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Sony to Compete with iPod
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What if...
We have all heard the news about Sony lately. They are not in as strong a position as they once were. Imagine a future where Apple could become a much larger consumer electronics company. Would you buy an Apple television set? Or an Apple toaster oven? Mmmmm, perhaps not. 🙂
We have all heard the news about Sony lately. They are not in as strong a position as they once were. Imagine a future where Apple could become a much larger consumer electronics company. Would you buy an Apple television set? Or an Apple toaster oven? Mmmmm, perhaps not. 🙂
Ok, the Sony product thats being talked about hasn't even come out, but your already saying that it will be cheap and flimsy? Come on 🙄
Apple Widescreen LCD TV's
I could see Apple doing Widescreen LCD or Plasma screens for TV and Mac viewings.
I could also see Apple brand furniture and Apple branded Robot like Aismo from Honda.
I could see Apple doing Widescreen LCD or Plasma screens for TV and Mac viewings.
I could also see Apple brand furniture and Apple branded Robot like Aismo from Honda.
Here here... i like apple because even though they're expensive, i know i've got the best and they just keep on innovating and sinking money (including my money😉) into new stuff that i can enjoy. so what if i have to pay extra for it? imagine if there was no apple as a market-leader. that would mean less innovation in the market as a whole. the ipod is the best thing that's happened to apple since the original imac, and i for one want to see them milking for all it's worth...
lets watch sony try to innovate, and hopefully the ipod can take some cues from them and possible even filter some of that functionality into the ipod gen4 - obviously whilst keeping it small, light and handy. even if it is still expensive.
Sabenth
macrumors 6502a
well tickle me pink bollocks to that ive owned lets see now 4 PS2S 3 PSONES 3 ORGINAL PLAYSTATONS
UPTTEN WALKMANS LOST COUNT
VIDEO PLAYER WENT DOWN THE PAN AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
cheap crap....
And thats not the worst of it i recomend PS2'S TO FRINEDS WHO ALL HAVE HAD PROBLEMS . Agghh the fufing nightmares...
Dont like the idea of this cheap version music player granted Mini disk is great but its hardly used down here in Australia well i cant seem to find any players for my home entertaiment system.. and wha what you know thats a sony too and that only works because ive tinkered with it and made a few mods here and there just so it can use the volume nob....
Nope dont like this one bit and wats this audio format they use
Eh!!!
Does anyone else think it's odd that they're even comparing the two products? I guess the Sony exec's comment begs this comparison, but it feels like to me that Sony's device will cover a completely different market than the iPod.
The PSP is designed to be the cheap, mobile, all-in-one entertainment device. It has a powerful graphics processor, a widescreen display, and is designed to play games. The specs listed on the linked site state that the included hard drive will be 1.8GB, which is less than half of my music collection, and I consider mine to be pretty modest. We also have to consider the fact that with all this functionality, Sony's PSP is going to be a bit chunky. Probably not the size the Game Gear was, but nowhere as small as the GameBoy, not to mention the iPod.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I personally feel like this comparison is stretched. It's like saying the PS2 is a Mac killer--they can't possibly "kill" each other as they don't cover the same markets. If I want a small device that'll play all my music and fit into my pocket, I'm getting an iPod. If I want a cool handheld game system that will let me bump some tunes on the side, the PSP's for me. It may ultimately cost Apple some market share, but it's far from an iPod killer.
Just my $0.02.
The PSP is designed to be the cheap, mobile, all-in-one entertainment device. It has a powerful graphics processor, a widescreen display, and is designed to play games. The specs listed on the linked site state that the included hard drive will be 1.8GB, which is less than half of my music collection, and I consider mine to be pretty modest. We also have to consider the fact that with all this functionality, Sony's PSP is going to be a bit chunky. Probably not the size the Game Gear was, but nowhere as small as the GameBoy, not to mention the iPod.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I personally feel like this comparison is stretched. It's like saying the PS2 is a Mac killer--they can't possibly "kill" each other as they don't cover the same markets. If I want a small device that'll play all my music and fit into my pocket, I'm getting an iPod. If I want a cool handheld game system that will let me bump some tunes on the side, the PSP's for me. It may ultimately cost Apple some market share, but it's far from an iPod killer.
Just my $0.02.
Update: Apple-X.net consolidates reported specs and a concept photo for the PSP device. The device will feature 16:9 ratio screen, MPEG4 decoder, AAC, ATRAC3 and MP3 support. The products based on this platform are said to feature a wide range of configurations as well as price points
Sony may release a player for $60, but it won't be a rival of the iPod. Hell, you could sell a player for a lot less than that if it was just a flash memory player with little or no memory included.
$60 is waaaay below the cost to produce an iPod, and if Sony has some new tech...say a new Memory Stick, that would be much bigger news than this product... because to be truly considered a rival, we'd be looking at something like a 50 times size increase at less than a tenth of the current price for the Memory Sticks.
"Sony is felt to have been slow to embrace the digital audio market"
Uh...right, DAT, CD, MD, SACD, Memory Stick based players, and all the other things I guess don't count.
