Mark Ramsey Media LLC - sync radio and digital media

Mark, thanks as always for the keen observations and coverage of our study. Yes, there’s more to come.

I would agree that it is unlikely that Apple would add an FM tuner to the ipod. However I think that the general public knows what they “really” want. The fact that they do not choose another mp3 player with an FM tuner does not imply that they do not really want that in an ipod. They are simply evaluating the total package and deciding for various reasons that they prefer an ipod without an FM tuner to another brand with a tuner. Likewise, for a number of years, some luxury car makers refused to put cupholders in their vehicles. Time and again surveys showed that many buyers of those vehicles “really” wanted that feature. They went ahead and purchased the vehicle without cupholders because they were looking at the total package, including image. Later when most luxury manufacturers added that feature it increased the satisfaction rating with consumers, though I don’t think it made much difference in sales. Likewise I think the addition of an FM tuner would increase the user satisfaction with the ipod, though I don’t know if they lose any significant sales to other players because of the lack of this feature.

I’m not sure where I read this – maybe here, maybe over at another blog – but people don’t buy radios. They buy things with radios already in them, like cars, and clocks and gadget pens and CD Players and MP3 players.
I would never pay $50 ~extra~ for a radio, although given two comparable products in a similar price range, I would purchase the one with the most useful features.
If I thought that a radio was a more useful feature than say, a GPS device (also about $50 these days), I might go that way. But a GPS device in an MP3 player would be pretty cool. Unfortunately, you would never again get ‘lost in the music.’

Gene, I hardly think there’s a satisfaction problem with iPods. You don’t get that kind of market share in a crowded field if you have a satisfaction problem.
And of course consumers are evaluating the whole package – but note that the whole package does not include an FM tuner.
iPods have solved that problem with add-on equipment.
Phil, yes I did say people bought things that contain radios, not radios themselves. But that doesn’t mean every media appliance needs to have a radio.
The consumers are in the driver’s seat and their voices are loud and clear.

Mark, I did not say that there is a satisfaction problem with the ipod. Let me use another true life example as an analogy.
Recently while dining at a national chain casual restaurant I was asked to participate in a survey on the restaurant. They asked about the satisfaction with the salad that I ordered. They asked specific questions such as were the greens crisp, etc. They then asked if there were anything that would have improved that salad. I told them that I wished they had my favorite dressing available.
Now, I did not say that I was not satisfied with the salad and that day the service was very good (probably because they were actively surveying). This is also a restaurant that I will undoubtedly go to in the future because of the total package and value I attribute to them. However if I were designing that salad I would design it with another feature, i.e. my favorite dressing.
I see the FM tuner in the ipod in a similar way. I feel the survey is saying that if the consumer could design their ipod a significant number say they would add an FM tuner.
I see the optional add-on tuner as somewhat akin to me bringing my favorite dressing to the restaurant with me (although I have more than once seen people do that with salad dressing). For me it is not worth the effort, or not seen as equivalent to having it built in, whether a dressing for my salad or an add on tuner for my ipod.
I guess it may come to the definition of “really”. Is it really in terms of “truthfully”? Or is it “really” in the concept of “intensely”, In the first example I think many people truthfully or in reality do want an FM tuner in their ipod. I think those who have an intense desire for an FM tuner are either buying the add on or choosing another model and I think that popoulation is significantally smaller.

Gene, research generally shows that people want everying they can get.
And practice shows that those products which make choices are the ones that sell.
In the technology field – and elsewhere.
After 100 million iPods, it’s hard to argue that Jobs is missing out on much opportunity from radio.

Oops!

I guess you didn’t see my new post on this that acknowledged this, huh?
Oops, yourself.