Caution: Student iPod User

from the pt-barnum's-laughing dept

Huge iPod sales have spawned a booming market for accessories, but surely this is going a little too far: a London department store is offering lessons on how to use the iPod, charging about $115 for a 40-minute one-on-one session. The store says it's responding for customer demand, particularly from older buyers and, surprisingly, children. While resisting the urge to repeat some comment about fools and their money, these people could always just walk the few blocks over to the Apple store and get help, for free.
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Reader Comments

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  1. identicon
    Mousky, 16 Jan 2006 @ 10:31am

    Greed is good

    I love capitalism.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    patentman, 16 Jan 2006 @ 10:44am

    Re: Greed is good

    "I love capitalism"

    Me too. I see nothing wrong with what these people are doing. If people are dumb enough to pay for lessons when they could get them for free then that is there own issue.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Vasco DaGameboy, 16 Jan 2006 @ 10:55am

    Wonderful idea

    The iPod is so successful becuase it is so easy to use. I thought anyone could figure it out, but this story has inspired me. Ergo, I am offering the following classes if anyone is interested:

    Using scissors: $115.00
    Tying shoes: $150.00
    Watching paint dry: >SPECIAL! Only $89.95

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jan 2006 @ 10:58am

    Too bad

    Too bad they don't have apple stores in the UK.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Brad, 16 Jan 2006 @ 10:58am

    Re: Wonderful idea

    lol...scissors. Its exactly what they are doing. But hey like he said...if people are stupid enough to pay for lessons when they are already ree then hats their own damn fault!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jan 2006 @ 11:02am

    Re: Too bad

    "Too bad they don't have apple stores in the UK."

    http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/regentstreet/week/20060115.html

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Western Civilizations Need4What Other People Have, 16 Jan 2006 @ 11:02am

    No Subject Given

    Ooooooo Can I take 2 lots of watch paint dry ? Why not treat your self once in a while ? Thats what I say, After all its only about 340 days till christmas!


    -Fools

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Taylor, 16 Jan 2006 @ 11:04am

    No Subject Given

    I dont know about everyone else, but I find it hard to belive this could be successful marketed to children (or successful at all). I have never met anyone under the age of 25 that had issues with using some type of technology as simple as an ipod (or other, better MP3 players).

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jan 2006 @ 11:25am

    Re: Too bad

    they do. there's one round the corner from Selfridges where these lesssons are taking place.

    The thing is - the kind of shoppers that go to Selfridges want the personal service *now*.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Miguel, 16 Jan 2006 @ 12:43pm

    Re:

    The market is perfect.

    http://economics.uchicago.edu/
    University of Chicago, '03

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jan 2006 @ 12:46pm

    No Subject Given

    In Soviet Russia, iPod listen to you!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    John, 16 Jan 2006 @ 12:49pm

    Re: Wonderful idea

    This is hillarious.

    If they charged 10 bucks that would have been tolerable, but over $100 they should be reported to something or somewhere, especially since what they sell is free.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    jeff, 16 Jan 2006 @ 1:01pm

    No Subject Given

    Well, there's certainly nothing wrong with capitalizing on the mentally feeble, but it's time-wasting like this that's keeping our society from progressing and maturing.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jan 2006 @ 1:37pm

    Re: Wonderful idea

    You should let people know that the tying shoes is a 2 part series which explains the higher price.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jan 2006 @ 2:23pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    Are you kidding? The phrase "There's a sucker born every minute" couldn't be more true!! And what better way to advance society than by parting a fool and his money for cheap entertainment? Fools pouring money down the throats of dishonest and sleazy car salesmen and mechanics? That sucks. Pouring it down a dept. store's throats because the dept. store keeps getting requests to do so? Great! If you're that stupid to ask people to treat you like a moron, then by all means they deserve to indeed take your money.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    Paul M, 16 Jan 2006 @ 2:34pm

    incredible patience required


    let's look at it from a different perspective.

    has anyone here done tech support? if you have, can you imagine trying to help someone who's SO dumb they can't figure out an iPod in 5 minutes, or iTunes in 10?

    if that's the kind of customers they're dealing with, the money's got to cover psychology counselling each evening after work!

    remember, if breathing required conscious effort and wasn't a brain-stem function, there'd be many dead people around!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    Rosamunda, 16 Jan 2006 @ 2:55pm

    Re: Wonderful idea

    I got to admit that your courses are very interesting! (lol I�m still laughing! Thanks!)
    We should tell those guys to implement these ones too!
    ;-)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    DV Henkel-Wallace, 16 Jan 2006 @ 3:02pm

    Seems to work

    Well now we all know that you can buy an iPod at Selfridge's!

    (but my kid's school recently got a new photocopier and had to schedule a training session on how to use it. So people are easily intimidated by technology, I think because they've been taught to be).

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. identicon
    jdragon, 17 Jan 2006 @ 1:24am

    Re: Seems to work

    Believe it or not, some people out there have trouble setting up their iPods. Not everyone is tech gadget savvy!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    Paul, 17 Jan 2006 @ 2:36am

    mechanics only charge...

    60-80 dollars an hour for labor done on your car..

    and these ipod people only get a 40 minute lesson!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. identicon
    haggie, 17 Jan 2006 @ 11:17am

    No Subject Given

    This article properly represents the average intelligence of the iPod customer base.

    They overpaid for a closed-DRM music player because of marketing hype and a cute form factor. Why wouldn't you expect the same people to overpay for accessories and technical support of that same product?

    iPods are for sheep.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. identicon
    Mousky, 21 Jan 2006 @ 6:34am

    Re: No Subject Given

    Keeping our society from progressing and maturing? Really? I think our society has been progressing and maturing fairly well. Capitalism and the free market are not perfect, but they are the best thing we have. It's time wasting if someone wants to pay for it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. identicon
    Tsubasa Kato, 24 Jan 2006 @ 2:49pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    Man. This is funny... How to use iPod for over $100! Can't they read the instruction manual or get at least a guidebook?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. identicon
    Alice, 9 Jun 2006 @ 1:44am

    you what say now?

    I worked in selfridges for a large part of 2005; I never witnesssed these 'ipod training sessions'. Rumours I believe.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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