Is Apple Trying to Take Over iPod Accessories?

An anonymous reader writes "With more and more iPod accessories being released by Apple all the time many users are speculating that Apple is trying to shoulder the after-market iPod companies aside. However, at least one user doesn't see it that way, and thinks that Apple's move may actually help the after-market companies. From the article: 'Even if it wanted to, Apple knows that it couldn't simply make the iPod accessory market participants magically go away. If Apple did try to steal their lunch, all it would succeed in doing would be to drive those companies straight into the arms of the iPod's competitors, most of whom are desperate to see any kind of an accessory market form around their players. And that's the last thing Apple wants to have happen.'"

Comments

brand strength

[paulthomas]

To your average iPod buyer, no amount of accessories will make another player as attractive as the iPod.

Is this "Obvious Day" on Slashdot?

[Anonymous Coward]

Is Apple Trying to Take Over iPod Accessories?

You mean, has Apple realized that people are willing to pay obscene amounts of money on cheap accessories for the gadget of the decade, and would Apple like a cut of that delicious, delicious profit by making some of those cheap accessories too? I believe the answer is "yes".

Next up on Slashdot: Is Microsoft trying to compete eith Open Source?

After-Market ipod accessories are generally poor

[TheWorkz]

I dont feel that there is any issue with Apple releasing their accessories. In fact, the "Apple" Branded accessories I have purchased for the NANO are much better quality than third parties. An example is the armband which is a leather that feels much softer and gentler on the skin. Third party accessories for the same item are half the price, but normally elastic and plastic.

It all comes down to quality of product, and I would much rather have something confortable and that lasts longer and looks nicer for a little more..

One exception is the new itrip nano.. that thing rocks.

You can get replacements for free! link in comment

[Winckle]

err sorry to say this, but when my iPod headphones broke, I just ordered some new ones for *FREE* from apple! just go to here and if your ipod is in warranty or/and applecare you can get new headphones for free without sending your old ones back!

Re:Why wouldn't they want a piece of the action?

[Fahrenheit 450]

The people who are buying ipods are trendy hipsters.

Except when they're not...

• Sometimes they're people who use Apples as their primary computer (or at least their primary computer for storing/playing mp3s[1]). I've yet to see an mp3 player other than iPod who's interface with the Mac could be described as much beyond "pathetic".[2]
• Sometimes they're people who reviewed their needs and found an iPod was the best fit for them. A good example of this would be me. I found that a Shuffle suited my needs better than any other player on the market at the time. Now, it may be a Nano, or something different -- then it wasn't.
• Sometime's they're people who think mp3 player=iPod -- they aren't even aware (or are only barely aware) that other companies make mp3 players. A good example of this would be my mother -- of course she called me before buying one and I sent her my old MuVo that was lying on the shelf collecting dust. Of course, she doesn't use that player anyway, as the human interface pretty much sucks for someone who is not overly familiar with their computer. She would actually be much better served by picking up an iPod which integrates seamlessly with iTunes. Note. This is a potentially huge group -- likely far larger than the "trendy hipster" demographic.
• Sometimes they're people who find the interface on the iPod to be much better than that of the competition. E.g. navigation on my MuVo pretty much sucked ass (though it was better than the shuffle in some regards). And they find that to be much more important to them than the features that the iPod doesn't have. And of course there is a huge class of people who don't want all those other features -- believe it or not most of the world could care less about things like gapless playback, ogg support, or voice memos.
• And as always, there are the brand jockeys and trendy hipsters. But these people exist for every product, and pretty much every brand...

But hey, I get that it's easier to toss off a dismissive generalization than it is to actually think about something.

[1] I use mp3 throughout to refer to a whole swath of digital audio formats, as I'm too lazy to type everything out.
[2] Of course I stopped looking after buying my player last year. Thing may have changed, but I doubt it...