Apple Releases Basic iPod Touch, Possibly Foreshadowing iPhone Strategy 228
redletterdave writes "While the new 16 GB iPod Touch released Thursday features the same 4-inch Retina display and dual-core A5 processor as its other variants, the newest, cheapest iPod Touch lacks a rear camera and comes in just two colors black and silver. Apple is reportedly pursuing a similar strategy with the iPhone, as reports from the past several months have pointed to development of a 'low-cost iPhone' with basic features to be sold at a lower price point."
Re:Start giving back some of that money, Apple. (Score:5, Insightful)
Aside from the iPod and the iPhone, Apple has never really been the most used. Certainly they have historically been in some niche applications (graphic design and publishing come to mind) but they've never been the "mainstream" computer brand. They've managed to always keep a solid enough marketshare to make sure that they get supported, but aside from the iPhone and iPod, they've historically never been number one, nor seemed to have any interest in total marketshare domination.
Re:"Just" $229 for the 16GB version? Are you kiddi (Score:4, Insightful)
But if you take away all those things - especially the touch screen - it is no longer an iPod touch and simply becomes a bigger iPod Nano. And I would make the argument that if you do remove all those features, you don't need such a big display so you could even make it the same size as the iPod Nano.
Realistically, in 2013, would you not consider a touch screen as a basic feature? It might have been advanced 6-7 years ago but these days you can pick up cheap Android devices for under £50 which all have touch screens.
WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity these days seem to come as part of the SoC which powers these devices. Same with GPS. I think it would actually turn out more expensive to maintain a separate line producing separate chips - particularly as the incremental cost of WiFi & Bluetooth isn't much.
You probably don't need Apple to convince you to buy one of their iProducts. They aren't going to give you drag & drop nor remove the iTunes requirement. I love my iPhone but I really hate iTunes so much that I subscribe to Spotify instead and only use that for music these days.
If you're happy enough with your Zen, why not look for its natural successor instead? You'll probably appreciate it much more than switching to Apple.
Re:Obnoxiously... (Score:4, Insightful)
And you can buy just about any other MP3 player on the market with the same features for under $50... AND you're not forced to use apple iTunes, the worst piece of software I've ever had the misfortune to use. It boggles the mind how Apples customer continue to pay these kinds of prices for such inferior products.
Full disclosure: I hate Apple
Re:crap article (Score:2, Insightful)
Crap content, crap summary, crap analysis. Jesus, is someone holding a gun to your head and FORCING you to post Apple stories? There's NO APPLE NEWS. Apple has gone quiet, as it does quite regularly, and the tech press is losing it's fucking mind.
First off, the tech press has no mind. They cant possibly lose it. Secondly, making up shit about Apple based on absolutely nothing is basically what the tech press does. I've simply stopped paying attention to it as it's all wildly wrong. They make every prediction under the sun about the next iTurd in an attempt to be right about anything. It's like using a shotgun to kill a fly, you might hit it but you'd waste a hell of a lot of shot just trying.
Re:Obnoxiously... (Score:5, Insightful)
Rockbox (http://www.rockbox.org/) on a Sansa Fuze, day after Thanksgiving sale for $49. Expandable memory via microSD card slot; also picks up radio, has microphone, plays AAC, OGG, FLAC, etc., etc., etc. Comes with a number of games etc. Not ridiculously high resolution display, but I really don't see the point of that or random apps so hey. Oh, plus you can skin it. Can an iPod do that? No?
Unfortunately this was a few years ago when they still made them with physical wheels. Now they're making them with capacitance thingies like iPods :P
Re:About "market share" (Score:3, Insightful)
"Chances are that your company will buy Windows PCs because this platform is winning the PC war. "
Traditional PC sales have dropped in real terms for 9 consecutive quarters and the most recent quarter was the deepest yet. The iMac has grown market share and actual units shipped over that same time period. Apple introduced the iPad shipped 120 million units at an average selling price of just a touch over the ASP of Windows PCs. Apple's profits on just the Mac and iPad exceed the profits of all Windows PC makers combined (Though I'm not sure Microsoft themselves).
What exactly is your definition of "winning the PC war"?
Re:About "market share" (Score:4, Insightful)
Walk into any office of any reasonably sized company. Count the number of Macs. Now count the number of PCs. In my company for example the only Macs I see are when people bring their own.
No doubt. But there are more Macs as a percentage this year than there were last year, iPads have replaced increasing numbers of PCs this year. When you lose ground every year for 2-3 years you aren't winning. Computers installed in people's offices are little comfort to Dell and HP as they try and figure out how to explain to their shareholders exactly why their sales are into double digit declines and share value yet again.
.. a shift in consumer preferences could completely trash Apple's bottom line.
The oft repeated mantra which has been proved wrong for every year over the past 10+ years.