Jobs: "you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year"

Now we know the truth. In an interview with NBC's Brian Williams, Apple CEO Steve Jobs explained why Apple comes up with new iPod models so frequently: "You keep on innovating, you keep on making better stuff," Jobs said, in response to a question from Williams about why a new iPod might seem outdated as soon as you take it out of the box. Then Jobs offered a bit of advice to consumers: "If you always want the latest and greatest, then you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year." Gee, thanks, Steve. We always thought it was the dead batteries or battered shell that kept sending us back to the Apple store. Glad you could set us straight.

[Via iLounge]

[TC @ May 26th 2006 10:41PM]

And you wonder why Americans are in debt..Its tough being suckers

[steve @ May 26th 2006 10:41PM]

well apple is pretty smart sticking a non-removable battery in it that dies after so many charges
(im not sure how u get it replaced, by mail or mac store or watever)
and updating the ipod every year

i mean if u need to bring it to the store for them to replace the battery and you see a new ipod with tons of cool new features, u get the urge to buy it instead of spendin the $60(?) and waiting a while for it to come back

[msaeger @ May 26th 2006 10:50PM]

Sure jobs can say no wrong but Sony states the truth about the PS3 still selling out even with no games and they are evil.

[Thomas Wrobel @ May 26th 2006 11:23PM]

I think its sooo funny that people get upset when they dont have the latest thing.
When a new thing is released, the old one dosnt suddenly get worse :D

Its purely people like the "smugness" factor over the function of the device.
======

Incidently about battarys;
Forget IPOD's, the worst offenders for bad battary lifetimes are mobile phones.

[Steve Jobs @ May 26th 2006 11:25PM]

If you're too poor to afford an ipod every year, my advice to you is: "get richer." I see so many minorities working min wage so they can afford things like ipods it makes me sick. If you don't have the latest and greatest, they should write a big LOSER right on your forhead with a red sharpie.

[John Doe @ May 26th 2006 11:35PM]

*shrugs* I have 10GB left on my 60GB iPod Photo. I'll buy a new one when I run out of space....they better have an 80GB one out by then. I don’t care about features. I purchased an iPod because it had the largest cap drive in its size class at the time. Also because of iTunes. Personally I don’t give a rats ass about the iPod’s interface or design. If it’s output is good, has a good battery life, and can store my entire collection I’m sold. As for Jobs's comment. *shrugs* Whatever. I've always known the man was an egocentric ass. No new flash here.

[John Doe @ May 26th 2006 11:43PM]

"If you're too poor to afford an ipod every year, my advice to you is: "get richer." I see so many minorities working min wage so they can afford things like ipods it makes me sick. If you don't have the latest and greatest, they should write a big LOSER right on your forhead with a red sharpie."

Moron troller

[James @ May 27th 2006 12:04AM]

i pretty much knew it for a year now that that is a reason not to get an ipod, each ipod gets outdated every year.

[dave95 @ May 27th 2006 12:07AM]

Reel'em in Engadget, I think you hit a goldmine here. Fish can't read so they will be here all weekend ranting, even though the full quote is right there in the body. LOL

Here let me help, watch this: Full quote below again!!

"If you always want the latest and greatest, then you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year."

HONEYYY where is my popcorn!!!!

Ah heck I will quote some more:

“As the technology keeps moving and lets us do more and more, we want to bring customers with that, not just leave them using stuff that they could do five years ago,” Jobs said. “You keep on innovating, you keep on making better stuff. And if you always want the latest and greatest, then you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year.”

[Justin @ May 27th 2006 12:39AM]

I just want to reiterate what other people have said before me, the headline was out of context.

Please don't call me a fanboy or whatever, I'm not defending Apple because it's Apple (hell the mighty mouse is just plain dumb, the heat issues on the macbook pro are ridiculous and need to be fixed, and seriously $500 for a ram upgrade to 2 GB?!) I'm defending Apple, because Jobs is right.

