By Brandon Matthews
Satwaves has received video what very well may be of the very first consumer purchased and installed XM SkyDock, which brings exclusive, live Satellite Radio content to Apple devices. Satwaves first broke this story months ago, and excitement has continued to build in both Sirius XM (SIRI) and Apple (AAPL) circles. Satwaves also reported exclusively last week that the SkyDock had been released early in Best Buy stores, and many of our forum members have reported purchases despite the fact that the official release date for the device is actually October 18,2009.
With nearly a week to go before the official launch date, Satwaves once again is proud to bring you this exclusive “first-look” video of the SkyDock in action; installed and streaming. Already, the free app that works in conjunction only with the SkyDock has reached the 51st most popular downloaded free app at Apple’s iTunes store.
As this consumer listens to a live MLB broadcast, we can see some of the features such as the sports ticker and stock quotes. Sirius XM also released this video presentation of the SkyDock, which looks to be somewhat of a commercial that may air nationally this holiday shopping season. Depending on the subscription package, SkyDock users will be able to bring everything from Opie & Anthony, Oprah Winfrey and the NHL to Howard Stern, Martha Stewart and the NFL directly to their Apple device.
Position: Long SIRI
This is MAJOR – a real game changer. The two videos above are excellent and the marketing video is particularly significant – a great product and a great ad. Thanks for bringing this to our earliest attention, Brandon – a really signifcant development and one that should definitely assist the recovery of Sirius XM. SIRI is already trading from technical strength and the SkyDock should reinforce this underlying strength.
the real game changer is when sirius starts to advertise so public knows what they are selling. the only news i read about sirius xm is going banckrupt /reverse split! advertising is not a cost “IT PAYES”. now brandon wat side of the fence are you on?? u with us or crammer side with banckrupt /reverse split!!!!!!!! game changer maybe, the real game changer will be the next short!!!! “advertising pays” get the word out other than satwaves.
Has this guy bumped his head or something. One day he’s doom and gloom today, R/S now or it’s all over then next day he’s out with this, game changing piece. What’s his story anyway. Unbelievable this guy.
I want to go out and buy a i phone,a sky dock, and get another subscription.Just gotta have it.Whats the total cost and monthly exspense, i wonder?
>>>despite the fact that the official release date for the device is actually October 18,2009.<<<
is this the reason why no official press release yet…they must be waiting until October 18th to issue it, hoping to generate pre-buzz.
as to the R/S, I think you all have misread his article, he is not talking about a R/S in a negative sense, which is what I think the point of that article was, that a R/S is not necessarily negative. you are all just bringing in your preconceptions of a R/S to view it as negative.
LOL….”video what very well may be of the very first consumer purchased and installed XM SkyDock”…The SkyDock has been out since Last Thursday, the app, was released Friday…Now, you have the first purchased and installed SkyDock on video? 5 days after it has been available at Best Buy!? Geez…If it took 5 days for the first person to purchase this and install it, This company should go bankrupt!!
Please, there is no need to use all the Hype!!!Ok, show a video showing the Sky Dock, cool. But, why the nonsense about the “first customer purchased”…How would you know the first customer who purchased? wtf?
Now, this excitement building for months in both Apple and Sirius circles is once again HYPE!!! True SIRI investors have been waiting for this to be released, because the stock has been tanking. Maybe some Sirius XM subscribers that have an Iphone and read satelite radio blogs have waited also. But these existing subscribers that buy the skydock are not a big deal. most will likely just cancel an old radio and replace with the SkyDock!!thus canabalizing existing radios. Sirius XM needs to advertise this and hopefully not believe the HYPE like from this site. This SkyDock is on the bottom of BestBuy shelves in the satelite radio section, and the average ipod touch/iphone users has no idea about it!!! This has to change!!There is no excitement for this product!!!Stop it!
