The iPod

iPod



The iPod is a key example of converged and portable technology, as it covers many different areas of entertainment, such as music playback, gaming and picture viewing. It could be argued that the iPod is a replacement for many different products, and by offering so much capability in such a small package, it is unsurprising that the iPod has won so many fans.



Key Features

- Small, lightweight and portable: provides entertainment on the go
- Main capability=music playback. Replacement for CD and minidisk players. Features inside music playback include the ability to make playlists, which allows a more personalised and customisable music experience, supported synchronisation with iTunes, which automatically updates files, making the process easy for even the most technology-illiterate demographics. There are also options for customising the sound of songs; such as volume adjustment and equalizer, which increases the quality of listening overall.
- The newer generation of iPods also support video playback, which is a fairly recent feature for portable entertainment. Therefore it isn’t really replacing anything in this sphere except maybe portable DVD players, but as they are new themselves, the video playback aspect should be counted as an innovative feature designed to add another dimension to portable entertainment.



- All iPods after the iPod photo support photo viewing, again with the easy option to synchronise all the photos on a home computer. This is also quite a revolutionary feature, as it used to be almost impossible to be able to carry your entire digital photo library around with you.
- Another key aspect of the entertainment experience is gaming. Although not really a substitute for dedicated portable gaming consoles such as PSPs, the iPod does provide basic games that provide satisfactory entertainment for most consumers.
- Although little known about, the iPod does have the function to display text files on-screen, although they cannot be edited. The iPod can be used for a different form of entertainment, reading. Consumers could, for example, read online novels on their iPod, or business reports etc.



- Although this cannot be counted officially, many iPod users are adapting the product for other functions. For example, one consumer turned their iPod into a TV remote, while another added the capability to store their email address book. Because the technology of the iPod is edit-able, tech-minded consumers can take the iPods features one step further.



Success

Since October 2004, the iPod has dominated digital music player sales in the United States, with over 90% of the market for hard drive-based players and over 70% of the market for all types of players. During the year from January 2004 to January 2005, the high rate of sales caused its U.S. market share to increase from 31% to 65% and in July 2005, this market share was measured at 74%.


According to Apple's quarterly financial results (from 2002 Q1 to 2007 Q1), total iPod sales reached 88,701,000 units as of January 2007. Apple's fiscal year ends in September. In January 2007, Apple reported record annual earnings of US$7.1 billion, of which 48% was made from iPod sales. Apple and several industry analysts suggest that iPod users are likely to purchase other Apple products such as Mac computers.





What are the iPods key audiences?

- As with many new technologies, the target consumer for the iPod is the teenage audience. They responded enormously to the ease of music-playback that the iPod offered; its features are accessible to anyone. The marketing also contributed, with the iPod becoming the ‘must-have product’ for young people, reaching iconic status.
- A secondary audience of businesspeople is also present. Again, the stylish design, ease of use and portability of the iPod means it is appealing to businesspeople, who are more rushed for time, and don’t want to spend ages figuring out how a product works.