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Tim Cook: iPod is a 'Declining Business'

Larger iPhone, increased market share for smaller iPods?

So I am noticing a lot of people using the argument that they have an iPhone and no longer need an iPod.

If the iPhone would stay in the same form-factor as the 4S that would be great. The GPS apps (I used Strava or Nike+) are great for running, hiking, biking, etc. I love them. The 5S I got after my 4S was stolen is slightly larger, and sadly, slightly too large for me to wear on your arm when lifting or climbing, and slightly too bulky to put into your pocket when running. I love the device, the sensor, the screen size, however it's become slightly more inconvenient.

Now.. introduce an even larger iPhone to the market. a 4.7 or 5.5 inch phone to use when running? I kind of imagine it hitting me between the legs several times when doing stairs..... or just flopping all over the place. Next thing you know the suggestion will be to strap it on your lower back (there are waterproof cases for swimming that strap to your lumbar... they are actually pretty awesome for swimming and not much else).

I digress: As the iPhone is getting larger you loose the fitness market. I am already not all too happy because you'll loose all kinds of GPS functionality going to an iPod nano or touch (or shuffle for that matter). But runners might like the GPS... I know my old high school coach uses data collected from his iphone to figure out which phases of a marathon or course he struggles with the most.

I know not everyone gets into it as deep as a sports coach would, but I would like to note that there is a fitness market, and that particular market is going strong (see fitbit, jawbone, nike+, strava, etc.). And with the increased size of the iphone, I think a lot of people would also welcome a revamped ipod lineup. I know I would!
 
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There will always be some type of market for iPods, it will just be significantly smaller. I no longer have any great use for one because I use my computer or phone for playing music. I could see still having a smaller player yet I'm not going to be playing a hundred plus anymore for a device that just plays music.
 
For people who want a dedicated music player, the click wheel is better. But some people want a dedicated device and others want something more multipurpose like an iPhone. That's why it's a declining business, but Apple still makes iPods. There's never going to be one device that's the best at both, at least in terms of size, interface, and controls.
 
Bang on

kaldezar said:
Totally agree, i have just bought a FiiO X5 as a replacement for my iPod classic, sonically it just totally blows the iPod away......but the interface is just a total disaster. How difficult would it be to make an iPod with high quality components and the ability to handle 192/24, an iPod Pro? I think there is definitely a growing market for higher quality audio for example the amazing popularity of Beats headphones which although they are not audiophile certainly lead people to expect more from their devices
Click to expand...

I was looking at the Fiio X5 too and thinking about headphone sales in general (Beats seem to have helped the market for Sennheiser, Shure, etc.)
I own an iPod classic full of Lossless files attached via a DAC to my stereo. Sounds great, but I'd love to carry that sound with my headphones and not need an outboard DAC or a clunkiy interface of X5.
...Growing, captive market with increasing appreciation for audiophile sound.
Hope Apple capitalizes when Led Zeppelin launches remastered albums this summer - quality built in DAC, high capacity, kicking off iTunes offering cd-quality library.
 
I'd love to see the the old iPod classic re-vitalized as an audiophile device. With it's already large capacity (an, I think potential for a lot larger) it'd be perfect. Throw in a Burr-Brown (or other high quality) 196kHz/24bit DAC, a half TB HDD (or bigger) and upgrade iTunes to allow FLAC files (that you can easily isolate, maybe via Smart Playlist) and you have her.

There are a few portable Hi-Res devices out there, but they are often chunky, expensive and their UI is even chunkier than the form factor. The iPod Classic is simple and elegant. Give me that at a reasonable price and I'm in. Hey, I paid $500CAD 8 years ago (give or take) for my current 60GB iPod Video. I'd certainly pay something similar for the above. That and a serious set of 'Phones...

...heaven.
 
iPod touch is so way overdue for more space, they should be 128GB and 256GB by now. Trash the iPod classic its so outdated.

I like my iPhone as i only have one device in my pocket instead of two and I think that's where people go for.
 
I like the click wheel of the Classic and older iPods. I have the 160gb Classic, the 8gb 2nd Gen Nano and the Gen 3 64gb Touch. The Nano is my favorite for when I'm out and about, and especially at the gym. I used the Touch at the gym for a year and found the lack of click wheel to be a total pain in the tail. And I swear the sound qualtiy from the Nano is better. Probably just the placebo effect. :rolleyes:
 
flash84x said:
35+ audiophiles? Can people that old even discern the difference between 64kbps and 256kbps???? /s
Click to expand...

Are you kidding many of these peole claim to be able to hear the effect of flipping a fuse end for end or if you "upgrade" a power cord. Of course they can't hear the difference but there is a bunch of them who think they can hear the difference and have excess cash to spend.

