On the 5th anniversary of the iPod, Steve Jobs talks with Newsweek about the iPod’s cultural impact.
Steve nails the money shot with this answer:
QUESTION: Microsoft has announced its new iPod competitor, Zune. It says that this device is all about building communities. Are you worried?
ANSWER: In a word, no. I’ve seen the demonstrations on the Internet about how you can find another person using a Zune and give them a song they can play three times. It takes forever. By the time you’ve gone through all that, the girl’s got up and left! You’re much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you’re connected with about two feet of headphone cable.
What an answer. With a subtle style all his own he’s saying Microsoft = Cold tech and Apple = Humanity. MS scares her away, Apple gets the girl. That’s a sharp, clear, and powerful distinction. Whether it’s true is up to the customer, but Jobs understands how to bait the hook like few others.
Paul Stamatiou
on 16 Oct 06That is an excellent response from Stevie J. Something seductive about it, hehe. “Then you’re connected with about two feet of headphone cable.”
John Burwell
on 16 Oct 06Keep the Q-tips handy. Girls don’t like earwax.
Joe Ruby
on 16 Oct 06Also, Apple=simplicity, everybody else=complexity. That’s the problem with so many geeks/nerds.
I like things that do the job and kind of disappear into my life. Like Levis. That’s funny—and black shirts!
michal Migurski
on 16 Oct 06Apple Chief Advocates Aural Sex
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Blog Readers Stunned
michal Migurski
on 16 Oct 06By the way, I get one of these when I try to use your comment system with Javascript disabled: http://mike.teczno.com/img/37s-rails-fuckup.html
Stacy
on 16 Oct 06Aftermarket idea. Sell replaceable earbuds wrapped like condoms. If she wants to listen, whip one out of your wallet and let her know it’s her protection.
Ismo Ruotsalainen
on 16 Oct 06Steve Jobs know how to speak.
Btw, you can put Zune’s earbuds to girl’s ear too. And you can send that song her if she want’s it. With iPod – you cant.
Michael Chang
on 16 Oct 06That sums it up perfectly. Steve jobs is the hip guy who says, “Get real!” and ends up with the girl at the end. I can relate to that. As much of a geek as I am when I’m “in the zone” and working on projects, I actually hate instant messaging and e-mail. I much prefer the telephone or meeting face-to-face. Those who have the opportunity to converse in a more personal manner but instead prefer to chat via instant messaging can type all they want; in the end I’ll be the one to take “the girl” out for a nice dinner. You go, Steve. At the end of it all, we’re still left with just these human bodies and minds; technology alone isn’t going to get us any closer to who we really are, and no computer is going to get us any closer to the love that we so desperately want.
Darren Stuart
on 16 Oct 06I agree with Ismo.
this post reminds me of that god aweful ad campaign from Apple with the Mac Guy and the PC Guy. Way to go apple appeal to your current customers and take the mike out of your potentional ones.
Apple make cool products but hey lets not forget others do too!
John Topley
on 16 Oct 06As Woody Allen said: “I’d never join a club that would allow a person like me to become a member.”
AndyToo
on 16 Oct 06Not wishing to bash Apple as I love my nano, but maybe Steve needs to think back a few years to when Bill stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out $150mill in change to keep Apple afloat?
All this MS-bashing from Apple (like the PC-guy adverts) goes beyond ‘healthy competition’ into the realms of just having a go because it’s cool to bash MS.
+1 to Ismo, btw.
Matt Round
on 16 Oct 06The sharing feature won’t work for the Zune (at least initially), as there won’t be enough Zunes around to share with. In fact, including it for launch may well harm the product (who wants to be the lone Zune with no one to listen with?).
But imagine if the iPod could broadcast to anyone nearby, allowing people to not only browse and listen in but also find out about the owner, all with a simple interface. It’d be hugely successful. By using iTunes to integrate with a web-based version (show who’s encountered who, add notes, get in touch, etc.), Apple could instantly have a strong MySpace rival.
Marco Raaphorst
on 16 Oct 06When someone sends me a file bought at the iTunes music store I get a dialog for a password. When I tell that person about it, he/she will not understand why. That’s not good either.
Both companies have got it wrong and are upsetting customers by including DRM in those files. DRM has no future.
Alex
on 16 Oct 06AndyToo – don’t get me started on how wrong your statement of “to keep Apple afloat” is. Look up how much cash Apple had in the bank. The gesture was one of goodwill – the real news at the time was the commitment of delivering Office Mac.
