iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED now shipping
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Oct 13th 2006 5:30AM
posted Oct 13th 2006 5:30AM
[Thanks, Stephen and Steven]
Please note: If you're a current Engadget commenter, you do not need to re-register. Simply login and you will be prompted to select a username.
"so what's keepin' ya?"
the fact that it isnt at the UK shop yet
$10 or 5%.
that seems kinda crappy don't you think.
I guess that means that you donate more than 5% of your pre-tax income to charities?
Can't buy it in the apple.com store yet though, it's not an option.
better than what the zune's donating ¬_¬
better than nothing at least.
The iPod has been around for a long, long time now. It is already the market leader and has made quite a decent profit for Apple. The Zune, on the other hand, HAS NOT EVEN BEEN LAUNCHED YET. It's a pretty big gamble for Microsoft as it is. You'd have to be a fool to think that they'd donate even 5% of their sales to charity right from the start.
As a famous supermarket chain in the UK says.
"Every little helps"
"You'd have to be a fool to think that they'd donate even 5% of their sales to charity right from the start."
You'd have to be an even bigger idiot to even consider purchasing that piece of trash aka microshit zune!
are these U.S only or something?
Now come on. That's not fair. The player isn't even out yet and you're judging. Personally, I have a 3G 15GB iPod and I still love it. But I'm still curious about Zune. If they release a firmware upgrade that'll allow song transfer via PCs (or Macs) to the Zune, then I think it'll one-up the iPod in features. But I still think the iPod looks better. :-)
I think I will just stick with my 8gb black one thanks. If I want a different color I can just go here.
http://www.decalgirl.com/browse.cfm/2,226.htm
They have alot of different choices and they come with screen protectors.
Just $10? C'mon guys...
I wish the other colors were this sexy. Maybe we can get some more Easter colors?
I would guess that apple makes maybe $25 on each nano sold after all is said and done (parts, labour, packaging). So to give $10 of that isn't that bad. I do think it should be more but i dont think its as bad as everyone thinks. If they sell a million of these, and apple will actually sell tons more with christmas and valentines day rolling around, then they just gave 10 million to the cause.
bbydon: "I would guess that apple makes maybe $25 on each nano sold after all is said and done (parts, labour, packaging)."
Your guess would be wrong according to http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2005/tc20050921_4557.htm as they have about a 50% margin (September 2005.)
JoJo : "I used to work for Circuit City and I can tell you that retail stores make exactly $10 on each iPod sold, leading me to believe that Apple makes probably less than that."
Unless you were a higher up in Circuit City (unlikely) or were on the purchasing division (obviously you weren't), you don't know how much Circuit City actually makes per iPod and it's definitely more than $10; regarding how much Apple makes, see the link above or http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2052 (September 2006, 40%-60% for the new iPods) as it's been known for years that Apple makes their money from the iPod hardware and not from iTunes.
This is great however, to see Apple taking from one Third World country (China through FoxCONn and cheap labour) and giving a small portion of the proceeds to a Least Developed/Fourth World Country (Africa). It's like robbing Peter to pay Paul; no wonder it's red.
I used to work for Circuit City and I can tell you that retail stores make exactly $10 on each iPod sold, leading me to believe that Apple makes probably less than that.
Red is hot....still ipod 30g video is the best!!
http://technolatest.blogspot.com
Wow, I might buy that because the red is such a good color for the nano.. It really looks good.
...Plus Oprah..so, yeah..
How is it possible that every post about Apple (no matter what) turns into a chance to either:
a) bash Apple
b) bash Microsoft
To the people who think this isn't enough: it's better than nothing and it's better than what you or I have given lately.
To the people who are using this post as a chance to attack Microsoft (Microshit? what are you 7?). Heard of the Gates Foundation? Headed by, you know, Bill and Melinda Gates. Who is Bill Gates again? OH! YES! The owner/CEO whathaveyou of umm.. what was that company again? Umm... OH! Microsoft!
(here's how bad this kind of shit has gotten, that I have to write the following disclaimer: This comment was written on an Intel iMac, with a brand new Macbook sitting beside me, a dead first gen Ti Book beside it, a B & W G3 sitting on the floor and with my heart pineing for my souped up G4 tower - may it's PSU rest in peace)
Oh, and to the doofus that said something about "oh this colour sucks, I can just get a decal cover to get a nicer one. Do you read the posts before you comment?
What's great is that people are now bashing Apple for (of all things) not donating enough money to charity! How many DAP manufacturers are committing to this sort of relationship?
5% is a huge cut from each item sold. Far more likely would have been 1% or so - still a lot of money. And yet people manage to criticise.
And then turn the conversation towards the Zune. How the hell did that happen?
What?! No pink one? It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! The RED is very sexy though.
is there not already.. a pink one?
Rather cynical, but i must agree -
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/spend-to-save-africa-its-a-red-herring/2006/10/06/1159641528387.html
Is it really named product? Pretty ugly name, makes you feel like a real consumer.
Also I never really liked ipods for their functionality but their styling of course was always good. These nanos are a huge step backwards. Sure the old ones scratched like nothing else but at least they didnt look like cheap minis.
