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

compromised ergonomics

[jcsehak]

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

I thought the exact same thing the first time I saw those earbud headphones. They look like a couple primitive shapes stuck together. Come to find out, they're the most comfortable earbud headphones I've had, even without the foam.

I hate to be an Apple apologist, but I can't think of anywhere they've sacrificed ergonimics for design. I think they just eschew curves and stuff that look ergonomic, but don't actually make the thing easier to use.

Better/Cheaper iPods with REAL competition

[stuver]

Personally, I would like to see real competition with the iPod. I love mine and wouldn't give it up for the world, but there are plenty of things I would like to see included but Apple really does not have any motivation to do so.

First off, I would like to see an AM/FM tuner included. If they really want to make that something special, they could include a TV/weather band tuner as well.

Also, I would like to be able to replace the battery myself without having to pay a crapload of money for them to do it or risk damaging my iPod if I do it myself.

One of my biggest complaints, and I think just about everyone with an iPod would agree with me on this one, is that if you are into the whole minimalist thing, the iPod looks beautiful right out of the box. However, use it even once and the shiny chromed back is already getting scratched up and if you do not do something to protect the screen, within a year the screen is almost unreadable.

All that being said, real competition would be the motivator for Apple to make the iPod even better and cheaper. And at $300 or so a pop, they had better do something or risk losing their corner on the market.

2nd, but a long long way behind

[intmainvoid]

Sim Wong Hoo, 49, an engineer by training, founded Creative in 1981. It comes second only to Apple in total market share for MP3 players.

2nd sounds pretty good, till you realise Apple has about 80% market share, so second place is what, 10% market share?

Re:Same As It Ever Was

[BewireNomali]

Ipod is to DAPs what Google is to search. In popular culture its tough to separate the two.

I freelance in the film industry. a couple of weeks ago I was going to this reception for an independent film premiere here in NY. there was a rush at the door, a bottleneck as invitations were checked. I was there with a friend of mine who does OK with the ladies, but has a Rio (notice I said BUT, as in it is not a good thing to socially own a Rio DAP). Earbuds are in... so he bumps into a rather attractive girl who turns and looks receptive. She notices him so he takes out his rio to turn down the volume. She's like, "What's that? Your Ipod?" He responds, "No, It's a Rio, it's just like an Ipod..."

It doesn't matter what he said after that. Her face slackened, any interest she might have had was gone. It was such a crushing blow that I went and got myself an Ipod the next day.

Never underestimate the power of popular culture. The IPOD will not be unseated. The WALKMAN was never unseated as the premiere mobile music player in the 80s and that's despite the million clones that came thereafter. Sony lost footing because they couldn't anticipate portable CD players. Any DAP company needs to invest in the next gen device, the next evolution in the movement of personal music.

Don't throw rocks at the throne. Build your own throne; people will come and worship.

I have

[SuperKendall]

I've had other MP3 devices, like watch players. Also tried PDA MP3 playing and a few friends devices like rios.

I have the earlier 5GB iPod and frankly nothing else is as pleasant to use. I actually didn't like the control system of the later ones with the controls moved to the top, but now they are back around the wheel they are doing good. I just bought a Mini for my GF and she loves it - because it's so, so easy to use. The feature that can pitch-shift audio books is worth the whole price alone, if you ever want to listen to podcasts or speeches or seminar recordings.

A lot of people seem to think that people buy into the iPod because of marketing. But I think that's secondary, and the real success of the iPod lies in amazing word of mouth from actual users who really do end up becoming semi-evangelists because when something works decently well it sticks out like a sore thumb in a world of consumer electronics that are half-crap. When I tell people I'm still using an MP3 player I bought years and years ago without a drawer full of others strewn along the way, people go "wow!". When people can get off the upgrade mill and get something that's more reliable and friendly it makes them very happy.