The manager of a Target electronics department has written a blog essay discussing who buys iPods these days. It’s an interesting read, and makes a lot of sense, though is obviously not exactly a scientific sample, being the perspective of just one person.
The iPod Touch was the most popular selling item, though as a rule it tended to sell either to the very young (kids too young for smartphones) or the very old (grandparents who didn’t want smartphones but wanted something they could use to Facetime with their kids and grandkids). An interesting thing is, when the iPad Mini came out, a lot of iPod Touch business swapped over to it instead.
E-books don’t really get a mention; kids were said to like it because it played games, watched YouTube, and streamed music. I guess those are the things kids are interested in these days, huh?
The iPod Nano sold almost entirely to older people who simply wanted a music player that didn’t have all the bells and whistles of the iPod Touch. The author didn’t think he’d ever sold one to anyone under 50. Kids preferred the Touch, for its ability to do Internet things. Older people tended to want something that just played music and wasn’t confusing.
The iPod Shuffle sold almost entirely to people who were getting it as a gift for someone else. People getting them for themselves tended to be turned off by the lack of a screen and would go with the Nano instead.
The iPod Shuffle is not something a lot of people would buy for themselves, but they’re pretty sure they know somebody who it would be perfect for. I suspect the Shuffle is the iPod most likely to be “lost” in a drawer after using it once or twice.
It’s a little painful to read that, given that’s exactly what happened to the Shuffle I had my Dad get himself.
Effectively, the author concludes, iPods are for people who don’t need smartphones—but given how many people do use smartphones now, along with various affordable tablets, that market is dwindling considerably. It probably won’t be too long before it’s gone altogether.
I do. I like the digital technology, but without the distraction of having a phone on the device. I know that is “old school”, but I like it that way.