[BC] Apple's HUGE Mistake

[Rich Wood]

------ At 06:30 PM 1/7/2008, Broadcast List wrote: -------

>Having written that, this seems to be a bone head move by Apple.  I
>cannot imagine how they missed the downside.

I must have missed something, assuming you're talking about the 
iPhone docking accessories. Take a look at any retailer and you can't 
help but be amazed at the incredible number of expensive accessories 
for the iPod. It seems pretty smart to me to make it possible to dock 
an iPhone and create a market for even more expensive iPhone accessories.

What is the downside?

I haven't seen these docking accessories but I can only imagine the 
variety of uses they may have with a phone that's has a high speed 
wireless data connection. I see a clock radio that lets me wake to 
thousands of Internet "stations," completely leapfroging terrestrial radio.

It seems brilliant to me to get radio stations and receiver 
manufacturers to make expensive receivers to drive even more people 
to the iTunes store. Never mind that the tagging kludge for IBUZ 
would confuse Rube Goldberg. Do radio stations get a piece of the 
action when a song is purchased? Understand that I ask this for the 
far, far distant future when there are enough receivers (if ever) to 
make this another profit center for Apple using gullible 
broadcasters. As usual, they're hedging their bets at other 
companies' expense. I don't see a downside for them even if IBUZ just 
withers away.

Apple must be doing something right. I don't recall people camping 
outside stores to buy IBUZ receivers. Apple created a marketing buzz 
for the iPhone. IBUZ just creates a technical buzz. One is good. The 
other isn't.

Rich