Apple Prepares For the Coming iPod Slump

Hugh Pickens writes "Companies like AOL have stagnated along with the products that made them successful as a mature market and downward pressure on prices led to a nasty death spiral, but Saul Hansell writes in the NY Times that Apple has used its amazing six-year run with the iPod to nurture other business lines. Even though the number of iPods sold this quarter grew only 1 percent from the same quarter a year ago, Apple should be able to sustain itself with three business lines that will help it withstand a collapse in the MP3-player market: a continuing revenue stream from the iPods that have already been sold because of the iTunes Store, product upgrades to the iPhone and iPod Touch that are so different that they may well appeal to a significant number of iPod users, and perhaps most significantly, sales of the Macintosh which showed an increase of 51 percent by units and 54 percent by dollars."

Comments

What about an 80-column card?

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

What about an 80-column card? (If you get that, I know how old you are...)

Re:What about an 80-column card?

[tjstork]

What about an 80-column card? (If you get that, I know how old you are..

I'd pass on that, as it doesn't really benefit my favorite SubLogic program.

Re:What about an 80-column card?

[Jherek Carnelian]

What about an 80-column card? (If you get that, I know how old you are...) Young enough to use wikipedia?

Re:What about an 80-column card?

[Digi-John]

Damn kids and your Apple hardware. In my day, an 80 column card was one of these

Mac Sales

[ForexCoder]

" sales of the Macintosh which showed an increase of 51 percent by units and 54 percent by dollars."

Sounds like Vista is paying dividends for somebody.

Eureka! The iPod killer

[Anonymous Monkey]

Are you kidding me! We have finally found the perfect iPod killer! This is something Microsoft has been after for a long time (not to mention Sony, Creative, Samsung, and many others). The iPod it self will create it's own demise. Some one should call Microsoft and tell them to start selling iPods so that they can kill it faster.

Re:Is this the iPod slump from three years ago?

[Anonymous Coward]

Or is this the one which was supposed to hit two years ago? Or the one from last year?

No, no, you're getting that confused with the Year of the Linux Desktop(TM) again. Keep it straight, man!

Re:cant wait for those 64gb iPod Touch's...

[sjf]

My Gf is so sure I will do that, that she is already expecting it and promised me not to complain If I go ahead and do it. How else is in this same boat?

Yup, your Gf is unlikely to complain if I buy one also

Re:batteries

[Anonymous Coward]

I am intrigued by your $ dollars currency. Which country are you from?

Re:Is this the iPod slump from three years ago?

[archen]

Actually I think he has it right. THIS is always the year of the linux desktop. Apple will always be bankrupt by NEXT year. And the next version of windows will be the most secure ever.

Re:History repeats itself

[gstoddart]

No Apple is doing things EXACTLY right, which is why they are the only computer and perpetual manufacturer to make serious profits in a failing economy.

Perpetual? Really?

I think you're having a seniors moment. I empathize, I use the wrong walrus in sentences all the time. :-P

Cheers

Re:iPod choices are going downhill

[Fear the Clam]

Your argument is like renting a 5' by 10' apartment on the reasoning that you can just store everything you're not using in a storage unit, then haul it in when you need it. When you finish watching TV, just carry the whole TV and stand out and bring in your bookshelf so you can do some reading.

I live in NYC, you insensitive clod.

Re:batteries

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, and like you'd get your mother to replace her battery when it runs down. Then again, you likely live at home so would do it for her.

Did you forget to post anonymously, or did you actually want to have your name associated with that reply?

Re:Why I bought something else

[sxltrex]

Wow, somebody needs a hug!

Re:Apple will continue to sell Ipods...

[reidconti]

Ipod's will continue to sell to yuppies who enjoy paying for an overpriced mp3 player with a network of music that lacks diversity to foreign markets. As a US consume I can enjoy not having access to England, Hollands and Germany's fine selections of electronica, which Itunes America lacks almost
entirely. Awesome, which is why I load all of my electronica onto my iPods from CDs.

Mac sales have gone up, most likely to the yuppies who cannot sync the Itunes software to a Windows box and decide to buy the Mac due to the customer support representative with Mac stating, "it works better with a Mac," or the idiots logical thought process that decides a Mac is a cost effective option (cough, cough). ... or because their experience with Apple products is light years ahead of their experience with the bargain-basement electronics companies that try to push their hacked-together products as computing solutions for the masses?

Buying a Mac is for the glorified rich who eat too many donuts and watch too much TV. If you enjoy my lovely view of the world, read my blog. No thanks.

What's really funny about this is that you seem to have it totally backwards. Your attitude puts you smack dab in the middle of the Mac stereotype.

Check out stuffwhitepeoplelike sometime. The Mac user is supposed to be a yuppie elitist who likes to brag about not owning a TV, drives a Hybrid, shops at flea markets, participates in athletic activities for fun (jogging, cycling, etc), listens to electronic music, and generally disdains middle america. In other words, you.

I'm a Mac user, but I guess it all makes sense because I'm a Bay Area elitist who drives a BMW and commuted 60 miles to work by bicycle today.

My only failing is that I refuse to apologize for the fact that I watch TV when I have nothing better to do.