I dunno; I kinda like the Target Special Edition better. ;-)
http://www.galleytech.com/Galley/images/iPod-Target-Special-Edition.jpg
This is the best color so far, I think!
How 'bout a yellow one for a "Support the Troops" charity.
And a green one for the Sierra Club or Nature Conservency or National Parks.
And a blue one to save the whales.
And a white one for... uh, never mind.
I think it's a nice marketing gimmick and would like to see other companies do the same sort of thing. Maybe they could do something like they do with license plates - get enough people to pre-order a certain color and do a special run.
- Jasen.
By mass producing these ipods, like my delicious apple crumb cake, they probably cost the company $20 or less per unit. Apple is EASILY making more than $25 profit for each one sold. Think about the cheap labor they use to manufacture these. The only thing better would be if Apple opened a factory in Africa cause then they could probably lower their labor costs even more.
-Martha
Oprah/apple said in stores today too!
What's with the strange name??? What does the "(PRODUCT)" stand for??? Why is it in parenthesis'??? Hello??? The emperor is naked here!
For everyone saying "Only $10???...":
Apple has sold more than 38 million iPods in the past year...so assuming iPod sales remain consistent, and even if these certain (Product)Red ones were to make up just 5% of that, that turns out to be about 1.9 million Red iPods
1.9 million Red iPods at $10 donation each = $19,000,000
19 million is quite a hefty sum.
I normally let Steadman do all my posts but I have to say...
it's...
the...
new...
red...
NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
(Crowd goes buck wild, crying ensues)
I ate 3 this morning and they are crunchy and delicious!!!!
-Oprah
lol. (slaps knee) EL OH EL!
Gotta remember $10 goes a long way in Africa. If every family in the US could donate $10 that would prob generate half a billion. Half a billion in Africa would be enormous. Here in the states though it would buy a pack of Now and Laters... :)
If you take into account the costs of doing a special production run of a new color, and distribution hassles of putting a new color into the channel, and the fact that they're not tacking on more to the price in order to make the contribution (the consumer doesn't have do pay more, they just have to be willing to buy red), and the fact that they're letting this cause piggyback onto a VERY high profile item...
I'd say it's really generous. It's not like anybody who wouldn't normally buy an ipod is going to get one just because of this. More likely, people who are in the process of purchasing will see the snazzy red, realize that it doesn't cost them anything to make a charitable contribution, and do so. And each time they do, it raises awareness and _costs_apple_money. In lost profit, in production changes, in distrubution network.
What do they gain? Publicity and some goodwill. Relatively fair tradeoff, given their existing relationship with U2 and Bono.
I don't know much about the medication they use, but I found a price chart for different types of medication for AIDS, the cheapest is about $265 US per month. The iPOD costs $200, with $10 going to the medication.
318 iPOD's to save 1 person for 1 year.
This may be different depending on the cost of the medication in different parts of the world.
I already donate $40 per month to a charity pool through a local church, and I think this "(Product)Red" is a good way for the average material freak to get some donations in, even if the participating company makes a killing in sales off of it, it's still a donation.
being a poor college student
Well I worked for RadioShack for a little over a year, and I was in charge of purchasing, and I can testify to the fact that we made on average $10 per ipod. Maybe $17-20 on the 60gb, and as little as $4 on the shuffle. But average, (and on the 2-4gb nanos) $10.
I think that article that is estimating 50% markup on the ipods is wrong. I'm sure apple is making something before sending them out to other retailers, but I seriously doubt it's 40%.
The fact that some of the profit is going to fight aids in a country that can help themselves. Why the hell would anyone want to fight aids in ANOTHER country. Isn't there enough cases of it here? We should help our own first. I can understand helping with starvation and the like, but aids? Just send them an STD video or something.....
Just bought one...its STUNNING !! even more so live than in pictures!
Brilliant, just brilliant. I can't think of a better Christmas gift than iPod Nano RED. This is going to top this year's bestseller list. Good causes, awareness, negligible price, hip & elegant, even Oprah endorsement (most gift buyers are in her audience or in the echoes of her audience).
Not happy.
1) It would have been nice to think my indulging would help out those in poverty.
2) It's much hotter than my Blue Nano.
I feel the Moto Red here...
http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/red/
i say we start a fund for the workers in the Foxconn factory in China (manufacturing these ipods) to promote fair working conditions..
Fair enough, and while were at it, let's start a foundation for the poor Asian and Hispanic workers that make your shoes, clothes, computers as well. I hope you don't honestly think Apple is the only one exploiting poor desperate people do you?
I like the red! But I couldnt care less about AIDS in africa.
chicks will dig that
I just went to apple in Chicago. I touched the same iPod the Oprah and Bono did. Then I bought one! It looks way better in person BUT, the icons on the click wheel are gray :( boo, hiss!
other than that, it looks like the normal iPod nano box.
OMG This is one HOT looking ipod, i wish i can buy it but i already have a 5g 30 gig ipod, now is one of the time i wish to be stinking rich :P
That's a nice color, it'd be nice if Apple coughed up a tad more from these sales, but whatever, it's apple. It's not like we can expect something nice from them. I'm sure it was quite hard just to get 5% :P
Why do the rich always expect the mass market-working class to donate to charity?