Wasn't ATRAC the first major audio codec for consumers? Didn't it kinda pave the way for MP3 players?
Just because Sony has done a lousy job (in general) for the past couple of decades doesn't mean they're slow to embrace.
$60 is waaaay below the cost to produce an iPod, and if Sony has some new tech...say a new Memory Stick, that would be much bigger news than this product... because to be truly considered a rival, we'd be looking at something like a 50 times size increase at less than a tenth of the current price for the Memory Sticks.
"Sony is felt to have been slow to embrace the digital audio market"
Uh...right, DAT, CD, MD, SACD, Memory Stick based players, and all the other things I guess don't count.
Wasn't ATRAC the first major audio codec for consumers? Didn't it kinda pave the way for MP3 players?
Just because Sony has done a lousy job (in general) for the past couple of decades doesn't mean they're slow to embrace.
AAC is a big plus, a very big plus. It will help the music store, and it will be a massive help to apple in the aac vs wma "war".
I think Sony has a good chance of getting this right, and that means there will be two good systems out there, both of them will support AAC, and ITMS.
With cd's being used less and less, by early 2004 there will be more than enough room for two players in this market.
Overall, i think this is good news. The iPod can't be killed by one competitor. Two or three maybe, but not one. And i don't think any of the other players are worth being called competitors (yet).
I think Sony has a good chance of getting this right, and that means there will be two good systems out there, both of them will support AAC, and ITMS.
With cd's being used less and less, by early 2004 there will be more than enough room for two players in this market.
Overall, i think this is good news. The iPod can't be killed by one competitor. Two or three maybe, but not one. And i don't think any of the other players are worth being called competitors (yet).
If Apple take on this Sony PSP device with a predicted iPod2 I can forthsee Apple again getting market dominance.
The problem is that Sony is going to have to convince its possible customers that they want their device, and that it will enhance the users' life, films on the go and all that.... BUT Sony are still going to charge for the discs... expect huge $$$ just to be able to watch the Matrix on a tiny screen on a bus.
Apple will probably create a similar device to help people play the thousands of DivX movies that a lot of broadband users seem to be collecting. The copyright industry will probably flip out at this point, leading to a similar MP3 situation, just with films instead.
To counter-act this, Apple will then probably launch the iQuicktime Movie Store, sell a few movies and take the copyright heavies out of the equation.
Just my humble opinion
dave
The problem is that Sony is going to have to convince its possible customers that they want their device, and that it will enhance the users' life, films on the go and all that.... BUT Sony are still going to charge for the discs... expect huge $$$ just to be able to watch the Matrix on a tiny screen on a bus.
Apple will probably create a similar device to help people play the thousands of DivX movies that a lot of broadband users seem to be collecting. The copyright industry will probably flip out at this point, leading to a similar MP3 situation, just with films instead.
To counter-act this, Apple will then probably launch the iQuicktime Movie Store, sell a few movies and take the copyright heavies out of the equation.
Just my humble opinion
dave
Apple is already being outdone in the sub-notebook market, especially by Sony. Has anyone seen the Sony Vaio PCG-TR2A? This is probably the best sub-notebook on the market right now. This notebook is thinner than the ipod, has a much better screen, standard integrated bluetooth and wireless internet. The centrino is proven to perform much better than comparably equipped powerbook G4s (not to mention the fact that the Centrino does not burn your lap or hands). Just about the only hardware advantage the 12" powerbook has over this smaller notebook is that you can add a superdrive and the graphics card is a better.
whooleytoo
macrumors 604
That's the funny thing, this makes sense, but Apple's going in the other direction!
Apple's making little profit on the songs so it can sell more iPods, much like it's Mac policy: make high profits on the hardware and giving most of the software for free. They're slowly starting to realise this isn't the best model (hardware margins are always fickle) and are trying to make more money from the software/upgrades/services (repeating charges!). It's the same principle most other industries have adopted, games consoles, mobile phones etc. It's the repeating charges where you make your money.
I think ultimately, they will settle on this model, get the player for cheap, but pay more for the music - probably with some added value, like the music video being included (once bandwidth permits?)
Mike.
Sony's product looks pretty solid. Reminds me of the outer casing of an iBook, but black.
They say they're trying to offer it at $60 dollars, and the article says how there are going to be many price points. I'm guessing that $60 dollars is the bare minimum. I don't even know how they can make them that cheap. Surely Sony's going to be selling these at a loss because nobody can make anything that functional with all the goods and sell it at $60. But of course maybe the price of technology has dropped THAT much.
I don't see this toppling the iPod. I see it creating a market like the iPod did. Honestly, I don't need to watch videos on the go. I don't need to play video games while I'm away. I don't need a product that does all that. I'm guessing many are not going to need or want that. But I may be proven wrong. who knows. The thing with the iPod is that it's a music player first, and that's all it is. It has nice features with games, calendar, etc. But it focuses on the one aspect, which is music. With a product that integrates many different technologies together is a very difficult thing to do. Many video cameras come with the ability to take pictures. But most of these pictures are pretty low quality and crappy. You can find some that are pretty decent, but you pay a premium. For the most part, consumers like having their gadgets devoted to the what they're good at. I don't believe convergence will ever happen. These integration schemes all end up with ****ty products that are good at one thing and bad at the other or they just suck at both.
