Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

How iPods Took Over the World

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the thought-control-in-white-plastic dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Observer has a piece today about the iPod's ascension to dominance of the mp3 player market. The author argues that it's largely the result of clever business tactics and the iTunes music store." From the article: "The second thing about the iPod: it puts you, not them, in control. Basically, the record labels are devotees of the Henry Ford business model: 'You can have any music you want so long as it's what I want to give you.' But using the cyberspace jukebox, you're no longer at their mercy. You don't have to pay for the four filler tracks on every album. You don't have to buy albums at all. You can put country next to classical, punk next to jazz, Barry Manilow next to Placido Domingo (wait, that's a joke)."

2 of 360 comments (clear)

  1. Re:iPod's marketing is so clever, by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    iTunes defaults to ripping tracks as un-DRMed AACs which you can play anywhere you can play an AAC

    A clarification: iTunes will only rip to DRM-free formats. It will play some DRM'd formats (m4p, audible), but it will not create them. This is unlike WMP, which will take an un-DRM'd source format (CDDA) and add DRM to it when you rip it (although I believe this 'feature' can be turned off).

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  2. Re:I think he's wrong by fafaforza · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > Those people bought iPods.

    I'm not so sure that those people even gave other products a passing glance, much less enough to make an informed choice. Their only concern during purchase is the color.

    To say that everything out there pales in comparison to the iPod isn't very fair. The iPod has some usability shortcomings just as other players. I've owned the great 5GB Rio Carbon, and got a color iPod solely for the space. And I do miss the ability to bookmark a 5 hour mp3, start to play music in shuffle mode, then switch back to the bookmark, all without taking my Rio out of my pocket.

    What's with the iPod only bookmarking "podcasts" and audiobooks, and not any old mp3 file?

    What's with the iPod only having one shuffle option, and no option to shuffle based on genre, artist, etc?

    So I don't think other players are getting their fair share of attention or respect. Maybe it's too much work to compare the available units to make a truly independant decision.