Stiletto Makes The List Of "iPod Killers"
iPod Killers for Christmas 2006
By Richard Menta 10/14/06,
www.mp3newswire.netWe have run the iPod Killers for Christmas/Summer series since 2004. In that time we reported on 149 portable players and NOT one iPod killer from the bunch. That said, we may actually have a couple of genuine challengers to Apple. This holiday season will see Microsoft pump tens-of-millions of dollars to hawk their new Zune portable and SanDisk's 8GB e280 flash unit is compelling high-end users. Both can realistically grab double-digit market share from the iPod, particularly because the iPod only got a modest facelift this season. Whether they do or not waits to be seen.
The struggle of all brands is to find that secret sauce of features, look and that highly elusive "cool factor". Disney is showing success with kiddies thanks to strong product branding (a touch wheel with mouse ears). If you can argue that part of the "iPod Aura" is really a fashion thing, then we should factor in the fact that fashion changes and some consumers will shift to new players simply because they are not an iPod. But Apple is not playing Versace, which would require the iPod to morph dramatically every year. Instead Apple takes the role of Anne Klein or Polo, a classic look that evolves within the context of popular consumer taste.
But seriously, is there really a player out there to challenge the iPod? In truth, one manufacturer has already found a secret sauce that makes it the second best selling portable digital player today. This player sells one unit for every 2.3 iPod's and is the
the best portable media player on the market in our opinion. That player is the Sony PSP, excluded from the top digital player lists because it is primarily a game player. So what? The PSP's widescreen offers superior video to the iPod and Sony has sold more UMD movies than Apple has digital movie downloads. True, UMD movies were
on the way out after a
promising start, but price drops in Japan have led to a
huge ten-fold jump in sales, resurecting the format in Asia. Lower prices would probably do the same in the US, potentially giving Sony a portable movie distribution model to challenge iTunes....
.... Sirius Stiletto 100
Back in June Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin
flashed what looked like a tiny portable. That portable is the Sirius Stiletto 100, that company's first live satellite MP3 player.
Priced at $349 the Stilletto
will be able to store 100 hours of programming, which has pundits figuring it has 2GB of memory. The unit handles MP3 and PlaysForSure WMA tracks (the latter format possibly on its last legs now that Microsoft is shifting to the closed architecture and format its Zune offering will bring). The Stiletto is also WiFi enabled and runs on two rechargeable batteries. Those batteries will give the user 22 hours of recorded playback listening, though live satellite listening requires more power and limits the unit to only 4 hours of air time. The Stiletto has a timer that can schedule 100 shows in advance. The available dock kit for the home will power the unit for recording up to 6 hour blocks of Sirius content. The home kit also adds an FM transmitter to play the Stiletto through the home receiver....read more:
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