Back on topic… Jobs has an incredible “keep it simple stupid” philosophy that Apple (under him) has consistently been able to deliver on in so many aspects. It will be interesting to watch how the Zune and iPod stack up in real-world usage.
MT Heart
on 16 Oct 06Zune Guy: Here, listen to this.
Girl: That’s great! Can you send it to my iPod!
Zune Guy: Err, no. You’ll have to buy another mp3 player – wait! Come back…!
Jamie Huskisson
on 16 Oct 06MT Heart – lol! brilliant
Long live the Steve
Phil
on 16 Oct 06You can make sharing music simple, too. But sharing music sounds like Napster and Apple does not want to go down that road. I think that’s why Steve is uncomfortable with this feature.
After all, didn’t Apple introduce the iPod to stop Pirates from listening to music? I think it’s kind of ironic that I can now watch “Pirates of the Caribbean” on my iPod…
Happy 5th Birthday, iPod
phil
John S. Rhodes
on 16 Oct 06Microsoft is a competitor with deep pockets and tenacity. Although Zune will probably fall short of expectations, it will get some traction and it will put some sort of dent in Apple. The Zune is competition, make no mistake. Maybe not great competition, but competition nonetheless.
Also, keep in mind that while Microsoft is typically a big brute, they can create a good experience. For example, for many people the xbox offers up a great experience.
It is possible that Microsoft will hit a double or triple this time, even if they don’t have a home run on their hands. Remember too that Microsoft will make more attempts to break into the market. They are a patient company willing to wait until version 3.x becomes their monster.
I’ll wrap up by saying that Apple isn’t perfect. I like them, no doubt, but they have room to improve. I’ve seen complaints from people trying to use their iPods with iTunes with some level of frustration. As late adopters enter the market, Apple might not be the best solution. Many late adopters will be happier with a product from Microsoft, for one reason or another.
sinker
on 16 Oct 06Another great quote from the interview:
Q: Some people say that iPod might lose its cache because it’s too popular—how can it be cool when Dick Cheney and Queen Elizabeth have one?
A: That’s like saying you don’t want to kiss your lover’s lips because everyone has lips.
Mike
on 16 Oct 06That might have qualified him as the best salesman I’ve ever not met !
MRad
on 16 Oct 06Damn you guys can write a headline.
Brandon
on 16 Oct 06From where I stand, Zune won’t make much of a dent in the ipod sales because of this: Zune’s appeal will be to the anti-apple bunch and a small percentage of late adopters. The anti-apple bunch has been buying other mp3 players, since the are, afterall, anti-apple. Some of the late adopters will get one when it starts getting bundled with new computer purchases via rebate.
When I first heard of the sharing feature, I thought it sounded cool. Then once I realized that it meant that the other people would need one too, it just didn’t seem feasible. Then when I heard it could only be grabbed and played three times, I thought it was kinda lame. Then when you think about transferring, like Steve said, she’ll already be gone.
ML
on 16 Oct 06Another great line: “A lot of quality is communicated through a feeling that people have. They don’t understand exactly why, but they know that a lot of care and love was put into the designing of the product.”
Sebhelyesfarku
on 16 Oct 06Jobs is a moron. Sharing earvax is disgusting.
sinker
on 16 Oct 06Compare the way Jobs is able to choose the right metaphors to talk about the iPod while Steve Ballmer chooses exactly the wrong ones to talk about Zune:
“I want to squirt you a picture of my kids. You want to squirt me back a video of your vacation. That’s a software experience.”
No Steve, that’s a GROSS experience.
f
on 16 Oct 06id rather put something else in her ear
Dan Boland
on 16 Oct 06Sinker: Did he really say that? Ewwww…...
Stephen Bartholomew
on 16 Oct 06@ Dan Hmm.. I’ve heard some pretty weird words used in computing. I remember one guy years ago describing an operating system installation as ‘shoving NT up the pipe’...
lovely…
shane
on 16 Oct 06Job’s solution was on last seasons “The Office” when Jim and Pam shared earbuds to some Travis. Jim sending her some music just wouldn’t have been as fresh! As borat would say, “veddy nice”.
Luis
on 16 Oct 06Dude is so Zen…so organic. For those who haven’t listened to his Stanford speech, please do so. Very inspiring.
sinker
on 16 Oct 06Boland: Yes. All sorts of nuggets in this interview, actually.
