02.02.05
iPods at Microsoft
Wired has an interesting article today about Microsoft employees and their iPods. It’s very encouraging, but not surprising. I’ve tried a few of the other MP3 players out there—some are cheaper, some are smaller, some have all sorts of features like FM radio and built-in voice recording—but none approach the usability and elegance of the iPod. I have a third-generation 20GB iPod, and when it dies I’ll buy another. I plan on getting an iPod shuffle soon, too.
It was interesting watching industry reaction to the iPod shuffle—by which I mean not the reviews and other media coverage, but the response of other MP3 player manufacturers. They said the technology was old, it didn’t have anything new to offer, and it wouldn’t be usable without a screen. Less than a month has passed, and those same competitors are now dropping their prices in an attempt to compete. Apple stores can’t keep the shuffle in stock—most have a waiting list of around 120 buyers.
What those companies either didn’t realize or didn’t want to admit is that the shuffle couldn’t help but be popular at this point, because only on an iPod can you play music from the iTunes Music Store. That means more exclusive tracks, more celebrity playlists (turns out Andrew Lloyd Webber likes Eminem), and more overall selection than you’ll get from any other legitimate source of music online. With that kind of momentum behind it, the shuffle doesn’t need a screen to be successful. Besides, if you’re in a situation where looking at a screen would be pracitical, Apple suggests an iPod, iPod photo, or iPod mini. If you’re jogging, you don’t need a screen—take an iPod shuffle.
So I’m glad to learn that white headphones are a familiar sight in Redmond, but I’m not surprised. Apple got this one exactly right. They released a good product with a good online service supporting it. They enticed people to use that online service by offering good software for free, and by securing exclusive content that people actually wanted. They timed everything perfectly—they didn’t put a lot of money into catching the early adopters, but they also didn’t take on the burden of entering a mature market with a new product. And they understood, as they always do, the importance of design and the “cool factor.” Microsoft didn’t. So now Microsoft employees wear their iPods to work, and it’s not because they’re not loyal, but because it’s the best product in its class and offers music they can’t get on a Microsoft-backed player.
Besides, if Microsoft wants to hire the best and brightest tech workers, it should expect to learn from those employees. If the they overwhelmingly choose a competing product, it says a lot more about the product than the employees.
Taika Said:
February 3, 2005 at 10:55 pm
It makes so much sense that Andrew Lloydd Weber likes Eminem. Their music is remarkably similar, just completely different genres. That remark made my whole day.
slow day, but still.