iPhone Thoughts…
Posted on 05 August 2009, at 11:08 pm, by Dan Cohen
A few iPhone-related thoughts on a rainy northeastern afternoon.
1. Dear News Sources,
Please stop saying that the iPod is dying. Please stop turning to the recent numbers which show a continuing growth in iPod touch and iPhone sales while showing a decrease in the sales of click-scroll iPods. To say that the “iPod is dying and Apple doesn’t care” is totally inaccurate. It’s another example of looking at the micro rather than stepping back for a second, looking at the larger picture, and trying to assess something for what it really is. The iPhone and the iPod touch are iPods. Their numbers are growing, and the old version is declining. THAT’S WHAT PRODUCTS DO.
It would be like saying, (in a few months) that Windows Vista PCs are dying, and Microsoft doesn’t care. No, Microsoft will have released Windows 7, which will make Windows Vista obsolete.
Wow, a new version of something comes along and… surprise surprise, people don’t want the old version.
If you want to say anything about this, then at least be accurate — something like, “As the iPod continues to evolve, something that began with the iPhone and continued with the iPod touch, the previous form looks like it’s moving toward end-of-life”.
Don’t use alarmist expressions solely to get attention like, “the iPod is dying, the iPod is dying!” It’s not only still around, it’s stronger than ever and has morphed into something more usable than ever before.
2. There is a rumor that an 8 GB iPhone 3GS might be replacing the “low-end” 8 GB iPhone 3G. It makes total sense and isn’t really a surprise. But people, before you jump on it because, “Wow, now I can get an iPhone 3GS for just $99″ keep two things in mind –
Thing one — the biggest expense in having an iPhone is the two year contract you get locked into. Over the two year contract the difference between an 8 GB iPhone 3GS and a 16 GB iPhone 3GS is about four dollars per month. That’s especially relevant when –
Thing two — if you’re using your iPhone 3GS to take video, or you plan to use one of the growing number of GPS apps that are available, 8 GB isn’t really enough. The iPhone doesn’t support extending the memory through a removeable memory card, so whatever storage comes on the device initially is what you’re going to be stuck with two years. Sure, you can use storage such as MobileMe and the new MobileMe app, but trust me, while you don’t need the 32 GB iPhone to start, get the 8GB model and a few months down the line you’ll wish you had 16GB.
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August 6th, 2009 at 7:10 am
One thing: I thought that the sales numbers on iPods showed ‘decline in sales growth’? In other words, the sales are still INCREASING, but the rate of increase is much less than before.
If that is the case it would make the new posters doubly wrong …
August 6th, 2009 at 9:55 am
The “sensationalistic” (and often misleading) headline thing is something I’ve been railing against for years and I will probably be fighting this battle forever – lol! But, it is truly amazing to me how news surrounding this series of devices (iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch) has been so overly distorted over and over again to match a given blogs editorial needs. And I say this in both positive and negative “news” stories (please insert appropriate tone of sarcasm and scorn on the word “news”).
It’s nice to hear another voice echo my sentiments on this topic!
August 6th, 2009 at 10:44 am
The iPod Classic will be dead….but only because the iPod Touch and iPhone will soon have as much storage as the old disc based one. I too am thinking of going only flash in my next carry all my music with me MP3 player ( yeah I can setup a streaming server at home….but occasionally I would like to listen without a internet connection).
August 6th, 2009 at 11:00 am
The problem I have is that in terms of core functionality – being a quick & dirty music player – the iPod Touch is the *worst* iPod I own. Or at least the least efficient
Let me be clear – if what I want to do is hop in the car, start listening to music, pause it to take a phone call, restart after >5 minutes, skip to another song two times, and then stop the music when I get home, here is the comparison:
- Touch – 18 actions
- iPod Nano – 6 actions.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Agreed. Which makes it a cumbersome iPod but an iPod nonetheless.
I suspect we’ll see the Shuffle and Nano continue to evolve. They may be more “specialty” electronics but there will still be a demand for “music only” devices. It will be smaller but it will be there. (I have and use both a Nano and Shuffle for just that reason- they are easier to manage from a music perspective.) The classic will soon be gone– in no small portion to the fact that everyone is moving toward flash-based products. In fact, with the exception of my iMac ALL of my devices are not flash-based.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Very much agree, Dan – I have a Shuffle for the gym (not when I run, I do that in silence), a Nano for the car, and the Touch for … well, everything.
For an ‘at my desk’ player, the Touch is splendid … just not so much for on the go.
And I agree that the Classic is an obvious casualty. If they hadn’t gone to 160GB it would be long gone already.