| Wednesday, September 1, 2004 |
11:45 - The iPod Is The Computer™
http://www.whatithinkiknow.com/Archive04/WIT20040901.html
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Aha! Damien Del Russo has identified the reason why Apple is marketing the new iMac by sticking it in shot with an iPod and tilted at the same angle:
As a consumer, I look at this a little differently. I should note, first, that I am not a big fan of all-in-one designs. Mostly, it’s because I feel the screens are wasted – my setup at home is a G4 and a separate 17” display. If I replace the G4, I can keep the display. Nonetheless, all-in-ones certainly have their place.
That’s where the new iMac comes in. This is not a computer aimed at existing Apple customers. Well, not Mac owners, that is. I think this product is designed to convert iPod owners into Mac users. Having the computer look so similar to the iPod gives assurance to the customer that the same great experience of the iPod is available with an actual computer.
And the small footprint makes it easy to squeeze into a small space. A 17” or 20” screen works as a DVD-player (or even TV) for a dorm room or office, which is emphasized by the wide-screen format and surround sound-capable output jack.
Apple is making two great pushes this year. First, they are clearly focusing on entertainment. The iPod, the new iMac-as-TV/DVD-player, Airport express for streaming music – these are not things that PCs have done in the past. Apple’s products look nice together and play nice together – and there is no unified competition. Jobs appears to be trying to dominate this market, as the iPod dominates the strictly-music market. And why not?
Absolutely. Apple has more momentum with the iPod than they've had with any other product in its history, I believe, depending on how you measure such things; it's certainly the biggest piece of good branding they've had since the original Macintosh, and probably more so still (since plenty of people ridiculed the Mac, but you have to dig hard to find people pooh-poohing the iPod). It's a no-brainer for them to be parlaying (there's that word again, John Gruber) their smash success in digital music into a new initiative to pump their primary business, the spiritual descendant of the pride of 1984, the all-in-one consumer Mac.
And the article also covers another major component to this puzzle: wireless. AirPort Express has been another runaway success, and Apple seems to be making the iMac as wireless as possible, with AirTunes for music and Bluetooth (optionally) for keyboard and mouse. It's all part of the same initiative, as Damien explains, and all poised to benefit from the same momentum.
I can't wait to see one of these babies in person. No, it's not the most original or groundbreaking thing on the planet; but it's pure Apple elegance, and customers are going to grok it far better than they grokked the weird but cool desk-lamp iMac. Especially if they're iPod owners who are just starting to think, "Hey, I guess maybe Apple is okay after all..."
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Brian Tiemann
