Apple never seems to cease delivering innovative products that make the lines at the Apple Store so long that it seems one needs to bring three square meals, a sleeping bag and a latrine to make it through. At the close of Apple's hyped-up event held on September 1, we all got an inside look at a revamped iPod lineup, a more compact and more affordable Apple TV and Ping, a new social network and a way to discover music within iTunes.
First, I think it is interesting Apple live-streamed their launch event exclusively to viewers who have an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Macintosh computer. The company knows they have a captive audience and I think adding this exclusivity element only enticed or will entice non-Apple consumers to make the switch. All and all, this is just another typical PR stunt Apple employs to boost hype around their products and make them appear larger than life then they already are. This translates into consumers wanting something that is so "out of reach" that they have to have it.
As with the new products, Apple's new social network Ping seems interesting, and somewhat like Twitter will let end-users follow others to see their music habits and comments of friends and artists of interest. Tech pundits seem to be divided - some are saying Apple's new social network Ping will ultimately eliminate existing services like MySpace, while others question the need for an additional social network. Will I use it? Probably not, at least not at the present time....my bucket is a little too full right now.
On to Apple TV. It is definitely noteworthy that Apple dramatically decreased the price of this product from $99 down from $229 and also decreased the size of the hardware to a quarter of the previous version. Renting shows now only cost $0.99, previously $2.99 or $1.99, and now iTunes movie rentals will be offered day in date with traditional DVD rentals. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming launch of Google TV will compare to the Apple TV...I'm sure it will stir up a news frenzy and an ongoing battle between these two tech giants. According to Gartner analyst Van Baker, the revamp of Apple TV marks an improvement, but he questions how popular the device will be initially. "Will it be a massive hit?", Baker asks. "Not yet. Apple has to get the other networks on board." Do I think I will buy Apple TV right away? My answer is similar - Not yet.
Finally on to the new iPods. According to Steve Jobs, Apple has gone wild with new models. He called it "the biggest change ever in our iPod lineup". In addition to a complete redesign of the new Shuffle, Nano and Touch models, new features specifically to the Touch include cameras on front and back, which gives end-users the ability to engage in Apple's FaceTime video chats. According to Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin the new iPod Touch could be a game changer for the company and predicts FaceTime is going to be huge. Will I buy one of these products soon? - most likely yes, since my veteran iPod is one of the originals and acts and looks very ancient.
Lastly, I wonder if Steve Jobs and Chris Martin are bff's. To be honest I am pretty jealous since Coldplay has been one of my favorite bands since I first saw them play in a tiny venue quite a few years ago. It is amazing to see how far Coldplay and Apple have come - congrats to them.
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