Abstract
The Apple iPod has been the leader in the mp3 portable digital media player since its introduction to the public. There have been players before it, digital, am/fm, or tape players that have proven the market is worldwide and open to anyone. The challenge was to build a player that could take the lead in the industry, create and implement a strategic marketing plan, and gain the loyalty of the customer base for years to come.
Apple and the iPod: Leader or Follower
In almost every gymnasium, running track, or airplane that one has the chance to partake in will see a person wearing a set of headphones listening to some sort of digital media. The players are small and easily navigated by the user, showing that they are very easy to manage. The round scrolling touchpad, sleek design, shiny player that is carried in a sleeve worn on the arm or in a case that is worn on the belt is more than likely to be one of Apples iPod digital media player.
The iPod was not always the top player, nor was it the invention that created the craze for portable music and media playing. The following paper will show how Apple was able to take over a market that was created by other big technology companies such as Sony, Dell, Creative Labs, and Rio to name a few. The Strategy for success that Apple brought to the table launched a shockwave that most of the computer manufacturers have been using for years, being an end-to-end supplier, providing both the software and player from the same company.
The introduction of iTunes software took the iPod to another level once the market took off for the iPod and its newer models. The promotion that Apple brought to the fight was a well planned marketing strategy that paid off well by targeting youngsters. The final stage for Apple will be to continue with new products that will lead the community to continue purchasing for years to come
How iPod came to be
The iPod was released in November of the year 2001. It was not the first player to come out by any means, yet it had an interestingly nice looking platform. The previous models of players date back from the 1980’s Sony’s Walkman, to one of the first digital players that Rio and Creative labs put out, were not terribly expensive and at the time, they boasted large enough disk space to play20-40 songs.
Griggs, B., & Leopold, T. (2013, April 26). How iTunes changed music, and the world. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/26/tech/web/itunes-10th-anniversary/
Steve wanted to create something that would revolutionize both the computer and music industries. In 2004, became a crazy successful product and was the only thing that people were talking about for a while. The IPod could hold up to 1,000 songs and was portable so people could use it when they go running or something. Lots of other companies tried to copy the idea of the portable music device. Then Steve came out with iTunes. iTunes allows people to burn their own CD’s and DVD disks at home over the computer. Also it came out on the IPod in 2003 and was one of the most popular devices out there at the
When one sits back and thinks about it, Apple really makes products people want. There’s no real convincing that needs to happen as to why they they need an iPhone or iPod — people just get it. The features offered on Apple’s products are such “no brainers” that it’s an obvious purchase the consumer wants…or rather, needs to make.
Mr. Petty has a sober perspective on the purpose of the music player, regardless of the medium or brand. The MP3 player became an affordable and convenient device to enjoy ones favorite music, in a small and efficient formatted package. However a person listens to the music they love, the quality is sometimes unrealized until a more sophisticated format for listening is offered. Even then, most people may not hear the difference without a side by side comparison is
From the roaring twenties, through the hippie seventies, until today music has altered the natural lifestyle of humans and what better way to listen to music then through compact headphones. Overtime, headphones have evolved from big over-ear headphones to smaller compact ones. Headphones have brought about an extreme diversity of music throughout different cultures. The first headphones were in vented by a man who goes by the name of Nathaniel Baldwin. He built the first headphones back in 1921 for people to carry music around and listen to it portably. Many ideas have come from this man’s great inventions and have continued until modern day. For instance, from headphones the evolution of speaker was put forth in the musical community as well as for other occupations.
Today, Apple keeps coming out on top with their exceptional and award winning items and administrations. Apple is additionally credited with driving the advanced media upheaval with their iPod compact music and feature players and iTunes online media store, making the first supportable music-downloading plan of action ever. (Jakab,
When Steve Jobs took over the reins of Apple in 1997, it was operating in the personal computer industry. Examining the PC industry at this time using Porter’s five forces model reveals multiple threats facing Apple. Within the industry, there is a strong threat of new entrants into the market place. Parts used to construct PCs were being sold in a commodity manner making it affordable for many different competitors to enter. The case mentions that due to standardization, PC companies have been able to scale way back on R&D funding. Also, the standardization has meant that differentiation between actual PCs was difficult. Apple was able to differentiate slightly through quality of hardware and significantly through their proprietary operating system. They also began to differentiate through packaging of PC components with the release of the initial iMac.
