Would You Pay $300 to Outfit Your iPod?
But having the pricey player may no longer be enough. This fall, couture designers from Chanel to Marc Jacobs are offering cases in calfskin, signature canvas, you name it -- sometimes at more than US$300 a pop.
But is the average MP3 junkie ready to dish out more for a posh case than for the player itself?
Shifting Market
"Over the last year or two, the market has shifted on iPod cases," says Dean Constantine of Weston, Fla.-based XtremeMac, a third-party manufacturer of iPod accessories available worldwide. "It used to be that protection for the iPod was the most important thing. ... Leather cases that provide padding and soft interior materials were what people craved. Now, people just want something stylish, and many own multiple cases for their iPods."
As a result, Constantine says, designers are going after a different breed of shopper.
"Their target market is a fashionista who owns an iPod," Constantine says. "I doubt that people who wouldn't normally buy Coach or Kate Spade items would shell out $100 to $300 for an iPod case made by them. On the other hand, the Coach addicts out there will absolutely shelve their existing $30 leather case and run out to buy the new Coach case."
From Kate Spade to Dior
IPods range in price from $99 for the 512 MB shuffle, which holds 120 songs, to $399 for the Mac daddy 60 GB player, which holds 15,000 songs. Designer-case costs include $55 for a leather wristlet case from Kate Spade and $230 for the Black Tie iPod case by Christian Dior.
According to Newsweek, fashion powerhouse Karl Lagerfeld stores his personal music collection among 60 iPods (at last count), each laser coded to tell what tunes are inside. On a runway in Milan last year, he showed his affinity for the players by unveiling the $1,500 Fendi Juke Box, a bread-box-sized bag built to carry 12 iPods.
"I don't know anyone who has [a designer iPod case], but I think anything fun and designer is worth the big bucks," says Melissa Payne, a 22-year-old University of Florida (UF) senior. "If you have the money, why not get one?"
Payne says she has shopped for Gucci's Guccisima iPod case ($235) on eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) , but hasn't found one at the right price from a trusted dealer. "I personally wouldn't buy one [at full retail price], because that's how much my iPod cost -- $200," Payne says.
Keeping It Simple
UF professor and iPod enthusiast David Carlson says that among his students and colleagues, the most popular MP3 player accessories are simple cases -- for protection and for clipping the player to a belt or armband -- and upgraded headphones. "I think there also are a lot of people who have FM transmitters they use in the car. I installed a jack in my car so I can plug right in."
Carlson hasn't seen any couture iPod accessories in his classrooms, he says, though he admits he might not know a Gucci from a Pucci.
At Pine Crest School in Boca Raton, Fla., however, trendy accessories are in no short supply -- especially iPods.
"In about March or April, I started seeing more and more of them after school, at the mall, on school trips and at the gym," says Jacqueline Cox, an eighth grader at Pine Crest. "Most people get them for their birthdays, holidays, or as graduation or end-of-year presents from their parents."
Cox agrees that cases are a must, but she says most of her friends have cases sold at Mac stores, online or in other electronics stores.
Out of the Ordinary
Constantine says designer iPod cases are typically not sold where iPods are sold, which he says "dramatically lowers the connect rate" for potential buyers.
"I have seen a couple designer iPod cases at school, but not very many because they can be even more expensive than the iPod itself," says Cox, 13. "I have seen them advertised in magazines and have seen them in stores. But none of my friends would buy an expensive designer case, because we all know that there are ones that are just as cute and protect just the same for a tenth of the price."
But is the average MP3 junkie ready to dish out more for a posh case than for the player itself?
Shifting Market
"Over the last year or two, the market has shifted on iPod cases," says Dean Constantine of Weston, Fla.-based XtremeMac, a third-party manufacturer of iPod accessories available worldwide. "It used to be that protection for the iPod was the most important thing. ... Leather cases that provide padding and soft interior materials were what people craved. Now, people just want something stylish, and many own multiple cases for their iPods."
As a result, Constantine says, designers are going after a different breed of shopper.
"Their target market is a fashionista who owns an iPod," Constantine says. "I doubt that people who wouldn't normally buy Coach or Kate Spade items would shell out $100 to $300 for an iPod case made by them. On the other hand, the Coach addicts out there will absolutely shelve their existing $30 leather case and run out to buy the new Coach case."
From Kate Spade to Dior
IPods range in price from $99 for the 512 MB shuffle, which holds 120 songs, to $399 for the Mac daddy 60 GB player, which holds 15,000 songs. Designer-case costs include $55 for a leather wristlet case from Kate Spade and $230 for the Black Tie iPod case by Christian Dior.
According to Newsweek, fashion powerhouse Karl Lagerfeld stores his personal music collection among 60 iPods (at last count), each laser coded to tell what tunes are inside. On a runway in Milan last year, he showed his affinity for the players by unveiling the $1,500 Fendi Juke Box, a bread-box-sized bag built to carry 12 iPods.
"I don't know anyone who has [a designer iPod case], but I think anything fun and designer is worth the big bucks," says Melissa Payne, a 22-year-old University of Florida (UF) senior. "If you have the money, why not get one?"
Payne says she has shopped for Gucci's Guccisima iPod case ($235) on eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) , but hasn't found one at the right price from a trusted dealer. "I personally wouldn't buy one [at full retail price], because that's how much my iPod cost -- $200," Payne says.
Keeping It Simple
UF professor and iPod enthusiast David Carlson says that among his students and colleagues, the most popular MP3 player accessories are simple cases -- for protection and for clipping the player to a belt or armband -- and upgraded headphones. "I think there also are a lot of people who have FM transmitters they use in the car. I installed a jack in my car so I can plug right in."
Carlson hasn't seen any couture iPod accessories in his classrooms, he says, though he admits he might not know a Gucci from a Pucci.
At Pine Crest School in Boca Raton, Fla., however, trendy accessories are in no short supply -- especially iPods.
"In about March or April, I started seeing more and more of them after school, at the mall, on school trips and at the gym," says Jacqueline Cox, an eighth grader at Pine Crest. "Most people get them for their birthdays, holidays, or as graduation or end-of-year presents from their parents."
Cox agrees that cases are a must, but she says most of her friends have cases sold at Mac stores, online or in other electronics stores.
Out of the Ordinary
Constantine says designer iPod cases are typically not sold where iPods are sold, which he says "dramatically lowers the connect rate" for potential buyers.
"I have seen a couple designer iPod cases at school, but not very many because they can be even more expensive than the iPod itself," says Cox, 13. "I have seen them advertised in magazines and have seen them in stores. But none of my friends would buy an expensive designer case, because we all know that there are ones that are just as cute and protect just the same for a tenth of the price."
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