iPod gets its game on

Original Article http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/10/09/ipod.games/index.htm

With the recent introduction of Apple's newest series of iPods, owners of the new series to play games on their iPods for a small fee.

A few games Apple is allowing for download are, "Tetris," "Zuma," "Texas Hold'em," "Mahjong," "Mini Golf," "Pac-Man," "Cubis 2," "Bejeweled" and "Vortex." Each game will be a one time download for $4.99, which is comparable to the price of games for a cell phone.

To download a game the newest version of iTunes for PC or Mac is required as well as the newest generation of iPod.

The problem with this new feature is it destroys any resale value of prior iPod models and leaves customers feeling left out. Apple is notorious for leaving consumers in the dark with specifications of items to be released in the future which doesn't allow for consumers to wait for the next big thing. This might be a double edged sword for Apple, by keeping a constant flow of income not interrupted or slowed by a products release date, but it may leave customers a little sour after shelling out a few hundred dollars to have old technology. However this being said, their current strategy has not stopped them from having a 75% market share on portable media devices.

As important as it is to advance technology as fast as possible it is also important to inform a buyer of what will be released in the near future.