"Business Insider: Killing the Dreams of Pre-Pubescent Music Lovers Everywhere!"
At least, this is what I imagine the headlines would proclaim in a more-sane, sensible world. In a snide, cocksure article posted just moments ago entitled, "Now Is the Perfect Time for Apple to Kill the iPod: Here's Why", the business periodical asserts that it's time for Apple to slowly phase out production of the device that quite literally defines the previous decade. The portable device that weights very little and costs a small fortune that, along with Steve Jobs' maverick brilliance, brought the once-struggling behemoth from the brink of oblivion to one of the most powerful technology conglomerates of our age (if not THE most). Yes, the device that became the de facto means of media consumption for adolescents and young adults is now passe, and needs to be taken into the backyard and put down like a dog on its last legs.
After reading the initial paragraph of this audacious piece, I was taken aback by the author's certainty that the dissolution of Apple's iPod product line would be of great benefit to the company. If anything, it would hurt public perception of Jobs, Cook and co. Irreparably? Maybe not. However, it'd definitely take some time to recover.
The Death of A Trusted, Highly-Lauded and Legendary Product?
Putting the iPod out to pasture would mean many things, but most of all, you'll be inexplicably robbing the consumer of that which is most important: choice. What if, hypothetically, Jake Jones is in need of a portable music device, but doesn't want all of the flash of a touch screen player such as the Samsung Galaxy Wi-Fi or the iPod touch (which I tend to classify as something of a hybrid device that rests between an iPod classic and the iPhone)? Having been phased out, the iPod (in any of its non-touch screen iterations) is no longer an option, and it's going for exorbitant prices on online retailers such as eBay or Craig's List. Sure, there are countless knock-offs, but having been a devoted iPod aficionado for years, he's no longer able to use the product with which he's been acquainted with for years, and he's angry.
Seemingly out of options, decides to boycott Apple. This becomes an epidemic, and eventually Apple's once-loyal userbase begins to dwindle. It may not appear as though this grassroots rebellion put much of a damper on their financial earnings, but their relatively amicable public image has taken a hit. Image, to the corporate world, is everything. The way you present yourself to the world, the facade, is the most important means of convincing the consumer that your product -- your wares -- are not to be missed. I doubt Apple would be too keen on being perceived as the "big baddie who killed the music for Generation iPod". They seem to take pride on fostering a generation of self-absorbed, technologically sound kids. Unnerving and falling out of favor with a group that knows what it wants, is addicted to their products and feels a (peculiar) connection with them isn't good business. It's downright polarizing.
Cost, Cost, Cost!
Transitioning to flash drive-only devices would not only turn those with large music collections and suburban Timmy (whose parents refuse to shell out for an iPod touch or incur the iPhone's outlandish monthly fees), it would cause problems financially. It's already expensive to produce a thirty-two gigabyte flash drive for iPhones, iPads and the iPod touch. Incredibly so. Why would Apple cease production on a product that not only sells well, but is relatively affordable to assemble, produce and ship? This is what leaves me the most miffed.
Then, there are those of us with extensive digital libraries who want to take a significant portion of our music with us on the go, and with the current crop of iDevices, this just isn't possible. I can't even fit one-fifth of my collection onto my thirty-two gigabyte iPod touch, much less the sixty-four gig incarnation. Think about this for a moment. A one hundred and twenty-eight gigabyte iPod touch or iPhone would cost an exceedingly high amount to produce, thereby making them super premium devices that wouldn't be affordable to your average consumer. This is why the two hundred and fifty gigabyte iPod classic is still, for the serious music connoisseur, a necessity. Again, another potential means of income alienated and forced to look elsewhere for a media playing device. Bad move.
Give Us Options, Or Give Us Aiwa!
Disallowing users the means of choosing which version of the iPod that best suits their needs is poor business, terrible PR and, in my not-so-humble opinion, foolish. Though no longer seen as the top-of-the-line, premium device that it was circa '01-'04, the iPod classic (among other forms) is an iconic product that deserves recognition for turning the media on its head and leading to, for better or worse, our ability to immediately access our video and music collections at the blink of an eye.
Despite your views on the issue, there's something to be said for innovation.
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