Having a portable music player is now becoming a commodity rather than being a luxury item. Many people are now buying their own Ipod players without considering much of the price values. This somehow reflects the drastic changes in prices of the brand. The differences in market costs are inflicting a new trend in commercial spending.
The early prices of the Ipod music players are high because of the of market introduction. Seemingly, the newer the item is in the market the higher price values it gets. However, because of longer time frames affect price values, the regular units of Ipods are now more consumer-friendly. Prices are dropping because of some causes coming from different aspects of marketing.
Initially, the price of the Ipod player does not have any comparable reference. This is understandable because there were no other music player brands available in the market. The high cost employed in the sale of the first ipod generations base purely on the economic factors of manufacturing them. However, because of the release of other models that comprise the whole Ipod family, the high cost values of Ipods are reduced at certain points in time. This explains the trends in business that gives good competition among brand items.
The introduction of Ipod Nano, Ipod shuffle and Ipod video has changed the price ranges of Ipods. Each of these models is using specific price ranges based on the technical features of the product. Apparently, the more features it has, the higher the street price. For example, the current market price of Ipod is at $249. The price may be steep but it compensates the 20,000 songs it is capable to store. On the other hand the Ipod Nano and Shuffle reached its price $149 and $79 respectively. There is no exact pricing pattern between the Ipod families because of the difference in specifications. The price of one model cannot justify the cost of another because of technical differences. Some distributors and resellers may apply varying price ranges depending on the availability of the item in their stores. For example, an Ipod may range from $199-$255 depending on the capacity of the unit and location of the shop.
On the other hand, the lowering prices that envelop the retail sale of Ipods applies to market shares. Since the introduction of the Ipod player, many big electronic manufacturers have followed suit to rival the success of the Ipod. This may bring great market competition that will eventually lead to lower player prices and wider brand choices. The public will always have a definite edge in choosing the best according to their preferences.
The rising and lowering prices of the ipod player have many factors. In the aspect of good marketing strategies, the manufacturer will always take the step in remodeling their products. This will help the public to take their pick among the various offerings Ipod has given to the commercial market.
http://www.frozenipod.com/2007/ipod-prices/#more-9
