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Major Competition Heading Apple's Way.....

A

AndrewMT

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 22, 2002
208
0
NOVA, or Northern Virginia to the lay person.
I was a little dissapointed when I saw the unveiling of the new iPods at the live broadcast in my local Apple store. Assuming these new iPods do not get a major upgrade for the next few months, they are going to have serious competition from companies like RCA and Archos with there new audio/video portable players.

The 20GB RD2780 RCA can play and hold both audio and high-quality video on its 3.5" screen for only $399.99. In addition, its not a bad looking device unlike Archos' current multimedia jukebox. More info here:

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/333/C1383/


If this device was not coming out in the summer, I would've already placed an order for one of the new iPods.

Why can't/didn't Apple make something like this? They have quicktime and mpeg-4 encoding. Do you think Apple believes there is no market for a portable video/audio player? Or is it just DRM concerns. DRM did not stop the original iPod from coming out.
 

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Well, I for one would not buy one of those since the lcd would just eat up battery life unless they put a more expensive battery in there... And then there's the issue of durability; I'm sure the ipod can take much more pocket/backpack abuse than those competing devices... Do you know if they support AAC? That's pretty significant..
 
I hate it.

Apple is NOT in the market for a handheld with a big hard drive. Video's are going to suck because of the screen limitation, it is SMALL, maybe good quaility, but SMALL.
 
no way...

How much of a pain in the ass would it be to watch an entire movie on something the size of a gameboy screen! I'm glad that the ipod doesn't have video. It's a music player. How is the intergration of that Jukebox with Macs? I'd rather pay more for an ipod that I can rest in a cradle and AUTOMATICAALY sync my songs, than deal with the massive headache any other mp3/aac/etc player out there would give me.
 
Here we go again i've read posts about this one before The Video iPod. You know why portable audio players in general sell so well? Because people can use them while doing a very broad range of activities. It helps pass the time while still letting you stay alert and completing another task.
A video player that small is kind of a waste in my opinion have you every used a Sony Watchman? Yeah it's a great idea and when there is no other alternative it's ok. For obvious reasons i've never watched a movie on a watchman, just a few TV shows, which is hardly barable but mostly american football games, Although Merril Reese paints such a vivid picture over the radio waves.

The market for handheld portable TVs/Video Players is rather small. It's more or less a gadget that is only functional while sitting somewhere. Where an audio player is a go anywhere do anything kind of product. Thats why portable Audio does so well.
I do see a player capable of TV playback something that might be fun.
 
Yeah, I just realized that the device only had a 3.5" screen, although it looks bigger in the picture. But, I for one would be interested in watching my ripped dvds or divx movies on a handheld. It is either viewsonic or intel who has already produced a reference platform for portable audio/video players. Cnet.com had a video on it a while back. The reference player was slightly wider than the iPod but had a much larger screen horizontally. The spokeperson had Lord of the Rings playing on it and the quality was incredible.

Just like some people like to carry music with them, others like to watch movies. Imagine an audio/video iPod that had a screen that filled the whole front face with the jog dial and other intuitive controls put on the side. I think a lot of people would enjoy something like that.

Just like Apple redifined portable music with the iPod, they could also redefine portable video (which is pretty pathetic right now). I hope that Apple is researching the idea at least.
 
I found the article on intel and micro$oft's development of portable audio/video:

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/333/C1383/

This article has pictures:

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/media2go_preview.asp

One more:

http://www.betanews.com/article.php3?sid=1047561295

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I just don't want Apple to miss this oppurtunity to actually be the first out with such a device. I mean, lets face it, they were not the frist out with a portable mp3 player with hard drive. Granted, they were the first out with a hard drive mp3 player that was easy to use and could actually fit in your pocket.

Another rapidly growing market is the Media PC, which will undoubtedly be connected with these upcoming media portables. I don't think anyone can say that Apple should not enter this territory. Adding media or tivo-like capabilities to the mac would help complete Apple's digital hub strategy. Also, I would love to watch high-def tv on a 23" lcd ;-)

Now with this added information, what do you think?
 
I ipod is already expensive. I know it's definitely worth the money and I would love to buy one but I couldn't even imagine how much one would be with a color lcd screen that could play movies.
 