Maybe Sony's onto something here, maybe they're not. Sony revolutionized portable music with the walkman. Maybe they can do it again with their PSP, but I have my doubts.
They say they're trying to offer it at $60 dollars, and the article says how there are going to be many price points. I'm guessing that $60 dollars is the bare minimum. I don't even know how they can make them that cheap. Surely Sony's going to be selling these at a loss because nobody can make anything that functional with all the goods and sell it at $60. But of course maybe the price of technology has dropped THAT much.
I don't see this toppling the iPod. I see it creating a market like the iPod did. Honestly, I don't need to watch videos on the go. I don't need to play video games while I'm away. I don't need a product that does all that. I'm guessing many are not going to need or want that. But I may be proven wrong. who knows. The thing with the iPod is that it's a music player first, and that's all it is. It has nice features with games, calendar, etc. But it focuses on the one aspect, which is music. With a product that integrates many different technologies together is a very difficult thing to do. Many video cameras come with the ability to take pictures. But most of these pictures are pretty low quality and crappy. You can find some that are pretty decent, but you pay a premium. For the most part, consumers like having their gadgets devoted to the what they're good at. I don't believe convergence will ever happen. These integration schemes all end up with ****ty products that are good at one thing and bad at the other or they just suck at both.
Maybe Sony's onto something here, maybe they're not. Sony revolutionized portable music with the walkman. Maybe they can do it again with their PSP, but I have my doubts.
Sony to Compete with iPod
Checking out the specifications on the www.apple-x.net link, the Sony device will use their UMD (Universal Media Disk) format. This says a lot about the corporate mindet at Sony. They are still operating as a 1970s-80s consumer electronics company, where the goal was to establish a format which could then be licensed. e.g. Philips and audio cassettes; Sony (and Philips) and CDs, Matsu****a and VHS etc etc. The licensing is what brings in the revenue streams and that's why there are always "format wars". Or at least it used to be that way. Apple clearly understand that supporting more open formats like mp3 and even AAC is the way to go. Sony is still trying to establish its proprietary formats as market leaders: UMD, ATRAC, etc. Sony aren't going to be successful this way.
Checking out the specifications on the www.apple-x.net link, the Sony device will use their UMD (Universal Media Disk) format. This says a lot about the corporate mindet at Sony. They are still operating as a 1970s-80s consumer electronics company, where the goal was to establish a format which could then be licensed. e.g. Philips and audio cassettes; Sony (and Philips) and CDs, Matsu****a and VHS etc etc. The licensing is what brings in the revenue streams and that's why there are always "format wars". Or at least it used to be that way. Apple clearly understand that supporting more open formats like mp3 and even AAC is the way to go. Sony is still trying to establish its proprietary formats as market leaders: UMD, ATRAC, etc. Sony aren't going to be successful this way.
Something similar ready for X-mas for $99 called: ZVUE
http://www.zvue.com/
Check this out (not sure if anyone elses' posted earlier, got to go to bed, not time to read all, sorry in advance).
$99!!! Good night!
http://www.zvue.com/
Check this out (not sure if anyone elses' posted earlier, got to go to bed, not time to read all, sorry in advance).
$99!!! Good night!
if the quality is anything like a PSII, it will suck big time. Everyone that i know that has bought a PSII is either on their second console or sporting an Xbox. Sony has ruined their reputation, im my opinion, becauseof the crappy qualityof the PSII.
I still dont understand the need to watch video on a tiny lil screen. I can't imagine watching a movie on one of those things. Im already getting a headache thinking about it.
Please leave the iPod as a music player.....the way it should be.
I still dont understand the need to watch video on a tiny lil screen. I can't imagine watching a movie on one of those things. Im already getting a headache thinking about it.
Please leave the iPod as a music player.....the way it should be.
Does ANYONE trust Sony anymore? I mean, this huge hard drive based MP3 that's less than $60. Then we have this PSP that has 10+ hours of battery life, it can play movies, music, and use a optical media based memory system. I doubt it that it can do half of what it says.
Jerry Spoon
macrumors 6502a
I think we agree that iPod will not become a loss leader ... but the scary thing is that the current PS2 (like all video game machines) is already being sold below cost to get people to buy the games ... wouldn't that be the reason they could sell the PSP so cheaply? So it might actually be a $200 machine ... or better ...
The good news is that while this might sell, it is very possible that people will ignore the music playing feature and just be happy that they have a $60 game machine and video player ... especially if it doesn't support MP3 ...
The good news is that while this might sell, it is very possible that people will ignore the music playing feature and just be happy that they have a $60 game machine and video player ... especially if it doesn't support MP3 ...