22-07-2004 03:12									#1
	IBM Designed the iPod Before Apple Did Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

http://news.com.com/2061-1041-5278622.html

quote: An IBM iPod? July 21, 2004, 2:17 PM PDT Timed with the release of the latest crop of iPods this week, Wired News has an insider's take on how the original iPod came together. The company snagged an interview with Ben Knauss, a former manager at PortalPlayer, the company whose chip powers the iPod. Among the interesting nuggets is the fact that PortalPlayer was working with a number of companies, including IBM, before concentrating its efforts on Apple. According to Knauss, IBM's plan was to create a small player built around its Microdrive (IBM later sold its drive business, including the Microdrive to Hitachi, which now sells it to Apple for use in the iPod Mini.) IBM also planned to use Bluetooth headphones--something that a few folks here have been wanting for some time. Knauss also suggests that Apple almost killed the iPod because early production models only had three hours' battery life and the devices were draining the battery even when turned off. Knauss, who is now contracting for Microsoft, told Wired that he left PortalPlayer shortly before the iPod's release because he wasn't sure it would succeed. "It was probably a mistake, but then you have to go with what you think at the time," he said.

Except IBM's would've been cooler with wireless headphones.

	22-07-2004 03:13									#2
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heretic! apple is the be-all-end-all of design! nobody must ever cast doubt to the sheer innovative genius of apple and the Great and Dear Leader who is also god of all that is holy and good, Steve Jobs!

	22-07-2004 10:02									#3
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asher, sto pgrinding that axe, theres nothing left

	22-07-2004 10:03									#4
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Is this a Mr Nice Guy bait?

	22-07-2004 10:11									#5
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Wireless headphones sound cool

	22-07-2004 17:26									#6
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quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger Is this a Mr Nice Guy bait?

Of course not.

	22-07-2004 17:32									#7
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No, a Mr Nice Guy bait would also link to an article detailing how evolution is correct .

	22-07-2004 20:48									#8
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small difference between IBM and Apple: Apple went ahead and got the damn thing on the market

now i bet the MS guy who hired this manager will appreciate his ability to see the trouble coming (failure of one of the most succesfull devices in the last 30 years) and doing something about it (leaving before launch)

	22-07-2004 20:50									#9
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Just another miss for the fallen giants.

	22-07-2004 21:28									#10
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IBM a fallen giant?

	22-07-2004 21:32									#11
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Don't you agree?

	22-07-2004 21:33									#12
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it's only a giant were it could be a gigantic giant

	22-07-2004 21:34									#13
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They are now one of the largest software companies in the world in addition to being one of the largest hardware companies in the world.

If that's fallen...

	22-07-2004 21:38									#14
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quote: it's only a giant were it could be a gigantic giant

What I was thinking.

	22-07-2004 21:49									#15
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IBM was in a rough patch around 1990, but it has recovered. It's conceded quite some hardware operations to focus on services these days.

And remember, the consumer market is IIRC four times smaller than the corporate market

	22-07-2004 22:08									#16
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quote: Originally posted by MarkG small difference between IBM and Apple: Apple went ahead and got the damn thing on the market

Using IBM's microdrive, which is basically what made the iPod different in the first place.

The timeperiod was 2000-2001, when IBM changed CEOs. The new CEO is far more business-oriented. He cancelled many projects that he considered outside of the scope of businesses, and also started hundreds more having to do with services.

IBM isn't in the tiny consumer market. The iPod sales and revenue is ridiculously small to IBM...

quote: They are now one of the largest software companies in the world in addition to being one of the largest hardware companies in the world. If that's fallen...

It's the 2nd largest software company (to Microsoft), the largest hardware company, and one of the largest consulting companies as well.

	22-07-2004 22:11									#17
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Yes, but look at that stock performance.

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	22-07-2004 22:15									#18
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in other words, Dell's kicking MS ass?

