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Apple Hawks Madonna iPods

Posted by pudge on from the no-doubt-you-have-mp3s-at-your-beck-and-call dept.

danamania writes "Apple's latest promotion is a gimmick with Madonna, Tony Hawk or Beck's signature, or a No Doubt logo, on an iPod. It seems Apple's really pushing the iPod as a too-cool fashion accessory as much as a too-cooler MP3 player... is Maddie's signature worth an extra USD49 over the standard iPod?" Instead of $50 for the engraved signature, you can spend $20 to print "Madonna's Signature" in beautiful Helvetica.

20 of 349 comments (clear)

  1. Increased value? by Nogami_Saeko · · Score: 5, Funny

    Could it not argue that having Madonna's signature on your iPod would decrease the value?

    --
    "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
  2. Coming soon .... by binaryDigit · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Cowboy Neal autographed iPod (really just a big X marked in crayon).

  3. At first, the engraved iPOD seemed superfluous.... by User+956 · · Score: 5, Funny

    But then I realized, of course, that we're living in a Material World.

    Does this mean Steve Jobs is a Material Girl?

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  4. I'm waiting for the Hulk Hogan model by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    RED AND YELLOW, brutha! Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you! Say your prayers, eat your vitamins, and use your Mac.

  5. Devo by jgalun · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am holding out for the limited edition Devo iPod.

    Whip it! Whip it good!

  6. Including Music by Fubar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple start shipping iPods with 'special tracks' from artists.

    I bet the RIAA wold love that.

  7. Rumor has it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Apple will engrave Anonymous Coward for only $19.95!

  8. RIAA and such by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't some of Madonna's newest CD's made with one of the new copy protection schemes? Doesn't it seem strange for her to be supporting the ipod while her music can't be played on it?

  9. Other iPods... by UnixRevolution · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Iron Maiden iPod... The Metallica iPod (just the irony makes it worth $50 more), the Devo iPod, and of course...

    The artist formerly known as the artist formerly known as Prince iPod.

    --
    You like your new Mac more than you like me, don't you, Dave? Dave? I asked...She said Yes.
    1. Re:Other iPods... by Dr+Caleb · · Score: 5, Funny
      .. The Metallica iPod

      As an added bonus, the Metallica iPod play mostly static interspersed with Lars Ulrich screaming "YOU FUCKING MUSIC PIRATES".

      --
      "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Mark Twain
  10. Should have music pre-loaded by johnkeyes · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This would make more sense if the iPod came preloaded with a bunch of music from the artist whose name is engraved.

  11. Anyone notice this? by Xerithane · · Score: 5, Funny
    From the iPod site:

    Display your favorite contacts and appointments.


    Anybody else find that a bit strange, I'd prefer it to show all of my contacts and appointments.
    --
    Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
  12. If a tree... by galego · · Score: 5, Funny

    fell on Madonna in the forest and someone recorded the audio, could I get that preloaded on my iPod instead?

    --

    Que Deus te de em dobro o que me desejas

    [May God give you double that which you wish for me]

    1. Re:If a tree... by MonTemplar · · Score: 5, Funny

      It happened already. What, you mean you haven't heard Die Another Day yet? :)

      MT.

      --
      -MT.
  13. Re:But by ipjohnson · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't think the clean look ever really goes out it just becomes less of a fad. Besides I'm sure apple will come out with a "hippie" version soon that comes in a multi colored cases and a roach clip on the back ;-)

  14. None of you understand this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm posting this anonymously to protect my job. Not that they'll fire me or anything, but why risk it?

    For several years, we (Apple) have been working on ways of customizing computers and electronics. It all started back in the Power Mac Cube days, when we were looking into new injection molding processes. That worked okay, but we got a lot of flak from customers who thought the mold lines in the plastic looked like cracks.

    Now we're looking at custom laser engraving, trying to figure out ways to get the cost down to less than a dollar per square inch. The idea is that you will be able to order your laptop with anything at all engraved on the surface: your name, a logo, a picture of your kids, whatever.

    This little promo is just some of the runoff from that work.

    Oh, and incidentally, Apple isn't doing this for the money. I don't want to say anything else too specific, but there's more going on between Apple and these artists than just this. Expect to see more interesting things in the coming months.

    1. Re:None of you understand this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Actually, it's a hell of a lot more interesting than that. And I'm astounded that nobody's guessed it yet.

      See, the deal is that Apple's management-- Steve more than anybody else, really-- sees the record companies kinda dropping the ball. People are happy with MP3-quality music, and they want to be able to buy it over the Internet. Current systems for doing that just suck. Since Apple controls .Mac, the OS, iTunes, the iPod, and QuickTime 6/AAC, they're the only ones who are in a position to make a real end-to-end, easy-to-use digital music distribution system happen.

      In the future, you'll (assuming we can cut a deal with Apple Records on that nasty trademark matter) be able to plug you iPod into your Mac, browse a library of songs via iTunes, and download them directly to your iPod over broadband or AirPort. Micro-payment (well, semi-micro; on the order of a dollar per song) will be handled through the .Mac "one click" system, which Apple licensed from Amazon and already uses in iPhoto for buying photographic prints on line. The only DRM will be the stuff we've already go built into the iPod that makes it inconvenient, though of course not impossible, to copy music off of it once it's been put on.

      When we go live with this-- which we're hoping to do by the end of next year at the latest-- we're going to need some big names. That's why we've been talking to Madonna, No Doubt, Beck, Dave Matthews Band, Moby, and some others.

      Basically Apple is trying to do an end-run around the record companies and the RIAA. It's not done yet, and it may not work, but the foundation is there and all that's really left is to sort out the legal details.

      If anybody finds out I've posted this, I'm out of a job, and I'll probably end up with my ass in court. Hope this "anonymous coward" thing works as advertised.

  15. Re:why? by MQBS · · Score: 5, Funny

    Err, the real thing? Since when does Madonna carry around a laser-engraver with her? Maybe Beck has one. I wouldn't put it past him.

    --
    The dream reveals the reality which conception lags behind. That is the horror of life- the terror of art. -Franz Kafka
  16. One iPod to Rule Them All by orpheus2000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I had a friend who asked Apple if they would take a custom TrueTypeFont to engrave. Namely, a TTF for Quenya, and have it engraved in the language of Mordor:

    Ash iPod durbatulúk, ash iPod gimbatul,
    ash iPod thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
    Apple said no; a pity. I would have liked to have seen The One iPod

  17. iPods I'd like to see by Ilan+Volow · · Score: 5, Funny
    • Madonna iPod--changes the style of its interface every year and half just for shock value
    • Tony Hawk iPod--comes with wheels and requires elbow pads and helmet
    • No Doubt iPod--plays nothing but funky ska/reggae and constantly inserts references to your ex's in songs
    • Beck iPod--error messages that say "You're a loser baby, so why don't you kill me."
    • Milli Vanilli iPod--claims to be an iPod, but really is only a 32MB Diamond rio.
    • Britney Spears iPod--the sound quality only is only good if you're under twelve, and has buttons so big you'd swear they weren't real.
    • P Diddy iPid--We all know it's really just the Puff Daddy iPod. Who are they trying to fool?
    • J Lo iPod--useful as a wedding gift for a couple you know will last less than a year.
    • George Michael iPod--has special ports for jacking into public restrooms.
    --
    Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!