Lots of Monkeys

I just spent an inordinate amount of time watching two webpages update with news regarding the MacWorld keynote speech. All the rumor pages this time were remarkably accurate. To recap: MacMini, the tiny “headless” computer that retails for $499 and comes without a keyboard, mouse, or monitor. New versions of the applications that make up iLife. Tiger demo. And the iPod Shuffle.

The iPod Shuffle is really what I want to talk about today. The current iPod and iPod Mini players are already kings of the hill, in terms of mp3 players. You see white headphones everywhere. In the supermarket, on the metro, jogging. Market saturation and brand recognition are both very high. It is estimated that out of all the mp3 players out there, 90% of them are iPods.

So, why introduce another model? Moreover, why introduce a new model with fewer features than your current flagship device?

The iPod Shuffle has no display.

Lack of a display is unheard of for most mp3 players. If you research mp3 players on the web, you will find that the entry level models from competitors like Rio, or iRiver, Creative, or even Dell all have screens. The ones that don’t are often rated lower by both consumers and critics.

Why introduce one without a display?

Enter Apple’s Public Relations department. “Because life is random.”

Coming from a Public Relations background, I really love Apple’s “spin” on the tiny mp3 player. I can see them around the table now. For some reason, they’re all wearing berets and black turtlenecks.

“We will make shuffle the new black!”
“Embrace the chaos!”
“Random is fresh, young, hip, and vibrant!”
(And apparently green, if you look at the color scheme of the iPod Shuffle website and packaging.)

I’m not bashing the new product, merely gushing with appreciation over a very well done piece of advertising. Apple’s PR department has accomplished three very important goals.

First, they have glossed over a missing feature that is perceived by most consumers as a deficiency.

Second, they have taken that perceived deficiency and turned it into a value that people want in their lives.

Third, and most importantly, they have linked that value to the product and made it distinctly different from competitors’s devices.

They want you to believe that it will improve your commute, your exercise routine–your very standard of living will improve if you buy an electronic device that plays music. Who cares if you don’t know the title of the song or can’t browse through the music that you have now? (In addition to being random, life is also hard.)

Will it really improve my life? Who knows if it will or not? And to be honest, 90% of the time, I’m not looking at the screen anyway. But I’m not the target market. Considering that I sync the iPod with a database that displays the current list of all the media on my shelves–the lack of a screen would definitely hurt the chances of me purchasing such a device.

But parents, casual users, teenagers, people on the periphery who have always wanted an iPod but balked at the high “cost of entry,” into this musically oriented esoteric club–I can see them picking up one.

And from there, they’ll consider that MacMini at $499.

The first one’s free, unless it’s from Apple. In which case, the first one’s about $99, plus tax and shipping.

You never realize how much of a homeowner you are until you are riding in a car with your friends, having a conversation about oh, World of WarCraft–when suddenly, you shout, “Oh hey! Is that a new kitchen store?”

And you really are interested.

I spent the entire day Sunday with the Condo. Near the end of the day, my hands smelled like old cardboard. I moved boxes to make room for the bookshelf, then assembled it. When that was done, I unpacked books, and put those on the bookshelf. I considered putting them in some sort of order, but doing that would have taken me away from my primary objective, which was “make floorspace in family room.”

Finally, I stacked the remaining boxes on the far wall, making a large patch of floor in the living room. I’m quite happy with the result. I may even put down the carpet tonight, I don’t know.

Don’t want to go crazy. You know, like talking to yourself when you’ve been moving boxes for almost eight hours straight.

This part is always the toughest. Returning to work after the holidays. It’s like you’re out of shape after not doing any physical activity for a while. Going back to work for five days straight is going to be like running 300 feet without stopping to catch your breath.

One day down. Four to go.

However, Macworld Expo is just over the horizon, and I’m loooking forward to the announcements. Rumored to be announced are the new iLife apps, some sort of word processing productivity suite (and maybe the end of Appleworks), GarageBand 2, and a sub $500 entry level OSX machine. Oh, and that Tiger thing that we all knew about already.

We’ll see what surprises they’ve got in store in about 7 days or so, but I could use another machine for some low impact video editing.

Well, I spent almost the entire day today in the apartment. I can blame that on the boxes that I have to unpack. I think I’m ready for work tomorrow, but I’m not entirely sure. Five consecutive days of work sounds like a bit much.

Welcome to 2005, all.

To be honest, I never thought much about the future. I never tried to predict where I would be in 20 years. I’m a horrible fortune teller, and I’ve always been a day to day sort of person.

One not so much driven by dreams, but by the near-sighted everyday needs. Blinded.

I’d show you pictures, but I kinda promised these girls that I wouldn’t post them.

In any case, time to let my throat and liver recover. As well as my moral fiber. Got a little loose again.

Ah well.