^tell that to half the country who owns an ipod.

3/15/2009 4:24:48 PM

Haha, I wish I could but fuck it, prettiness sells, that's that the way it is.

3/15/2009 4:30:47 PM

Quote :

"Almost always, price means the most. Features and functions only means so much when the device is really purchased for one thing, and that's to play music. If it plays music like it should, then all the bells and whistles are really unnecessary when you have to pay huge marked-up price to that of a comparable item to preform the essential function, and that's to play music. Extra features/functions or not, they are all easy to use."

This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. So glad the world doesn't think like that because we'd all be riding around on horses and model-t's if they did.

3/15/2009 4:44:42 PM

You REALLY call that an analogy?

Wow.

I refuse to ever acknowledge anything you have to say henceforth.

[Edited on March 15, 2009 at 4:50 PM. Reason : /]

3/15/2009 4:47:38 PM

All it needs to do is play music... everything else is just bells and whistles that are really unnecessary.

All it needs to do is get you from point A to B... everything else is just bells and whistles that are really unnecessary.

Quote :

"I refuse to ever acknowledge anything have to say henceforth."

and you're missing a word in that sentence for it to make any kind of sense.

3/15/2009 4:50:06 PM

Quote :

"Almost always, price means the most. Features and functions only means so much when the device is really purchased for one thing, and that's to play music. If it plays music like it should, then all the bells and whistles are really unnecessary when you have to pay huge marked-up price to that of a comparable item to preform the essential function, and that's to play music. Extra features/functions or not, they are all easy to use."

Seedless is absolutely correct. Proof positive? Look at the iPhone. Subsidizing the phone down to that magical 200$ price point got people on board. 200 bucks is the mass-market price point. It's the same for video game system, home audio, digital cameras, and almost everything else that is an electronic luxury item.

What seedless left out the reason that the bells and whistles don't matter, and why people pay the premium. It's because of perceived style. They pay a little more for the Apple because it carries social status with it, and other people think it's beautiful.

It's a lot of the same reason that drive the car industry (and makes your analogy fucking retarded). The only thing added with cars, is they all have a very finite life-span to begin with.

Quote :

"you don't buy apple because of price point. you buy apple because of functionality, quality, and features."

YOU might buy Apple products for that reason. The average Joe buys the one he can afford. Shuffle's make up 30% of all iPod sales. And iPods are inexpensive.

3/15/2009 6:11:33 PM

that is some retarded shit.

People might by one apple product over another because of price point. But they do not buy an apple product over a competitors similar product because of price point.

The average joe will buy a shuffle/iPod because its better than similar products... not because its cheaper or because it says Apple on the box.

and my analogy still works because what seedless is saying that everything other than a device's primary function (i.e. play music) is useless bells and whistles. That is some seriously backwards ass thinking. Its just like all the 'bells and whistles' of a car don't really play a direct roll into getting you from point A to B. It just makes it a more enjoyable and comfortable journey.

Quote :

"YOU might buy Apple products for that reason. The average Joe buys the one he can afford. Shuffle's make up 30% of all iPod sales. And iPods are inexpensive."

Thats how I buy any product... not just Apple products. If I can't afford it, I don't buy it because I refuse to waste money on something I'm not going to be happy with just because it was in my price range.

[Edited on March 15, 2009 at 7:39 PM. Reason : .]

3/15/2009 7:34:58 PM

Quote :

"The average joe will buy a shuffle/iPod because its better than similar products... not because its cheaper or because it says Apple on the box. and my analogy still works because what seedless is saying that everything other than a device's primary function (i.e. play music) is useless bells and whistles. That is some seriously backwards ass thinking. Its just like all the 'bells and whistles' of a car don't really play a direct roll into getting you from point A to B. It just makes it a more enjoyable and comfortable journey."

Actually they buy it just because it says Apple on the box. Better or not doesn't matter. It's the same reason people buy any lifestyle branded item. They want the recognition of the brand as much or more than they want the quality of the actual product (it just happens that Apple makes really high quality products too).

And your analogy doesn't work at all. He was talking about homogeneous markets (i.e. an mp3 player) where everything other than the primary function *is* really useless bells and whistles. People by and large don't buy new cars because of bells and whistles either. They buy cars because the old one has worn out, or because they want something new. The features are a decision maker between models, not a decision to buy in the first place.

3/15/2009 11:11:01 PM

^you obviously missed the point I was making. I'm not talking about buying a new car because the old one wore out. I'm talking about manufacturers adding better features and innovative technology. Moving forward not staying in the same place because it works.

