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iPod: Off Brand

C

chicagdan

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 3, 2002
723
0
Chicago, IL
Has anyone else noticed that Apple is violating the rules of its brand with the iPod? Across all of Apple's product lines, the rules are simple: pro line products are metallic, consumer line products are white.

Therefore, the PowerMac G5 and PowerBook G4 are metallic ... the iMac and iBook are white.

However, the rules are violated with the iPod ... the higher capacity, more advanced iPod is in white, the smaller less expensive iPod Mini is metallic.

I'm sure people who aren't in marketing couldn't care less about this, but it seems unusually sloppy for a company as brand conscious as Apple.
 
Could you direct us to where Apple spells out its rules that govern product color schemes?

If Apple isn't communicating to customers a reasoning behind its product color schemes then this isn't a brand issue.

Any company's product color schemes are subject to changing consumer tastes.
 
If Apple isn't communicating to customers a reasoning behind its product color schemes then this isn't a brand issue.
Click to expand...

Not true. Brand values are never explicit, they are always implied. You never tell your consumer that product X gets this but product Y doesn't, but it's something that should be immediately recognizable to consumers because your products follow the brand values.

It's not something that anyone will care about, it's just out of character for Apple, especially in the Jobs era, because he's very prisy about branding.
 
Re: iPod: Off Brand

Originally posted by chicagdan
However, the rules are violated with the iPod ... the higher capacity, more advanced iPod is in white, the smaller less expensive iPod Mini is metallic.

I'm sure people who aren't in marketing couldn't care less about this, but it seems unusually sloppy for a company as brand conscious as Apple.
Click to expand...

i think it might seem "sloppy" now, because mini has been introduced, but before, it was quite obvious that iPod should be white - it was a consumer product. (and still is)

now, after a few years, it's far more damaging to the "brand recognition" to change the design of the iPod to simply cater to this artificial rule (as far as iPods are concerned) of Power/i-designation. people now identify iPod's white face readily - to change it to metallic simply because of the introduction of a smaller capacity one would not be wise...

if apple released a monster iPod with optical in/out, music editing, etc. (i.e. more "pro" features) then it should be metallic and called "PowerPod..."
 
Not true. Brand values are never explicit, they are always implied.
Click to expand...
Actually, a brand is a promise to the consumer. It is very explicit.

I spent 20 years at Disney managing brands. Disney is fanatical about "managing" its brand(s) and constantly tweaks and changes them. There are definitely rules for brands, and those rules frequently change. It's no big deal.

Apple isn't doing anything wrong by producing iPod minis in anodized aluminum. If there really is a "rule", it probably is being changed.

Besides, what about the iSight. iSight is anodized aluminum and is promoted as a "simple" way for "friends and families" to communicate. Sounds "consumer" oriented to me, and it sure isn't white!
 
Hmm My iPod (30Gb) is mosty metalic. The front is white, the back is metalic. The back section is more than half of the device.

By your pro/consumer colour coding logic this would indicate that this iPod is a market section stradling device, i.e. that it is targeted and pro usage and consumers. Which seems about right.
 
I know the new iPods are technically metallic, but when I think of the new finish I think more of the multi-color aspect which seems to be of more importance and was clearly intended to be the main attraction. I thought the aluminum finish was intended to make them more durable, with the assumption that people would be using them for work outs, jogging, etc., since the original iPod's glossy white surface is known to be rather delicate and scratch-prone. On a side note, however, it's too bad the minipods couldn't have the same glossy finish as the originals, but in bright multi-colors like red, orange, bright blue, bright green, etc. If you ask me the minipods look too much like Easter eggs....
 
um... one could easily say:

the ipod is not a "pro" product.

it's in the name: I pod. like I tunes, I macs, and I books.

wouldn't it be nice to see colored aluminum ibooks in a year or so?

bet the next generation ipod will be brushed aluminum all around.


r.
 
