Supply Chain Indicators Point to Poor February for Apple

[BaldiMac]

but when the competition is giving large display with unparalled graphics, amazing cameras, turn by turn directions,

The iPhone has the top graphics performance, the top rated cameras among popular models and turn by turn directions.

and all apple can say is "we updated the chassis by making it smaller" people (aside from loyal customers or label whores) don't think twice about running to the competition.

Of course, neither Apple, nor anyone paying attention to reality would actually say this.

itunes is another reason people refuse to buy apple. the prices for their music is more expensive, they can't share music, devices can only be synced to one library at a time (problem most married people i talk to give), etc.

Up is down. Anecdotes are not trends. iTunes sells 65% of digital music downloads.

yet another reason why apple could begin to falter. it's update cycles, people are starting to see that every year (often times less) there is an update to it's product ranges. the average person doesn't have several hundred or several thousand to drop on a new phone, laptop, or tablet every year. they want a product that will last and not become outdated within a few months of purchase. don't even get me started on how they practically give them away when a new model is introduced. they have started a terrible cycle of devauling their own products and encouraging customers not to buy often because an update is not too far off. shall i mention the ipad 3 and the ipad 4(or whatever it's called) and the rumors of the new ipad coming out this spring/summer? (sn: i bet apple would think twice if other countries began to sue them like brazil [i think]).

None of that makes any sense. Is that whole rant because Apple introduced the iPad 4 off their annual cycle in order to consolidate iOS device around the lightning connector? Wow.

I can't even guess what you mean when you say "they practically give them away when a new model is introduced."

 

[aerok]

Sony Connect opened after the iTunes music store.

http://articles.latimes.com/2004/may/05/business/fi-connect5

Not talking about Sony Connect but Pressplay, two different services but Pressplay, Sony's first online music store came out in 2002.

Hard to find any links on this though. You'll probably have better luck than me, my work PC blocks a lot of websites.

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Apple may not have invented the idea of an online music store... but they implemented it well and it's still a success today.

I've been asking WHY Apple has gotten so good at figuring out the proper way to do things... while other companies flounder.

Is it just luck?

Everyone keeps saying "Apple doesn't do anything special... they just take an idea that someone else has done and improves on it..."

And the result is... it works!

If it was so easy... everybody would be doing it.

I'm not saying that Apple didn't make a succesful store. They are great at figuring things out. What I'm saying is that none of it is an innovation! Making something new succesful does NOT mean innovation.

 

[BaldiMac]

Not talking about Sony Connect but Pressplay, two different services but Pressplay, Sony's first online music store came out in 2002.

Hard to find any links on this though. You'll probably have better luck than me, my work PC blocks a lot of websites.

Sure, but the conversation was about music stores that integrated with music players. Pressplay was a complete failure with no integration with Sony music players.

I'm not saying that Apple didn't make a succesful store. They are great at figuring things out. What I'm saying is that none of it is an innovation! Making something new succesful does NOT mean innovation.

Another arbitrary definition of innovation. The innovation was in all the things that differentiated the iTunes Store from what came before it. Thereby leading to its success. I'm sure you can think of a few.

 

[aerok]

Sure, but the conversation was about music stores that integrated with music players. Pressplay was a complete failure with no integration with Sony music players.



Another arbitrary definition of innovation. The innovation was in all the things that differentiated the iTunes Store from what came before it. Thereby leading to its success. I'm sure you can think of a few.

Wrong again, Pressplay had integration with minidisc players.

I guess we have different definition of innovation.

 

[BaldiMac]

Wrong again, Pressplay had integration with minidisc players.

I'm not sure how you rationalize that was what was being talked about.

I guess we have different definition of innovation.

Care to share yours? Preferably from a widely accepted source.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation

 

[aerok]

I'm not sure how you rationalize that was what was being talked about.

Pressplay was a complete failure with no integration with Sony music players.

It integrated with Sony minidisc players.

