With the iPod start the means for Apple Computer Inc. ’s charge into the consumer market , NPD Group psychoanalyst Ross Rubin said the iPod is reach out iconic condition . While the iPod Shuffle aim to openly compete with many other players in the MP3 mart , the upcoming release of iLife ’ 05 may quietly imperil product of third - party developers .

“ They just have incredible brand impulse at this pointedness — it is certainly the hot intersection this twelvemonth , ” Rubin told MacCentral . “ The iPod is Apple ’s hot Cartesian product since the Macintosh and it has transform an industriousness , just like the Mac did . I consider that merits iconic condition . ”

When Jobs unveil the iPod Shuffle he inclose an MP3 player that has no filmdom ; no room to visually navigate to the next song . The new iPod has a pocket-size wheel that allows the user to skip to the next or old song , conform volume , and play and pause .

“ What we did n’t desire to do is just go down the lemming route of doing something that everyone has done and has n’t been successful , ” Greg Joswiak , frailty president of Hardware Product Marketing , tell MacCentral . “ We want to change the rules and go much childlike — Shuffle has become the most popular manner people listen to their euphony . ”

Not having a display is not something Rubin run into as a bountiful job for the iPod Shuffle .

“ This is a product that ’s blend to be used without a majuscule deal of focus , ” said Rubin . “ It ’s going to be used hands - off , so omitting the screen is not much of a disadvantage . The controls are unproblematic , software form is nice and it ’s tough to puzzle in terminal figure of sizing and price . ”

Will the Mac mini bring switchers ?

Apple has always been complimented on its industrial designs and criticized for the eminent damage point of its products . With the introduction of the Mac mini , Apple bring in its first downhearted - price Macintosh , but is that enough to bring Windows user pass out ? Rubin does n’t think so .

“ It certainly is an innovative shape factor — it has the potential to change the way people ferment with desktops , ” say Rubin . “ I ’m not sure if it will goad a massive changeover from the personal computer world , but it has the potential to rock some fence sitters . ”

In fact , Rubin thinks much of the Mac mini ’s succeeder will get from second or third estimator buyer — mass who already have a chief system , but desire something for the kids .

“ It ’s going to do pretty well as a second family computer , ” said Rubin . “ It ’s miserable monetary value and if you have the peripherals lying around it make it comfortable to put in the family . ”

As a 2d reckoner the Mac mini will undoubtedly have to be able to palm the ever - uprise games market . secret plan specs have continued to climb over the past twosome of years , but Apple say the mini is more than capable of palm the loading , thanks in part to its graphic computer architecture .

“ It has its own graphics card , which really avail — other products in its socio-economic class unremarkably have integrated graphics visiting card , ” said Apple ’s David Moody .

iLife ’ 05 takes aim

With the announcement of iLife ’ 05 , it appear that Apple is place a slightly different mart than the late version . At the very least they have upped the ante for anyone that wants to vie with them .

The novel features of iPhoto will almost wipe out the need for using third - company applications like Adobe ’s Photoshop Elements , a consumer level rendering of its flagship ware .

“ The drug user has the ability to opt whether they require a third - party app to handle the editing , but we believe that with iPhoto you really do n’t take to lead the app to perfect you photos , ” pronounce Rob Schoeben , Apple ’s frailty president of Applications Marketing .

While NPD ’s Rubin was n’t certain if the new iPhoto would threaten product like constituent , it did say that vie with Apple would be unmanageable .

“ It would n’t be the first metre Apple has tote up functionality to an app and a ship’s company has make up one’s mind that Apple ’s dispersion is just too much to compete with . It ’s very tough to compete with an Apple product , especially one that is bundled . ”