All I'm saying is that the quote was taken out of context. The full quote is much more rational. Apple is going to continue to update their ipod, because they are number one and they want to stay number one. If you want to have "the latest and greatest" you are going to buy the new ipod. He wasn't saying you should or you have to buy the newest ipod, and he isn't saying they are cutting off support for the old ipods. He's just stating the obvious, some people will pay for one every year.

[James @ May 27th 2006 12:42AM]

"91. sure are a lot of apple whores out today. The man just face f**ked you all and you defending that sleezeball. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA (laughing my ass of). If that was anyone else it would be brimestone and fire."

like i have said many times before, people who defend apple are morons. they act like apple can do absolutely no wrong. everything they do is genius and right. how dare you say bad things about them! they are not evil! they love us apple whores.

LOL

[Christine @ May 27th 2006 3:01AM]

I don't want an iPod anymore. =(

[zeroConf @ May 27th 2006 4:14AM]

Hey Perton, maybe Apple should ask your permission as to what is an appropriate time frame for product release huh? Troll headline you got there, did someone pay you to do this or are you just a dumb jerk? How about being neutral in the future asshole?

[Chris McDowell @ May 27th 2006 4:28AM]

I would much rather still have the 5gig 1st gen ipod and be able to say that I have not had to upgrade since it came out and nothing from Apple is better than to have my 3G 15GB one. Or heaven forbid a new 5G 60GB Video or 4GB Nano.

If you always want the latest and greatest, then you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year......Duh!

[fatpig @ May 27th 2006 5:19AM]

steve jobs is a pig, look at his smug fattening face and balding hair. He is losing his grip. Apple is being absorbed slowly into the void. I am sick of the credit apple gets for unimpressive run of the mill crap.

[Jon @ May 27th 2006 5:46AM]

the title is out of conext and is misleading

[hussein rawat @ May 27th 2006 6:33AM]

talk about insensitivity! not everyone has disposable income to be buying an ipod every year. There are people like me who have to pay bills and even though I DO KNOW that to have the latest mp3 player or other techno gadget, i do think that he should not have blurted it out. It is just an unwritten rule that people just follow. It is ok for Jobsy to say things like that due to the fact it is not like he has to pay for it. One of the things that stops me from buying the latest iPod is because i know for sure that Apple will release some other model that will make the model i have less desirable. SOmetimes i think these people at the top need to keep their mouth shut. anyway jobsy is a right smug cunt at the best of times.

[Mike @ May 27th 2006 9:03AM]

I have an iPod Mini that was bought a bit over a year ago.

The battery life on it was terrible. It'd last about 2hours!

So instead of being like most of you and buying a new iPod, I paid £6 and spent 10 minutes of my life replacing the battery. Now its as good as new and if I need replace it again, that'll be another year.

[jg @ May 27th 2006 9:58AM]

the answer is "nothing else we make generates any cash flow so we need to milk this ipod thing for all its worth."

[Chris @ May 27th 2006 10:32AM]

They should spend more time working on new Macs rather than iPods

[niz @ May 27th 2006 10:52AM]

"Of course this isn't different from Sony and their engineered PS2's that break every 2 years."

Yeah right. I bought my PS2 in 2001 and it's still as good as new, no problems whatsoever. Don't keep your console on the floor sucking all the dust into it.

Get real guys, this "Sony is evil"-shit is getting a bit old by now.

[Pinkerton @ May 27th 2006 12:50PM]

I sometimes wonder, will we see people carrying vintage iPods 10-20 years from now? How long will all this stuff last? Will these devices endear themselves as much as, say, a vintage Marantz or Technics receiver?

[ohpoo @ May 27th 2006 2:14PM]

Jobs can go and screw himself - what a wanker!!

[Shon @ May 27th 2006 2:17PM]

ipods are for morons. Why spend so much money for an MP3 player when you can get ones that are just as good for less thna half the price? What a waste, oh well idiots want to waste their money that is their business. I on the other hand think that the "keeping up with the Jones's" mentality is idiotic.

[Earl @ May 27th 2006 3:09PM]

You iPod lovers are F*cking retarted....

[mchacur @ May 27th 2006 3:41PM]

CONGRATULATIONS MARC!!!

