Posted by Ablang on 10/24/05 05:26

One iPod just might not be enough
By Christopher Caskey -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, October 15, 2005
Story appeared in Scene section, Page K1

Ready to show the world that you're on top of your tech trends with
your new, "impossibly small" iPod Nano? Sorry, you're too late.

Just five weeks after reaching the top of digital music's evolutionary
ladder with the ultra-sleek Nano, the iPod has been rendered outdated
by, well, another iPod.

Apple's newest model, unveiled this week, holds the standard iPod fare
of music and photos, but plays video as well.

Ever-loyal iPod fans are tripping over themselves to stay ahead of the
curve. Constant upgrading is the price they willingly pay to keep from
becoming technologically obsolete.

UCDavis Health
Since the first iPod was introduced in October 2001, there have been
five generations, as well as three smaller spawns - the Mini, the
Shuffle and the Nano.

Jeremy Horwitz, editor of ilounge.com, says it is "very common" for
people who already own an iPod to purchase another one.

"Higher-end iPods are status items," Horwitz says, adding that some
people will buy a backup iPod Mini or Nano for working out or other
activities so they don't scratch or damage their more-expensive iPod.

On Horwitz's Web site, which is filled with iPod news, reviews,
discussion forums and other information, users post their desire to
pick up the newest iPod and add it to their collections.

"There is an iPod culture for sure," he says. "It has really become a
big part of people's lives."

Digital music players have quickly become mainstream. One in five
people under age 30 own some sort of MP3 player, according to a survey
conducted by PEW Internet and American Life Project. The iPod is by
far the giant in the industry, with 28 million sold. Apple's iPods
account for about 75 percent of the digital music player market.

To provide content for its new offering, Apple has signed a deal with
the Walt Disney Co. to offer commercial-free versions of television
programs such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost." Consumers can
download episodes for $1.99 from the Apple iTunes site the day after
they run on network TV.

Jason Melthratter, a 22-year-old who lives in midtown Sacramento,
already owns two iPods - a regular and a Mini. He likes what he has
heard about the new video-ready model, and wants to purchase one as
soon as he can afford it - the $299 price tag is a bit steep for him
right now.

Melthratter is looking to upgrade because he wants more space for his
growing music collection, which consists of everything from punk to
Prince. He has noticed that a lot of people view iPods as some sort of
status symbol.

"They'll have (one) already," he says. "Then the new Mini comes out
and they go, 'Look, it matches my purse.' "

A self-proclaimed "computer dork," Melthratter understands the desire
to keep up with the times, technologically speaking. He "constantly
sees the need to have better, faster parts" on his computers.

"It's that way with any technology thing," Melthratter says.

John DiPietro, who owns the marketing firm ABC/D in Boston, also finds
that the desire for consumers to stay up-to-date extends beyond the
iPod. People will always look for the "latest, greatest, biggest and
smallest," even if they don't need it, he says.

"There's a snob appeal to it," he said. "Someone with a Hummer will go
out and get an H2."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/tech/story/13712596p-14555020c.html


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"I don't care (if I get booed). I don't know any of those people. As long as my kids tell me that they love me, I'm fine. My motto is, when people talk about me, I say, 'Who are they? They're not God.' If God was out there booing me, I'd be upset."
-- Bonzi Wells, Sacramento Kings
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