The iPod Harper's Special Edition

July 11, 2005 2:02 PM

The Latest Addition to the iPod Family: the iPod Harper's Special Edition. "Each unit comes preloaded with high-resolution photos of every writer whose work has appeared in the magazine during (Harper's editor Lewis H. Lapham's) long tenure..." Is it me, or is this just super lame?
posted by JPowers (40 comments total)

Members of the community blog Metafilter fooled by so-so joke: 1 of 25086.
posted by muckster at 2:07 PM on July 11, 2005

oo, snap!
posted by o2b at 2:08 PM on July 11, 2005

(loud whisper) I think it's make-believe!
posted by sdrawkcab at 2:08 PM on July 11, 2005

I call fake.
posted by SisterHavana at 2:09 PM on July 11, 2005

*blushing*

Uh, I knew it was just a joke. He he.
posted by JPowers at 2:10 PM on July 11, 2005

Members of the community blog Metafilter fooled by so-so joke: 1 of 25086.

So-so? You're generous!
posted by Robot Johnny at 2:11 PM on July 11, 2005

Maybe that's why I bought it, because I didn't think it was funny or novel enough to be a farce.

I should also say however, this seems just as odd and random as the U2 iPod.
posted by JPowers at 2:15 PM on July 11, 2005

Their "Shakespeare Porn" story was pretty funny.
posted by clevershark at 2:16 PM on July 11, 2005

I can't believe that Domo-kun has its own special edition iPod. What were they thinking?
posted by unsupervised at 2:20 PM on July 11, 2005

Is it me, or is this post just super lame?
posted by gyc at 2:28 PM on July 11, 2005

In all fairness to JPowers, this is apparently real. So you never know.
posted by mr_roboto at 2:33 PM on July 11, 2005

I want a New York Review of Books iPod, preloaded with audio versions of every article they're ever printed.

That would actually be way cool.

Further thought: Hell yeah! Get me the NYRB editor and the head of Apple!

And one for the LRB, too! And the New Yorker!
posted by jokeefe at 2:39 PM on July 11, 2005

they're = they've
posted by jokeefe at 2:40 PM on July 11, 2005

Lapham is badass, I like him a lot
posted by matteo at 2:42 PM on July 11, 2005

I'm waiting for the Vivid Video iPod with pictures of all their pornstars who've ever moaned for their cameras (with their moans attached in mp3!).
posted by fenriq at 2:45 PM on July 11, 2005

At ~USD $65.00 (plus $2.75 per mile), the Smart Dalek Edition iPod can drive to your place and provide live music.

It's a rental truck with whatever musicians I can get on short notice.
posted by Smart Dalek at 3:09 PM on July 11, 2005

This is an appropriate time to tell anyone here who doesn't have a suscription to Harper's to spend the $15 and get one.
posted by trinarian at 3:31 PM on July 11, 2005

I thought it was funny, but then I own an iPod and subscribe to Harper's...
posted by mkultra at 3:37 PM on July 11, 2005

matteo: Lapham is badass, I like him a lot

Me, too. I was kind of hoping it was true, and maybe included podcasts of, say, the Index and the Readings.

trinarian: This is an appropriate time to tell anyone here who doesn't have a suscription to Harper's to spend the $15 and get one.

Amen to that, since it's like, what... $5 and change at the newsstand now?
posted by trip and a half at 3:40 PM on July 11, 2005

I own an iPod and subscribe to Harper's, and I find that the uneven quality of both is more than made up for by the respect they engender in like-minded members of the liberal elite.
posted by myeviltwin at 3:43 PM on July 11, 2005

I thought it was kinda funny.
posted by interrobang at 4:19 PM on July 11, 2005

I wanted it to be real.
posted by krysalist at 5:04 PM on July 11, 2005

If Harper's Magazine-reading Mefites do want to hear Harper's content in an audio format, they should feel free to drop me a line ([e-mail]) and let me know what sorts of things they'd like to hear. Not that anything will happen tomorrow, but we have considered making MP3s of speeches and panel discussions available, featuring publisher John R. MacArthur or editor Lewis Lapham. However, I don't know if a podcast of the Index would be as much fun as reading it on the page.
posted by ftrain at 5:25 PM on July 11, 2005

mr_roboto: that link made my day. Wow.
posted by Dr. Wu at 5:39 PM on July 11, 2005

I'd pay like a grillion dollars for an iPod preloaded with every variation of the Google banner.
posted by sciurus at 5:53 PM on July 11, 2005

I should also say however, this seems just as odd and random as the U2 iPod.