The best thing I have seen from this so far is Best Buy offering $20.00 off the SkyDock when a ipod touch is purchased. This Skydock has to be promoted so people can want it…At this time, before any promotion….This Skydock is not moving…At least in the 3 best buys I have visited…
P.S….Official release date is 10/18? Well it’s on sale at xmradio.com…Best buy, what happens at this “official” release date, that was never mentioned on SIRIUS or XM’s website. The release has happened already…Just the usual SIRIUS XM way of doing things and not telling the public. Onyx and Stratus 6 is available at best buy also…..Maybe they will be released on the 18th….xmradio.com or sirius.com doesnt sell them yet…
@R A F
I have read many of your posts…You consistently mention that SIRI is “now trading from technical strength”. I am relatively new to investing. SIRI hit about $.78 on 8/21, since then it has taken a nose dive. What is the technical strength in that? I don’t get it….it loses over 25% in a little over a month, and that is “trading on technical strength”?
Or do you consistently just copy and past these thiings to combat the “doom” people that say the stock will totally flop? Just curious….
SKYDOCK is a great bridge between IPod/Iphone consumers and satellite radio. I would like to see the SkyDock marketed and sold at the Apple Stores. This is a true game-changer and I hope the marketing strategy is reflective of all the benefit.
@JERROLD WILLIAMS
Jerrold – SIRI is trading from technical strength, and has consistently done so over the last few months. This is seen in the progression up from the lows earlier this year, with pullbacks along the way being relatively well contained by underlying support at progressively higher levels. If you view a chart of two years or longer, you will see a well defined rounded botton that occurred from October ‘08 through August ‘09 and this suggests further gains are likely over the intermediate to longer term. This is the basis for the projections of potential I have put forth on these pages recently – toward higher levels into 2010. It is misleading to look at percentage moves such as “25%” when dealing with stocks well below 1.00. Moves of only a few cents can appear to be very large on a percentage basis – i.e when markets rallied from the lows near 10 to 15 cents, would you consider a move to 20 cents a major gain (although it was 100% up from the lows)? We are still talking about moves of only a few cents for SIRI and ranges from .75 to .55 are really only 20 cents, although they appear very large on a percentage basis. Most of us are in this for the long term potential which is significantly greater – in real dollar terms, not only percentage gains. SIRI continues to hold well on pullbacks and is generally resilient and buoyant (containing dips and recovering). This is typical in a framework of technical strength. I do believe this will persist into the future – now reinforced by the SkyDock developments detailed in Brandon’s article, above.
Thanks RAF…Well said…..I agree. I appreciate your elaboration.
I think the SkyDock is a very good product. However, unless things change I think the companies marketing strategy will cause it to fail. It appears their strategy for marketing is, make a great product and people will discover it and become subscribers. This strategy works great when people are buying a lot of new cars. They get in their car, discover SIRIUS XM and a good percentage become paying subscribers. Now, we are in a different financial climate. People aren’t buying a lot of new cars. SIRIUS XM needs to expand in the retail market. People don’t just happen to pass by a satelite radio section in Best Buy or radio shack and decide to pick up a device and start paying for radio. People must be “pulled” to the service by advertising. Paying for radio is a MAJOR paradigm shift for most people. Do you feel their can be growth without advertising on mass media? I love the service, but I know too many people that never heard of it, and still think “why pay for radio, when you can get it free?” People have to be shown what they are missing or what they can gain from being a subscriber….SIRIUS XM has not attempted to do that for years….That is my main problem with the company.
@JERROLD WILLIAMS
Jerrold – Take a look at the second video in Brandon’s article, above. I think it is an excellent portrayal of SkyDock and will make an extremely effective advertising impact when it is released. Hopefully this is an example of the improved marketing you accurately state is required for Sirius XM to get to the next level.
Apple is coming out with a App to turn all iPhones and Ipod Touches to AM FM radio. Great Partnership you have w/ apple!
@R A F
RAF..
