iPodRocks.com from Apple

[MacRumors]

Apple has created a site to promote the iPod for the holidays.

The new site is located at iPodRocks.com and appears to be aimed at teens. Sections on the new site include:

What's an iPod?
How does it Work?
Convince your Parents
Where to Buy

It's unclear how Apple is marketing this new site, though Apple has been rumored to be working on a new iPod/iTunes ad campaign for the holidays.

[Mudbug]

heh - arn was posting this as I was trying to put it on macbytes -

In all fairness - I edited the macbytes submitted title of this from:

ipodrocks.com - a new official (though the quality of its design doesn't suggest so) Apple iPod site.

I have to agree - it seems a little thrown together at the last minute for me. I initially wondered if it was really being put out by Apple, or if it was just a fan site made to look "official" - but looking at the source code of the page, I think it's legit. It just seems kinda "quirky" - for lack of a better way to put it.

I get apple's job postings for graphic positions all the time, and noticed for quite a while there were a lot of web designer positions being posted (mostly around the G5 web snafu). I wonder if the new crop of web designers is not quite up to the level of the last batch...

P.S. - might we assume that since the page opens the a song by BT - that we might soon see a TV commercial featuring that song? Or "complicated" by Avril Lavigne, or Fallen by Sarah McLachlin?

[kaszeta]

The only interesting thing I noticed at the site is that a screensaver like the recent iPod ads is available under the "Convince your parents" section.

[Ambrose Chapel]

ha the convince your parents part is pretty funny. they should've included asking like cartman: "but maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam!"

[arn]

Originally posted by Mudbug
I initially wondered if it was really being put out by Apple, or if it was just a fan site made to look "official"

I checked it out. It's an Apple site. Uses their DNS servers and Apple owns the IP address block it resides on.

arn

[AmigoMac]

Have to see what apple has in 10 years when my son starts to be a teenager...

1 TB iPod for Video, Music and Photos...

[RalphNumbers]

That site is just weird.
Everything is flash wrapped in a quicktime movie, what's the point in that?. Just a bit of NIH syndrome?

It does kinda lack Apple's normal polish, but it's not that bad. (aside from the music playing without any user interaction, I hate it when sites do that)

Anyway, I liked the BT tune, a TV ad based around it could be cool.

[kjottbein]

Wow, that page crashed Safari! My first Safari crash on Panther, woohoo!

[irmongoose]

How did you guys find this site? I don't see a link to it anywhere on the Apple site...

Definitely looks like it was thrown together in a few days... I think the humor appeals to older guys... most teens will just be like... "Wha?".



irmongoose

[coolfactor]

For the longest time, people would say "Apple's a company out to make money", but I never subscribed to that whole-heartedly.. now I'm beginning to wonder. Of course they want to make money, but only recently have I seen profits put before true quality. With the recent problems with Panther, and the new PowerBook screens, quality is really starting to drop. I think Apple is moving way too fast, and the quality of that iPodRocks.com website is more evidence of this.

I hope they slow down and catch their breath. Burn fast, burn out fast.

I'll always be a Mac-head, and I've recently managed to convince some people to switch. I guess I don't want to look bad.

[edit -- I have more to say]

Other evidence is the whole iTunes shamble.. iTunes is great, and great for the Windows world, but Apple co-marketing with Pepsi (and possibly McDonalds) really has me concerned. Add into that the sale of iBooks to kindergartners... if Apple's success continues, out next generation is going to be drinking sugar water and eating fattening Big Macs for breakfast, lunch and dinner.. oh wait.. that's happening now, but I fear it will get worse.

[Nicky G]

It's a good thing you don't run any major companies, coolfactor -- your shareholders and employees would be after your head.

Apple is now at the top of its game, with the best yet to come. Anyone who thinks otherwise has not been a Mac user for very long, or has a very short (and/or selective) memory.

[diniscorreia]

Actually, I liked iPodrocks.

Keep in mind it is targeted to teens! It must look "cool and colorful" (I suppose...).

[thejoshu]

The real issue that I have is that the song clips are so small (and they just repeat themselves) that if you attempt to read the entire text on any one page, you'll have to hear Fallen at least three times. What's up with that?

[QCassidy352]

thumbs down... seems pretty tacky, IMO. If I knew someone who wanted an ipod, I would not send them to that site to find out more.

[1macker1]

Why so many flash programs. This site is bad.

[diniscorreia]

Originally posted by QCassidy352
If I knew someone who wanted an ipod, I would not send them to that site to find out more.