Chris Griffin
on 16 Oct 06Also, keep in mind that while Microsoft is typically a big brute, they can create a good experience. For example, for many people the xbox offers up a great experience.
Yes, it seems the only way Microsoft can make a “good experience” is by taking a 1.26 billion loss on the Xbox 360 alone. They are also going to take a loss on the Zune too.
Apple is profiting from the iPod.
Keith
on 16 Oct 06I love this quote:
“We believe that customers are smart, and want objects which are well thought through.”
I think this is were the Zune and other players fail, they assume the customer is stupid. Just add on all these cool bells and whistles, the customers will blindly buy them, it has way more features than the iPod.
MikeInAZ
on 16 Oct 06On this and other discussions of the Zune, I constantly hear people say, “Apple better watch out, Zune’s gonna be a major player…”
I never hear, “I can’t wait till I get my hands on a Zune.”
Obviously Zune’s going to sell some units with Microsoft’s deep pockets and reach, but is it ever going to be a must-have item?
Can Microsoft actually deliver a consumer product people actually desire (without subsidies)?
Erin
on 16 Oct 06Do you think your response would’ve been different if Stevie’d said “put it in his ear”?
Jamie
on 16 Oct 06Take a ride on the NY Subway, and you’ll see that Jobs has nailed how people are sharing their music today. There’s an intimacy associated with two people huddled together sharing a single pair of headphones that you don’t get in the Zune. Plus after the song has transferred to your friend’s Zune, you’re out of synch, etc. The fun of listening with others basically demands that you be listening together.
Andy Kant
on 16 Oct 06Keith: If there’s one thing I learned from being in retail for 1.5 years, it is that customers ARE stupid when it comes to technology…the majority anyways. What made the iPod so popular was the simplicity because almost anyone could figure it out just by looking at it.
As for Zune, the physical design isn’t as nice but it has potential. If its anything like the Xbox to Xbox 360 transition, the iPod could have some serious competition. I love my iPod…as long as I’m not trying to connect it to my PC that is. I’ve had to restore my iPod to factory settings over five times since I upgraded to a video iPod three weeks ago (and yes, I have been disconnecting my iPod properly). Heck, one time the iPod messed itself up so bad that iTunes wouldn’t let me restore it. I had to uninstall iTunes 7, reinstall the old iPod updater, and disconnect my internet just to get it to restore. As long as its up and running though, the iPod is pretty sweet.
meh
on 16 Oct 06Old news… just jack the ipod!
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,61242,00.html
Ramin
on 16 Oct 06iPod scenerio
girl: hey, what are you listening to? boy: oh, its this great song I just downloaded the other day. girl: oh really? can I listen? boy: sure, here.. take my headphones. girl: oh wow, i really like this. (looks at ipod display) I’m gonna buy this when I get home (enters name of song in her phone) boy: I can burn you a whole CD of great songs like this if you like, here’s my email address.. (seed is planted)
Zune scenerio
girl: whatcha listening to? boy: oh a new song i just downloaded, wanna hear? girl: sure.. oh wow, this is nice. I need to get a copy when I get home. boy: oh well, do you happen to have a Zune? girl: a what? no, sorry.. i have my ipod. boy: oh, well, let me tell you about the Zune… (goes into 20 minute discussion about wireless connections, community, Microsoft, blah blah blah blah. geek talk.) girl: oh ok, thats.. interesting. take care!
g.
on 16 Oct 06Dan: Steve Ballmer: I want to squirt you a picture of my kids. Even with this seeming incompetence, I would be hesitant to make the iPod the winner by default. guess I’ll wait and see (and no I wont be buying (unless the zune is easily hackable)).
Joe Ruby
on 16 Oct 06re: squirting (or sweating, or developers!)
That’s the problem with Bill/Ballmer/MS/just about any other technology company. They just aint cool or sexy.
RMM
on 16 Oct 06There’s some commercial potential here.
iPod: Hello. I’m an iPod Zune: (in Prof Fink voice from Simpsons) Hello. I’m a Zune. [Beautiful woman enters] Zune: Oh good glayven. What a lovely young maiden. Zune: According to my calculations, you can play this song 3 times…. iPod: (walks off with girl) Zune: Riboflavin glaven! Zoink.
pwb
on 16 Oct 06You’re much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear.
Fantastic timing. I just saw Bono do this with Oprah last Thursday for the Product Red launch and, dare I say, was a bit moved.
pwb
on 16 Oct 06Hey, it’s still up on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=xbWMtcZ2-1c
1:10 in.
