or even worse than the photos on Apple's website? Or is this an advertisement for Flicker (whatevr) ?

I see your title is Regular, so you must have been reading some parts of these forums for a while. How could you have failed to notice that every single time a new product comes out, people fall over themselves asking those who receive the product first to post pics.

I'm not sure why, but one explanation could be that photos like those on Apple's website are almost too perfect, and it can be hard to get a clear idea of how the product will look in real life.

[mandoman]

Photos reveal older earbuds. Bummer.

Sweet deal for Apple employees though!

[scu]

I wonder if they made too many.

Steve is a great guy and I hope all Apple employees appreciate the fact that Apple is on the verge of being even better then they were a year ago.

[noel4r]

So, is this their Thanksgiving and/or Xmas bonus?

[ChickenSwartz]

Originally Posted by gekko513

I see your title is Regular, so you must have been reading some parts of these forums for a while. How could you have failed to notice that every single time a new product comes out, people fall over themselves asking those who receive the product first to post pics.

I'm not sure why, but one explanation could be that photos like those on Apple's website are almost too perfect, and it can be hard to get a clear idea of how the product will look in real life.

And as soon as they get someone to take pictures of the new product sitting on their desk, they want pictures of someone completely dissembling it. Which, without wasting any time, someone does, and, of course, posts a bunch of pictures. Whatever, sometimes these pictures and dissections do turn up something remotely interesting that isn't mentioned on Apple's website.

[iMikeT]

Can I be an Apple employee for a day?

[robszabo]

Originally Posted by Stella

Who was the scrooge who voted this negative?!!

Perhaps some employees who work at Apple through a temp agency who do the exact same job as Apple standard employees (and often to a higher level) but always get hosed on giveaways like this.

[steve_hill4]

Originally Posted by scu

I wonder if they made too many.

Steve is a great guy and I hope all Apple employees appreciate the fact that Apple is on the verge of being even better then they were a year ago.

Doubt they have made too many. If they haven't even hit the shops yet, who's to tell what general damand will end up being?

Anyway, as someone still in retail, (if anyone wants to employ a prospective journalist, contact me please), I know personal recommendations are brilliant for selling. If you suggest a model for the customer's needs, you get a warm response. If you say if you were to buy a model, it would be this, you get a warmer response. If you say you are considering buying it, you get a hot response. if you say you own one and would recommend it, it gets scorching. I would never lie in this way to sell an item, but when someone who knows nothing is looking at an item that you own and you mention this, they suddenly begin to think, "well if he owns one, they must be good". Since so many customers say to me I know a lot and I've been really helpful, I seem to have them in a position to recommend items.

Apple know this and if you can say I have one and they are really easy to use, etc, it sells more.

[Cameront9]

Originally Posted by electronboy

What is the point of publishing these pictures? Why would anyone want to see a personal picture that is no different, or even worse than the photos on Apple's website? Or is this an advertisement for Flicker (whatevr) ?

You're new here, aren't you?