Martijn ten Napel's Profile

Every iPod you buy withing the European Union has a cap. USA models can go louder. 115 dB is about the sound volume of a jet fighter firing up its engines at 30 metres distance, try to bear that for 2 hours on end. Most of the laws in the USA (as in the UK I'm told) seem to be made in courts, so aside of the greedy lawyers, I guess this lawsuit is a way to get some legislation on sound levels. I don't know if that's a bad thing.

The common mistake that everyone seems to make is that people seem to care about a product because it is labelled 'Microsoft' or 'Apple'. The only reason people use Windows or Office is the fact it is so prolific. People want at home what they are used to work with or have learned to work with and which is easily available: Windows and Office. (we're talking consumer market here before someone starts to talk about the bundle of software available on Windows). I don't see why people would start to buy Microsoft labelled MP3-players all of a sudden and abandon the iPod. I even talked to someone who had an iPod and thought that 'iPod' was the company selling the MP3-player :-) iPods integrate nicely in the user experience on a Windows machine, you just install iTunes and you're ready to go. iPods happen to be the thing that people know or have heared of, so they just buy iPod, like they buy Office.

I hope there will be a new shuffle, so I can pick up a current model at a lower price ;-) I need one for sports; a 3G iPod isn't very handy when moving around; a Shuffle is. And a new Powerbook line will most welcome; especially a even thinner 12" Powerbook with backlight keys and a slot for a PCMCIA card, please :-) I'll take that toaster as a bonus...