iLounge

1

Not sure what is meaning of “any PC user can now buy and listen to digital music using Apple products”. At present iTunes for PC is available along with iPod for Windows as well as Mac. What is great about HP-iPod deal. The only good thing (or bad) which I’m seeing is Apple is trying to follow Windows by giving iTunes as already installed player on HP machines. This way people will not need to download iTunes. And strategically this is same as tying IE with Windows.

Posted by Mehul Joshi on January 12, 2004 at 8:47 AM (PST)

2

I still think apple sold out big time. The pale-grey blue does away with what makes the ipod gorgeous. Looking at the HP logo on the silver back puts a tear in my eye. Only the apple logo belongs there.

Posted by Ferrari on January 12, 2004 at 9:40 AM (PST)

3

I agree - what was brilliant was iPod and iTunes for windows - that ALREADY gave any PC user the ability to get with the program.  Now the precious is just, well, headin’ towards ordinary fast!

Posted by Daddo on January 12, 2004 at 11:36 AM (PST)

4

Zealots!!

This is a brilliant marketing move on the part of both HP and Apple.  For once, Apple has designed and built a good product at a competitive price and is showing the brains to market it wisely.

This will put the iPod in the hands of millions of people who wouldn’t have otherwise bought it, whether because they won’t buy Apple, don’t think it is compatible or whatever.  Why do you think GM makes the same car with multiple nameplates?  To get people who would never drive a Pontiac if their life depended on it to buy it anyway, with a Chevy badge on it.

It’s overly sentimental, myopic thinking like yours that has caused Apple to fail to gain any market share.

Posted by rdlink on January 12, 2004 at 2:37 PM (PST)

5

I think Apple’s move is good, regardless of how Apple fanatics might feel. However, this article is full of #### when it says that “finally” PC users can use the iPod. We all know that’s a total lie.

Posted by ketsugi on January 12, 2004 at 2:46 PM (PST)

6

One word: hpDJ

http://www-uk.hpl.hp.com/people/dave_cliff/hpdj.htm

Settings>Mix>On

Posted by jjtime4sko on January 12, 2004 at 7:30 PM (PST)

7

I wonder if this means that HP will place a larger emphasis on including FireWire in their PCs…

Posted by Anthony N Evans on January 13, 2004 at 5:01 AM (PST)

8

Antony,

I don’t think so.  My guess is that HP is going to sell their HP branded Ipod with a USB 2 only cable (not the dual USB2/Firewire cable I’m currently using at the office) in view of the fact that most new PCs have USB2 by default, not firewire. Unless I’m mistaken, Minipods are going to be shipped with USB2 only cables. 

Posted by hhvuong on January 13, 2004 at 6:36 AM (PST)

9

hhvuong: From the Apple web site:

“Your iPod mini includes both a FireWire and a USB 2.0 cable for high-speed transfer from your Mac or PC.”

Posted by Atomic Bomb in Mid-Atlantic on January 13, 2004 at 6:48 AM (PST)

10

The reason I bring it up is because I thought you couldn’t charge your iPod over USB2.

Posted by Anthony N Evans on January 13, 2004 at 10:57 AM (PST)

11

Correct. The iPod mini also ships with an AC adapter for “FireWire-challenged” consumers.

Posted by Atomic Bomb in Mid-Atlantic on January 13, 2004 at 11:02 AM (PST)

12

And strategically this is same as tying IE with Windows.

Not even close.  IE and Windows are of course both MS products.  When MS started including IE in Windows, they also started saying don’t include Netscape on the desktop.  They even threatened to not sell Windows to those vendors that wanted to include Netscape - this is part of what their court case was about. 

Also, once they started including it in the OS, it became difficult or impossible to remove it.  You can easily remove iTunes from Windows and Apple certainly doesn’t have the power to threaten other vendors if they don’t carry iTunes.

So - big difference

Posted by Jeff on January 14, 2004 at 11:49 AM (PST)