As I'm sure most of you are aware, Apple was set to make a big announcement today, and like lots of other people I was waiting eagerly to hear what cool new products the company would be launching. Well, Apple's now made that big announcement, and to say that I'm annoyed and disappointed would be putting things lightly.
On the one hand we get the long-expected ROKR phone, courtesy of a partnership with Motorola, and it turns out to be pretty much the overpriced cell-phone one expected it to be; on the other hand, we get the iPod nano, which was supposed to be the main focus of attention tonight, and what do you know but that it transpires that this flash-based player is actually an iPod mini replacement which will cost more for less capacity? It would be one thing if this iPod nano thing were simply being added to the product line, but no, Apple had to go kill the $199 (£139) 4GB mini which was far and away the best-selling item in the non-shuffle part of its product line.
I can understand why Apple would do something like this - out of a desire to raise the average selling price of its products for the sake of Wall Street's E.P.S. predictions - but from the viewpoint of someone who would rather opt for a shuffle-sized MP3 player when running or otherwise engaged in exercise, and who would prefer a larger capacity device at all other times, even if it's drive-based, Apple's iPod lineup has suddenly become a lot less appealing: why would I ever pay £140 for a 2GB player when I can get a 20GB Creative Zen for just £10 more? Way to go with the ripoff, Steve.
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