The Nintendo Wii took the #1 spot in eBay’s 2008 tech toys and gadgets top list, with over 2 million related items sold on the site. The Xbox360 was next at 1.3 million, followed by the Sony PSP and iPod touch.
The full list is below.
1. Nintendo Wii: 2,056,866 related items sold
2. Microsoft Xbox360: 1,297,903 related items sold
3. Sony PSP: 350,591 related items sold
4. iPod Touch: 281,361 related items sold
5. Nintendo Wii Fit: 266,584 related items sold
6. Apple iPhone 3G: 212,837 related items sold
7. BlackBerry Pearl: 207,688 related items sold
8. BlackBerry Curve: 193,788 related items sold
9. Sony Playstation 3: 103,333 related items sold
10. Guitar Hero III: 98,159 related items sold
11. Halo 3: 91,067 related items sold
12. Grand Theft Auto IV: 43,005 related items sold
13. MacBook Air: 12,423 related items sold
14. Guitar Hero Aerosmith: 3,749 related items sold
15. Rock Band 2’s: 1,650 related items sold
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I can’t believe what I’m reading. All across the Web, reporters are saying that at Apple’s press event next week, the company will unveil an $800 Mac to appeal to those looking to spend less on an Apple computer.
Anyone who has followed Apple since its inception knows that the very idea that Apple could actually compete on the same level as its competitors on price is a shocker. For years, the company has wanted to be considered a boutique vendor that doesn’t submit to price leadership to sell units.
Steve Jobs went out of his way to create good-looking devices with a unique experience so he wouldn’t have to charge less for his computers and it worked like a charm.
Mac sales have never been higher, and it’s quickly becoming apparent that people are more than willing to spend the additional cash to own a Mac. And yet, the rumors that Apple will sell an $800 Mac simply won’t go away.
Now, I’m a firm believer that Apple should start lowering its prices to appeal to more consumers and take the fight to Hewlett-Packard and Dell, but if Apple’s plan next week is to offer cheaper Macs, I can’t help but wonder if this is Apple’s new strategy going forward.
I think it is.
Remember when we all made a fuss over how high the price of the original iPhone was? Do you remember when we all rejoiced as Apple announced that the lower-end iPhone would retail for $199?
And if you look at the iPod, now you can spend as little as $49 for the iPod Shuffle, $149 for an iPod Nano, and $229 for the iPod Touch. And just in case you want an Apple TV, the entry-level price of $229 isn’t too bad for a set-top box with that kind of functionality.
Do you see what I’m getting at here? Apple is quickly becoming a company that offers high-quality products at a relatively affordable price. And if it decides to sell a Mac for $800, I don’t think there’s any debating the fact that Jobs has decided to change his company’s business model.
And what a change that would be. As I mentioned, Apple is a boutique vendor on a number of levels and has decided that it would rather offer products for a higher price than play the pricing game. But as economic conditions change and people need to think more about their wallets than they may have over the past few years, Apple feels it needs to change its course and compete more effectively against HP and Dell.
Will it work? I can guarantee that it will. But what will it do to Apple’s image? As long as the company continues providing high-quality products that easily eclipse the competition, I don’t think it will have anything to worry about on that front either.
Apple’s decision to offer a cheaper Mac is a smart one. But it goes beyond a cheaper product. In reality, Apple is now a changed company that will compete on price. And it’s because of that that its competitors should be scared.
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Apple has started offering movies for sale or rent to UK users of iTunes.
More than 700 titles will be on offer from the launch date, 100 of which will be available in high-definition.
Many of the titles on sale for downloading via iTunes will be going on sale on the same day they are released on DVD, said Apple.
New releases cost £10.99 to buy and £3.49 to rent. Movies from the iTunes library cost £6.99 to buy and £2.49 to rent. HD versions cost £1 more.
Those renting films have up to 30 days to watch what they have downloaded and once they have started watching it have 48 hours to finish viewing.
Once downloaded films can be watched on an iPod, iPhone or through Apple TV.
Apple said films from Fox, Disney, Paramount, Warner, MGM, Sony International and Lionsgate would be available via iTunes.
Early titles available for download include I Am Legend, National Treasure 2, Hitman and Into The Wild.
ITunes in the US started offering movies for sale or rent in early 2008.
In the online movie watching market Apple faces competition from rivals such as Amazon, Netflix, Blockbuster and even Microsoft via its Xbox 360 gaming console.
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