Yes, I saw the video. It is from the xm website. The video is “ok”. However, just like the iphone app advertisements, it does not really let people know what SIRIUS XM has to offer. It focuses on SIRIUS XM is now available on your ipod touch/iphone in your car, you can now buy a dock so you can listen to XM. Well, for many the question is…who cares? What is XM and why would I want it? Yes, a few music channels were shown,,but is this what is going to get subscribers with ipod/iphones to become paying subscribers? music? I think not…Its a bonus but not an eye catcher. All the money SIRIUS XM has spent on Big name personalities and sports has to be utilized. have a commercial with Oprah, howard Stern, Martha Stewart, Eminem, Jamie Foxx, etc…to let people know that their favorite personality has an exclusive sometimes un-cut channel. The reason SIRIUS XM is a great product is its personalities and variety of entertainment, not music. Pandora is great for music and it’s free. In years past, I remember XM with some personalities making commercials…lol..I remember Snoop dog and some rock and roll guy…Now, let Howard Stern, Oprah, Chris Russo during baseball playoffs and start of football get some subscribers. I should not watch a baseball game and not see advertising for XM, either in the stadium or during commercials. Sports and Sports talk have millions of listeners. XM is the best source for audio sports bar none and they paid a whole lot of money for that priveledge…why not advertise to those viewers….?I have seen more Rhapsody tv commercials than SIRIUS XM…Hopefully Mel K and team now start to focus on customer aquisition and stop seeing how much he can milk current customers for every penny. Just my opionions…..I;ve had XM since 2002….service has improved substantially since the merger, they need to let people know how good the service is, and not wait for them to buy a new car. In my neighborhood, No one is buying new cars…but they could afford to buy a $75.00 Onyx…or if they have an ipod touch a $1119.00 skydock…they need to reach these people and let them know what SIRIUS XM has to offer them…..Most people I know over 30, don’t have the time or inclination to download songs to their mp3 player….paying about $4.00 a week to make their commute enjoyable is a great deal….Yet, they don’t know what they are missing…….
@suzan boyel
As you already have AM FM capability in your car, why would you need an Apple AP to give you the same thing? The SkyDock brings a whole new dimension to radio in your car – far beyond AM FM. Apple is not a “partner” who plays favorites within Apps – Apple merely provides the playing field and it is certain that the SkyDock will command a lot of interest and subscription on this field.
an Ipod that can play fm/am? lol….Next they will make an app, where the Ipod/iphone can play cd’s or audio casettes…..Listen to am/Fm through wi-fi on your ipod/iphone? Doesnt make much sense to me..and I’m pretty sure there have long been apps to stream am/fm stations (usually ones not in your area). However, this is the issue I adress all the time!!! People still feel that AM/FM is comparable to SIRIUS XM…..So why pay for SIRIUS XM? The above post by Susan is a great example of this. Susan, are you a SIRIUS or XM subscriber? I’m curious….
Jerrold think iPod Nano? with AM FM with live pause.
Suzan, I understand that their is Fm radio out there, and now the Nano lets you live pause and even “tag” music to download on itunes. In radio, inside the car is the main target. I think it is kind of redundant to plug an ipod of any kind into your FM stereo, to listen to FM. Ok, you can pause it and tag it, but is it worth to listen to the same FM? This is why I feel music is not an eye catcher for ipod users. They have 100’s of thousands of songs on their ipods….They have Pandora, and other sites…and they even have FM…..What seperates SIRIUS XM from them all is variety of content. On none of those other audio choices, individually or combined can you get the variety of commercial free music, sports, comedy, and talk that you get with SIRIUS XM. I can honestly say, that anyone (english speaking, and spanish) can come into my car and within 30 seconds, I can put on a station that they would enjoy for a long ride anywhere in the country. That cant be done with FM, you don’t have choices, and you would lose signal on long drive, Pandora, lose signal, and they only have music, etc……i could be driving with the biggest “thug” in the street..i put on Shade 45,,,,I could drive a priest, the catholic channel, etc…I could drive someone who hates music and just want talk, I put on conservative, liberal, sports, gay, whatever they want in less than 30 seconds. That can’t be done anywhere else. Now, the point is, anyone of any audio taste can find something to listen to on SIRIUS XM…Not on FCC regulated, commercial half the time FM, The reason SIRIUS XM and the mp3 players were created is because most people got tired of FM commercials, censorship, and lack of choices. If you think pausing FM is fine audio entertainment,,,then good for you. I’d rather have 130+ channels of unregulated commercial free channels other than a few FM channels that allows me to pause a song. FM plays the same 10 songs over and over…why pause anyway? lol
FM Radio is Free! iPod playlist I can only listen to the same song over and over. Plus I got that Phi vs Col game on my am radio. What’s the Big deal. Go to you local Best Buy SIRI exclusive Skycrock headquarters the skycrock is stuck in the way back and employees don’t even know what it is.