James Young
on 16 Oct 06The band Cake captures this sentiment well in their song ‘Stickshifts and Safetybelts’:
”...well, stickshifts and safetybelts, bucket seats have all got to go. when we’re driving in the car, it makes my baby seem so far. i need you here with me, not way over in a bucket seat. i need you to be here with me, not way over in a bucket seat…”
http://cakemusic.com/music.html
Sarah
on 17 Oct 06Maybe it’s just that I’m a curmudgeonly old bag, but I’d pay good money for technology that prevented blokes from inflicting their taste in music on me. Yes, I get that you think “Tool is the greatest band ever!”, and it’s nice that they’re your new special friends, I just don’t want to have to listen to them.
Money Talks
on 17 Oct 06Be very afraid, Steve. As for the rest of you whores, suck it.
Plaid Ninja
on 17 Oct 06“You’re much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you’re connected with about two feet of headphone cable.” As a statement of the better method of seduction, fine. As a reason for why the iPod is a better machine, that’s RETARDED. Leave it to Apple to pull out the smug, cynical answer rather than acknowledge what could be a useful new tool is lacking on their iPood. Its not like you can’t pop out an earbud with the Zune. But with the Zune you can leave him/her with a song to remember you by once you’ve parted ways.
Jj
on 17 Oct 06I’m sorry – I read this last year. Wasn’t Zune also called “Another Attempt At Take Over Gone Sour?”
I’m happy that sex toys are coming out in iPod colors for ladies – and when I say iPod colors – I don’t mean Zune colors. It’s funny that we have this argument/distraction – anyone wanna clean up smog in Los Angeles, I hear I’m smoking 10 packs a week just by living here…
echostorm
on 17 Oct 06I wonder what he’ll say about it when he steals the idea for Ipods.
Chris Coleman
on 17 Oct 06@John Topley: That was Groucho Marx who said that. And he didn’t say it exactly like that. I found a dozen variations, so I won’t bother trying to correct the exact wording. But it was Groucho Marx, not Woody Allen.
Anonymous Coward
on 18 Oct 06Leave it to Apple to pull out the smug, cynical answer
Cynical? It was optimistic! Snuggle up and share an earbud. That’s hopeful.
Jay
on 18 Oct 06Form over function. Sex over substance. iPod over (pick any other less purty but more functional player).
iLet’s iAll iThrow iA iHammer iAt iA iBig iScreen! iIt’s iCool!
Christina
on 18 Oct 06And both have DRM. I guess if bondage is sexy…
Martin
on 18 Oct 06For those saying “but you can share earbuds with the Zune as well”: this is exactly the point. The question was, whether Jobs is worried about Zune allowing for limited wireless sharing. And he has a good answer why he is not: there is already a nice personal way to share, the technophil way has no appeal.
Andy Kant
on 18 Oct 06“there is already a nice personal way to share, the technophil way has no appeal.”
I for one would be interested in this feature. Its not something that would make me buy a Zune over an iPod, but the feature doesn’t hurt. I’ve sent data over bluetooth between cellphones before and that was pretty handy, although I rarely use that feature.
I won’t deny that Steve Jobs’ response was pretty elegant. However, it was nothing more than filibustering that Zune has a feature that iPod doesn’t that potentially could be useful.
Jay
on 18 Oct 06“there is already a nice personal way to share, the technophil way has no appeal.”
But there’s already a nice personal way to listen to music. It’s called GOING TO THE LIVE CONCERT. You’re likely to meet way more girls there than listening to your MP3 player, iSheep, Zune, or otherwise.
The bottom line is, for the head of a technology company to publicly eschew technological advancement smacks of spin, however hilarious or elegant it may seem.
Ryan
on 19 Oct 06Super Hot Zune Girl: Can you send me that song? iPod Guy: No. Super Hot Zune Girl: On too bad, want to have a drink? iPod Guy: No, your nice, hot and all that, but I’m superior because I use Apple. Bye.