Originally posted by whyrichard

bet the next generation ipod will be brushed aluminum all around.


r.
Click to expand...
they'd have to move away from the static touch sensitive scroll wheel an buttons for it to be entirely made of aluminum. my guess is that they'll keep the current form for the big iPods for a while. if anything they might make them look just like the mini, but bigger.
 
Surely you've answered your own question there - yes, white is for consumer devices... so that's why the iPod is white! What is Pro about the iPod? It's a purely commercial device! It's designed for hip young rebels like myself with iBooks....

iSight runs better on PowerBooks, which is why I think it's aluminum... How many students need to be using an iSight? I think it's aimed at 'Prosumers'.

Hob
 
The most pro mac, the Power Mac, was plastic until 6 months ago. During the era when iMac first came out, the Power Mac was coloured (i.e. B&W G3). I think Apple is generally just changing to brushed aluminium over time because they found an alloy that's light, cheap and durable. And metal is trendy right now.
 
Re: Re: iPod: Off Brand

Originally posted by jxyama
i think it might seem "sloppy" now, because mini has been introduced, but before, it was quite obvious that iPod should be white - it was a consumer product. (and still is)

now, after a few years, it's far more damaging to the "brand recognition" to change the design of the iPod to simply cater to this artificial rule (as far as iPods are concerned) of Power/i-designation. people now identify iPod's white face readily - to change it to metallic simply because of the introduction of a smaller capacity one would not be wise...

if apple released a monster iPod with optical in/out, music editing, etc. (i.e. more "pro" features) then it should be metallic and called "PowerPod..."
Click to expand...


Umm not to be too crass but who cares? Seriously. Its not as if the consumer is racing through the Apple store so fast that they need to differentiate the difference or are so blind that they need tactile feedback to know what they are getting. People do actually take the time to read the specs that in almost every instance is posted next to the product. And another thing. New users don't know the distinction between the white and metallic Macs. Its only established Mac users who know this rule and generally such people already have an understanding as to what's under the hood. I'm not saying it doesn't help but it's not THAT big of a deal. Also keep in mind that this is a non computer consumer product. Products like this don't need to hold to any rule setup for their computers.
 
Re: iPod: Off Brand

Originally posted by chicagdan
Has anyone else noticed that Apple is violating the rules of its brand with the iPod? Across all of Apple's product lines, the rules are simple: pro line products are metallic, consumer line products are white.

Therefore, the PowerMac G5 and PowerBook G4 are metallic ... the iMac and iBook are white.

However, the rules are violated with the iPod ... the higher capacity, more advanced iPod is in white, the smaller less expensive iPod Mini is metallic.

I'm sure people who aren't in marketing couldn't care less about this, but it seems unusually sloppy for a company as brand conscious as Apple.
Click to expand...

Something that you're missing, I think, is that multi-colors has been representative of the i-Line up until recently. Apple's choice to use metal with multi-colors on the iPod mini has less to do with associating it with the Pro line than to do with grace, elegance and style.
 
Re: Re: Re: iPod: Off Brand

Originally posted by SiliconAddict
Umm not to be too crass but who cares? Seriously. [...] People do actually take the time to read the specs that in almost every instance is posted next to the product. [...]
Click to expand...

um, i don't really care, but i was just stating what i felt would be good and what wouldn't be. you'd be surprised how inept non computer consumers are when purchasing computers/tech gadgets. i don't agree that "people actually take the time to read the specs." well, they may read, but i don't think they really understand. (not all, but many.) they will know how much it costs. that's about it.

why have apple stressed the MHz myth? why would AMD change their CPU designations to not show the clock speed? it has a lot to do with people who didn't really know how computers worked but understood that 3 GHz is a larger number than 1 GHz... and if it's bigger, it must be better, right?

iPod's been doing well with the current profile - i just thought it was wise of them to stick with it. brand recognition is worth a lot, whether you believe it or not. a share of coke stock is worth a lot more than the company's total assets divided by the number of shares. it's because of brand history they've built up. do you think it'd be wise of them to abandon the red can brand? yeah, people may read and see it's still coke, even if it's in a black can, but i doubt they will ever stray away from the red can brand.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: iPod: Off Brand

Originally posted by jxyama
... brand recognition is worth a lot, whether you believe it or not. a share of coke stock is worth a lot more than the company's total assets divided by the number of shares. it's because of brand history they've built up. do you think it'd be wise of them to abandon the red can brand? yeah, people may read and see it's still coke, even if it's in a black can, but i doubt they will ever stray away from the red can brand.
Click to expand...

