September 01, 2004
P. Diddy Gets Sean John's Bling Bling on an iPod.
Okay, you heard it here: 2004 is the year the iPod became a fashionista cult object. First there was the Gucci iPod case that came out earlier this year. Then there was that outrageaous customized case designed by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi that can carry 12 iPods. Chanel and Pucci have made iPod cases, as have dozens of smaller independent fashion designers. Then there are all those DIY cases that diehard and style-concious iPod users have made to create personalized music-player couture. And don't forget all the accessories that have been spun out by dozens of little design companies you've never heard of, from chic furniture designers to geeky audio components makers. Do the math: You've got the making of a personal tech device that is as much about style as it is technology.
Now, a ranking member of hip-hop royalty, P Diddy (formerly Puff Daddy or Puffy) has had his name put to a customized diamond-encrusted iPod that brings the bling-bling to the digital music experience. The Apple portable mp3 player is a collabo branded under the HP logo. Called the HP Diamond iPod, the device comes in a black lacquer-like design that sharply contrasts with the current color palette of the classic white iPod and metallic-pastel iPod Mini. Diddy gave the world a look at the player at last Sunday's VMA show in Miami.
P. Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, is a style icon himself and has in the past couple of years developed one of the most acclaimed men's fashion collections to be shown in Europe and New York. In the process Diddy has become the darling of Vogue editor Anna Wintour and the talk of the international fashion press. His clothing label is called Sean John and it is the logo for this brand that is stamped on the HP Diamond iPod.
Music and fashion have gone together for as long anyone can remember, but especially so in an age when a musical artist's style and image--as communicated in music videos--are as important and influential as the music itself.
If you're wondering what an iPod like Diamond might cost, well, let's just say it's very expensive--the device, which was a gift to P. Diddy from HP, contains 120 diamonds. What's more it comes with a customizd matching cradle.
The HP Diamond iPod is sweet and vulgar at the same time. Ghetto-fab and bling-blingy, and yet so utterly, ridiculously and shamelessly luxurious. But it will get people talking. And if people are talking about it, then they're talking about Diddy, and that, in the entertainment business, can only be a good thing. What better way to underscore your image as a fashion and entetainment mogul with inscrutable tastes than to have an mp3 player covered in jewels?
RELATED LINKS
P. Diddy Official Web Site
P. Diddy sports diamond encrusted iPod ... [MacMinute]
Posted by Supercore at September 1, 2004 11:02 PM
COMMENTS
"You've got the making of a personal tech device that is as much about style as it is technology"
Ok, automated Macintosh cultist response:
NONONONONO! The true innovation of the iPod is the simplicity of the industrial and interface design! Thus the style IS the technology. Everything else is just a compliment to Apple's ID/R&D people. *POW*
Posted by: minochi at September 5, 2004 04:39 PM
This is fantastic. The more diamonds, the more platinum, the more gold the better. If encrusting a piece of technology with precious metals or stones makes it more appealing to those that can afford it then do it.
Posted by: William at September 7, 2004 02:29 PM
yo p i love your ipod ps yo songs to
Posted by: joshua haggenmacher at August 6, 2005 09:40 PM