You do know that U2 is a musical act?

I second (or third) Lewis Lapham's badassness.

And I don't have to pay squat for my subscription. I finally won the fucking Puzzle!
posted by mrgrimm at 6:29 PM on July 11, 2005

my dad thinks one day iPod shuffles will be cheap enough that they will sold as albums, or box sets. I said it would be awesome, drop a hundred bucks and you suddently have the entire Stones libary... but since they probably wouldn't let you take the tracks off the unit, it wouldn't catch on.

Anyway, food for thought.....iPod: Billy Joel Edition; iPod: Britney Spears Edition; etc.
posted by sdrawkcab at 6:32 PM on July 11, 2005

i have a giant poster of that sexy Lapham at the foot of my bed.

LOVE HIM!
posted by tarantula at 7:00 PM on July 11, 2005

myeviltwin = funny

I normally avoid websites' comments sections, but this is why I love to read MetaFilter's.
posted by Pacheco at 7:51 PM on July 11, 2005

> i have a giant poster of that sexy Lapham at the foot
> of my bed.

You are Lisa Simpson and I claim my five pounds.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 7:53 PM on July 11, 2005

You do know that U2 is a musical act?

Yeah, but why U2? Why not Radiohead, or the Rolling Stones, or the Grateful Dead or the Eagles or a few dozen other bands with a legion of die hard fans. It has just always seemed strange to me that they choose U2 exclusively?
posted by JPowers at 8:12 PM on July 11, 2005

Because they're doing iPod promo for free because they (or at least Bono) believe in it.
posted by abcde at 8:33 PM on July 11, 2005

What exactly do mean "they believe in it?" Culturally, artistically, stylistically? How do you believe in a product other than as a profit vehicle? I'm not trying to be condescending, I'm really curious as to what you mean?
posted by JPowers at 8:41 PM on July 11, 2005

1. iPod Photo
2. CD of all New Yorker cartoons, released last year
3. Profit!
posted by NickDouglas at 10:13 PM on July 11, 2005

JPowers: From an interview:

Kot: Why is the idea of associating a song with a product a good idea?

Bono: I accept that that is alarming. I really do. Our being on TV, I don't have a problem with that — we should be on TV. But OK, associating our music with a product. You've got to deal with the devil. Let's have a look. The devil here is a bunch of creative minds, more creative than a lot of people in rock bands. The lead singer is Steve Jobs. These men have helped design the most beautiful object art in music culture since the electric guitar. That's the iPod. The job of art is to chase ugliness away. Everywhere we look we see ugly cars, ugly buildings… [he pauses, and looks out the window at the Chicago skyline]… You're lucky here in Chicago on that front. But you see ugly objects in the work place. Everywhere. And these people are making beautiful objects.
posted by abcde at 11:39 PM on July 11, 2005

I got 2 years for $25! Thanks for the prompting.
posted by miss tea at 4:28 AM on July 12, 2005

Why not Radiohead, or the Rolling Stones, or the Grateful Dead or the Eagles

Radiohead: Their stuff's not on iTunes. And, would never be caught doing a deal with any kind of corporation, cool or not.

Rolling Stones: Approached about a deal, but then backed off when Apple refused to sell their stuff on vinyl.

Grateful Dead: Deadheads never pay for anything.

The Eagles: Don Henley showed up at Apple to pitch his "Eagles iPod". No one knew who he was.
posted by mkultra at 7:14 AM on July 12, 2005

1. iPod Photo
2. CD of all New Yorker cartoons, released last year
3. Profit!

NickDouglas - the resolution isn't good enough. You can't read the text on that little screen.
posted by bonecrusher at 7:52 AM on July 12, 2005

David Foster Wallace iPod with special footnote firmware.
posted by matildaben at 8:11 AM on July 12, 2005

You can't read the text on that little screen.

That's what the audio's for.
posted by NickDouglas at 8:12 AM on July 12, 2005