AJ
on 19 Oct 06Ummm….am I missing something? Could you not share an earbud with a Zune too? OR send it over. Your choice. No choice with an Ipod…
CREATIVE
on 19 Oct 06Am I going to buy a Zune Nope, will I EVER buy an I-pod NOPE. Hate them both not because one’s hip or the song sharing feature on another (although that is pretty nifty and should have the I-pod sweating) I hate them because of the DRM it’s a load of crap that I can only get my music from one place. I know with software you can convert the music into a format to play on an I-pod (and soon probally the Zune) but hey why bother when I can download the Mp3’s I want and throw them directly onto my Creative player. No need for complicated converting of music, and if I see a hot chick I can still ‘stick an ear bud in her ear” oh wait….... I was doing that with music like 15 years ago….......with a TAPE PLAYER. Oh yah take that Steve Jobs, I guess he isn’t the hip coolster everyone thought he was. I really hope Microsoft knopcks Apple down a few rungs, it’ll make things waayyy more intresting. After isn’t that how most innovation comes about? Either way till they get rid of DRM I aint buying either. So there “Go CREATIVE”
G-Man
on 19 Oct 06yo – ‘Creative’ person … umm, hate to break it to you, but it looks like Creative Labs is joining the ‘let’s screw our customers’ revolt happening in technology … check out BoingBoing.net’s post about it … here’s a snippet: “Creative Labs shafts MP3 player owners with feature revocation – Creative Labs has “updated” two of its MP3 players in order to break their FM radio recorder features. If you bought your Creative device because it said, “Record FM radio!” on the box, you’re shit outta luck now—Creative just stole that value out from under your nose.”
I do not like DRM in any shape or form. If I buy a piece of gear, I will not allow the manufacturer limit how I use it. If I buy a TV (or DVD, or boat anchor, or inflatable doll), I will NOT let the maker tell me that I can’t use it as a footstool if I choose to do so.
Jerry Kindall
on 19 Oct 06CREATIVE: “I hate them because of the DRM it’s a load of crap that I can only get my music from one place.”
I think you’ll find that that should be at least two sentences.
And actually, the iPod will happily play unprotected MP3s (or AACs) you’ve ripped from your CDs, downloaded from artists’ Web sites or services eMusic.com, to name just a few of the legal ways you could get them. I’m sure the Zune will play unprotected MP3s (or WMAs) too; it’d be suicidal if it didn’t.
So, you don’t “have to” buy your music from anywhere with either player—you could do exactly the same thing you’re doing with your Creative. There are other reasons you might not want to buy an iPod or a Zune but that isn’t one of them.
SparcMan
on 20 Oct 06Ok, nice try Jobs, but after you’ve let ‘her’ listen in, she might think that you… I mean the song is worth sticking around to download wirelessly if you have the Zune. Argument reversed. It’s a shame really as I don’t like Microsoft.
Tyk
on 20 Oct 06Yeah, Microsoft has deep pockets. Sure helped it with such crap as MSN TV (or whatever that pos was), Origami, BOB (remember Bob! Wow. Go Bob!) .
Xbox is a business failure and hasn’t made a cent for Microsoft. Zune will be the same… no matter how much squirting goes on… squirt… jesus christ why do they let that idiot talk in public?
CREATIVE
on 20 Oct 06My bad on the grammar and syntax that’s the first thing I usually go after. I never bought one to “record FM” don’t really listen to the radio to many commercials, that’s kinda why I bought a MP3 player in the first place. Oh and Mr Kindall still has a DRM and you DO have to convert the music into a format that matches their DRM. Yes it does let you play ‘ripped’ CDs but, you can’t convert back out of it. Which means you always have to buy an I-pod to play the music you’ve got on your computer.
Anonymous Coward
on 23 Oct 06All this crap sounds like an us vs. them mentality. It’s pretty disgusting to me, actually. Why can’t we all get along?
jared
on 24 Oct 06The people eating up job’s reply is seriously funny.
Here’s a more likely scenerio (incorporating the pervious scenerios seen in the comments.)
girl – what song you listening too? Guy – Its the new X by Y, here have a listen (share’s an ear bud.) Girl – Awesome I got to get that Guy – Got a Zune? I’ll share you this one so you can listen to it a few times before you get it yourself. Girl – No, can you send it to my iPod? Guy – Nope, iPods don’t have that capability Girl – Oh damn Guy – Hold on I can make you a CD if you want. (pulls out notebook) Girl – (sweeps notebook off the bench) oh you’re the best lets make love right here on this park bench Reality – lol no girl is going to talk to you in the first place.
artsimple
on 26 Oct 06So, the answer is: Ipod = low tech, Zune = high tech… (?)
Scott Mackenzie
on 30 Nov 06Brilliant… had me laughing. Apple always get the girl.
This discussion is closed.