Posts tagged iTunes

Pandora Could Sell Me Something

Apr14
2008 1 Comment

I respect how the online music service Pandora is hands-off regarding pushing music sales. It offers links to buy each song in your stations. But it doesn’t offer package deals.

Pandora collects a lot of information. Its user interface does not reflect the degree to which it could display the song information or your history with the song. You can view your Bookmarked Songs. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Pandora (wrongly) allows you to “re-bookmark” a song, rather than notifying you of the encore. It could not only alert you of the repeated bookmark, but suggest you buy it — “You’ve bookmarked that song twice already. You must really dig it! We can offer to you along with these 8 other tracks for just $5.89.” The other tracks could be related/suggested based on the song attributes, or could be from your list of favorites.

Pandora could generate packages and deals programatically and display on your homepage. “Click here to Purchase ALL your Bookmarked Songs for 70% off!”

Come on, Pandora. We’re all rooting for you to succeed. Get smart with your marketing. You’re doing a great job tying songs together; now sell them to us.

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iPod earbuds post un-tangle still Confuse

Oct16
2007 Leave a Comment

The iPod’s white earbuds would be easier to use if one of the earbuds was colored.
The only way to determine which piece is for Right Ear versus Left Ear is to hold one of the pieces close to the eye, turning the piece to view the single letter (“L” or “R”) faintly marked on its inner-side.
Ironically, Apple celebrates its releasing of various colors for various products, but the lack of an additional color Within an existing item makes it less usable.
You almost get the feeling that the geniuses would ‘rectify’ this problem, by releasing an all-green ear buds….amen.

What you can do: use a marker to color one of the buds. Or, use high-quality stereo headphones.
In that case, the Left and Right sides is known / derived from the shape of the phones.
Even if still ambiguous, at least the quality sound makes up for the momentary confusion. Not something that can be said of the shabby iPod phones.
(My editor just informed me that any mention of iPod phones must include the word “ubiquitous.” )

The iPod earbuds are ubiquitous but far from perfect.

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