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MWSF: More Mini iPod Confirmation and Detail?

Here's a weird scenario. My 2nd gen 10GB iPod's headphone jack recently failed and while I've yet to take it to Apple, I expect it will cost at least $100 to repair. For my own personal use, I've found 10GB to be way beyond what I need and don't want to spend close to $400 for a replacement unit (unit + dock & access.), but would snap up a $149 2GB unit. That capacity is more than enough for me and fits a nice price point. The broken 10GB iPod would then be used as a backup drive for my laptop.
 
Originally posted by kidA
first of all apple is not known for blowing the profit margins in an industry. they have never undersold competition before and there is no real reason for them to start now.
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How about surviving?!? Apple sold a million iPods this year. Well that’s great. They also have had little to no competition. If Dell and the like continue to undercut Apple that 30% of the music player market it’s going to dwindle. (Sound familiar?)
Apple needs a cheaper device. If they don’t the rest of the world is going to pass them by. The only reason Apple has done so well thus far is zero competition. This has always been the case with any Apple product. Initially they kick the PC world’s butt but then along comes someone like Dell to make a cheaper device and slowly but surely eats away at Apple’s market. If they play the same strategy they have done with the computer market they are going to once again be relegated to a 2% market share. From all appearances apple is realizing this, even though its fan base ISN’T, and taking steps from ending up in this situation.
 
If Apple puts a reasonable price on these, they're going to be flying off the shelves. The iPods have always been selling well, but now I can really see the iPod becoming the successor to the Sony Walkman. Everyone will be wanting one.
 
Color + name

Wouldn't mind seeing an iPod in Aluminum dubbed PowerPod in a larger size or make the 40 Gig in that line maybe add a 50 or 60 like k2k koos suggested


then keep the 10 and 20 in the white iPod

and then for the smaller xPod rather then miniPod

the lower end would be the ePod?
 
they'd have to be between $100 and $200. Any more than that, and people would be less likely to buy them, considering the lowest end of the iPods are $299. I mean would you pay $250 for a 4gig, when you can get a 10 gig for only $50 more? imo, even paying $200 for a 4gig is steep.
 
It's an Apple product ... and your always going to pay a premium price for an Apple product
 
steve jobs will kill em

Steve jobs with his titanium fetish will probably make the mini-ipods look like mini-g5's. They will need to have 5 fans in them for proper cooling hahaha.
 
Originally posted by hokka


I've heard horribe stories about Flash based storage solutions, a distributors (not reseller) friend of mine here in Oz stopped selling the 1GB version as it's basically 2 x 512MB soldered together (on top of each other - since there are no commercially/readily available 1GB or more at this time
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This is completely incorrect.

http://www.samsung.com/Products/Semiconductor/common/product_list.aspx?family_cd=FME0109

Samsung lists several under mass production.

As well as serveral 2GB versions on a single die under development for release soon.

http://www.samsung.com/Products/Semiconductor/common/product_list.aspx?family_cd=FME0110
 
Originally posted by arn
well, let me put it this way....

and this is without any particular inside knowledge... but simply looking at the existing industry.

$99 Flash MP3 players on the market right now top out at 128MB

2GB MicroDrives cost $250+ for the drives alone. [edit: $350 here]

I don't see how Apple's going to sell them at $99 for 2GB... but who knows...

arn
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How about this:

Steve strolls across the stage holding his water bottle and announces (after a G5 powerbook and xserves), "Oh, and another thing: Apple just bought Toshiba." <a hush over the crowd> "Yeah. We thought it would be nice if we made the drives in the iPods for ourselves, and this purchase enabled us to mass-produce the Toshiba (now Apple) 2GB and 4GB drives for less than a hundred bucks. That brings me to my next topic: the iPod. You can now purchase a 2GB iPod with Apple-replaceable, customizable faceplates for only $49!" <crowd goes wild> <I die from heart attack>

<then I wake up>
 
The iPod is popular because it works, so the cheap iPod will also have to work seamlessly regardless of choice of storage.

