The iPod as an
Innovation
By: Erin Mitchell
The InnovationDevelopment Process
Stage 1: The Need
Before the official iPod, MP3 players
existed. However their existence was
funded by low budget companies that
could not produce a device that had
multiple capabilities nor be marketed the
way that Apple did. In addition, the
designers want to create a device that
was smaller, lighter, and allowed users to
legally download material to the device.
Stage 2: Research
Tony Fadell can be credited with envisioning the iPod. He actually
approached two companies that both denied his innovation for
various reasons. Therefore Fadell decided to approach Apple. Apple
was enthusiastic of this idea and in 2001 provided him with a
development team of about thirty people to assist him. The idea
was to have the product complete within one year. To aide in the
project, Apple approached the company PortPlayer to design the
iPod’s software.
It was through this collaboration that ideas
were tested about what the device should be
able to do, i.e. the amount of songs it should
hold and lifespan. The project development
of the iPod was kept under lock-and-key with
only a few people knowledgeable of what the
device even looked like. This gave Apple an
excellent opportunity to market this
mysterious new device to consumers. The
iPod was first released within the planned
year by Apple.
Stage 3: Development
The focus of development was the
intended audience of the iPod…music
enthusiasts. At the time, it was
unbeknownst that the iPod would be
popular among all ages. Controversy
in the design resided with the size and
weight of the device, as well as its
aesthetic appearance. Some were
unsure of the scroll wheel, which
proved to be the iPod signature feature
as well as user friendly capability.
In addition, developments had to be
tweaked when it came to song holding
capability as well as battery life. In the
end the first marketed iPod used “5GB,
ARM processors, an operating system
from Pixo, a high resolution face
display, a lithium polymer battery, and
a scroll wheel” (Hormby, T. & Knight,
D., 2007).
Stage 4: Commercialization
Since the iPod had been kept a secret by
Apple, the released statement of a major
announcement to come on October 23, 2001
kept the public in suspense. Most thought
the announcement would unveil a new
computer, not MP3 player. When the
announcement was made about the iPod
and people saw the device, criticism
immediately raged from its price (starting
at $400) to its design.
When the iPod soared with popularity in
Europe, the product officially became a
success. Soon after, a 10 GB version
was released to hold more content.
Since its initial appearance in 2001,
new versions have appeared, like the
Nano and Shuffle, in addition to
various colors. From its feature
capabilities, uploading music, photos,
television shows, and podcasts, the
iPod has uses that Apple never foresaw
it to!
The InnovationDecision Process
The conception and development of
the iPod was a success for Apple,
yet much work still needed to be
done. Apple had a big job on its
hands as it needed people to
become aware of its innovation,
form an attitude to accept or reject
the gadget, and put it to use for
the innovation to truly be deemed
a success.
Knowledge
The development of an MP3 player was not
the rightful idea of Apple. However, Apple
saw an opportunity to take a product
already on the market and modify it to
better fit users’ needs. This was not an
attempt develop a ‘new’ technology but
reinvent what was already on the market.
The iPod, in 2001, was the first MP3 player
to make it easy to transfer and organize
music as well as download songs (Lloyd,
2004).
1st Generation iPod released October 2001
As mentioned, when the iPod was first
introduced many were not impressed at
the price of this new innovation. However,
its appeal resided in features such as the
initial 5GB storage (about 1,000 songs), its
compact size, the portability of the player,
hard disk storage, and the easiness of
downloading songs through the use of
iTunes (Lloyd, 2004). By the end of 2001,
Apple had sold approximately 125,000
iPods. (Lloyd, 2004)
The initial sale of iPods was slow to excel
because of lack of knowledge about
the product. The original version of
the iPod was designed for Mac users
and was later upgraded for PCs.
Therefore, the “how-to” knowledge of
the innovation remained with Mac
users while the rest of the world was
left with just an “awarenessknowledge.” (Rogers, 2003)
2nd Generation iPod released July 2002
Persuasion
Since the appearance of the original iPod in 2001,
Apple has consistently produced a new generation
iPod almost every year to stay ahead of the game.
Each generation iPod boasts features to make it
better than the generation prior. For example,
greater storage space has been an excellent
appeal for those wanting to upgrade. Currently
the 6.5 generation release of the classic iPod brags
to have a storage space of 120 GB and a running
life of 36 hours!! (Lloyd, 2004)
Not only have new generations been
released, but Apple has also marketed
limited edition iPods beginning in 2002
backed by celebrities like Tony Hawk
and famous musicians like U2. The
Nano, Mini, Shuffle, and Touch have
also added to the edge that Apple has
over its competitors due to desirable
traits of each model.
