iPod or iPhone

[internetfavs]

Will the ipod dissapear and be replaced by iphones?

internetfavs

[kornchild2002]

I don't think the iPod line can entirely disappear but I have no doubt Apple is slowly killing it off. There will always be a market for portable media players as not everyone wants to sign up for a two year contract or pay $500 to carry around a 10" tablet. That being said, Apple is definitely applying more R & D towards the iPhone and iPad and seems intent on keeping the iPod lineup where its at. Apple hasn't updated anything in the iPod lineup since 2010 (except for adding white as a color to the iPod touch, big deal) and they might do a repeat of that this year, I don't know.

Actually, I think Apple might release an updated iPod touch but put a single-core A5 processor in it much like they did for the Apple TV. That would allow the iPod touch to play some of the more modern apps without relying on the same dual-core chip found in the iPhone 4S. Other than that, I don't really think anything else will happen to iPods. I could be wrong and all of this is my own conjecture. We won't really know what Apple will do until they officially announce. Until then, EVERYTHING that you read (even if it is from a super secret reliable inside source) is simply rumor or conjecture.

[Darren Scott]

Well I am expecting far better versions of mobiles than present iphone and ipod. I don't see both of them in future. I believe the next more improved smart phone versions will be developed in Asia. So to me ipods as well as iphones both are dead in future.

[Zozam]

I think it will. The iphone has got everthing you want, from games, calling people ect. However I do see them making better ipods

[kornchild2002]

Originally Posted by Darren Scott

Well I am expecting far better versions of mobiles than present iphone and ipod. I don't see both of them in future. I believe the next more improved smart phone versions will be developed in Asia. So to me ipods as well as iphones both are dead in future.

This, by far, has to be one of the strangest things I have ever read. You don't think that a phone consuming more than 30% of the smartphone marketshare is going to be around in the future? Android may have over 50% right now and that will likely climb but there are many, many, many different Android manufacturers. That 50% is being shared by Samsung, Motorola, HTC, and all of those no name crappy Asian developed phones. The iPhone's 30% marketshare is held by Apple alone and only with a few different models (mainly the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S since the average iPhone customer upgrades once every 21 months).

Yeah, I would like to see your math with the logic that you pulled from your butt.

[jasoncordelle]

I think the iPod lineup is still seen as a gateway drug to iPhone ownership - functionally, theyre getting closer - just not physically.

Personally, I'd like to see an iPod touch and an iPod Nano both sold for as long as there is a market for them - I think they serve a purpose and as KC said - there's a good reason some people buy iPod Touches - they don;t necessarily want a mobile phone or a tablet...

Personally, I'd be fine with my kids having an iPod, but wouldn't be fine with them having an iPhone. They won't be getting a cell phone until they're at least 13 AND able to pay the running costs.

[Astro_Digital]

I bought 160 Classic last week, because "I only needed a music player", crazy me.

Do not use my iPod for Angry Birds, mail, or browsing...... always be a market for MP3 players/.

[jasoncordelle]

Originally Posted by Astro_Digital

I bought 160 Classic last week, because "I only needed a music player", crazy me.

Do not use my iPod for Angry Birds, mail, or browsing...... always be a market for MP3 players/.

Wow...what a weirdo...buying a music player...for MUSIC???!!!

Man...takes all sorts, I guess.

[sonosuser]

What % of Apples turnover comes from music playing devices? if it is significant, they would be ill advised to stagnate development of the iPod line.

[kornchild2002]

In the second quarter of 2011, Apple sold 7.5 million iPods. iPod sales haven't been that low since 2005 when the iPod was still relatively new and expensive. Those sales are still enough to turn a profit for Apple but not as much of one from the 4 million Macs, 9.25 million iPads, and 20.3 million iPhones they sold during the same quarter. In fact, overall PC sales had been down by 6% that quarter but Mac sales increased by 8.5% (which is why Apple is the number 3 PC maker in terms of volume).

So it is still profitable but not nearly as much as it used to be. There was a time when iPod sales brought in more revenue than Macs but that isn't the case. The iPhone is cannibalizing sales that would have otherwise gone towards the iPod. There will always be a market for people that just want a portable audio/video player but it is drastically decreasing and there will likely be a point when Apple stops supporting it. Hell, Apple is one of the few companies still supporting those types of people as many others have stopped. Walk into Best Buy and you will see four different types of iPods on display yet there will only be 5-6 players from different companies. Most tend to revolve around taking an Android smartphone, removing the cellular capabilities, putting 8GB of storage in it, and calling it a day.

Portable mp3 player sales have been decreasing since 2008 while smartphone and tablet sales keep increasing. It's only a matter of time until one of those markets collapses and people will be forced to purchase a smartphone even if they just want a portable media player.

[jasoncordelle]

The only ones who still seem to be taking the music/video player market seriously (at least locally) are Sony, with their contuing Walkman line - in saying that, the technology is being constantly shuffled into their mobile phone range to provide a better music player for their smart (and non-smart) phones.

I can see whay they'd want to continue the development, but with small market share and a growing phone market, through having Android smartphones etc, I don't really see a long-term future for the stand-alone Walkman - unless they're cheap to make/highly profitable.
Samsung, on the other hand, do exactly as kornchild stated above - Here's a Galaxy (insert letter) we took the cellular chip out of! Hey presto! a media player!

[kornchild2002]

Sony and SanDisk still put a lot of development into their portable players, about as much as Apple has. Given the financial issues Sony is currently facing, I wouldn't be surprised if they cut down on some of the products that they develop like their portable mp3 players and their sucky, sucky tablets that focus more on gimmicks than actual, usable features.

SanDisk is still focusing on the small capacity region to compete with the iPod nano. The only issue is that Apple has priced the nano rather competitively and it is extremely small. Even the smallest SanDisk Sansa Clip has a higher volume than the iPod nano. Creative used to develop a lot but they have kind of stopped.

Either way, the market is baron these days for portable mp3 players. Back around 2004-2005, there used to be multiple players from multiple companies. Rio, Creative, SanDisk, Sony, RCA, Dell (yes, that Dell), and many others had at least 3-4 players on the market to compete with Apple and their iPod minis and full sized iPods. Not anymore.

[Jblock123]

And though I choose iPod.

[rksst228]

I prefer iPhone :-)

[awebuser]

I think there is definitely still a market for iPods. I like to use the shuffle when I go to the gym, I wouldn't want to have the phone with me while I am training, it's a bit big. I also like how you can put the ipod in an armband and just go.