Apple vs. Sony

has anybody read this
if you havent go and read it

i would like apple to be unique, but due to the climate of high tech right now in the silicon valley, that may not always be a possibility

if apple had to merge with someone in the IT field, i would prefer it to be sony more than anybody else

The Second Coming

I thought you were going by networkman now. Anyway I have to agree with the article in that Apple needs to start focusing on networks more.

hohummm ... how mundane ... I've been ranting about this since last May.

everybody's forgetting that sony has been using iLink (firewire) since at least 2 years ago.

sony makes one of the best iMode phones... well at least the screen anyway ... mines by NEC.

I bet that sony and apple have a game going ... who can snap up the other's idea and incorporate it better. Why? open an apple product and count how many parts are/were made by sony ... my 8500 tower was full of sony.

Doesn't the vaio look anything like the ibook? don't most new products by sony look like something one of the sketch artist hoping for apple to hire them instead of Ives had produced?

folks come on apple and sony have something going on ....

now the ipod vs sony vaio .... hmmmmm LP MD is just one thing that might make the ipod jitter. sony machines allow you record your music straight to a MD .... take you md jogging ... on the plane ... (hehe so far ipod is winning but still ... hold on ...) in your car, the class room, your girfriends stereo ... your parents house .... (hmmm odds in favor of the MD seem to be taking the lead. sure 10 gigs. vs at most 3-4 hours 🙂( I still have an older MD player/recorder) ...


oh well ... when it comes down to it ... apple is still niche only .... can somebody say sharper image? A great store to cruize through but when you decide to by that cool gadget you go to circuit city or even target 🙄

Apple and Sony can "compete" with each other from now until Kingdom Come, but I'll always rely on Apple for Macs and Sony for audio. (Except for Sony's digcams, which are still outrageously expensive! Mavica being a prime example.) Of course, that doesn't mean I'll be buying an old Apple QuickTake, either. 😉

I have got a HiFi system that cost £1800 (proper seperates not crappy minisystem) and I had a sony eq, it was a pile of ****e. The actual system was not bad but the quality of build is crap.

Ensign

totaly agree ...that sony quality has definitely taken a dive.
😱

MiniDiscs???

I hope you're not serious. Sony has been pushing these things for a few years (2 or more) now and they have barely gotten off the ground. They are (more like were) a good technology, but they had pricing problems and other more conceptual barriers that stopped consumers from purchasing them.

The iPod succeeds where the MDs failed for a few reasons. First mp3s are a lot farther along right now. It is very simple to just pop a CD into your computer and mp3-ify your music. Also, you can go out and buy (or acquire) mp3s electronically and put them on your iPod. The mp3 fomat beats any Sony format because of its small size and universal acceptance: everybody can play them.

The iPod can also hold any file from your computer. Its like a Jaz drive without the disks and is much faster. I have a ton of music on my iPod, some projects for work (source code), and some of my writing on my iPod. I can bring it between work and home and listen to music while I transfer files between.

In contrast, the MDs I've seen have been small and, as far as I know, only store music. And did I mention that very few people actually use MiniDiscs and that MD's only play on specific players. iPod can connect to any Firewire port.

And they are both somewhat pricey. Draw.

I think I see a clear advantage here. MDs were marketed for a specific purpose: the next generation CD or tape. They weren't widely accepted and have become a very niche market. The iPod is just scraping the surface of what its capable of.

Matthew

hmmm gotta agree on many of your points.

Although MD's didn't take off in the rest of the world they have virtually replaced cassette tapes in Japan. They are also not just made by sony but by all the major Electronic companies! MD is not a sony format. MD is more like an MO than anything else.

But with MD-LP (long play format) ... hmmm something might catch on.
Yes, MD can hold data ... haven't seen the drives recently but they did try to get in the market once but MO's won out. hehe ... after reading your post again ... I wonder if the MDLP format isn't an mp3 variation ....

Isn't an iPod a niche market?

An MD portable player isn't much bigger than the MD itself. Too bad that Japan doesn't try to sell these things overseas. price range about $80.

MD vs CD ... sorry but MD for doing music is actually a better way. haha much like how Beta was better than VHS.

Sony vaio desktops sport a built-in MD player drive .... I'm a mac user so not sure if the data is only music or not. hmmm next time I go downtown I'll check.

MD users by far outnumber all the MP3 player (including iPod) users.

hmmm .... I really wonder how far the mp3 format will push industry standards. Looking forward to that that's for sure.