It is amazing to witness the success and ubiquity of iPods. It has become so widespread (with Apple Computer reporting to have sold over 40 million of them) that the term “iPod” has become a generic one. The iPod is merely one among the hundreds of digital music players on the marketplace, but people often and mistakenly use this term to describe all music players in general; some would call the Sony MP3 Walkman, or the Sandisk Sansa, an “iPod,” but each is a music player in its own right. The iPod is an Apple product. Why, then, would many confuse this? For example, no one today would identify all hybrid cars as the Toyota Prius. Of course, there are the Ford Escape Hybrid, the Honda Accord Hybrid, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, etc. There is a distinction among these products. But the success of the Apple iPod has made many people believe that “iPod” is synonymous with “music player.” Within five years, the iPod has become a social and cultural icon. It has become a symbol for America’s rising consumerism and desire for more widgets and for products that can serve more than merely one function.
Apple Computer (traditionally a computer hardware and software company) delved into the media world of music in October 2001 with the release of the iPod—a player with a 5 GB capacity purchasable for $400. This was big news in the technology world, especially with product competitors offering only a fraction of the storage space that the iPod offered at the time. Within five years, this has evolved into a 10 GB player for $400 in 2002, to a 30 GB player for $400 in 2003, to a 60 GB player for $600 in 2004, to a 60 GB player for $400 in 2005. It is clear that with each successive product launch, the capacity of the players becomes ever more enormous. On Tuesday, September 12, 2006, Apple Computer again announced an entirely revamped iPod product line up. Now, avid buyers can get an 80 GB iPod for merely $350, making it “affordable and accessible to even more people,” according to Apple. In its five-year iPod history, Apple has claimed 75% of the portable digital music player market and 80% market share of legal music downloads through its complementary online iTunes Store. Obviously, the demand is there. Consumers are asking for more and more, and whereas the iPod of 2001 featured a music player, the iPod of 2006 includes a video player, a photo viewer, an address book, a clock, a stopwatch, a calendar, a number of games, in addition to the now all-too-simple music player. And as a result, America has become a place that abounds with the now iconic white iPod earphones, and where every kid on the block owns an iPod (or two).
The September 12 event, titled “It’s Showtime,” was another attempt by Apple to satisfy consumers’ insatiable desire for more, be it more “new” features or more all-in-one gadgetry. This desire—or demand, as it is considered in the consumer market—for Apple products is steadily increasing. The company’s habit of announcing “all-new” products (a phrase used by Apple during the event was “completely remastered”) makes it difficult for the general consumer population to resist. The clever marketing by Apple coupled with the charisma of Steve Jobs (Apple’s CEO who gave Tuesday’s presentation) put the iPod-maker in a prime position in the market. This is not to say, however, that the secret behind Apple’s success lies solely in good advertising, where the masses are easily swayed into buying iPods, and where its popularity and hype spur even more buying, and more popularity and hype as a result. Rather, Apple products (specifically the iPod) are often considered sleekly designed, solidly built, and easy to use, all at competitive prices.
The “completely remastered” iPod product line up (though more evolutionary than revolutionary) now includes a video iPod with a 60% brighter screen, 75% more battery life for movie playback, and all-new earphones. The new iPod nano is now made of aluminum and is available in five colors (as opposed to the former white and black), has a 40% brighter screen, a 24-hour per charge battery life, and all-new earphones. The new iPod shuffle is also made of aluminum, is less than half the size of its predecessor to about the size of a large postage stamp and has a built-in clip. In today’s world where the iPod complements the cell phone when people leave the house to work, to school, to the store, etc., the ability to squeeze more functionality into a single device is very much welcomed. (There is even speculation among analysts that an Apple cell phone/iPod hybrid is in development. Then, the traditional cell phone will be unnecessary as well.) One might consider such an all-in-one device infeasible or even excessive. But as long as the demand is present in the American culture—a demand for “all-new,” “better,” and “more features”—there will always be a business for Apple and other companies like it.
The Apple iPod, once considered a luxury for Mac users only, is now available relatively cheaply to the entire scope of computer users. As such, it has become a commodity, where last year’s model would simply not do and the new one (announced on Tuesday) must be bought as soon as possible for the “all-new” features. Whether one in fact uses these new features or not is another issue, but the mere idea of keeping up with the times drives us all as consumers.
At the end of Tuesday’s “It’s Showtime” presentation, and after discussing Apple’s ultimate end-to-end media entertainment solution, Steve Jobs lists that “Apple is in your den” (with its media software including iTunes), “Apple is in your living room,” (with its new movie service), “Apple is in your car” (with 70% of 2007 model cars offering iPod connectivity), and that “Apple is in your pocket” (with the iPod). There is something to be said about Apple’s success with the iPod. When the iPod was first introduced, it was undoubtedly considered exotic, unique, cool and hip. Today, even with the iPod’s pervasiveness and universal appeal, Americans are not finding it dull or too mundane, rather the want for iPods remains, and more and more people are tied down to their multitudes of electronic devices, whether talking on a cell phone or listening to a music player or using their computers. With more “all-new” features available than ever before, Americans are finding the urge to throw down the old and buy the all-new; people are finding it increasingly difficult to live without it.