While all of the upgrades were
appearing, Apple did not stop
short on advertising its product as
well. See for yourself!!
Decision
The acceptance of the iPod drastically
changed with the appearance of the 3rd
generation classic version. This
revolutionized the device’s popularity as
well as sales for Apple. What made this
generation more appealing than past
models?
The 3rd generation iPod, which started to
sell at the beginning of 2003, was
smaller and lighter. It also featured a
bottom-dock instead of a top USB port
for charging and downloading music.
The most appealing feature though
centered on its storage capabilities.
One version boasted 10GB, another
15GB, and yet another 30GB. The
prices ranged from $300 to $500.
(Llyod, 2004)
3rd Generation iPod released April 2003
Implementation
By June 23, 2003, Apple had sold its one
millionth iPod. Obvious now, this
innovation was a success! Though the
market provided cheaper alternative
MP3 players, the modification of
iTunes that allowed PC users the
ability to download music and upload
songs to iPods.
With the upgrades of new
generations, the iPod was
designed to allow users to
upload pictures, television
shows, as well as create
podcasts.
Confirmation
Evidence shows that the iPod has gained
significant popularity. The conclusion of
Apple’s fiscal 2009 second quarter (which
ended March 2009), shows that “over
11.013 million iPods were sold this quarter,
resulting in $1.665 billion in revenue”
(Malley, 2009). Though it is slightly lower in
comparison to the end of the 2008 fiscal
year, the numbers speak for themselves!!
Today iPods are not only being used for
listening enjoyment. iPods are slowly
being integrated in areas of the
working world and in the education
sector. Though full acceptance of the
device’s promising abilities in the
classroom is being researched,
implementation by educators is trying
to demonstrate the usefulness of new
innovations like the iPod in the
learning environment.
Apple iPod S-Curve
What is an S-Curve?
An S-Curve is a measure of the adopters of a
particular innovation. The curve is an S shape
because it models the rate of adoption. At first
the adoption of an innovation is typically slow. As
knowledge of the innovation increases, the rate of
adoption also follows. In the end, the adoption of
the innovation seems to plateau and level off once
majority of members of a social system adopt the
innovation.
Apple iPod S-Curve
“Apple’s fiscal year ends in September. This means that Q1
includes the holiday season which accounts for the jump in
the data. Fiscal Q1 is October-December of the previous
year, and so on” (Wikipedia, 2009)
The first graph illustrates total iPods sales from fiscal quarter
1 2002 to fiscal quarter 2 2009.
The second graph serves as a closer view of the iPod sales
between 2002 and 2004.
23000
22000
21000
20000
19000
18000
17000
16000
15000
14000
13000
12000
11000
10000
9000
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
q1
q2
q3
q4
q1
q2
q3
q4
q1
q2
q3
q4
q1
q2
q3
q4
q1
q2
q3
q4
q1
q2
q3
q4
q1
q2
q3
q4
q1
q2
Number of Units Sold (per 1000 units)
S-Curve for iPods
(2002-2009)
Quarterly Sales by Year
Series1
Number of Units Sold (per
1000 units)
2002-2004
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Series1
q1 q2 q3 q4 q1 q2 q3 q4 q1 q2 q3 q4
Quarterly Sales by Year
2,002 q1
q2
q3
q4
2,003 q1
q2
q3
q4
2004 q1
q2
q3
q4
2005 q1
q2
q3
q4
2006 q1
q2
q3
q4
2007 q1
q2
q3
q4
2008 q1
q2
q3
q4
2009 q1
q2
125
57
54
140
219
78
304
336
733
807
860
2,016
4,580
5,311
6,155
6,451
14,043
8,526
8,111
8,729
21,066
10,529
9,815
10,200
22,121
10,644
10,011
11,052
22,272
11,013
What does this mean?
After examining the data, one can see
that iPod sales have steadily increased
since its appearance on the market
eight years ago. The yearly increase in
sales is attributable to numerous
factors: new models of iPods, cheaper
prices, holiday sales, and so forth. The
steady increase causes one to question
when iPod sales will level off?
An S-Curve is visible for iPod sales.
In the beginning, the adoption was
slow due to lack of knowledge
about the product and the price.