The iPod also sells because it is cool. Therefore it would be a real bummer as the owner of a $500 iPod to nod at a person in the street with tell tale white buds in their ears, only to find out later that they paid a fraction of $500 to get into the same Club Cool. Nodding and DJ iPod parties will change forever.

So, the cheap iPod is basically the same functionally, but instantly recognisable as being different from the cool, killer mega giga iPod sweeping the western world. Apple have to get it dead right unless they want to jeopardise the popularity of their highly profitable flagship music product just as it is gathering pace.

Just hope they did their market research and combine the right size product for the market with an "Apple style" technological breakthrough in cheap dependable storage.
 
Originally posted by starboard
they'd have to be between $100 and $200. Any more than that, and people would be less likely to buy them, considering the lowest end of the iPods are $299. I mean would you pay $250 for a 4gig, when you can get a 10 gig for only $50 more? imo, even paying $200 for a 4gig is steep.
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hah, until recently, a lot of people were saying that $199 was the threshold for a commodity electronics devise. Everytime there's a new rumor, the threshold goes down more and more. So we're at $100 now?


Originally posted by SiliconAddict
Apple needs a cheaper device. If they don’t the rest of the world is going to pass them by. The only reason Apple has done so well thus far is zero competition. This has always been the case with any Apple product. Initially they kick the PC world’s butt but then along comes someone like Dell to make a cheaper device and slowly but surely eats away at Apple’s market.
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That's not entirely true. There's always been a buttload of mp3 players out there, including HD-based players. Yes, Apple was the first to use the 1.8" HDD and make a high-capacity player in a small form factor, but it was nothing conceptually new. If you remember, when the iPod first came out, people were complaining that it was just a bloody mp3 player and asking where the innovation was.


Originally posted by TheInevitable
If Apple can sell refurb 10GB iPods for $169. I'm sure they can find a way to make and sell 2GB iPods for $150 or less.
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May I ask where you can buy a 10GB iPod for $169???


Originally posted by revenuee
Wouldn't mind seeing an iPod in Aluminum dubbed PowerPod in a larger size or make the 40 Gig in that line maybe add a 50 or 60 like k2k koos suggested

then keep the 10 and 20 in the white iPod

and then for the smaller xPod rather then miniPod

the lower end would be the ePod?
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What's with all the cheesy names?? And what's the 'power' in a PowerPod? It's the same dang iPod, but with a bigger drive! Shoot, I want the PowerPod Extreme 20th Anniversary Special Edition.
 
Originally posted by billyboy

So, the cheap iPod is basically the same functionally, but instantly recognisable as being different from the cool, killer mega giga iPod sweeping the western world. Apple have to get it dead right unless they want to jeopardise the popularity of their highly profitable flagship music product just as it is gathering pace.
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They will cripple the 2GB and 4GB models at the software level. No way in **** are they going to let people do the same things with a 2GB that you can with the more expensive models.

The "mini" iPod will still be cool, just in a different way. The "pro" iPod will still be the way to go with those that care and have extra cash.

Mom and Dad are going to buy kids the "mini" iPod and that's just what Apple wants.
 
Originally posted by geerlingguy
How about this:

Steve strolls across the stage holding his water bottle and announces (after a G5 powerbook and xserves), "Oh, and another thing: Apple just bought Toshiba." <a hush over the crowd> "Yeah. We thought it would be nice if we made the drives in the iPods for ourselves, and this purchase enabled us to mass-produce the Toshiba (now Apple) 2GB and 4GB drives for less than a hundred bucks. That brings me to my next topic: the iPod. You can now purchase a 2GB iPod with Apple-replaceable, customizable faceplates for only $49!" <crowd goes wild> <I die from heart attack>



<then I wake up>
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hmm... nice dream ...

i don't think Apple could afford to buy out Toshiba ...

but it's still a nice dream :)
 
Originally posted by arn
yep, I believe this rumor (cheaper, mini ipods) , so I guess we have to assume Apple somehow got pricing down.

arn
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I havent had time to read all the posts yet... anyway... I think this might turn out like the console wars. Apple might have to take a hit on the hardware to make there Music Store the defacto Music Store. The more ipods they sell, the more likely people will use the Apple Music store. Who was that guy that made all that money off of software and said screw the hardware? Gates something...
 
