I was surprised to read that IPod sales are down dramatically. Almost everybody I know has one and almost everybody I know loves them.
I like mine okay I guess but I almost never use it. But that's only because I don't usually listen to much music. I've been listening to more lately now that I'm working on this online radio show (more on that someday) but I have never really been one to, for instance, listen to music in the car. I'm driving quite a lot more now that I'm living in Wisconsin and my wife even bought me the car adaptor for the IPod but it's just too much hassle to bring all the stuff with me and set it up every time I run out for a loaf of bread or a 1/4" adaptor or whatever. (Besides, I find music to be annoying when I'm trying to drive. I prefer talk radio, either ESPN or Air America. Back in my touring days, very early on I instituted a "no music in the van" policy; bringing your own Walkman was fine but you weren't allowed to subject everyone else to your music. A very civilized rule if you ask me.)
Like I said, I'm listening to more music at home now that I'm doing the radio show, but I tend to just check out the new stuff while I'm loading it into the computer. And truth be told, half the time I end up deleting most CDs before they've even finished loading. I always intend to update my IPod but I haven't in months. I last listened to it about six weeks ago when I was trying to make some progress with a book on tape, but even that's going slow because the quality of the audio on the file is so poor it's really a chore to listen to.
At this rate, I figure it'll be many years before my battery dies - I doubt if I'll replace the IPod then. But if I were listening to music more frequently I think I'd be pretty steamed over the non-replaceable battery, especially given that according to my friends who actually do listen to a lot of music the things die out pretty quickly. Anyway, that would be my reason why I wouldn't buy one today.
Any ideas why they've suddenly become uncool?
As far as music goes, nothing can compare to actually getting a copy of the record, listening to the whole thing, reading the lyrics, liner notes, ect. You just can't get that with an ipod. Also, USA Today reports that UMG will cut record prices 30% by Oct. 1st. Maybe this has something to do with it? Who knows, ipods are lame.
Posted by: Charly at September 10, 2006 09:44 AMSaturated market? Mobile phones can stay consistently popular through handset redisgn and feature addition even though every model intrinsically does the same thing. The Ipod has looked the same since launch, and, OK they've added video and photo capablilty but that's no great shakes. Plus they're not cheap comparitive to bottom-end MP3 players, which again, intrisically do the same thing... PLUS :)) the intial market 'boom' period of the technology format (in this case MP3) since first hitting the mainstream consumer market is over - two years or so.
Then again, it could be something else entirely. In any case the Ipod has been phenominally successful for Apple and I'm sure sales are still well above any other rival MP3 players.
www.myspace.com/londonfieldsmagazine - 'Satirical' writing by imaginary people. From England, obviously.
Posted by: Nadz at September 10, 2006 10:18 AMFor me, it all comes down to artwork and packaging. I like my iPod just fine, but I have a Nano (which holds a mere fraction of my collection) and it makes it quite difficult to put something on there that can fit any occasion. But back to my original point: artwork and packaging. Nothing beats holding a slab of vinyl in your hands, scoping out the large cover art, inspecting the inserts, etc...You can't get cool packaging for an mp3 and the cover art (if you want to go through the hell of actually putting it into iTunes) is so small on the screen that it loses all of its charm. I went through a spell where I was burning my records to CD to put them on my iPod -- great idea until you try to find the cover art online, it's virtually impossible to find the artwork for any rare record (I don't have a scanner that can handle a 12-inch).
Plus, imagine a kid hearing Sgt. Peppers for the first time on an iPod and looking at the cover art on a screen that is mere inches, he'd have no idea at the breadth of that photo. With an iPod, buying and listening to music is no longer an experience. You get the song for $.99 and that's it.
Posted by: Andrew at September 10, 2006 11:26 AMI don't own an IPOD and probably never will....you just can't beat a good solid record. I'll take vinyl or a CD over a downloaded song anyday.
Posted by: Patrick at September 10, 2006 12:51 PMIt's actually not too hard to change the ipod battery. Places like newertech.com sell replacement batteries for about $25, along with a kit to install it which took about 10 minutes. My battery now lasts about twice as long as it used to.
**Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with that company, just had a good experience.
Posted by: Chuck at September 10, 2006 01:07 PMIt could just be that everyone already has one.
Posted by: Justin at September 10, 2006 02:29 PMI use mine every day on the way to work and enjoy it to death, everyday more than the other(sounded like a commercial but its the true).