Actually, the difference is the value of their intellectual property, which, if memory serves, makes up about 50% of the value of Coke's stock. However, the red can is only a small part of the intellectual property of Coke. It is one of their trademarks. But, trademarks change over time. If you were to compare a Coke can today with a Coke can from twenty years ago, you'd see a difference. Who knows maybe in another twenty years Coke cans won't be solid red any more. Maybe they'll have inverted them to being white with a red swoosh. So long as they still push it as a trade mark and let people know that this is what a Coke can looks like, it really won't hurt them that much, and will likely have almost no effect on the company's overall value.
 
No Violation at all

If you the original writer want to use that rule from don't know where. it's ok and it applies


mini 4G at 249
org at 15 to 40

min is 62.25 per G
and org is from 19.93, 19.95 and 12.48 per G

this means that mini is pro since the value is higher.

ipod was target to consumer (avg joe) not rich ppl

and mini is to kick flash mp3's ass, something that rich ppl use to jog at the gym.

they use it to kill time not like joe who use it as a drug

rich dudes do not need all the space and don't mind the $

it's light, easy to use and it's a flash rival. they don;t want to run with 40G HD that drags their hears

if you thought that the chrome makes it professional and the white cheap, then you are wrong.

this is marketing and what they did was the best strategy.


I'll give u an example

Pamela and boobs:

Ppl in Hollywood said that big boobs sales, so she went for them.

then she because famous, fame was there and she figure that she did not need them since ppl love her so wanted to reduce them.

but ppl love her with boobs, so she decided to not reduces them but then she didn't not treat those boobs as a gold cave to dig for fame


apple made a cool toy, ppl love it, got use to it. apple got enough mp3 fame so it's time to sale things at their taste.

no that ppl had d/l AAC and love iTunes and the ipod firmware, they are attach to it so apple's market is already stable for mp3

windows failed so they had to move for a new market plan, the 1 inch lcd video as someone on the net made a joke of the best market strategy product, the ipod


______

what is a match an ipod next to all white and a mini anodized aluminium next to any PB G4 and PM G5 or vise verse.

aluminium is apple's real pro, not the scratchie chrome and plastic

then what about the orange light and sensitive buttons? in deed, looks pro, but no joe will buy an ipod that's like the 2G nowaday.

ipod got settle in the avg joe's heart so they don't have to worry about pro or joe style.

org. will still be consumer, not pro like a fingerprint box or a bingo ticket where u can scratch and screw urself

buttom line.

in marketing, there is competition and new standards are propose.

is pismo to Ti, was the rule aluminium? no it was black box to Titanium and from opaque+rainbow to white opaque

following ur rule this could be the phase where new sets of standards are apply
 
color coding

chinese ppl say : white can get dirty and black and be bleach

ur so consumer products were all in color but now they are all white, white?

and the so pro is to be single color and we saw the Ti in 2 body colors, and why not give pro a touch of color in their lifes.
that's y mini is here

consumer want a photo but pro's want more, want a detail description of what they saw, more color
 
pro and consum

a pro will get french food and a consum fast food

french food is known as lil proportions and Ffood in bundles

cosum always want something that is cheaper in quantity in order for it to last longer, less upgrade, so there is the 40G

pro have the 4G, enough until something better comes along
 
I just have a feeling that the next version of the iMac will at the very least have color panels, if not the whole thing being make of Brushed Aluminium, with a color anodizing, like the iPod Minis.

Just be happy they didn't make the iPod Mini's a special 20th annaversary thing and have them in light brown and lighter brown.

TEG
 
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