Your hearing does degrade from your teen years but as the same time you gain experience. Knowing how and what to listen for requires experience. So age 35 might be the peak year for sound quality experts.

At age 50+ I have poor hearing. My kids in collage and high school have better hearing but I can easily detect problem with audio they can't. I hear defects in audio like incorrect microphone placement, room refections and even minor clipping, breath sounds on the mic and so on and so on. My hearing rolls off big time above 12KHz and I'm starting to have to ask people to "say that again please". But when I record and edit audio with younger people I notice they simply fail to hear things like the difference between 64K and 256k recordings and so on.
 
Give me an iPod Touch 6 and I'd be happy....

Wish list:

1. 4.5-4.7" screen (iPhone 6);

2. A6 chip (iPad 4 and iPhone 5c) would be fine, although an A7 (or A8 if that isn't just a rumor) as in the Mini would make me do handsprings;

3. iPhone 5s camera - I don't need whatever new tricks the iPhone 6 will have, but the 5s is one of the best cameras out there - works well in low light and has that neat dual flash trick. Honestly, I'd buy a new iPod Touch just to have a good camera ... with easy FB etc. uploads and all the other "hand computer" extras that regular cameras lack.

I assume if Apple goes to 4.5-4.7" we will get 720p.

Right now I am using my old off-service Nexus 4 phone instead of my iPod Touch 5th gen as a handheld computer/media player. Since the Nexus 4 doesn't take a uSD, I stream music on WiFi. I don't like the iPod Touch anymore due to the smaller screen size. There is a world of difference between a 4" and a 4.7" screen, as fans will discover when the iPhone 6 rolls out and sells staggering numbers of phones.

If I have to take a long, long flight overseas, I use a Nokia Lumia 520, off-service, with a 64gb uSD card. All my music on the card, as many books as I need via Kindle for the phone. Keeps me occupied and only cost $59 for the phone.

Apple has got game in this niche even at premium prices, but they really need to update the hardware more regularly. I'm still a fan.
 
Shaun said:
If they re-focussed it as a music device and increased the capacity to 128GB & 256GB options alongside the option to purchase HD music in iTunes it would gain a whole new audience of 35+ audiophiles willing to purchase a dedicated music device to sit in their high-end iPod speaker.

It's very short sighted what they've done with the iPod over the past few years and clearly demonstrates that Cook doesn't fully understand his own customers. Believe it or not we're not all teenagers in the iPod user base.
Click to expand...

This would be awesome. I need HQ sound for my car. iPhone sounds rubbish.
 
Denzo said:
This would be awesome. I need HQ sound for my car. iPhone sounds rubbish.
Click to expand...
Looks more likely than ever with the Beats acquisition, the rumours of iTunes HD music at long last, the need to differentiate from streaming services and the apparent success of new entrants like the Pono and online sites selling HD music to download.

----------
ChrisA said:
Are you kidding many of these peole claim to be able to hear the effect of flipping a fuse end for end or if you "upgrade" a power cord. Of course they can't hear the difference but there is a bunch of them who think they can hear the difference and have excess cash to spend.

Your hearing does degrade from your teen years but as the same time you gain experience. Knowing how and what to listen for requires experience. So age 35 might be the peak year for sound quality experts.

At age 50+ I have poor hearing. My kids in collage and high school have better hearing but I can easily detect problem with audio they can't. I hear defects in audio like incorrect microphone placement, room refections and even minor clipping, breath sounds on the mic and so on and so on. My hearing rolls off big time above 12KHz and I'm starting to have to ask people to "say that again please". But when I record and edit audio with younger people I notice they simply fail to hear things like the difference between 64K and 256k recordings and so on.
Click to expand...

Plus people over 35 tend to have more disposable income which they're willing to spend on high quality audio equipment because they grew up listening to music and still see it as an enjoyable past time. The better your hifi and speakers the more noticeable the difference is.

Younger people tend to view music as more of a disposable commodity because they have so many more options to choose from like videos, games, hundreds of tv channels, etc. That's why few bands ever last more than a few albums these days while I'm still buying albums from my favourite artists that I liked back in the 80's. Bruce Springsteen sounds better than he ever has on his latest album.
 
It's sounding more and more like the Beats acquisition would be mainly to get one guy to negotiate with the studios for content (probably including video).

Pono raised enough in kickstarted to make their product. It remains to be seen if they'll be anything but a tiny niche player. And there still isn't any reason to expect that HD hardware support or file sales would be anything but a blip on Apple's financials. Again with the "People over 35!" There always has been and always been a niche of a small number of people willing to spend a lot on "audiophile" products but it's hard to see why Apple would worry much about such a small market.
 
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