It's not for people who want to find out more, it's for kids...

[Java]

I enjoyed the site.

[srobert]

"Convince your parents"

Is that some sort of Jedi mind trick? [handsign]"You WILL convince your parents"[/handsign]

If there were a similar TV ad, it would'nt be allowed to be shown on TV here in Canada.

Parents are just gonna love Apple for this one ^_^

Too much flash. It should have been made so you can only see the intro of each tab once. If you broswe around you keep seing the same flash intros. Cookies anyone? Thank god their is a skip button.

[nagromme]

"Convince your parents" is such blatant marketing that it's hilarious... but that IS the point of all advertising. I wonder how the site will fit into Apple's plans.

It looks polished and professional to me--and loaded OK on modem, for having so much media. But if you don't think this web ad is up to quality, that hardly has anything to do with Apple PRODUCT quality. I think people read too much into things.

Besides, different marketing efforts are targeted at different groups BECAUSE the same things don't appeal to everyone. We shouldn't all expect to like the site.

I know I hate it

[sethypoo]

Originally posted by Java
I enjoyed the site.

Hear hear! I'll join you Java, in your lone post of positivity for the iPodrocks.com site.

I liked it, it was *cute*. Especially the coupons, that was just a good idea.

[tsunake]

Originally posted by coolfactor
For the longest time, people would say "Apple's a company out to make money", but I never subscribed to that whole-heartedly.. now I'm beginning to wonder. Of course they want to make money, but only recently have I seen profits put before true quality.

You can't have been a mac-head for too long. Do you remember the 4400? Yuck. Or the PowerBooks with exploding batteries? (it wasn't the blackbirds was it? a 5x00 series powerbook, but I don't remember the model number exactly)

Apple is a corporation, /every/ corporation's goal is to make money. Recent quality issues are nothing new. Refusing advertising deals because of some silly idea of corporate morality would be a good way to piss off your shareholders, and the people in charge can lose their jobs for that.

As for the "true quality," Apple is doing all they can to fix the powerbooks, and the issues with Panther are pretty routine. One of the early updaters for OS X would accidentally erase your home directory under some circumstances. It's really not the end of the world, nor is it a sign of Apple's impending doom. Apple is now making the best products it's made since the Apple II. Really now, don't make yourself so upset over nothing.

In the past, people have complained about Apple's inability to market to the mainstream consumer. Now that Apple has a compelling product and an excellent business model, the complaints are that Apple is pandering to the lowest common denominator. You can't have it both ways. Either Apple will remain a niche player, or they'll bring their touch and innovation to a much wider and more profitable market. Apple's been first to market with a lot of revolutionary concepts -- the personal computer, the gui, the digital camera, and the PDA -- but the iPod has had a lot of initial success, and Apple will be the incompetent company that others allege if they don't manage to secure dominance in the portable mp3 player and online music distribution markets.

[MorganX]

Looks like Apple is betting the farm and iTMS on iPod and iPod only. Good luck. I think it's flawed, the iPod simply can't satisfy enough of the potential market and varied tastes, but I do wish them the best.

If nothing else, the site sold a song. I had never heard of this BT, and I immediately purchased the song playing on the site "Simply Being Loved (Somnambulist)". I'll probably purchase more from this artist later.

I thought the site was OK, which means it must be PC centeric ;> with a little style.

edit: Actually I'm going to run to Best Buy and buy this cat's album. Can't do a whole album at 128kbs. The RIAA should love iTMS.

[alms]

When I went to the site the first thing it did was ask me to configure Quicktime. (I'm using a relatively new XP machine at work.)

Seems like a bad way to get new customers: only show them your wares if they already have your other wares installed and set up.

[MorganX]

[i]As for the "true quality," Apple is doing all they can to fix the powerbooks, and the issues with Panther are pretty routine. One of the early updaters for OS X would accidentally erase your home directory under some circumstances.[/B]

Data loss or curruption is not routine. Especially for a major corporation, it's about as bad a @#$55 as you can get.

But I agree, it's not the end of the world and you should backup data before a system upgrade, which is why it's not critical. If it was a patch, that would be critical. Reasonable people may apply a patch without backing up.

[stingerman]

Nice site, I like it. You guys are out of touch, the old generation gap problem, or maybe "nerd" gap (all said in good fun, of course.)

It is a nice example of Quicktime's power. Flash is just another track in Quicktime, as are images, movies and sound. Quicktime can be easily skinned too. Maybe we will see some new Quicktime development tools soon.