I can’t believe this is even a question.  When you’re given two gadgets of comparable quality, why would anyone choose the gadget with less features, a smaller screen, half as much storage, no SD expansion slot, and no FM tuner over a slightly bulkier piece of technology with somewhat less selection of legal downloadable media (at least for now)?  It seems like a no-brainer to me.  Superior storage and features should always trump brand name when you’re dealing with equal quality, right?  Not so much when you’re comparing the iPod to the Creative Zen.

You think that the simple math equation of 8>4 would be all the difference a gadget head would need to pick the Creative Zen flash player over the iPod Nano.  I mean, it’s a device that spends most of its time in your pocket anyway, so who is going to know that you didn’t pay premium price for the sexy tech product with less storage in an effort to both listen to your podcasts and occasionally tune into the local college rock station?  I mean, who wants to carry around an MP3 player and a radio?

That’s the power of branding.  Apple can pretty much roll out whatever they want, design it well, and charge a premium price for it because they have a loyal core of devoted fans.  In the MP3 player game, Apple (like Sony 20 years earlier) found or created a need for MP3s on the go, then filled that need with the first product to reach a wide audience.  Like every cassette player was called a Walkman, the iPod has transcended corporate branding and become a genericized trademark.  Like it or not, that’s what just about every MP3 player is called these days, no matter who makes it.

The fad music product right now is the iPod.  It’s a very appealing product, and instantly recognizable to its demographic, so Apple is under no pressure to reduce consumer cost or add new features.  Why mess with success when it is so much easier to just ride the popularity wave for as long as it lasts?

I guarantee that Apple is just waiting for a spike in demand to unveil an iPod with a FM tuner if they ever need to.  If nobody ever asks for one, then why add extras nobody wants when you’re the biggest dog in the MP3 player yard?

Tags: ipod, apple, mp3 player, creative, creative zen

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