Are they not rich; because of the mass market-working class in the first place?
Rat - Bastards! Oprah & Boner
Check this out...
I bought a black 2 gb ipod nano refurb + a iskin silicon cover pak one red and one blue and only spent:
refurb 2gb nano $99.99
iskin cover pak red/blue $9.99
I still have left over $90.01 to give to charity.
Apple should start having Africa make the ipods.
Then it's a win/win situation for all.
cheap ipods and cheap labor.
Africa needs condoms!
Not ipods.
Or buy something that's better and cheaper and donate the rest.
Not that I don't applaud apple for doing this.
Also, Bill Gates donates a crap-load, so indirectly money is being donated when buying the zune.
People are forgetting that Apple also makes bank on music+video sales though iTunes. The fact that the hardware is making profit is just icing on the cake when you consider the money made being on software.
So, the extra attention being given to iPod for this marketing plan is well worth the $10. Sure, there are people that would have otherwise bought another color/size iPod, but there are still many out there who are on the cusp of purchasing a DAP. This just keeps iPod in their mind.
Actually, Apple makes barely anything on iTunes sales. It is simply there to entice people into buying an iPod. So you got it the wrong way round.
'...so what's keepin' ya?'
the fact it could be respectively called project bonoprah.
(actually like the red better than the silver, and wished that the blue was darker, and definitely CANNOT wait for "true video iPod")
do you think it'll be realeased on iPod's birthday (Oct. 23, 2001 ; 5 years!!)
Big Ed @ Oct 13th 2006 8:02PM
Fair enough, and while were at it, let's start a foundation for the poor Asian and Hispanic workers that make your shoes, clothes, computers as well. I hope you don't honestly think Apple is the only one exploiting poor desperate people do you?
----------------
No, did I say that? Simply creating awareness at the hypocrisy of it all. The western world can "shop to save the world" as Oprah puts it, while the other side no one sees suffers. Kinda depressing, no?
including red headphones would of been a nice touch
i was thinking the other the how come there isnt a red nano i love red i guess they heard me lol
As much as I hate Bono, I must say it's nice that they're doing something to help AIDS. Millions die each year from it in Africa, and over a third of those deaths are in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Moreover, around 570,000 of those deaths were children in 2005, and I'm thinking that number will have increased for 2006. Sure, they COULD give more, but who cares? When their contributions are already saving lives, who are you people to whine that they aren't doing enough?
Count Chocula, it's almost a 100% guarantee, you won't give your extra $90.01 to any charity. That's precisely the point of this "PRODUCT RED" project. Do something extra for something you are going to do anyway. Also, more donation per unit = lower margin = not a sustainable business model, another key point of PRODUCT RED. Then finally and most importantly, some of these products are manufactured in Africa, which could be a good catalyst for an organic incentive-driven economy.
I bought one. Why? Well, I wanted an iPod nano, but was on the fence about it. I saw this and figured, yeah, I like the color more than the others, part of it goes to a good project (that I wouldn't have donated to on my own), and on the engraving I put "What've you done today to make a better world?" as a little reminder that I should try every day to do a little more than spend money in a certain way.
For those hating, yes, it would be better to give directly to the charity. But are you going to? This is a way for you to choose to buy products you would any way, and put a little bit of that money to a good cause. If the Product Red iPod cost more than the usual one, I'd say that's stupid. But Apple and the companies supporting this are taking their profits and cutting them by choice to help out a good cause. How can you be angry at that? Because it's not getting cut enough according to you? C'mon.
-p-
I love the red color but unfortunately just recently got the 30G video ipod. This is one that would look great in the clear cases that have come out. Perhaps they will come out with a red video ipod.
The fact that some (any) of the profits are going to a charity is great. If All the manufacturers of MP3 players would donate like this, it would make a big impact on the world.
Didn't ipod replace aids?
Come on people, what's with all this bashing?
You act as if Apple is the only company exploiting cheap labour!
Like every American company does it. Face it. It's called globalization, and it's to get us our cheap products. You don't like it, then move to Finland or something.
As for the product... One of my friends bought one and it is so awesome!
So what's with all this Apple and Microsoft bashing?
Bono's "red" is a beautiful thing.
Everyone needs to wake up.....Apple made $19,315,000,000.00 in revenue in 2006 so donating $10 on an ipod nano is ridiculous. The 5% apple donates is only on the income from those particular Ipods, not their whole revenue. Look at how much their COO, CFO, and SVP's make. If Apple wants to be conscious they should really think it through. That was an item for charity, if they didn't want to donate 1/2 of the profits on it they could have donated at least $50 per $199 (4GB) ipod retaining $149 and maybe about $63 of the $249(8GB) keeping $186. Besides when companies donate, they get it back through tax write offs anyway so they should stop being spinsters. People donate your $199 or $249 directly to the Global Fund.... you don't always need to physically get something out of doing a good thing. If the world is better elsewhere then it's better for us here.