"Next Christmas, the iPod will be dead, gone, kaput."
It's the end of the year, a time of reflection, in which we look back at the year that was and what happened during. But The Independent isn't stopping there -- they went back and dug up some of the world's most famous incorrect predictions. And yes, Bill Gates' 640k is in there, as is Ken Olsen's "...there is no reason for any individual to have a computer at his home." Whoops. But there's also a good iPod one in there -- apparently on the iPod's release, someone from Amstrad claimed it a fad, saying that, "Next Christmas, the iPod will be dead, finished, gone, kaput." A few Christmases have come and gone since then, and of course, the iPod is still huge.
That list also reminded me of the famous Nano hater, Motorola's Ed Zander, who said of the iPod nano's release: "Screw the nano. What the hell does the nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs?" He, of course, was distraught that Apple's then new invention might take attention away from his new Rokr phone, and despite the fact that Motorola later claimed he was joking, we all know the Rokr went on to not only become the USA's most popular handset, but it's the Rokr who has ads all over the place this holiday season.
Oh wait. We might be wrong about that one. Everyone makes mistakes, no?
Thanks, Jean!
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Source: http://www.tuaw.com/tag/holiday/
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Analysis / Opinion Hardware Humor Apple iPod nano iPod classic
It's the end of the year, a time of reflection, in which we look back at the year that was and what happened during. But The Independent...
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Bill Gates never said anything about 640k.
December 18 2008 at 3:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI have one question only tangentailly related to this topic. I have a Sansa MP3 player but have a dock for an I-Pod on my new surround sound system. Is it or is it not compatible and if not, why not?
December 18 2008 at 9:42 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyLOL and the Rokr only holds 100 songs anyway! :D
December 14 2008 at 5:07 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
By next Christmas the unemployment rate could be upwards of 20 to 30%! iPods will the last thing on our minds.
Wow, Ed Zander's PR people need to tell him to shut up! I didn't know he dissed the nano, but everyone knows he dissed the iPhone. When asked how Motorola would deal with the iPhone, he infamously remarked, "how do they deal with us?" Of course, now everyone knows Motorola desperately wants to be rid of its money-losing cellphone business, since Apple apparently dealt ruthlessly with Motorola!
December 13 2008 at 12:27 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWell, in one regard this might be correct. I've believed for a while that the iPod Classic is on its last legs and Apple will soon cut it in favor of the Touch
December 12 2008 at 4:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyApple wont cut the classic unless they find a way to give either the nano or the touch a much higher capacity. Which would then be beside the point of calling it a nano. With the iPod Touch what if people just want a dedicated music player, they may not need wifi or the touch screen or the apps, as i much as i love it, its very obviously not for everyone.
December 16 2008 at 7:42 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyMy Classic gets a lot of love, even with my 16GB iPhone. I listen to it in bed overnight, and use it on long distance flights - it gives me my entire 15,000+ song collection AND fantastic battery life.
December 17 2008 at 10:53 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIt was my pleasure to vote your comment down. :)
December 12 2008 at 10:30 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWTF?
Thanks, 1Password! :P
Well, Ed Zander (Motorola) was right in some respects, wasn't he. Tough to make fun of him.
"People are going to want devices that do more than just play music, something that can be seen in many other countries with more advanced mobile phone networks and savvy users,"
Apple apparently agreed, and thus the iPhone was born.
Of course, people also want a nice dedicated music player as well. So the iPod continues to sell.
The iPod is dead! Long live the iPod...
December 12 2008 at 9:30 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyExcellent quotes.
December 12 2008 at 8:20 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot Apps on TUAW
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