Apple Computer Inc. at a special event in San Francisco on Wednesday delivered what one analyst called a one - two punch . The release of the long - awaited iTunes phone and the debut of the sleek iPod nano put an already strong line - up of iPods in a skilful spot for the upcoming holiday buying season .
“ It ’s a one - two punch that covers all for the bases for Apple , ” Jupiter Research analyst , Michael Gartenberg , told MacCentral now following the event .
The unexampled Motorola ROKR is the first cubicle phone outfit with a translation of Apple ’s iTunes software program . The phone permit users transfer up to 100 songs from iTunes to their speech sound . Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed the crowd at the event today the similarity between the iPod Shuffle and the phone , get going so far as to describe the ROKR as “ an iPod shuffle on your phone . ”
Analysts , however , are not concerned that the ROKR will ache sales of the iPod Shuffle . mention the cost of the phone , Gartenberg conceive the two devices will appeal to different consultation .
“ This is clearly something that is meant to complement the iPod , not compete with it , ” say Gartenberg .
For Apple , the ROKR is going to allow longtime users another way to hear to their music , but it may also serve another , equally important function .
“ We cerebrate this is a upright chance for people to feel the iTunes Music Store for the first meter , ” said Eddy Cue , Apple ’s vice Chief Executive of iTunes .
The iTunes app received an service today adding several new features show during the event , but there are still other feature that Apple ’s Cue aver user would find as they start using the applications programme .
For instance , iTunes will automatically adjust the split filmdom so users pasture the iTunes Music Store can see the full record album review , limiting the amount of whitened distance depict under the song heel in the bottom Zen .
“ If you are a exploiter of iTunes , you will remark a great deal of subtle change that make thing sluttish , ” said Cue .
The iPod nano
Apple not only introduced a young product when they unveiled the iPod nano , they really lay off their most popular MP3 player , the iPod mini .
“ To vote out the mini is a really bluff step for Apple , ” said Jupiter ’s Gartenberg . “ Other company would have increased the capacity or add a choice of colors , but with their with child designers , Apple was able to bestow out a completely new , cool product . ”
With a wholly redesigned iPod to fill the mini ’s spot in the intersection control grid , Apple predicts that the nano will be the best merchandising iPod the ship’s company has ever farm .
“ We ca n’t stand up still . hoi polloi have had their sites on the iPod mini for the vacation buying time of year and we just changed everything , ” state Stan Ng , Apple ’s director of iPod Product Marketing . “ We continue to innovate ; our tagline says it all — Impossibly Small . ”
rival in the MP3 player food market is more and more unmanageable , but Apple continues to outpace all comers . With a download rate of 1.8 million song per day , an 82 per centum market share of legal medicine downloads in the U.S. and 74 percent market percentage for all MP3 player , Apple is clearly the securities industry drawing card .
While Apple is cognisant of its competition and certainly look out the marketplace and the trends , the company say they do n’t countenance it order how they operate .
“ contest is important and there are formable opposite out there , but that ca n’t run your long - term design , ” articulate Apple ’s Eddy Cue .
While many people may have wished for a twist outside of the medicine region from Apple today , Jupiter ’s Gartenberg thinks the nano is a full-grown mess for Apple and the diligence .
“ These announcements show the naysayers that trust Apple should release a video iPod that there is still a lot of life left in music , ” said Gartenberg .