Re: PowerPod

Originally posted by k2k koos
Color coded iPods, each to their own, i liek em more neutral, perhasp they can launch a Pro model dubbed the PowerPod perhaps, made of a sleek ALU casing, and have 40 or 60Gb storage... oh of course ,firewire 800... ;) ;)
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PowerPod is not a likely name. Power indicates the professional line. Powermac, powerbook are both high-end products. Where as the iMac, iBook are more consumer models.

iPod is taken and won't be moved, and apple will probably want to capitalize on the name recoginition that the iPod has.

I'm thinking ePod is lame, they won't use that.

And checking that a patent hasn't been filed for anything new recently from apple, I'm thinking iPod Jr., or just iPod.
 
Originally posted by e2chris
I havent had time to read all the posts yet... anyway... I think this might turn out like the console wars. Apple might have to take a hit on the hardware to make there Music Store the defacto Music Store. The more ipods they sell, the more likely people will use the Apple Music store. Who was that guy that made all that money off of software and said screw the hardware? Gates something...
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Would be a great idea IF Apple actually made money on the "software", in this case the iTMS.

Remember, Apple doesn't make a profit with the iTMS, it's used as a trojan to sell more hardware :)
 
Originally posted by ChronoIMG
Would be a great idea IF Apple actually made money on the "software", in this case the iTMS.

Remember, Apple doesn't make a profit with the iTMS, it's used as a trojan to sell more hardware :)
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Good point. I am not a business pro but say they get .05 cents a song times 25million songs sold. That is still 1.25 million. Is that not good?
 
Originally posted by dongmin



What's with all the cheesy names?? And what's the 'power' in a PowerPod? It's the same dang iPod, but with a bigger drive! Shoot, I want the PowerPod Extreme 20th Anniversary Special Edition.
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Fine, how about the "ikickyouinthecrochPod" then :) ... LOL

Power ... Bluetooth, firewire 800, color,

and we can't forget

battery life of 2 hours .... haha
 
Originally posted by e2chris
I havent had time to read all the posts yet... anyway... I think this might turn out like the console wars. Apple might have to take a hit on the hardware to make there Music Store the defacto Music Store. The more ipods they sell, the more likely people will use the Apple Music store. Who was that guy that made all that money off of software and said screw the hardware? Gates something...
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Apple has stated over and over again. Their goal is to use the iTMS to promote the increased buying of iPods which have huge profit margins. iTMS is bearly breaking even. I don't see why they would reduce prices to below profit to promote something that isn't making profit. That's call bankruptcy.

Gates is also a crook. Why does an Office upgrade cost 500 dollars when all they did was make the paper clip more annoying? You can't tell me that office is more expensive to upgrade than it is to launch a new video game. Word should be 50 dollars, not 500. People are too stupid to realize that there are other things out there other than word that work just as well if not better.
 
Originally posted by e2chris
Good point. I am not a business pro but say they get .05 cents a song times 25million songs sold. That is still 1.25 million. Is that not good?
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Gross margin is 27.5 percent. Which means after everything is said and done, apple has 27.5 percent of annual sales left to invest in: long term debt, R&D, and other categories.

5% profit is not an acceptable means of profit.
 
Originally posted by happyadam
Assuming of course that Apple are supplying the memory. It may not be likely, but what if Apple were to supply just a cheap 128 or 256MB card, but allow you, the customer, to upgrade to any CFII memory you want.

So 100-150$ buys you a (limited) iPod, but you're still likely to splash out some more cash for more memory (as is the case for digital cameras)
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What I think would be interesting would be if the mini iPod was just a slimmed down version of the existing iPod but instead of having a hard drive inside, it would instead have slots for accepting Sony memory sticks. It would come with a single small memory stick the same way that digital cameras do (I.e. everybody goes out and buys a bigger card at the same time) By allowing it to have multiple card slots it could ship with something like a 128 meg card to get you started and you could fill it up with as big as cards as you want/can afford.
 
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