Why Apple blows, go zune Options

[Oasis]

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/94465

[Oasis]

I get the point. Someone wants a portable MP3 player, so they invariably buy an Ipod most of the time because *gasp* Ipods are the most popular and best selling MP3 players on the market. That doesn't particularly mean they are the best in comparison to other MP3 players, it means it means they're the best selling.

When I drink soda I usually drink Coke or Dr Pepper because those brands are the most popular, easiest to find, etc. I'll usually drink them over Jones Co. Soda, even though I personally like Jones better than the other two. Does that mean Coke and DP are "fads"? Hell no. It means they're the most popular, best marketed, and a lot of people would argue best tasting

Ipods are marketed better (and heavier) than other competitors, they're more common, and they became commercially popular earlier than Zunes, Creatives, etc. The Ipod, if nothing else, has staying power and a huge customer base, making them the complete antithesis of a "fad." If some upstart company came out with an MP3 player with a hot new design, around the same time people were looking for hip alternatives to the Ipod because Ipods are too cliche, common, or whatever, that would be a "fad." Invariably, people will flock to the new one, buy a bunch of em, then get turned off once they're no longer considered hip and unique and eventually go back to what they were using before...which odds are, was the Ipod

To call the Ipod a fad is ridiculous and shows you have no idea what the concept of a fad is.

[impala454]

I get the point. Someone wants a portable MP3 player, so they invariably buy an Ipod most of the time because *gasp* Ipods are the most popular and best selling MP3 players on the market. That doesn't particularly mean they are the best in comparison to other MP3 players, it means it means they're the best selling.

When I drink soda I usually drink Coke or Dr Pepper because those brands are the most popular, easiest to find, etc. I'll usually drink them over Jones Co. Soda, even though I personally like Jones better than the other two. Does that mean Coke and DP are "fads"? Hell no. It means they're the most popular, best marketed, and a lot of people would argue best tasting

Ipods are marketed better (and heavier) than other competitors, they're more common, and they became commercially popular earlier than Zunes, Creatives, etc. The Ipod, if nothing else, has staying power and a huge customer base, making them the complete antithesis of a "fad." If some upstart company came out with an MP3 player with a hot new design, around the same time people were looking for hip alternatives to the Ipod because Ipods are too cliche, common, or whatever, that would be a "fad." Invariably, people will flock to the new one, buy a bunch of em, then get turned off once they're no longer considered hip and unique and eventually go back to what they were using before...which odds are, was the Ipod

To call the Ipod a fad is ridiculous and shows you have no idea what the concept of a fad is.

You said you got the point, but you didn't. People buy coke or dr pepper because of the taste. They don't see other people with coke and that creates their desire for coke. Their initialy desire for coke was insinuated by thirst, or cravings, etc, not by popularity.

And blue: no I wouldn't call "big trucks" a fad. trucks are a necessary item, whether it be justified or not. If you're referring to people jacking up their trucks and putting huge bogger tires on them and stuff, that's just customization. Similiar to the coke comment above, it's something that person desired to do to their vehicle. In fact, I'd call vehicle customization the exact opposite of a fad, as that person is going against the grain of popularity.

[Oasis]

You said you got the point, but you didn't. People buy coke or dr pepper because of the taste. They don't see other people with coke and that creates their desire for coke. Their initialy desire for coke was insinuated by thirst, or cravings, etc, not by popularity.

You fucking moron. PEOPLE BUY IPODS BECAUSE THEY WANT A PORTABLE MP3 PLAYER. THEY DO NOT BUY THEM BECAUSE THEY SEE SOME SCHMUCK LISTENING TO ONE WHILE JOGGING AND THINK "HEY, I WANNA BE COOL LIKE THIS GUY AND BUY AN IPOD!"

Let me explain, real slowly, why my analogy worked. People want a portable MP3 player. Odds are, their purchase will be an Ipod for several reasons

1. Ipods have been commercially popular the longest. I'm not saying they were the first MP3 players on the market because I have no idea whether or not they were; rather, they were the first to become popular on a widespread, mainstream scale.

2. Ipods are the most common MP3 players. And no I don't need some nerdy sales figures from Consumer Reports to back this up. Go up to ten random people and ask what kind of MP3 player they own, and 8 or 9 will say an Ipod. They are the best selling MP3 players in this country, period

3. Apple's advertising far outweighs their competitors. You'll see five Ipod TV commercials for every 1 from every other manufacturer combined. Same with print ads. Their advertising is superior. Hence, more people will make their initial portable MP3 player purchase an Ipod because that's what they see advertised the most

4. Believe it or not, most people who own an Ipod would recommend them. Not every MP3 player owner is a nerd who posts endlessly on message boards and reads product comparisons on wired.com. Techsans, as a community, isn't a good indicative representation of the general population. Does that mean we're more "in the know"? Probably. But being in the know isn't important to most people. Seriously, everyone on here, including me, has bitched about how much Apple sucks because their Ipod or Iphone doesn't work properly all the goddamned time. Guess what? No electronics do, regardless of manufacturer. Most rational people realize this and don't think "OMG APPLE SUCKS" every time something goes wrong. It comes with the territory of owning electronics. Only on fanboy interweb message boards to people overanalyze every complaint and form half cocked opinions that a product sucks overall because the only time people complain about them is when they break down. That's ignorant, and we're all guilty of it. But the general consensus with the general population is that Ipods are solid products. If people didn't think that, they wouldn't be the top selling MP3 player since their inception. Some consumers are dumb, but they aren't that dumb to continually buy a product that gets poor reviews everywhere.


In closing: People buy MP3 players because they want an MP3 player. It has nothing to do with wanting to look trendy. People buy Ipods because they're the most common, most popular, most heavily advertised, etc. It has nothing to do with wanting to look trendy. I'm sure there are a few moronic 13 year old girls who see their 16 year old sister listening to her Ipod and want one because she wants to emulate her cooler, older sister. That has nothing to do with her wanting an Ipod specifically to look cool. It has everything to do with her being 13 years old and probably having never heard of Zune, Creative, Iriver, or any other less popular manufacturer. You can't base the trendiness of a product on the buying habits of utterly clueless and illinformed dumbfucks.

The only difference between soda and MP3 players is comparison shopping. You can buy several different sodas and figure out which one you like best. You can't buy several MP3 players for comparison unless you want to drop four figures. Most consumers, when they make their initial purchase of a good or product, will go with what is best known. Be it Coca Cola, Dell, or an Ipod. Usually, they'll stick with that product unless given good reason to switch. Obviously Apple is doing something right because portable MP3 owners have now gone through 2-3 players, and the Ipod is still the top selling product

The only way the Ipod could be a fad is if MP3 players themselves end up being fads. They won't be. As for the Ipod, it's firmly entrenched itself as the leader bar none in one of the most popular and stable electronics industries. It isn't a fad, you utter nitwit