iTunes Genius Mixes is a great illustration of a great business model
To me, the most interesting thing that was unveiled during the last Apple event was iTunes 9, particularly the Genius Mixes. I tried them out as soon as I could, and I was really impressed. iTunes can now scan all my music, find the 12 main types of music I listen to, and put them into newly generated playlists. It’s all very Apple – these mixes do something very complex yet give the user the impression that it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. There are no settings or customization offered with these mixes at all. They just exist on your iTunes, and they work.
Genius Mixes perfectly illustrate why people who buy Apple products tend to become die-hard Apple fans and why Apple is doing so insanely well as a company. Apple is extremely good at adding value to the products you buy from them over the lifetime of that product. And every time Apple bumps up this value, they usually offer something new you can buy that can make this experience even BETTER!