Editorial: Apple’s music events have lost their luster
updated 07:20 pm EDT, Sun August 29, 2010
Opinion on Apple's events
Apple announced recently that it plans to hold an event on September 1. Although exact details of the event are unknown, it will undoubtedly revolve around music. In fact, most say that the company will unveil a new iPod touch that boasts several iPhone 4-like features, including FaceTime and a front-facing camera. Apple is also rumored to be unveiling an Apple TV sequel, the iTV.
Maybe it’s me, and I have been watching Apple events for far too long, but I’m not all that excited about the company’s announcement. I’m sure that some of the products, including the iTV, will find their way into my home, but the hype and excitement that used to surround these “music events” just aren’t there anymore.
The reason why is simple: the iPhone. When Apple announced the iPhone back in 2007, all bets were off. It was a groundbreaking product that delivered the most unique experience of the year. And much of the attention since then has been placed on that device. Some attention has also been given to Apple’s iPad. Although it wasn’t as groundbreaking as the iPhone, the device is selling extremely well, and most would agree that it’s one of the better products Apple has offered.
Meanwhile, the iPod, once the device that led Apple’s hardware business, has been relegated to the “other” product the company sells. It’s a device that, due to the iPhone, has been forgotten. And current Apple smartphone owners would almost unanimously agree that, due to the iPhone’s music functions, there isn’t a whole lot of value in the iPod anymore. The iPod touch might do a lot, but it can’t place calls. That alone makes it a hobbled competitor to the iPhone; it's much easier to have one device that does everything than carry two.
Of course, it’s not all Apple’s fault. The market as a whole is changing. Years ago, much of the focus in the mobile market was on personal media players like the iPod because the hardware simply wasn't there for a unified gadget. Today, we’re most concerned about smartphones and tablets, both of which can cover the iPod's role just as well in the right context.
So, while I and many others will be watching to see what Apple has to say on Wednesday, I doubt it will be all that exciting. Sure, an update to iTunes would be great, and I would like to get my hands on the new iTV. But with a new iPod touch coming, and probably some refreshes to the other iPods not far behind, I have a feeling I’ll be awfully bored.
And I’ll bet many others will be too.
By Don Reisinger
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2007
Interesting....
Good lord! Can we simply wait to see what the event IS before reaching a conclusion, however tentative.
Waiting for the event requires both patience and facts, both sadly laking in American reportage and discourse lately.
Why all the hype to report on something BEFORE it happens? Can we just be patient? Can we let a person with whom we are conversing finish their thought or must we interrupt? Are we so desperate for needless words? Do we need to hear ourselves this much?
Is this kind of pre-reporting, like the movie that featured "future crimes," a logical extension of "news" becoming a commodity - where hype, volume, and opinion beat out journalism?
Granted, iPods are becoming peripheral as iPhones (and similar devices) absorb the niche the iPod formerly occupied, but that doesn't make the function any less.