Care to share yours? Preferably from a widely accepted source.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation

It is the same definition that I use. So tell me, what was new with iTunes store? Besides the fact it was the first one to be compatible with iPods. Success does not equal innovation.

 

[BaldiMac]

It integrated with Sony minidisc players.

I see how you played with my words. I didn't really think I needed to specify mp3 players based on the rest of the conversation. My bad.

That aside, what "integration" are you talking about? Pressplay files were protected by Window Media DRM, so I don't see how that's possible.

It is the same definition that I use. So tell me, what was new with iTunes store? Besides the fact it was the first one to be compatible with iPods. Success does not equal innovation.

Okay? It was the first digital music download store front directly integrated into music management software with the ability to automatically sync all purchases to a digital audio player. It also pioneered the one price fits all model for individual song purchases. They were also the first to offer music from all four major labels.

 

[aerok]

I see how you played with my words. I didn't really think I needed to specify mp3 players based on the rest of the conversation. My bad.

That aside, what "integration" are you talking about? Pressplay files were protected by Window Media DRM, so I don't see how that's possible.



Okay? It was the first digital music download store front directly integrated into music management software with the ability to automatically sync all purchases to a digital audio player. It also pioneered the one price fits all model for individual song purchases. They were also the first to offer music from all four major labels.

Played with your words? You're dealing with semantics again, not worth arguying with you anymore. Goodbye

 

[BaldiMac]

Played with your words? You're dealing with semantics again, not worth arguying with you anymore. Goodbye

I said it was my fault! I should have been clearer.

In my defense, here was your original claim:

If you want to play the game of first than I should remind you that Sony was the first company to have a MP3 player with an online music store, not Apple.

Can't you address the how Pressplay integrated with Minidisc players? I was genuinely interested!

And then an explanation as to why the iTunes Music Store was not innovative even though it meets the definition that we both agreed to? Not sure how to avoid semantics in this part of the discussion!

 

[LordVic]

I said it was my fault! I should have been clearer.

In my defense, here was your original claim:


Can't you address the how Pressplay integrated with Minidisc players? I was genuinely interested!

And then an explanation as to why the iTunes Music Store was not innovative even though it meets the definition that we both agreed to? Not sure how to avoid semantics in this part of the discussion!

This is why I mentioned much earlier in the thread that you cannot discount innovation in bits and pieces of a great whole.

The concept of an all in one, store, media manager and sync to media player tool might not have been first done by apple. that concept might have been "innovated" by Sony. But Apple brought in "innovative featureset" that might have changed the "game" enough that people wanted it more than sony's offering.

I can't pinpoint it exactly as I never bothered to use Sony's options.. cause well... Minidisc

 

[BaldiMac]

This is why I mentioned much earlier in the thread that you cannot discount innovation in bits and pieces of a great whole.

Yep.

The concept of an all in one, store, media manager and sync to media player tool might not have been first done by apple. that concept might have been "innovated" by Sony.

I'm pretty sure it was first done by Apple.

But Apple brought in "innovative featureset" that might have changed the "game" enough that people wanted it more than sony's offering.

Yep. (And an understatement. )

 

[aerok]

This is why I mentioned much earlier in the thread that you cannot discount innovation in bits and pieces of a great whole.

The concept of an all in one, store, media manager and sync to media player tool might not have been first done by apple. that concept might have been "innovated" by Sony. But Apple brought in "innovative featureset" that might have changed the "game" enough that people wanted it more than sony's offering.

I can't pinpoint it exactly as I never bothered to use Sony's options.. cause well... Minidisc

It was mostly the vast library (Sony would only sell their songs), the price ($.99 vs $3.50) and the large userbase of iPods that made the iTunes store popular but even the $.99 cents price point was first offered by Rimoteca, their lack of marketing and device was probably their reason of failure.

I loved my minidisc player, never bought a song from Pressplay though. Was still buying CDs back then.