"Fad or not, ipods are here to stay."
NOT!
Cellphones will quickly become a "do everything" device. Hell, my cellphone which is going on 2 year old technology does everything an ipod does, full pda, gps, internet browser, etc, and watch TV if I paid for the service.
Ipods are just a fad.
BTW, the Treo 650 is one AWESOME phone.
Ipods will evolve... they are not a fad..
C
I think that the Apple name - even if it isn't the best technology - and a number of other factors mean the iPod is here to stay.
I just bought an iPod video last week (having already had a Shuffle and a 2Gen model) and, I've just got to say, I love the thing.
The biggest things Apple has going for it are:
1) iTunes.
2) Name recognition.
I bought my first iPod because, having used iTunes to buy stuff, it was the easiest way to export it to an MP3 player.
My iPod video also serves as a sort of PVR (I bought their damned proprietary video cable), it's just great.
Apple is working on iPhone. Stay tuned...
I have heard rumors
Google is going to team
with Apple and make
some kind of add-on
to the iPod that cheaply
will turn the iPod
into a whiz-bang
do-everything web browser
and everything else . . .
Posting from a 650 right now.
Posting on a Treo 650 right now.
Not necessarily. All-in-ones don't always do well. I used to have Palm and a nice cell phone, then I bought a combo Palm/cell and I don't believe it does either role well as well as the standalone products I had. Plus, why buy a phone (which usually comes with contract, etc.) when all you want is a music player? And then there's the fact that many places won't let cell phones in because of noise or security, so you lose your tunes when you're there.
It's just personal opinion as to whether all-in-one is better, but the iPod will be here for a while for these reasons among others.
Most of the people buying iPods are not looking for a do everything device. They are looking for a music player and when its the size of a business card and only a bit thicker its not like having an iPod and a phone are going to cause clutter.
Hell, my cellphone which is going on 2 year old technology does everything an ipod does, full pda, gps, internet browser, etc, and watch TV if I paid for the service.
If the capability is out there I wonder why people are not doing it in bigger numbers? hell according to this there should no no market for PO MP# players *period*.
Ipods are just a fad.
Define Fad. Ipods are going on 6 years old and selling as well as ever. They have evolved and refined their product without throwing useless features on it. If what you say is true the whole idea of a dedicate Audio Player / Video Device is a fad..
None of the attempts in that direction are ready for prime time. I have a cell phone with a calendar (that I haven't been able to Bluetooth-sync to my PC), a USB drive (if I remember to bring a somewhat bulky cable), an MP3 player (that requires another custom cable to connect the headphones), and an alarm (which actually works reasonably well). The dedicated Palm unit works better on all counts (except that the MP3 player hisses like a bathed cat).