Posted on 09/26/2005 1:17:24 PM PDT by Cicero
At a leadership seminar in California Friday, Motorola CEO Ed Zander talked about his role in rebuilding the phone maker's brand. But when answering a question from the audience about the iPod Nano, Zander apparently lost his cool saying, "Screw the Nano. What the hell does the Nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs?"
Motorola, however, has fired back and claims IDG News Service, which first reported the outburst, is taking the comment completely out of context. Company officials say Zander was smiling and joking when he responded to the question, and he did praise Apple and its iPod.
"Motorola has a great partnership with Apple. Unfortunately Ed Zander's comments, made at a conference in California on Friday, were taken out of context," Motorola said in a statement.
The iTunes-capable ROKR has been met with a fairly cold reception since the start. Even on the day of its debut, Apple's Nano stole the show and Motorola was left on the sidelines as Steve Jobs wowed the crowds with a new iPod no thicker than a #2 pencil.
"During the Q&A session one questioner repeatedly and insistently asked what Zander thought of the Nano. Jokingly, Zander said he wasn't there to talk about the Nano - but to talk about the next big thing happening in the industry - the fusion of the phone and music. ROKR with iTunes was a good beginning, he said, and there's more to come," the statement continued.
Motorola says that the 1,000 song remark was simply a joke in response to part of the question that asked why the ROKR only held a maximum of 100 songs. It has been widely reported that Apple -- not Motorola -- imposed the restriction to keep the iTunes phone from affecting sales of the iPod.
Nonetheless, Motorola is working hard to clean up the public relations debacle, even though Zander himself has no problems with the new iPod. Sources tell BetaNews that Zander actually bought two Nanos following the product's launch.
Screw the Nano. What the hell does the Nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs?
What the hell does the Nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs?"
That is exactly what I asked when my wife and two daughers each HAD to have their own IPODs at hundreds of dollars each.
In case you are keeping score, I lost the arguement and we now have three plus big BOSE speakers to attach them to and plug ins for the car and extra headsets....
I told my wife no more buying anything until I buy stock in the company first!
"Nano nano!"
Hello, Moto.
-- Bill Gates
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It seems as if Ed has no clue as to what's happening in his industry. Another CEO who should be sent back to accounting.
If companies Apple and Motorola are going to worry about hurt feelings I say screw them both.
Why is it news that this man said "screw the Nano"
What is it I'm missing?
Apple knows a PR opportunity when it sees it.
Clearly somebody does...
"Screw the Nano. What the hell does the Nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs?"
That's what I always wonder too. But then I'm not really a music buff.
I think what drives a lot of gadgetry sales is simple one-upsmansip.
I and my shares in Apple say thank you.(:-)
The Ipod Shuffle is only $99 and you can store 120 songs on it.
You can change the playlist when you get bored of them.
The question is "Who listens to more than 120 songs that doesn't have the time to simply change the playlist every now and then?"
There are probably less than two dozen songs I listen to in any given week. A player that holds 100 songs is just fine for me. When I tire of those songs, I will simply load new ones.
Amen.....Accountants-turned CEOs are the dregs of industry.
p.s. Yes, I speak from years of experience.
It's news because the comment would indicate just how out of touch the guy is with one of the most profitable markets on the planet.
*Yawn*
Nano food and fuel this winter. We need to see nano sheep, but we will see huge sheep- HELP ME GOVERNMENT! Get a life
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