Apple Inc is a multinational organization in America and has its headquarters in California. The organization specializes in the design as well as development of consumer electronics including: computer software 's, and also personal computers. The organization has for long been offering a broad range of communication mobile communication as well as its own company software’s. The organization has quite an upright name in the business world. For a long period it has been producing quality product and their designers really bring out uniqueness in their products (Linzmayer, 2004). Apple Inc has established itself as being the world’s leader in innovation. Thus according to statistics; it is classified as being the fourth most valuable technology
Introduction of the iPod: The iPod was introduced into the market just in time for Christmas, 2001. The first iPod was priced at $399. Apple relied on a hard disk for storage instead of flash memory or interchangeable CD-Roms and focused on promoting the uniqueness of the small size, power, and ease of use of the device. This first iPod had a 5 GB storage capacity—which is enough to hold over 1,000 songs—and it worked only on Macs, using iTunes as a music organization and CD-to-iPod conversion tool. iTunes, digital jukebox software that let Mac users import songs from CDs by converting audio files to the MP3 format and storing them on the computer’s hard drive, was introduced in January of 2001. Along with the iPod, Apple announced an enhanced version of iTunes that included a 10-band equalizer with presets, as well as a cross fading feature for smoother transitions from one song to another. An Auto Sync capability facilitated the downloading of music from a Mac to the new portable media device. Once the music was downloaded, Apple promised 10 hours of continuous play from the iPod’s rechargeable lithium battery. The device supported MP3, with bit rates of up to 320kbits/s, as well as AIFF and WAV file formats. Its amplifier could deliver 20-20,000-Hz frequency response. Apple sold 125,000 iPods by the end of December 2001.
With all the hype surrounding the iPod post its introduction into the electronics market, it should be of no surprise that iPod’s unmatched demand for such distinct music management tool would lead Apple to add iPod’s features to the most sold electronic device to date: the cell phone. Thus, you get a hybrid called the iPhone. This highly anticipated electronic trend setter without fault had numbers of people waiting in line at the Apple store in New York; iPod fans want to be among the first to explore some of the most innovative phone features to date. Among those features you will find a 3.5 inch touch screen (the largest of all smart phones), Wi-Fi connectivity, the most usage time of all smart phones, i.e. talk time, internet use, or video playback, and many more impressive characteristics. The iPhone has, thereby, revolutionized the cell phone industry to become a potential best designed and most admired phone of the decade.
Taking a step back into Apple's product history, and noticing how ancient the first products seem, compared to the sleek, "cool" products of today, will leave you feeling inspired. Apple has gained technological superiority over its competitors, but how and does Apple plan to continue its advantageous market share in such a rapid, fast-paced technological era? Apple has a cult like following, consumers who are anticipating and ready to purchase new Apple products as soon as they are released. Technology has become second nature and a very important aspect of millions of consumers' lives.
emerging or new market. It can originate from new technology or new market opportunities (Eliashberg, J., Lilien, G. L., & Rao, V. R. 1997). Literature defines product development as exploiting an untapped market opportunity and turning it into a value product for customer satisfaction. Development and introduction of a new product requires extensive research on understanding customer needs, market structure, emerging trends and analysing the internal & external competitive market environments. To evaluate customer satisfaction previous researches provide strong relationship between customer satisfaction and product quality, product features and value for money. ***
In the past two decades, a form of physical music has gone from almost obsolete to a growing industry that appears to be going nowhere but up, in sales and possibilities. Before the introduction of the Compact Disk by Sony and Phillips in 1982, Long Play albums, or LPs, were a booming industry in the music world (Liversidge). However, the convenience, portability, and durability of CDs lured music fans away from vinyl very quickly. But alas, as time goes on and types of music consumption evolve, more types of physical music continue to decline in sales. After the introduction of Napster in 1999, Pandora in 2004, and Spotify in 2011, CDs have become a thing of the past (Evren).
In relation to the iPod, the product has been innovated many times and has targeted different markets. The product has been improved and changed to provide better features for the customer
...P, 2005, p 23) Around 2005 cell phones and PDAs were referred to as Swiss army knives of gadgets due to the fact they had many functions in one device. All the big phone companies at the time were premiering phones with more mp3 storage than mp3 player, essentially foreshadowing the future. (Dempsey, P, 2005, pg. 23)An average smart phone in the year 2014 can hold around 8-16 gigabytes of data, and if storage is allotted correctly, the phone can hold thousands of mp3s. Any mp3 player trying to have a foothold in the consumer market cannot compete with a device that is an essential part of an average person’s daily life, and a music player. “Smartphones with increasingly high-quality audio and video capabilities have become popular and therefore hamper demand for products in the Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing industry.” (Krabeepetcharat, T. 2013. p. 8)