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Information Technology News Do iPod users really want FM tuners?
Information Technology News Do iPod users really want FM tuners? | Do iPod users really want FM tuners? |
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| Written by Stephen Withers | |
| Wednesday, 04 April 2007 | |
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But Apple has offered an FM tuner as an iPod accessory for over a year. As its name suggests, the $US40/$A79 iPod Radio Remote combines a FM tuner with a clip-on remote control similar in appearance to the iPod shuffle. So why aren't all those people that want to listen to the radio on their iPods using it? The answer could be that it has very limited compatibility, working only with the first or second generation iPod nano or the (fifth generation) iPod with video. I've got a feeling that those rock radio listeners surveyed by Jacobs Media could be relatively early adopters. According to Nielsen figures, around a quarter of US homes had an MP3 player in 3Q06, compared with 47 percent in Jacobs' survey. Admittedly, greater penetration doesn't necessarily mean more early adopters, but it seems a fairly safe assumption. If many of those surveyed were early adopters, they wouldn't be able to use the Radio Remote with their iPods. Another explanation is that people really do want integrated tuners, not external add-ons. Anyone who wants a tuner would probably prefer a one-piece unit, but the question is whether the slight extra cost would be regarded as a negative by non radio listeners. Or perhaps more accurately, what the net effect would be on Apple's profits from iPods and accessories. Or maybe iPod owners just consider the Radio Remote too expensive? And what about AM radio? The growth of podcasting has renewed interest in a variety of talk formats, and even in countries where most commercial broadcasting has moved to FM or digital radio there are still public and community broadcasters on AM. Received wisdom seems to be that people only want FM on mobile devices. If a mobile phone has a tuner, it's almost certainly FM only, as are more of the low-cost radios you find in the stores or given away as promotional items. I'd be interested to see some market research into the demand for AM tuners.{moscomment}
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