Bye Bye Ipod ?

[bestatchess]

http://money.cnn.com/2004/07/01/tech...reut/index.htm

[Sammy Sandbag]

I don't think so, 20 gig for $487. You can get a 40 gig ipod for that price, got my Iriver 40 gig player for around $360.

[bigmd10]

Its always nice to see more competition in the market, Should make others lower there prices somewhat.

[Sammy Sandbag]

Why? They are already lower, with twice the storage.

[rvandam]

quote:
As with Sony's other players, the NW-HD1 plays songs in the company's proprietary ATRAC format only, meaning it is not compatible with other online stores and cannot play tunes in the popular MP3 format.
end quote

Why limit yourself to Sony's format, if other players give you freedom of choice?

Read more here

[radiokid]

Poor Sony. There business hasn't been too good lately and their turnaround plan is to try to break into the business that Apple has cornered. Knowing how fiercely loyal Apple people are, Sony will run into a real buzz saw on this one.

[meckman]

I guess you could say I'm brand loyal to Sony. I've got a Sony Vaio computer, Sony Clie UX-50 pda, Sony Clie PEG-T665C pda (wifes), Sony MP3 player NW-MS70D, Sony digital camera, Sony HI-8 video recorder, 27" Sony flat screen TV, 53" rear projection high def TV, Sony audio reciever, Sony DVD player, Sony VCR, Sony phone, and a Sony remote to end all remotes RM-AV3000. I love Sony's product lines. The computers, pda, cameras, and video cameras all work together via the memory sticks. I can take a picture with my pda or save a document, and then pop out the stick and load it to the computer in a matter of seconds and no extra cords are needed. I then can take it out of the computer, load it into the digital camera, or video camera and start taking pictures or MPEG movies. It's a very versitile system of components.

I just wish Sony would have come out with this MP3 player sooner, because I would have that new one that has the 20 Gigs rather than mine that only has 256 Megs. Actually, I wouldn't know what to do with all that space. Seriously who has a need for 13,000 songs? I have around 150 songs on my MP3 player right now and it takes me a couple days to listen to all of them before it starts over again. 256 is plenty for me, and if not wouldn't you know it I can expand mine by adding a memory stick.

[Sammy Sandbag]

Or you could have bought any of those devices (and better ones) from any number of other manufacturers and shared a compact flash card between all of them. The vast majority of motherboards are now equipped with I/O for CF and Smart Media, but not Sony Memory Stick. The memory stick is the very reason I don't buy Sony computer equipment, cameras, and pdas (not to mention their proprietary software.)

But not to sound like a Sony hater, I do have a 27" Sony TV and DVD player.

[rvandam]

Originally Posted by meckman

I just wish Sony would have come out with this MP3 player sooner, because I would have that new one that has the 20 Gigs rather than mine that only has 256 Megs.

That was my point earlier: it doesn't play MP3 files, only the Sony proprietary format, which is not compatible with other players or music services.

I used to be a big Sony fan as well. But I've been burned by them a few times when they would just drop a productline I had bought into, usually involving a proprietary technology that didn't catch on. The latest victim in the US is their Clie PDA line, which will be discontinued completely.

Things to like about Sony are the quality of their products, and the innovations they have brought to the electronics world. But therein also lies the risk for the consumer if the innovation doesn't catch on.

[bbqhog]

I am a Sony dealer and have seen the new music player in person. I don't think I would sell my iPod just yet.

[meckman]

Originally Posted by rvandam

That was my point earlier: it doesn't play MP3 files, only the Sony proprietary format, which is not compatible with other players or music services.

I've never had a problem downloading music and loading it onto my Sony MP3 player. I download from WinMX and use SonicStage to load it onto my MP3 player. Works everytime!

rvandam, where did you hear that Sony was doing away with the Clie? I love my UX-50, It's got bluetooth and wireless internet. It's sweet.

Sammy, as for better products than Sony. Yeah I guess I could have spent a lot more money and got better products, but Sony products are a very good mid level brand and I've never had any problems with them.

I still don't think you see my point about the memory stick. You can use 1 (one) memory stick in a multitude of products. When I first started out getting electronics, I had a Kodak camera that took one kind of flash memory. I then bought my wife a Fuji camera and it took a different flash media. So now I had two different expenses in flash memory cards and I couldn't interchange them with anything else. True, I could load the pictures onto the PC with a multi-card reader, but there's another expense.

[Sammy Sandbag]

Sammy, as for better products than Sony. Yeah I guess I could have spent a lot more money and got better products, but Sony products are a very good mid level brand and I've never had any problems with them.

I still don't think you see my point about the memory stick. You can use 1 (one) memory stick in a multitude of products. When I first started out getting electronics, I had a Kodak camera that took one kind of flash memory. I then bought my wife a Fuji camera and it took a different flash media. So now I had two different expenses in flash memory cards and I couldn't interchange them with anything else. True, I could load the pictures onto the PC with a multi-card reader, but there's another expense.

I don't think you see my point. You could buy better quality products for less money. Sony rides alot on their name, similar to Bose, and often inflates their pricing. Instead of buying everything Sony so that you could use the memory stick between them, you could have bought anything that uses a compact flash memory, as it is much more wide spread than memory sticks. You had compatibility issues because you bought a Fuji camer, which like Sony, uses a proprietary memory card. Memory Stick will never reach the memory capacity that CF is capable of. We're talking 15 gig+ on a card not much bigger than a stamp. Ipod mini's use a CF mini-hard drive that will soon be available for cameras, pdas, mp3 players, etc. Then your pda can have potentially just as much if not more memory than a desktop. And card readers are only $20.

[rvandam]

Originally Posted by meckman

rvandam, where did you hear that Sony was doing away with the Clie? I love my UX-50, It's got bluetooth and wireless internet. It's sweet.

Read all about it
here

[Bayou Titan]

Originally Posted by sammy sandbag

I don't think you see my point. You could buy better quality products for less money. Sony rides alot on their name, similar to Bose, and often inflates their pricing. Instead of buying everything Sony so that you could use the memory stick between them, you could have bought anything that uses a compact flash memory, as it is much more wide spread than memory sticks. You had compatibility issues because you bought a Fuji camer, which like Sony, uses a proprietary memory card. Memory Stick will never reach the memory capacity that CF is capable of. We're talking 15 gig+ on a card not much bigger than a stamp. Ipod mini's use a CF mini-hard drive that will soon be available for cameras, pdas, mp3 players, etc. Then your pda can have potentially just as much if not more memory than a desktop. And card readers are only $20.

I like your way of thinking. With the prices of flash memory sinking faster than the Titanic, in the future I want to buy 1G or 2G cards inexpensively and have one card for jazz, one for rock, etc. IT would be easier to swap music with friends this way.