@JERROLD WILLIAMS
Jerrold Williams.
Please send your resume’ to Sirius/xm attn: MARKETING DEPT.
Please include these posts. They don’t know it, but they need you!
lets see what kind of marketing happens after Oct 18th–I hope their past track record doesnt indicate little or no ads
Well we know that what brandon is showing you will not make national TV the AD is 30sec. to long.
@suzan boyel
“Skycrock”? Are we seeing another SIRIDoom in disguise?
Will we (the Skydock) be given space in the Apple stores???????
I saw that. So much for exclusive relationship with Apple. Mgmt. at SiriXm must have their heads up their ass. Any hope I had for this company to get some life into it is fast fading. The writing is starting to appear on the walls and I think I hear a fat lady warming up. Tell me something to change this mindset.
@suzan boyel
lol…SkyCrock, very creative. I would have to disagree with FM being “free”. FM is not “free” at all. Instead of you paying a monthly subscription, you agree to listen to their commercials. So their advetisers pay for your time. Thus, the “next 20 minutes is sponsored by 1 900 matress or whatever” So, depending on how vauable your time is, you are paying for FM with your time. For instance, If I take a 1 hour drive, I would expect at least 25 minutes of commercials. Or let’s figure for easy numbers an hour a week you spend listenting to paid advertisements. Ok, so for 4 hours a month you listen to commercials while driving to work, school, etc…Ok, 4 hours of listening to commercials a month or just pay $15.00 and not have to deal with commercials and FCC monitored radio, with little selection. My time is worth more than $4.00 an hour….ie 4 hours of torture to save $16.00 or so…not worth it. As far as listening to Phi vs Col game on your radio…that’s great..try listening to any NFL or NBA MLB, NHL game you want with your radio….let me know how it works out. Find a 24 hour MLB channel to listen to baseball talk during playoffs…Premium radio isnt for everyone…There is still a place for FM/AM…Just like there will always be a place for regular broadcast tv such as abc, cbs, and nbc…Some people need more of a selection and some premium channels…..You answered my question, though…You are not a SIRIUS or XM subscriber……My point exactly…The company needs to let the average person, like you. Be aware of its conent. “whats the big deal” shows that SIRIUS XM needs to let people know they are a big deal…..You are typical of the average person that thinks satelite radio is just regular radio that you pay for. It is far more than that. Its like comparing your top tier cable tv to rabbit ear antennas with about 6 chanels. Believe it or not..there are still people that refuse to pay for tv..they say cable? what’s the big deal. Until people feel they are missing something by not having satelite radio..it will not reach its potential. A fancy dock will not bring many new subscribers…Great content that is known about will….Skydock is a cool looking gadget..but SIRIUS XM needs to focus on getting subscribers..the gadget is great for making it a cool device for apple users…But apple users have to want the “content” before they buy the dock …the device is secondary…….That was my issue with this site saying how this sky dock is a game changer and is going to sell like crazy from the start. Like all of a sudden all thse ipod touch users didnt get satelite before because there was no dock…No, they didnt get it because most don’t even know what it is…or they think paying for radio is dumb!!!Until SIRIUS XM can convince people that thier content is worth paying for…It’s the same old game….They have convinced many through new cars by giving them 3 months free. how do they convince ipod users to get XM?….by offering them a $119.00 dock? No deal….They will need to cut the price on this for the holidays…Best Buy has already offered a $20.00 discount when purchased with a ipod touch. Get these devices in peoples cars, give them time to experience it and most will love it. Saying, look at how great this dock is…you can now get XM with your Ipod touch!!only $119.00 for the dock and $15.00 a month…it wont change the game…..In fact its about the 7th inning and SIRIUS XM is behind…time to make a serious run..
NO JOKE GUYS THIS THING ROCKS,NO SH*T!