Inside Hardware Design - Competing Against the iPod

ihatewinXP writes "FastCompany.com has a behind the scenes article detailing Rio's (and others) attempts to differentiate hardware and compete in the digital music market against the iPod juggernaught. From the article: "We decided that we had to be radically different from Apple. Where Apple was sort of the ivory tower, we were going to be the dark rebel. Where Apple was very geometric, we were going to be smooth and curvy. Apple was so enamored with absolute pure, minimalist design that some designers may argue that ergonomics were compromised.""

Comments

Ergonomics?

[RevengeOfPoopJuggler]

Apple was so enamored with absolute pure, minimalist design that some designers may argue that ergonomics were compromised.

I'm sure the head of the iPod department will really give two shits about ergonomics when he goes for his daily swim in his pool filled with crisp $100 bills...

Re:Ergonomics?

[American AC in Paris]

I'm sure the head of the iPod department will really give two shits about ergonomics when he goes for his daily swim in his pool filled with crisp $100 bills...

Exactly.

He'll probably be thinking something more along the lines of "Oh dear GOD! It's like TEN THOUSAND TINY LITTLE RAZOR BLADES! OH, GOD, IT BURNS! AAAAAAAGH!!!"

In closing, always use old, crumpled $100 bills in a swimming pool.

Re:Ergonomics?

[Anonymous Coward]

who wants to swim in dirty old bills? I take new $100 bills and ship them off to the third world to be crumpled by underpaid laborers. Then I fill the pool, etc.

Re:Ergonomics?

[Leroy_Brown242]

I don't know, Scrooge McDuck managed to swim through gold coins just fine. Why not paper bills too? :)

Re:Ergonomics?

[feloneous cat]

Screw ergonomics! My Nintendo thumb be damned! Here is my list of MUST-HAVE'S:

1. Clock (if it has power, it HAS to have a clock)
2. MP3 player
3. Phone
4. GPS (I'm sick and tired of saying "I'm at the Krispy Chiken" I want the goddamn phone/pda/mp3 player to tell them for me)
5. PDA - no wait, I mean PDS - personal digital secretary. That means if I'm screwing around on my wife, I want the goddamn thing to LIE for me.
6. 1600x1200 resolution. I'm sick of these dinky screens.
7. Surround sound. It's in the works. I want it now.
8. Stapler. I don't have one. The ankle-jerks here are too damn cheap to buy me one. I don't need one, but everyone else has one.
9. Alarm clock. A GOOD alarm clock. Not one of those dinky little "weee weee" ones that only wake you up if the fucker is glued to your ear.
10. CD/DVD player. Look, if you can put the damn 1600x1200 screen in, the CD/DVD should be a freakin' piece of cake.
11. It should fit in my pocket. No, not one of those giant coat pockets, but my shirt pocket.

Now, I'm not asking for ALL of these in the first version (except for the PDS - man, I gotta get somethin' that will lie like a mother for me).

12. Encryption. What the fuck is it that we have lameass encryption on phones? I want something better than the NSA can crack. Shiiit.

Get busy then.

[Anonymous Coward]

Okay guys, we're waiting. Get busy already.

Same As It Ever Was

[American AC in Paris]

Where Apple was sort of the ivory tower, we were going to be the dark rebel.

...so basically, try to do exactly what Apple did to you back when they released the iPod.

Re:Same As It Ever Was

[snorklewacker]

"Next time some hot chick asks you, is that your iPod, YOU SAY YES!"

(Apologies to Winston, the lesser-known Ghostbuster)

So basically, either he deflected some shallow and vapid chick, or she sensed he was about to launch into some babble about his product choices. I think that Rio did someone a favor, I just don't know who.

Great Buisness Plan

[Quick Sick Nick]

We decided that we had to be radically different from Apple.

Because, hey, iPods aren't really selling that well.

Ivory Tower

[syntap]

Where Apple was sort of the ivory tower, we were going to be the dark rebel.

Why would anyone say those so soon after everyone saw Gandalf defeat Sauron?

Re:You'll know they've got it wrong when...

[Zediker]

Im just waiting for apples latest invetntion... iSophagus http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=050622

To Archos CEO

[TobyWong]

Don't be a player hater... it doesn't suit you. :x

Pimp-up

[anandpur]

I can pimp up apple iPod with all sort of bling-bling. There is not enough bling available for any other mp3 player.
http://www.apple.com/ipod/accessories.html
If you are virgin here is help
pimp-up is kind of upgrade
bling-bling is accessories

Re:iDontUnderstand

[TrippTDF]

you're a Bloom County fan.

Reasoning?

[paulschroeder]

"We decided we had to be radically different from Apple"
Because, hey, contrarian thinking just for the sake of being different (or possibly out of spite) always works.

Re:Technology Vs. Lifestyle.

[umrgregg]

He meant cat lick. Cat licks aren't nearly as reliable as Toyota's. Well known fact.

Re:You'll know they've got it wrong when...

[Eric Giguere]

Apple was so enamored with absolute pure, minimalist design that some designers may argue that ergonomics were compromised.

Let me guess, those designers would be.... Rio's?

Eric
Read my AdSense blog (goes with my new book for non-techies)

Re:That page format was like a breath of fresh air

[Slayback]

Oh, so there's only one page? I quit reading it because I figured there were 11 more pages and frankly, that much reading scares the crap out of me.

Everything has its place

[Urusai]

The crisp $100 bills are for lighting your cigar. The shiny nickels and dimes are for throwing at street urchins. The ones are for tipping the valet (tip: fold them over to double your largesse). The twenties are for doing lines of coke with the senator off the ass of a call girl.

Remember etiquette! We are not savage beasts!

Competition, schmompetiton.

[crovira]

I'm listening to Dave Brubeck on my iPod Shuttle right now and what I like about it is that is was $100.

(What screen? :-) As for getting 'bling' to protect their iPods, there is an aisle in their store dedicated to it. If you were too cheap to buy one, to quite a friend of mine, "Suffer Bee-atch."

Apple's already making the iPod in Asia (so production costs can't get cheaper) and charging what their market will allow. I don't anticipate ever seeing an iPod down at Costco or Wall*Mart for $19,95. Sorry but there it is.

Re:Its all about the marketing.

[amper]

How many people in love with their iPods have tried other MP3 players?

Probably about as many people who are in love with their Porsches or Bentleys who have tried Kias, Hyundais, Zils, and Yugos.

Re:Compromised Ergonomics?

[Refrag]

Well, alright, it assumes you are a homo sapien with at least one opposable thumb on one hand.

I'm an Ipod-using chimpanzee, you insensitive clod!