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Creative unveils 5GB Zen Micro - iPod mini rival |
Jools
Joined: May 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
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Creative launched its Zen Micro "iPod Mini challenger" last night, as anticipated.
The compact, 5GB unit will "outshine all the others", the company said, with its 12 hour battery life, FM radio with 32 station pre-sets, voice recorder and PDA-style personal information management functionality.
Not to mention a wide range of casing colours. Like the razor market's obsession with the number of blades on offer - 'f**k 'em, we're going to five blades now' - digital music player vendors are increasingly viewing colour choice as the key distinguishing feature between their products.
The Zen Micro comes in a choice of ten colours, double the "previous generation" - as Creative calls it - iPod Mini's five: silver, black, red, orange, green, pink, purple, white, light blue and dark blue.
As we reported on Monday, the Micro provides a touchpad controller for one-handed usage. It supports WM 10 DRM files, along with the usual MP3 playback. Creative bundles software which synchronises Microsoft Outlook contacts, calendars and to-do lists with the player, which - as the iPod has done for some time - presents them on its 2in display.
What we didn't know then is that the battery is removable, allowing users to quickly slot in a fresh one when the main unit has lost its charge. The Micro will also operate as a USB Mass Storage device, allowing users to store other files on its hard drive.
The Micro is also more expensive than anticipated: $280 in the US, compared to $249 for the iPod Mini. The pricing is more competitive in the UK: £180 (Micro) to £179 (iPod Mini). The Zen Micro goes on sale in November.
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methylated_spirit
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bonnie Scotland
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I've always been a fan of Creative stuff, ever since their WHOPPING pc speakers. Purchase imminent!!!
Hello, Scroto!
U.G.L.Y. You ain't got no alibi, you ugly! |
Jools
Joined: May 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
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Which of the "lovely" range of colours will you go for?
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methylated_spirit
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bonnie Scotland
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Okay, middle one in top row, or right hand side one in top row. Or maybe top left.
_________________
Hello, Scroto!
983 green bottles hanging on the wall...
[ This Message was edited by: methylated_spirit on 2004-10-13 12:56 ] |
Jools
Joined: May 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
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In related news, market research firm The NPD Group has released data showing:
Digital Download Market Share
Apple iTunes 70%
Napster 11%
MusicMatch 6%
RealNetworks 6%
Wal-Mart 6%
Hard-drive based Digital Music Player Market Share
Apple iPod 92.1%
Creative Technology 3.7%
Rio 3.2%
In a recent survey of buying preferences among U.S. teenagers, analyst Jeff Klinefelter of Piper Jaffray found a strong preference for the iPod over competing products. Of the 600 teens surveyed, 16 percent already owned an iPod, and 24 percent planned to get one within the next year. Only 8 percent planned to acquire another brand of music player in that time.
Another recent Piper Jaffray survey found that the iPod was the fourth most-requested Christmas gift among U.S. high school students, trailing clothes, money and cars.
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At the offical launch of MSN Music yesterday, MSN lead product manager, Christine Andrews, told CBS MarketWatch: "iTunes has done a great job of helping to elevate the digital music market." She also articulated Microsoft's logic that, because it does not license its digital rights management system, FairPlay, to third parties, Apple is denying consumers their right to choose.
She said: "We're different because Apple is a closed system. If you want Apple, you have to use the iPod. A lot of people want choice and we offer that."
She obviously completely forgot that WMP format is a closed system, that only works on Windows, and the MSN Music Service only works in Explorer, and WMP based Players only work in Windows, whereas iTunes and iPods work on both Windows PCs and Macs
In its response to Microsoft calling iTunes and iPod a "closed system," Apple said its technology remains the overwhelming favorite among consumers. "Ninety-two percent of customers buying hard-drive based music players are choosing iPods, and over 65 percent of customers buying any type of portable digital music player including flash-based players are choosing iPods," Apple said in a statement. "This means that the iTunes Music Store, with its catalog of over 1 million songs, works with 65 percent of all MP3 players and 92 percent of all hard-drive based music players being sold today. There is a lot of customer choice happening today, it's just that Microsoft doesn't like the choices customers are making."
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Posted: 2004-10-13 12:30