	22-07-2004 22:17									#19
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You could make some sweet money investing in Dell stock in 1995

	22-07-2004 22:26									#20
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quote: Originally posted by Azazel Yes, but look at that stock performance.

That's somewhat deceptive because you're comparing someone who was a juggernaught in 1988 to relatively tiny companies who grew very fast, thereby having far higher stock growth rates...

The reality is much more sobering...for example,
http://ichart.yahoo.com/z?s=IBM&t=5y&q=l&l=on&z=m&c=DELL&a=v&p=s

	22-07-2004 22:27									#21
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The chart.

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	22-07-2004 22:49									#22
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Yes, the reality is that they both dropped significantly since the bubble.

Market capitalization
DELL:89.52B
IBM : 143.76B
Intel: 147.41B
MSFT: 312.72B

So, IBM is not the supreme leader of everything computer related, but 'just' a giant company. That's what I meant.

A little something for you, though.

AAPL:12.04B

	22-07-2004 22:51									#23
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OMFG LIES!LIES!!!!111 APPLE IS T3H R0X0RZ1111!!!!

	22-07-2004 22:57									#24
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Why is anyone even bothering to complain about the ipod anymore? Even Paul Thurrott wrote a glowing review of it (and he makes Asher look like Mr Nice Guy).

	22-07-2004 23:02									#25
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because i don't much care for it. too expensive, for one. and, the fact that everyone has it means it's lost its geek/snob appeal.

as far as the ipod mini, i think my complaints are justified.

why the hell would you buy something for fifty dollars less that has less than 33% of the capacity? because it comes in colors? because its size difference is negligible? it's utter stupidity, and imho, apple does really well in bilking money from idiots.

this is not to say all apple users are idiots, it's just to say that apple often has style over substance, and stupid people almost invariably go for style over substance.

the ipod classic was style and substance; the ipod mini was just style, like those abominable imacs or those stupid g4 cubes.

	22-07-2004 23:09									#26
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They just lowered the price of two models by a hundred bucks each and added new features.

The cheapest one can't be had for love or money, so I suppose you can blame demand for keeping the price up.

I'll admit that I thought the ipod was never going to do anything. I mean the original one was pricey and who would pay $400 for a walkman?

A few weeks after its original release (when it was still mac only) I went to a local store to buy some software and ended up having a chat with the workers. I said I didn't think it would work, and the guy said that they'd sold loads and had angry Windows users complaining that they couldn't use it. They sold about half a dozen of the things during the time I was there.

Guess I was wrong. You can't go walking in TO without seeing one.

	22-07-2004 23:11									#27
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i know, and like i said, the fact that everyone has it means that it's lost its geek/snob appeal.

it's as if aston-martin suddenly slashed the prices on its nice cars to be competitive with those of, say, honda, and then everybody had one.

where's the snob appeal of that, eh?

	22-07-2004 23:13									#28
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quote: Originally posted by Azazel So, IBM is not the supreme leader of everything computer related, but 'just' a giant company. That's what I meant. A little something for you, though. AAPL:12.04B

That's another metric that has to do with stocks, stocks are not a very good measure for size of a company.

A lot of stocks are hideously overvalued, for example (look at the dot-com boom/bust...).

Annual revenue:

DELL: $43.45B
IBM : $92.84B
Intel: $32.71B
MSFT: $35.61B
AAPL: $7.64B

	22-07-2004 23:14									#29
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quote: Originally posted by Agathon Guess I was wrong. You can't go walking in TO without seeing one.

Same thing with GAP clothes. Doesn't mean they're good quality.

Just overpriced and trendy.

	22-07-2004 23:16									#30
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quote: where's the snob appeal of that, eh?

It's non-existent, but who cares.

Anyway, I was the idiot who decided not to spend the extra $100 dollars in 2000 to buy a mac with a firewire port (because I didn't want to do digital video) and so can't use an ipod. I guess I'll wait until next year when I get a new computer.