A new product can be defined under five categories according to Crawford and Di Benedetto (2004): new-to-the-world products, new category entries, additions to product lines, product improvements and repositionings. The Apple iPod applies to the new-to-the-world category in that the product has revolutionised the existing product category of music storage and has re-defined the industry.
The iPod was launched by Apple Computer in October of 2001. The small portable digital music player has revolutionised both the computer and music industries and has created a consumer frenzy worldwide. The iPod is proving a colossal hit on the electronics and entertainment home grounds of countries internationally. The small machine has caught on as a fashion statement, turning into a cultural icon, wining a fanatical following in the US, Australia, France, Germany, the UK and Japan. The iPod has outpaced Sony's hard-drive Network Walkman, who has dominated the portable music industry since its launch of the Sony Walkman in the 1979.
The iPod has an endless list of achievements within the corporate world among increasing Apple's brand name value an impressive 24% to be ranked 43rd on Interbrand's top 100 list (Japan Consuming, 2004). The iPod has since dominated the digital music industry and totally saturated the market. Apple has had extreme success with the product and the iPod journey is definitely worth studying.
'Apple Computer' introduced the iPod into the consumer market in October of 2001. Apple is a Silicon Valley company based in Cupertino, California, whose main business is in computer technologies. It is best known for its range of Macintosh computers, and has a reputation for innovation in the high-tech industry. In addition to computers, Apple has also produced consumer devices such as the Newton, a handheld electronic note-taking device in 1990 and the Apple iPo...