STUPIDEST POST EVER!!!

Keep the "gadget" news coming Engadget!

[Justthisguy @ May 27th 2006 4:17PM]

Ryan,

First off, let me say that typically, I'm a big fan of Engadget. I've been lurking here for a very long while. I'm typically not a poster. I say that to point out the fact that this article was annoying enough to prompt my first Engadget post ever. Now, to the point:

".15. I don't think we've taken an anti-Apple stance, we just call it like we see it."

So, as you see it, the 'evil' Steve Jobs wants to force everyone to buy a new iPod every year? Honestly? That's actually how you see the statement:
'If you always want the latest and greatest, then you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year.'

"When something's good, we say it; when something's not, we call it out, too. The fact that so many people say we're pro/anti-Apple means we're probably doing it just right."

In the past, and typically, yeah, y'all have. Lately, with Apple, and frankly irresponsibly with this article, not by any means. In this case, the fact that you're defending the article as fair and reasonable implies that something is seriously broken at Engadget.

"...other comments ... I think people should lighten up a little bit."

I completely agree with ya, but I'm pretty sure we don't mean the same people.

"...doesn't mean we can't have some fun with this stuff."

Again, agreed. It's just, well, how is this one fun? Aside, of course, from the apparent National Enquirer "Jennifer Anniston admits to thesbian tendencies" sorta way.

"We, of course, encourage you guys to have some fun with tech "news" too!"

OK, how about this?:
---
HEADLINE: Engadget: "We've taken an anti-Apple stance."
---

To close, understand that I'm still a big fan. And, while I see how this my may come off as a bit antagonistic, please get that I'm writing _because_ I like you guys. That I'm not indiscriminately flaming. That I'd really, really like it if you could refrain from sensationalism and bashing for their own sakes. 'cause you guys have at the moment a fair amount of perceived usefulness and journalistic relevance. And if this becomes the norm, you won't. And I'd _really_ hate that.

Chris

[Emceay @ May 27th 2006 5:00PM]

Sony and Apple have the same business mentality.
The bottom line is that the customer is important, but only because of the money they have. Separate the two, and the customer stops being important immediately.

"A fool and his money are soon parted."

[mchacur @ May 27th 2006 5:06PM]

Oh I forgot! (Thanks Justthisguy)

CONGRATULATIONS RYAN!!!

STUPIDEST COMMENT EVER!!!

[The M Show @ May 27th 2006 5:19PM]

Apple should really act more like other companies that make mp3 players and just churn out the same junk with UI's that were made by engineers who want to torture normal people...

[Karl Viklund @ May 27th 2006 5:58PM]

Well, I don't see the difference between this and the GFX-market. There you have to buy a bew car every 3 months to not be outdated so don't blame Apple for this... As some one said. Stive just got Balls to say it.

[Ron from Ohio @ May 27th 2006 7:52PM]

I think alot of people are confusing the issue here. It isnt how long the rechargable battery life is a year later, its the fact that the INTERNAL battery that runs the device dies and then your ipod is a 400 dollar paperweight

[Sp1n @ May 27th 2006 8:15PM]

AHAHAHAHAHAHA ------ THOSE IPOD FOOLS FINALLY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED!!!!!

[Richard Henry @ May 27th 2006 9:03PM]

"dead batteries or battered shell"... please Engadget. Stop. You're killing me.

I've had my nano now since they came out, and hell, I've even dropped it a couple of times, but it still works fine.

And I may be repeating others, but if you want the latest and greatest, spending lots of money is a given. Atleast Jobs isn't leading people on, he has the balls to say what's a fact, unlike some others... *Caugh* Wozniac *Caugh* "Vista not delayed!!" *Caugh*. But Jobs isn't saying that you NEED to have the latest and greatest, just that if you do.

Anyway - that's my rant over and done with.

Engadget, you're stating the obvious here.

