Microsoft can't stop talking about the Apple iPod. I have heard the Xbox team talk about iPod over and over again ad nauseam. They designed the physical look of the Xbox 360 to look like an iPod. (White case with chrome accents, large circle in the middle) I've heard them say many times how they desire to replicate the iPods consumer electronics success with the Xbox. I've heard them say that they want to offer consumers the choice of multiple Xbox offerings the way Apple does with iPod. I've heard them say that the Xbox 360 Core is supposed to be like the iPod Shuffle. Well here's where I think it all went wrong...
Imagine if Apple had released the iPod Shuffle on the same day as the original iPod except the Shuffle was the same exact size as the iPod and only $100 less. Now imagine if because of the Shuffle's limited memory storage space Apple told all of the artists that their iTunes songs would have to be restricted to a max bitrate of 96kbps. All the songs on iTunes would be lower quality and sound inferior to competing music download services, potentially hurting the future of both iTunes and iPod. This is essentially what MS has done to Xbox 360 and it's games.
If MS wanted to replicate the success of iPod and iPod shuffle with Xbox 360 and 360 core, then they should have waited some time before releasing the core and they should not have limited the potential of their games to accomodate the core. The main reasons why someone would buy an iPod shuffle are its significantly smaller size and low price advantage over the iPod. The Xbox 360 core should have come out at a time when MS could give people a smaller redesigned Xbox 360 possibly with some bells and whistles like wi-fi at a very low cost. Like the shuffle, the core system should have had a sizeable portion of flash memory built into it thereby allowing game developers to make full use of the Xbox 360's HDD without having to worry about supporting a system without memory.
Apple could have easily launched a flash player at the same time that the iPod first came out, but this move would have diluted the quality of the iPod name before it could become a phenomenon. Instead Apple waited until a time where they could offer a smaller audio device at a signficantly cheaper price. Timing is important! The reasons for MS to wait are simple, it gives them the opportunity to associate a high quality standard with the Xbox 360 brand and it also gives them time to eventually offer a low cost system in the $100-$150 range which is truly attractive to the low end consumer. The low end consumer is not going to be interested in an expensive $300 device that offers no practical use, size, or design advantages over the Xbox 360.
The main mistakes MS made in trying to copy Apple iPod Shuffle are:
1.) The core is not signficantly cheaper than Xbox 360 keeping it out of reach of the low budget consumer.
2.) The core's hardware offers no unique or desireable advantages over Xbox 360 (ie. smaller size, wi-fi, unique design)
3.) The core's memory limitations should not have been allowed to lower the potential quality of all Xbox 360 games.
4.) The core should not have been launched simultatneously with the Xbox 360 because it dilutes the level of quality associated with the brand.
Unlike the 360 Core, the iPod Shuffle offered users unique design advantages and an inexpensive pricepoint without affecting the quality of the content created for it.
Imagine if Apple had released the iPod Shuffle on the same day as the original iPod except the Shuffle was the same exact size as the iPod and only $100 less. Now imagine if because of the Shuffle's limited memory storage space Apple told all of the artists that their iTunes songs would have to be restricted to a max bitrate of 96kbps. All the songs on iTunes would be lower quality and sound inferior to competing music download services, potentially hurting the future of both iTunes and iPod. This is essentially what MS has done to Xbox 360 and it's games.
If MS wanted to replicate the success of iPod and iPod shuffle with Xbox 360 and 360 core, then they should have waited some time before releasing the core and they should not have limited the potential of their games to accomodate the core. The main reasons why someone would buy an iPod shuffle are its significantly smaller size and low price advantage over the iPod. The Xbox 360 core should have come out at a time when MS could give people a smaller redesigned Xbox 360 possibly with some bells and whistles like wi-fi at a very low cost. Like the shuffle, the core system should have had a sizeable portion of flash memory built into it thereby allowing game developers to make full use of the Xbox 360's HDD without having to worry about supporting a system without memory.
Apple could have easily launched a flash player at the same time that the iPod first came out, but this move would have diluted the quality of the iPod name before it could become a phenomenon. Instead Apple waited until a time where they could offer a smaller audio device at a signficantly cheaper price. Timing is important! The reasons for MS to wait are simple, it gives them the opportunity to associate a high quality standard with the Xbox 360 brand and it also gives them time to eventually offer a low cost system in the $100-$150 range which is truly attractive to the low end consumer. The low end consumer is not going to be interested in an expensive $300 device that offers no practical use, size, or design advantages over the Xbox 360.
The main mistakes MS made in trying to copy Apple iPod Shuffle are:
1.) The core is not signficantly cheaper than Xbox 360 keeping it out of reach of the low budget consumer.
2.) The core's hardware offers no unique or desireable advantages over Xbox 360 (ie. smaller size, wi-fi, unique design)
3.) The core's memory limitations should not have been allowed to lower the potential quality of all Xbox 360 games.
4.) The core should not have been launched simultatneously with the Xbox 360 because it dilutes the level of quality associated with the brand.
Unlike the 360 Core, the iPod Shuffle offered users unique design advantages and an inexpensive pricepoint without affecting the quality of the content created for it.
