Re: Apple Computer changes its name

[pausch@saaf.se (Paul Schlyter)]

In article <n86dnRxyPceq3TrYnZ2dnUVZ_riknZ2d@giganews.com>,
Scott Alfter <scott@alfter.DIESPAMMERSDIE.us> wrote:

> In article <eo4qlq$1mtd$1@merope.saaf.se>,
> Paul Schlyter <pausch@saaf.se> wrote:
>> Anyway, choosing something other than iPod as your mp3 player can
>> bring you several advantages.  Such as:
>>
>> - a build in FM radio receiver
> 
> Who cares?

I care for instance....

> The whole reason behind carrying your music collection with you in an iPod

Your music collection cannot be that large if it all fits in an iPod.... :-)

> (or whatever) is that 99.999% of what's on FM today sucks.

That's your opinion.... of course there are good and not so good FM
radio stations.

> I'd find an AM tuner more useful than FM (AM, after all, is where talk
> radio lives), but nobody ever seems to include one of those.

That's probably because of the wavelength of AM radio: you just cannot
make a reasonably efficient AM antenna fit inside an iPod.  But there are
portable receivers - I have one which is the size of perehaps 10 iPod's,
and which has multiple AM bands: LW, MW and seven SW bands.  Over here
in Europe, MW is pretty dead though - the good stuff on AM are on the SW
bands.

>> - recording capability
> 
> I don't know that I'd ever use that feature, if present.

I have used it on my players.

> There are add-on microphones for the iPod, so I suppose you can add it
> if you need it.

A microphone isn't enough - you need an input for audio signals, plus
a digital encoder, within the player.

> Most people don't need it, so it isn't built in.

In a way this is a self-fulfilling propecy: those people who do want, or
need, recording capability, they choose another portable player.

>> I wonder why Apple insist on denying their users these features.....
>> Nowadays you can even get an FM transmitter to your iPod (as an addon,
>> but it's available).  But an FM receiver?  No.....
> 
> Do you think they don't periodically check with users (and potential users)
> to see what features they want?  Is it conceivable that there's not much
> overlap between what they want and what you want?

Their competitors arrive at a different conclusion, since most of the
competing brands of portable players offer at least some models with
recording capability.  And they didn't go bankrupt yet, so those who
arrive at a different conclusion than Apple cannot be that terribly
wrong.

Anyway, each one choose a player after their own taste.  If you're happy
with a player without an FM receiver or recording capability or which
require custom software (sich as Itunes) to transfer their music on and
off the player, and who also are happy to pay extra for the Apple logo,
those people should of course choose the iPod.

Finally, users rarely know what they want until they're offered an
opportunity to try it out first.  If you, for instance, before the
invention of the telephone would have asked people if they thought
they needed telephones (of course you would then also have to
explain what a telephone was), most people would probably say "No".
Does that mean the telephone should not have been invented?

-- 
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