[kTzAR @ May 27th 2006 10:36PM]

You know... he gets them for free. I can afford too that updating rate that way... Apple is starting to suck again

[tundraboy @ May 27th 2006 11:33PM]

You heard it hear first. As manufacturing and component costs get cheaper, the iPod business model will get more and more like the Swatch watch. As functional innovations plateau, the iPod's designers will focus more on fashion and style with a new line coming out every three months or so with gimmickry like guest designers releasing signature models, or a special design theme for the quarter, etc.

Now Apple gets to tap teen obsession, not to mention getting the collectors in the mix. Think Beany Babies or Groovy Girls. But this fad isn't going to die butn itself out because unlike dolls that just sit there and do nothing, people still have to listen to their music, right?

[Jack @ May 28th 2006 12:00AM]

Thats what Jobs Wants us to think! I just bought my first Ipod (a nano) - I cant imagine upgrading for a few years at least. The reason WILL be the battery though

[Head Jobs @ May 28th 2006 12:08AM]

Jobs can take his Nano and other APPLE (rotten to the core) corporate products and shove it up his sphincter
"Life Is Random - So Is Death"
An Apple a day makes Jobs bone up each day.

[rainking187 @ May 28th 2006 2:41AM]

"120. I sometimes wonder, will we see people carrying vintage iPods 10-20 years from now? How long will all this stuff last? Will these devices endear themselves as much as, say, a vintage Marantz or Technics receiver?"

Hmm, that's actually an interesting thought. If Apple is still offering tor replace batteries for old models 20 years from now, then maybe. Maybe someone can fill me in on the battery replacement situation, do they still replace batteries in discontinued iPods?

[susy @ Jun 12th 2006 10:29PM]

well i jus purchased the ipod nano and it got messed up as in it doesnt want to work anymore its frustrating but all i have to say is no one is going to make a product and not get any profit out of it like everyone else said dats how almost everything in life goes about.. i personally im frustrated for waisting my money on something that ends up not working in less than a year but welcome to the business world people... DEAL WITH IT

[pkbiswas @ Jun 30th 2006 12:44PM]

I have a zen microphoto which has 8gb, radio, voice recording, usb mini cable, replacable battery, better battery than the iPod. All of these features are missing on the iPod. My 200$ zen has 4x the storage of the i(ncapable)Pod nano which costs 200 also. I'm not gonna be an iLoser by buying an iPod every year. Period.

[All Your Lost Socks @ Jul 12th 2006 6:20PM]

If you want the latest and greatest iPod, you will buy a new one every year.

It's an old fortune-telling trick.

You will live forever, as long as you avoid dying. Right? See?

[James @ Jul 19th 2006 12:18PM]

Come on, what else is christmas for? ^_^ I love my iPod. It's the platform people always choose to hack so it always has the best games hacks, hardware and software hacks. And people, I don't know if it's the same in america, but when my iPod gets too scratched or dented (about once a month, actually, i use the shit out of it, and i use it on rockbox) i take it back to Argos (Sears for all you Yankees.) Ive had about 8 since last christmas. I really don't mind buying a new one each year - a year! omgwtfbbqshrimp!! - so long as they keep the quality high.

[Dan @ Jul 21st 2006 2:04PM]

Anti-Apple is the only way to go. If Apple is so good, why was it a HUGE deal when they finally allowed you to use Windows?
As for buying an iTrash, I spent 5 years assembling my 25,000 song MP3 library so I could actually USE THEM, not go to iTunes an pay $24,750 re-download them for use on an iCrap. iJunk is nowhere near the highest rated portable digital music/video player (don't believe me? check out Consumer Reports) so buying/owning an iShit is purely for status.

[Jon Sterling @ Jul 22nd 2006 7:46AM]

Apple needs to print "Return for Deposit" (and upgrade) on the back of their computers, ipods, etc. - Just like the old Pop Bottles when they were made of glass - But then the crack-heads would be lined up in all their glory at Apple Stores trying to cash in stolen Apple Ipods and other technology.

Funny, you never hear of a drunk stealing an ipod to cash it in for some booze.

-jonjon

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[superhobo @ Mar 9th 2009 7:19AM]

Commenting for the sake of bashing Apple.

*bash* *bash*





*bash*