However, in 2003 sales took off
with the 3rd generation model
marketed with increased storage
space at a more reasonable price
for consumers.
2007 3rd quarter sales mark the beginning of a
slower adoption rate of the innovation. The
jumps marked on the chart indicate holiday
sales which skews the S-curve. By this point
though, in 2009, many adopters contributing
to the sales of iPods are those users wanting
to upgrade, not necessarily purchase for firsttime use. However, with the integration of
the iPod in the classroom, many school
districts might make the investment for
classroom sets of iPods just as computers are
standard in most rooms.
Works Cited
• Hormby, T. & Knight, D. (2007). A History of the iPod:
2000 to 2004. Low End Mac. Retrieved June 25, 2009,
from http://lowendmac.com/orchard/05/origin-of-theipod.html#0.
• Lessons from Apple. Economist, 00130613, 6/9/2007, Vol.
383, Issue 8532. Database: Business Source Premier.
Retrieved July 2, 2009, from
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/bsi/det
ail?vid=9&hid=106&sid=c6445905-3958-45b4-a7f757467fc320ee%40sessionmgr108&bdata=JnNpdGU9YnN
pLWxpdmU%3d#db=buh&AN=25419026.
• Lloyd, D. (2004). Instant Expert: A Brief History of
iPod. iLounge Publishing. Retrieved July 2, 2009,
from
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comme
nts/instant-expert-a-brief-history-of-ipod/.
• Malley, A. (2009). Notes of interest from Apple’s
Q209 quarterly conference call. Retrieved from
AppleInsider July 2, 2009, from
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/04/22/not
es_of_interest_from_apples_q209_quarterly_confer
ence_call.html.
• Muller, T. (23 April 2008). The Outlook for Apple’s
iPod Business from Seeking Alpha. Retrieved July
9, 2009, from
http://seekingalpha.com/article/73612-the-outlookfor-apple-s-ipod-business.
• Rogers, E. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations.
(5th ed.). New York: NY; Free Press
• Wikipedia. (7 July 2009). iPod: iPod sales per
quarter. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ipod_sales
_per_quarter.svg.
Application to the
Classroom
(Articles to be Used in Research)
Works Cited
Crispin, D. & Pymm, J. (2009).
Podagogy: The iPod as a
learning community. In Active
Learning in Higher Education;
Mar2009, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p8496, 13p. Retrieved June 25,
2009, from
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.
waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail
?vid=6&hid=104&sid=d9d6de0
d-d826-468f-813375ef9cd16bab%40sessionmgr1
04&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhv
c3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za
XRl#db=ehh&AN=36795187
#db=ehh&AN=36795187
Article details
three examples of
how iPods can be
used in schools.
In this case, the
classes were
performing arts
classes.
Works Cited
Crispin, D. (2008) iPods and
Creativity in Learning and
Teaching: An Instructional
Perspective. In International
Journal of Teaching & Learning
in Higher Education; Vol. 20
Issue 1, p1-9. Retrieved June
25, 2009, from
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.
waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail
?vid=9&hid=104&sid=d9d6de0
d-d826-468f-813375ef9cd16bab%40sessionmgr1
04&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhv
c3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za
XRl#db=ehh&AN=34922477.
An illustration of
how to improve
instructional
practices with
the iPods,
including the
enhancement of
creativity among
students.
Works Cited
Fernandez, V., Simo, P., & Sallan,
J. (2009)Podcasting: A new
technological tool to facilitate
good practice in higher
education. In Computers &
Education; Vol. 53 Issue 2,
p385-392. Retrieved June 25,
2009, from
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.
waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail
?vid=11&hid=104&sid=d9d6de
0d-d826-468f-813375ef9cd16bab%40sessionmgr1
04&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhv
c3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za
XRl#db=ehh&AN=41582950.
A research study
that takes a
closer look at
the benefits of
podcasting.
Works Cited
Hew, K. (2009) Use of audio
podcast in K-12 and higher
education: a review of research
topics and methodologies. In
Educational Technology
Research & Development; Vol.
57 Issue 3, p333-357.
Retrieved June 25, 2009, from
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.
waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail
?vid=11&hid=104&sid=d9d6de
0d-d826-468f-813375ef9cd16bab%40sessionmgr1
04&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhv
c3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za
XRl#db=ehh&AN=39767997
Provides summaries
of multiple
research studies
of podcasts and
draws conclusions
of the benefits
and drawbacks of
iPod use for
education.