My new iPod just arrived and it's quietly charging away whilst consuming vast amounts of MP3s from my PC's disk. A couple of observations; the iPod, besides what it represents at a face value function level, is a very clever move by Apple and a real market share trojan horse. Now that I - a PC user - own a piece of Apple hardware and can now experience what it's like being an Apple customer, with all the quirky coolness the brand experience conveys, I'm a whole lot closer to buying an Apple computer.

With the iPod, Apple has skilfully smoked its brand right under Microsoft's radar, rather than confronting head on, Microsoft's otherwise unassailable fortress of PC market domination. And in doing so, Apple has been able to find an unlocked back door.

And I don't just mean they've nicked the MP3 player market from MS or other MP3 kit vendors, what they've done is to chip a big piece off the entire PC user communities' MS or PC brand loyalty and appreciation which, besides making Apple loads of money at the iPod level, may critically harm the dominant market share currently locked down by the PC vendor / MS vendor community. There's definitely a short and long game with the iPod. Definitely a trojan horse on a switch mission.

A truly brilliant business plan.