'Made for iPod': Apple's Cash Cow?


Macworld UK reports that Apple's certified 'Made for iPod' scheme got little press as the iPod Shuffle and Mac Mini wowed the assembled media throng.

But the 'Made for iPod' insignia, while it may not force small, third-party iPod accessory makers out of the market, has some of them concerned.

Apple's argument is that the logo ensures quality for customers, rather than cheap knock-offs which don't necessarily work as advertised - or as seamlessly as Apple wants them to.

But iPodLounge was reportedly told that the "Made for iPod badge was originally proposed as a potential royalty stream for Apple".

Major accessory makers, such as Belkin, don't have a problem with the scheme, arguing that it doesn't threaten their business model, the article says.

Analysis: It's true that carrying the Mac logo - or made for iPod - carries some quality assurance that the product was developed in cooperation with Apple. And it probably wouldn't do to cheapen that. The typical reaction would be to 'blame Apple'. For example, an earlier IGM story we posted on Athlon Slows Down Your iPod saw a PC user suggest iTunes could provide a fix for a slowdown, where it was, in fact, a problem with the Athlon and its USB 2.0 drivers. A classic case of "iTunes' (i.e., Apple's) problem"