Apple Kills Competition And 3rd Parties And Marketers?

How many companies will be affected by yesterday’s news that Apple have dropped the iPod Mini? The launch of the iPod range has created an ‘iHalo’ - an armada of peripherals and accessories provided by 3rd parties. How many of these 3rd parties will be left with iPod Mini related stock they’re unable to shift?

It was interesting to see that three posts before gadget site I4U announced the Nano yesterday they were championing an iPod Mini radio device from DLO. The iPod Mini is officially dead. It’s not even on the Apple site anymore. What will DLO do with their radio gadget now as consumers buy into the new iPod nano?

British chip maker Walkers Crisps have also announced a competition to give away mini iPod’s in a text-to-win draw. Two days ago this would have been seen as just some unimaginative promotion (see Henry Lambert’s piece on why the iPod is the new toaster), now the campaign is surely a joke - which spotty junk-food chomping child wants to own an iPod Mini in the playground?