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Pogue: iPod Mini rivals worth a look

updated 12:10 am EST, Fri December 24, 2004

iPod Mini rivals roundup


Technology guru David Pogue says that there are several : "the Mini was an enormous hit, and back-ordered for months. Its appeal was never about logic; it's about emotion, style and status. It's so small, cool and comforting in the hand that to hold one is to want one. Inevitably, the Mini inspired other companies to send in the clones. This month you'll be able to choose from four impressive iPod Mini competitors, courtesy of Dell, Rio, Creative and Virgin Electronics....Four great players, each with some superpower that the iPod Mini lacks. It's curtains for Apple, right? Not so fast. On something that's as personal and frequently used as a music player, little things make a big difference, and it's in the Little Things department that the iPod Mini really shines."


by MacNN Staff

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  1. benhur

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2001

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    12/24, 12:43am | report spam | Reply |

    Only a matter of time. .

    before the competition caught up. Apple has become way to complacent and now the iPod line is getting dated. I've posted many times wishing Apple would include color screens, FM tuners, built in recording, etc. Apple diehards consider this blasphemy.

    Now the competition is catching up and in someways passing Apple. Apple diehards will point out the "user experience". I don't think you should have to pay extra for that. Or that much extra anyway.

    I hope the flash pods are really coming and Apple has something up it's sleeve.

  1. cmoney

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Sep 2000

    0
    12/24, 03:42am | report spam | Reply |

    not just about features

    What tech people don't understand is that Apple isn't marketing to them. They're marketing to the general public which is much less fickle than tech people. For one thing, none of the competitors have the name brand recognition that the iPod has. And I don't mean just the iPod trademark itself, I mean the fact that Kate Spade, Coach, Burberry, Bose, Alpine, BMW and on and on now have accessories that go for the iPod and only the iPod. So when some 20 year old wanna be model walks into Bloomingdales or Neiman Marcus, she sees iPod accessories, not Rio accessories.

    Also, the low-end iPod models at $249 and $299 are not significantly more expensive than the competition anymore.

    The last thing, I think the iPod has reached a critical mass now, especially with this holiday season. My office mate said his family (brothers and sisters) have bought a total of 12 iPods as gifts this season. None of my non-tech friends knows about any other music player than the iPod. This goes back to me first point: Apple is no longer the only company marketing the iPod. It's got dozens of other companies selling and advertising for it in venues you wouldn't see any other company ever venture into. Ever think Christian Dior in Neiman Marcus will sell a Creative Zen case?

  1. cmoney

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Sep 2000

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    12/24, 03:44am | report spam | Reply |

    meant to say

    It's got dozens of other companies selling and advertising for it in venues you wouldn't see any other TECH company ever venture into

  1. bigpoppa206

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2003

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    12/24, 05:35am | report spam | Reply |

    Its simply the difference

    between a BMW and a Volkswagen. Sure they both get you where you want to go, but it really is the experience along the way that separates the two. I prefer the BMW! If someone really really needs to save $50, that's their business...they can go elsewhere. Kudos to Apple for staying a step ahead and not peddling to the lowest common denominator.

  1. Toyin

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Nov 2000

    0
    12/24, 07:38am | report spam | Reply |

    BMW and VW?

    Bad analogy. Take a look at www.vwvortex.com and look at the most recent VW line up.

    As for the iPod, I've owned 3 different iPods and played with other music players. It's ALL about interface and ease of use. I can be 20 minutes into an intense work out and with one hand easily get to any of the 5000 songs on my iPod. Try that with one of the other players. I can also create a very customized playlist within a matter of seconds and synchronize the iPod with no fuss in a few more seconds. It's all about the interface as well as the look that makes the iPod a joy to use. Apple isn't falling behind, because the other's haven't caught up yet.

  1. SergioRS

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2004

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    12/24, 08:19am | report spam | Reply |

    Bang for the Buck

    It is about style and the interface and critical mass, but at some point if the iPod's feature set stagnates while the competition catches up tortise and hare like - some people will say "hey i can get color and an FM tuner and video on something almost as good for a hundred dollars less." And they will. Remember how laughably bad WinCE was @ V1.0 compared to the Palm OS? Who's laughing now? (the Dell Axim's still look like they are something Mike Dell picked out of his nose - but look at how much you get compared to the Palm at the same price point. ) Most of you aren't old enough to remember here i'm guessing - but there was a time when "upscale" department stores sold pet rocks because they were all the rage. Apple needs to leapfrog the competition in features till the market share is SO MUCH that they can stringently licence FairPlay without worrying about it. That's my 2 cents - Happy Secular Season's Greetings Everyone.

  1. loudgazelle

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Dec 2001

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    12/24, 09:01am | report spam | Reply |

    Old News...

    Macnn: Old News is No News.
    This was a story over a week ago. Late to the party much?

  1. eswinson

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2002

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    12/24, 09:19am | report spam | Reply |

    BMW bad analogy

    I think it is more like high end nike shoes. It doesn't matter if a pair of "no names" costs $75 less... a teenager wouldn't be caught dead wearing them. If I sent my kid to school with a rio or creatative mp3 player he woudl get his a** kicked (ok just kidding) but the point is is that iPod brand is more important than the functionality the device delivers. Unlike high end cars iPods are obtainable by anyone at virtually any income level.

  1. hayesk

    Professional Poster

    Joined: Sep 1999

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    12/24, 09:25am | report spam | Reply |

    Re: Only a matter of time

    You don't think user experience should cost extra? Do you think the designers that spend months and several revisions trying to create a better user experience deserve to be paid?

    Design costs money. And it is every bit important at the feature list. That's what the Apple's competitors don't understand.

  1. vander

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2000

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    12/24, 10:41am | report spam | Reply |

    FM tuner?

    I wouldn't pay a nickel extra for an FM tuner. Most of the time, radio is playing ads or c***. A majority of stations have very short playlists--much fewer songs than even a mini can hold.

    Now, if Apple added a satellite radio receiver for any of the major services, then we're talking about innovation and leading the market. And yes, I know Elton John advertises something similar for XM Radio, but adding a receiver to an iPod would really increase subscriptions for the service and it would look a lot better than that fugly XM Radio device.

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