Device Convergence, iPod and Zune
by
Randy Mears
So, here I am, back on the topic of iPod and Zune. Such a seemingly insignificant consumer electronic goodies certainly have had their share of attention. Articles about Zune have become ubiquitous in the press so its designated moniker as “The iPod Killer” keeps both devices top-of-mind.
With all the lukewarm talk about Zune, wouldn’t it be more likely for evolution to be the actual iPod killer? With mounting evidence, like patent applications and manufacturing deals, that Apple is indeed working on an iPod phone, I think the answer is obvious. Zune may well be too little too late. It is more likely that device convergence will get the job done while aptly denying victory to the insubstantial improvements of the competition. IPod’s time on top, beginning 5 years ago, is entering its dotage. With the promise of commodity pricing for the most elaborate music/video players now almost assured, it is likely that Apple’s innovation engine will kill the iPod, as we know it, before another 5 years pass.
It is, in the end, really about miniaturization, memory, processing power, communications and battery life enabling the convergence of those personal technologies with which we litter our lives. It is this convergence that will force the evolution of the iPod and Apple’s penchant for consumer product innovation that will yield iPod’s heir.