As others have stated portable video isn't a very sought after market. And until ripping DVDs to DivX is as easy as ripping CDs to MP3s I can't see portable video being much more than a "geewhiz" gadget (like those portable DVD players). And I would hope the video looked good since the screen is so small.

Now if Apple put a 3-in-1 connector (mini->RCA) like a lot of DV cameras have on an iPod so you could hook the iPod upto a TV and playback movies that would be cool. But watching video on an iPod sized device... I don't think it's a great idea.


Lethal
 
No portable video players. Who has time for that? Handhelds can do this already with the right memory card.

The iPod is king and will stay king.
 
Originally posted by dynamicd
I ipod is already expensive. I know it's definitely worth the money and I would love to buy one but I couldn't even imagine how much one would be with a color lcd screen that could play movies.
Click to expand...

Actually, the price range for these devices is from $199 to $399.

Here is another picture. This one is a little to big for my taste. I'm sure Apple could create something more portable.
 

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Originally posted by LethalWolfe
As others have stated portable video isn't a very sought after market. And until ripping DVDs to DivX is as easy as ripping CDs to MP3s I can't see portable video being much more than a "geewhiz" gadget (like those portable DVD players). And I would hope the video looked good since the screen is so small.

Now if Apple put a 3-in-1 connector (mini->RCA) like a lot of DV cameras have on an iPod so you could hook the iPod upto a TV and playback movies that would be cool. But watching video on an iPod sized device... I don't think it's a great idea.


Lethal
Click to expand...


I'm sure Apple could solve this problem. They could even open a new online store called applefilms.com where you could buy and download dvd quality mpeg-4 movies for 9.99 or something like that. Broadband connection only, of course.
 
Originally posted by NavyIntel007
No portable video players. Who has time for that? Handhelds can do this already with the right memory card.

The iPod is king and will stay king.
Click to expand...

You could not load a dvd quality movie on a memory card.

I'm not saying the iPod should be replaced by a new audio/video player. For people like you, there will still be the iPod. For people who want a little more portable entertainment, they could buy an audio/video player. Also, all these devices being made by MICRO$OFT will have video-out so you can play them on any tv.

Do you really want MICRO$OFT to dominate this market? I think that's what's going to happen and Apple is going to kick themselves once these things start selling like mad.

Also, forget the LYRA!!!!! Yes, the screen is too small. Forget I ever posted that. But take a look at the Media2Go devices.
 
i don't know anyone who would buy a portable video player..i certainly would not.

what apple should do though is LOWER ipod prices. there way to high right now. they should lower each $100 at least
 
How about this. Apple waits to see if there is actually a market for this things. If there is Apple can study the competition and then produce a superior product. Just like they did w/the iPod. Being first out the gate is fine for bragging rights but it doesn't mean your product will sell (Newton anyone?).


Lethal
 
Originally posted by AndrewMT
One more player, soon to come out. Scroll down the page I am linking to to see more pictures:

http://www.k55.ch/mp3/mmjb/


This will not go away. Apple must seriously consider a portable audio/video player in their line-up.
Click to expand...

No, they can't afford to build one if there's no market. The iPod wasn't the first MP3 player on the market, but it was the most innovative. I'm sure if Apple gets in the market, they will blow it out of the water. But if RCA doesn't sell anything, then who cares? My bet is the batt life on those things stinks bad.
 
Originally posted by LethalWolfe
How about this. Apple waits to see if there is actually a market for this things. If there is Apple can study the competition and then produce a superior product. Just like they did w/the iPod. Being first out the gate is fine for bragging rights but it doesn't mean your product will sell (Newton anyone?).


Lethal
Click to expand...

Exactly LethalWolfe.

They don't call it "Bleeding Edge" for nothing.

What a picture doesn't tel you is the "feel" of a unit. The iPod looks nothing special but when you navigate it ...that's when you realize the true genius.

The PC companies only really know who to slap together pieces and try to sell something. Right now portable video is a very niche market. People just aren't clamoring for it and that means very little profit. Something Apple needs to avoid right now.
 
yeah...

that's what apple did with the MP3 player. There was a market, and they perfected the design and form factor. And out came the iPod.

I'm assuming that Apple usually watches trands if they are not already leading in them.
 
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