Give an example of useless bells and whistles on an ipod/shuffle. Its all about making it a better user experience. I would think even you could understand and appreciate that.


Apple has their name brand recognition for a reason. It wasn't always the case with Apple. I would say they've come a long way and their quality and user experience is mostly responsible.

[Edited on March 15, 2009 at 11:30 PM. Reason : .]

3/15/2009 11:27:35 PM

3 weeks later

still dumb

still much easier to reach down to a fixed position on my waist and adjust than trying to grab moving earphone wires

dumb

dumb

dumb

3/27/2009 10:11:37 AM

have you used it?
i'm curious how much your earphone cables actually move....

3/27/2009 10:15:11 AM

mine run up my back because i dont want a fucking wire in my way while im running

no matter what argument you try to make

its fucking dumb

3/27/2009 10:16:41 AM

I also always run my headphone wires down my shirt to keep it out of the way.

3/27/2009 11:17:17 AM

^^ oh, well, in that case, you must be right. I can't believe they didn't consult you on the decision

^ me too, but it looks to me like the controls would be somewhere near your chin or neck

3/27/2009 11:35:34 AM

its just a shame to disenfranchise a segment of the population to force them to use the product the way they want you to use it

but that's Apple's MO, so i should have just expected it

hopefully they dont stop selling the 2G for a while

i'll just buy 2 or 3 extra since i end up going through one a year or so

3/27/2009 2:17:04 PM

what makes you wear them out so quickly?
My wife has been using a 2G shuffle for 2.5 years and I'm using a 3.5 year old Nano, and they're both going strong.

and "disenfranchisement" is a bit of a strong word.... every product and every design makes tradeoffs that will undoubtedly make some people unhappy.

3/27/2009 2:22:48 PM

^^You not wanting to even consider a behavior change does not make the shuffle a bad product.

In fact, I'll be glad to discuss with you how, for RUNNING, having the controls at your neck line is a much less strenuous action than having them at your waist. There's a LOT of data to back this up, and it doesn't come from MP3 land.

If you don't like it, don't buy it. And you must be doing some crazy shit to ruin an shuffle in a year.

3/27/2009 2:33:44 PM

oh ive considered it

and its not what i want to do

it's very easy to yank an earbud out of your ear with wires hanging down and loose...i run mine from the right side of my waist up under my shirt on the back and then up to my ear with the floating earbud sennheisers i posted earlier.

its a great system. i can go straight from a run, to the gym, (which is what i usually do) without any real hassle or thought to the music going into my ears

also, its not that i havent considered a non-apple mp3 player

but if I'm already bought into the "itunes" system of data transfer between my ipod/shuffle/etc with my music playlists, and then it's a small hassle that didn't exist prior.

but go ahead and tell me why im wrong because that's what you do.

3/27/2009 3:32:27 PM

nothing you said is "wrong". But just because your use-case doesn't match the new Shuffle's design doesn't make the shuffle design "dumb". It just means this design isn't for you. BFD.

but maybe you will be vindicated in the end - i wouldn't be surprised if in another year or two another Shuffle design comes out that is as small or smaller than the current one, but adds some control or screen (like an OLED) into the body of the shuffle.

3/27/2009 3:35:05 PM

bump

9/1/2010 4:13:56 PM

of course some of you will say this doesn't prove me right

and im not saying it does either

but they don't just revert back to a previous design for kicks.

i've since gotten used to the inline controls on my ipod touch, but that's because im generally NOT moving when using them. sitting on a train/plane/car, etc.

i will stand by my statement that the 3G design was just fucking stupid for use in athletic pursuits.

for the segment that just buys the cheapest ipod, then yes, who cares. but there is a constituency for this ipod that is not them.

[Edited on September 1, 2010 at 4:21 PM. Reason : .]

9/1/2010 4:19:06 PM

ahahahhah epic


B-money wins this thread

9/2/2010 6:34:55 PM

Quote :

"you don't buy apple because of price point. you buy apple because of functionality, quality, and features."

[Edited on September 3, 2010 at 2:25 AM. Reason : sip the kool-aid homey, don't gulp it]

9/3/2010 2:25:22 AM

From page one:

Quote :

"I know i know i know that everybody here will be "well, I carry 2 extra batteries for my blackberry and upgrade my desktop weekly", but you also hang out in a forum called "Tech Talk"."

and thats why I, don't buy this shit.

...except for this stupid phone, that I hate, but wouldn't trade for any other phone currently being produced.

9/3/2010 8:42:16 PM