Steve Wozniak Says iPod's Days are Numbered
Apple’s "Employee Number 1" sat down with the UK site Telegraph recently. Among recollections of times past and opinions on the present, the Woz was not necessarily kind to the company he founded with the "other Steve."
While it’s always nice to see icons of an industry reminisce about their origins, it did not seem like Wozniak was mindful of Steve Jobs and Apple while talking about the tech industry, web 2.0 and Apple in general. "Last week Apple’s shares tumbled nearly 20pc after two analysts downgraded the stock...While many company founders would steer well clear of commenting on valuations," said the Telegraph. "Mr Wozniak says the downgrade was "correct": an admission which could wipe further millions of the shares which have fallen by from a high of $179 in August to just over $100 on the close last week."
Wozniak also talked about the iPod, saying the device may be at its zenith and will approach a drastic downturn in the near future. "The iPod has sort of lived a long life at number one. Things like, that if you look back to transistor radios and Walkmans, they kind of die out after a while. It’s kind of like everyone has got one or two or three. You get to a point when they are on display everywhere, they get real cheap and they are not selling as much." While the truth may hurt Apple in some regards, Wozniak’s opinion isn’t exactly radical. When a product reaches maximum market saturation, is it really a surprise to see it tumble, or be replaced with something better?
When it comes to the iPhone, which will undoubtedly live on even if the iPod falls from grace, Steve is not a fan of how the device’s software has shaped up. "Consumers aren’t getting all they want when companies are very proprietary and lock their products down. I would like to write some more powerful apps than what you’re allowed."
While Wozniak is as excited as ever for "the next big thing," his overall outlook on the tech industry seems to be pretty bleak, even going as far to say that there will be another, smaller tech bubble burst, which he attributes to "investment houses’ over-valuation of web 2.0 and social networking websites." In the current economic climate, a "Tech Bubble 2.0" seems more likely with every 8 percent loss on the stock market.
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Sooner or later everyone has a ipod, or has this or that, thats just life. Whats the point of owning 3 ipods, that's just a waste of money in my opinion. Add more features, make it bigger, do something to keep it alive otherwise it will die, won't sell much, and of course sooner or later i will be the one waiting for that price drop and finally buy an ipod. For the most part population will come down to respects to our ever gaining population and you just have to realize in order to keep up you got bring new idea's to the table. Working on the same project for what 7-8 years however long its been i forget but its time to move on and get new idea's.
I guess it will be time when some people realize ipod is not the only mp3 player out there...
Nice picture,haha.
But,Steve Wozniak.Saying Apple isn't the best thing in the universe? And it's products aren't the best thing ever?
Nice picture,haha.But,Steve Wozniak.Saying Apple isn't the best thing in the universe? And it's products aren't the best thing ever?
Woz has always been a bit more critical and honest with his opinions about certain products (both good and bad). Ít's the 'other steve' (jobs) that will lie or avoid answering when faced with an inconvenient question. But then that's to be expected, since he's the guy that has to iron out all the bumps in their business strategy created by honesty and fair competition.
If they add flac support to the ipod, improve it's lame sound quality, and let me add music to it without having to use itunes I might then consider buying one.
Archos 605-705 can record directly off your sat dish or cable and has built in pvr, tv or sat program schedule ipod can't do that and its cheaper, also it can play back on your tv and has remote for docking station.
It could have something to do with the fact that the global economies are tanking and consumer spending is about to be dramatically reduced. Dow Jones is falling about 400 points a day and is down 5,000 points from its high this time last year. Electronics are always the first thing people cut from their budget. I wouldn't be surprised to see a MASSIVE decline in iPod (and all MP3) sales. People who can't afford to put gas in their car will hold off on the iPod and listen to the radio.
I guess some smart people have no common sense. STFU Woz! I'm sure quite a few share holders would like to punch him in the face right now.
Yeah I agree, the stock falling has nothing to do with Apple. Everyone's stock is falling. The economy is tanking.
I guess some smart people have no common sense. STFU Woz! I'm sure quite a few share holders would like to punch him in the face right now.
So you're saying he should not be allowed to speak what he thinks is the truth, because people with money may want to beat him up for it?
I know honesty has very little room in many 15-25 year old people's world, but it's still something a lot of people admire or at least respect. If the stock holders think he's wrong, I'm sure they'll take appropriate actions, but in any case, that is not for you or me to judge. Abandoning freedom of speech for fear of retribution brings us back to the time of adolf or even the renaissance, where power is everything and lives were cheap.
I agree that the days of iPod is numbered. However i believe it will live on as software inside our phones and computers. The physical entity of an iPod will be an outdated idea as no one wants to have two electric devices in their pockets, when an iPhone takes care of them.