Posted by: David Siañez at September 10, 2006 03:05 PMI was thinking about the whole ipod craze recently as well. I was lucky to have someone buy me one as a gift, cuz i would never have bought one on my own. It was a neat new gadget. Then i tested it out on my little bike ride to the beach, about half a mile. I put in the headphones with the music blasting (pete townshead wouldn't be happy) and went biking down the street. Then i realized something i was missing: the sound of life; kids playing, cars whizzing by, the old music coming from someones garage, a dog barking at the goddamn mailman. I put the ipod away and haven't used it since (except for the occasional "escape,", ie getting out of talking to my stepmom during a grueling car drive). Ipod feels like mcdonalds. Wait ten years when everyone waxes about them like walkman. one question, walk "man" or walk "men". i dunno.
Posted by: Ricky Gremlin at September 10, 2006 05:31 PMI honestly think it has a lot to do with the fact that they're easy to steal. Let's see....in the past few months I know about three people who've had there's swiped on more than two seperate occasions, and one of them even replaced her stolen Ipod with another one that had clearly been stolen from someone else.
It's much easier to swipe an Ipod than to swipe a stereo system, and it's a pretty common crime these days. A lot of people probably got fed up, and never bothered to buy a new one.
Posted by: Jim! at September 10, 2006 08:25 PMi think that everyone just has one already. like most people don't buy two cars. and do newer ipods really offer that much more? i got given an ipod last christmas and still haven't taken it out of the packet. i don't download music and the idea of sittnig infront of my computer for hours on end installing all of my favourite cd's makes me squirm. however. i was driving in my friends car the other day who had his ipod pluged in and playing on random. i thought it was so fuckin great to hear all my favourite weasel, ramones, queers, etc songs coming out of this little white thing in different orders. no canging cd's and have them being trampled on or spilt beer on and broken. and i'm sick of making up mix tapes for my car and the amount of cd's my bro has lost for me over the years completely has canged my few of the ipod. you still can't beat the real thing though.
Posted by: tim at September 10, 2006 11:37 PMI think we're ALL right. Especially me. David, I want you to send me some 'everyday more than the other' positivity via email.
Posted by: Nadz at September 11, 2006 05:04 AMSince I can get no radio reception whatsoever at work, and I finally got tired of lugging cds into work, the ipod has come in handy.
Posted by: resident jason at September 11, 2006 07:53 AMi've had my ipod for a few years, and while i like it alright, the only time i listen to it anymore is at the gym or snowboarding. i've always looked at personal music players, whether a walkman or an ipod, as sort of anti-social. i guess i'm usually out with friends enjoying the world, not a great time to plug in. besides, by the time i've ripped all my cds for my ipod, all the music is on my computer. i like to listen to music when i work, that's about it.
Posted by: navin at September 11, 2006 10:25 AMThat van rule probably saved you from a ton of bad music. I am the opposite though, when I'm alone in the car I will pretty much only listen to talk radio, but when I'm with people I like to have something playing. I love to share music with people and try to introduce them to new stuff. Sometimes they absolutely love a band. Sometimes they hate them, but it's the ones, who months later walk up to you and say something to the effect of, "Thank you SO much for introducing me to Band X, that album is like one of those gems that come along every five years that you know you will listen to forever."
As far as the IPods go... all of the reasons above sound right. There's little reason to buy the newer better ones if you already have an earlier version. I LOVE my IPod. I only use it at the gym, but I might not even go to the gym if it weren't for my IPod. I suppose any player would do the same thing, but it was a gift, and I can't see ever working out again without one.
Posted by: cusack at September 11, 2006 12:04 PMI opted for a cheaper MP3 player, but I love it. I only really use it when I exercise or travel, but it is really useful for those situations. Nothing better than a good bike ride with some killer tunes.
Posted by: Luke at September 11, 2006 04:22 PMI have yet to see any decline in interest, and over all use of this device. It seems everyone but me around Kenosha area has an IPOD. Even more ridiculous is how I've seen people go as far as to walk and talk with a cell phone in one and with an IPOD ear phone in ther other ear. Kind of over the top if you ask me.
Posted by: Travis at September 11, 2006 09:13 PMI've waited for the prolonged drop in price of the iPods but still lack sufficient funds to buy the damn thing. I can think of better ways to spend my hard earned dollars, and I'm saying that as a guy who listens to music just about every day.
I never knew about the battery deal...I can think of a few people that would be irate if their's suddenly crapped out.
And maybe the reason they're becoming suddenly so "uncool" is the fact that they indeed are a pain in the ass to grab when all you wanna do is rush to the gas station to buy some smokes. It's much faster and more convenient to turn the radio on or grab a comp cd or something...
Posted by: Joe at September 11, 2006 10:32 PM