More than just a music player

When we mentioned that Apple has become more of a brand than a computer manufacturer, we’re not kidding you. After all, Interbrand recently issued its latest brand rankings showing Apple at 43rd with an impressive 24% increase in brand value since the previous rankings – the largest gain in the top 100

The venerable BusinessWeek went on to report in its Aug 2, 2004 edition that “the iPod digital music player gave one of tech’s coolest brands the consumer electronics hit of the year”.

But what makes the new iPod mini so special? Compared to the original iPod, the iPod mini can hold just 80-100 CDs’ worth of music. A quick calculation will tell you that the iPod mini is significantly more expensive on a per gigabyte basis.

Yet, by throwing in five additional colours and a change of casing from functional plastic and chrome to sleek aluminium, Apple has transformed a cool and clever electronic device into a fashion accessory that not only geeks crave for, but their girlfriends too (if any). In fact, the ability to generate such enthusiasm for a small aluminium tube containing a chip, some memory and a bit of software is nothing short of a marketing phenomenon.