Sony's New IPOD Rivalling Walkman

[Kurashima]

Its been said that every company, large or small, stands on the strength of its last big product. The new Walkman, expected to be a similar type of device to the IPOD, is Sony's "Baby Boy" for 2004/05. The question is, i have heard rumours of it being compatible only with "Proprietary Software" (IE Official Sony Downlods, Official Sony Albums, refusing to work with standard MP3 format files).

Would anyone care to comment if theyve heard something similar? Can Sony really hope to challenge Apple in the marketplace if they deliver a product "Handicapped" by lack of compatibility? Will they have to launch a massive PR blitz to get people to even look sideways at their product?

[MrL_JaKiri]

Sony don't have anything going for them with this, if true.

The only thing Sony products usually have going for them is more features; not many people would buy the product with less market penetration, less versatility and less reliability.

[the_dastardley_chihuahua]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertain...ic/3855745.stm

It is also aiming to boost use of its online music store Sony Connect, as its Walkman will play songs only in the company's own format... The Sony device will be incompatible with other online stores and cannot play tunes in the popular MP3 format.

its gonna be shit then...

[Nodrog]

They might use some bundled software to convert files from mp3 to sony_format so they can be downloaded to the player.

Sony said its Network Walkman NW-HD1 would sell for less than $400 (£219) in the US.

40gb irivers are $400 (as are 20gb ipods), so why would you want one of these anyway unless it had some extra-special features that this article doesnt mention?

[MrL_JaKiri]

Originally Posted by Nodrog

They might use some bundled software to convert files from mp3 to sony_format so they can be downloaded to the player.

That would make too much sense. Bear in mind the kind of support that is usually given to this kind of project by the company.

Furthermore, it'll probably cost more too. Whilst I'm a fan of More Expensive = More Work by the Consumer, I don't think it'll take off when the two markets are usually 'Lazy and stupid' or 'Lazy and nerdy'

[Nodrog]

Originally Posted by MrL_JaKiri

That would make too much sense.

Doesn't itunes do the same thing for ogg/wma files?

[Kurashima]

Originally Posted by Nodrog

They might use some bundled software to convert files from mp3 to sony_format so they can be downloaded to the player.

40gb irivers are $400 (as are 20gb ipods), so why would you want one of these anyway unless it had some extra-special features that this article doesnt mention?

Never
Ever
EVER
Underestimate the powers of blanket advertising and dumb american consumers.

[Nodrog]

Originally Posted by Kurashima

Never
Ever
EVER
Underestimate the powers of blanket advertising and dumb american consumers.

Do you remember sony's first gen mp3 player? It was some hideously expensive penshaped thing called a memory stick which about 4 people bought.

[Kurashima]

Originally Posted by Nodrog

Do you remember sony's first gen mp3 player? It was some hideously expensive penshaped thing called a memory stick which about 4 people bought.

Nope.

But i doubt it came with a $250 Mill ad campaign featuring Justin Timberlake.

[MrL_JaKiri]

Originally Posted by Nodrog

40gb irivers are $400 (as are 20gb ipods), so why would you want one of these anyway unless it had some extra-special features that this article doesnt mention?

I love the comparisons in the article.

It's CapMaggian in its intricities; it's like me saying 'Buy Maxtor hard drives because their 80Gb model is cheaper than Western Digital's 250Gb'

[Nodrog]

minidisks had a fairly extensive advertising campaign and I doubt they sold over 87 units worldwide.

[MrL_JaKiri]

Originally Posted by Nodrog

Doesn't itunes do the same thing for ogg/wma files?

I don't know, but I know the reason I have .ogg files is because I chose them over MP3's, so I'll be getting an iRiver at the start of term.

Talking of which, how's yours, nod?

Originally Posted by Nodrog

minidisks had a fairly extensive advertising campaign and I doubt they sold over 87 units worldwide.

That was mainly because of the proprietry format. Good learning skills from Sony shown here.

[Kurashima]

Originally Posted by Nodrog

minidisks had a fairly extensive advertising campaign and I doubt they sold over 87 units worldwide.

I know several very stupid people who bought them. I know people who bought new stereo systems and they had Minidisk players built in for some reason.

[Nodrog]

Originally Posted by MrL_JaKiri

I love the comparisons in the article.

It's CapMaggian in its intricities; it's like me saying 'Buy Maxtor hard drives because their 80Gb model is cheaper than Western Digital's 250Gb'

Sony says its device can hold 13,000 songs while Apple boasts the iPod can store 10,000 songs.

But the two firms use different recording technologies which make like for like comparisons difficult.

Less than half the file size of mp3, with no discernible quality loss!

Edit: since when did capmag become the universal foil for poor arguments? You know who else published an article about how the native indians had no rights to property because they couldnt produce title deeds to their supposed land? THAT'S RIGHT!

[MrL_JaKiri]

Cap Mag is fun and popular and sunny.

[Kurashima]

Originally Posted by Nodrog

Less than half the file size of mp3, with no discernible quality loss!

Edit: since when did capmag become the universal foil for poor arguments? You know who else published an article about how the native indians had no rights to property because they couldnt produce title deeds to their supposed land? THAT'S RIGHT!

Actually , Apple I believe have already issued a press release adding that the filesize quoted by Sony is for "non CD Quality MP3's".

Hence , Apple's 10k CD Quality songs still pisses on the Walkmans 13k incompatible tunes.

Mr Joswiak said Apple had been "disappointed by a misleading marketing trick" by Sony comparing the number of songs the top of the range iPod and the new Walkman could hold.

Apple's 40-gigabyte iPod boasts a 10,000 song capacity while Sony said its new device would hold 3,000 more.

But Mr Joswiak said Sony was basing its figure on a recording quality for songs which was not CD quality. He pointed out that Sony's own online store did not have songs available in the low recording rate used to promote its new music player.

[Quazi Starbucks]

This will not sell in america, they hate atrac as much as we do
This WILL sale in Japan, they love atrac and anything sony
Minidisks are used by people who record stuff portably (Bootleg live shows, radio interviews etc) because its small and can have good quality, the only other people are joggers who have not put down the cash for a ipod/jukebox zen/whatever

It will fail miserably everywhere except Japan, where is will sell shitloads. And expect the shittastic player which uses the thing to be bundled on all viao computers too

[wakey]

MiniDiscs were failry successful in the UK, in fact if it had sold as well in other countries as it did the UK it would no doubt have been a major success but apart from the UK sales were pretty poor. Perhaps something to do with how backwards we are in the UK when it comes to broadband thus making mp3's a small scale thing while they were huge in other countries resulting in these nations going down the mp3 player route rather than the md one

As Quazi Starbucks says this new one will go the same way, will sell great in one country (Japan) while the rest of the world goes for other devices

[MrL_JaKiri]

If we're talking minidisks, we're talking 1999 or earlier. Portable MP3 players were hardly the big time then, so it's an irrelevent comparison at best.

[BesigedB]

Only plays atrac3 therefore sucks and is doomed to worldwide success :roll:

[Dante Hicks]

Slashdot had this a few days ago. As Nod said it'll come with software which converts mp3s to atrac3. So unless this process is time consuming it shouldn't make too much of a difference.

I generally don't buy DRM products or ones which use propetriary software formats becuase, ideology aside, they tend to be shit.

[BesigedB]

Originally Posted by Dante Hicks

Slashdot had this a few days ago. As Nod said it'll come with software which converts mp3s to atrac3. So unless this process is time consuming it shouldn't make too much of a difference.

I generally don't buy DRM products or ones which use propetriary software formats becuase, ideology aside, they tend to be shit.

Transcoding lossy audio to an inferior codec using proprietary software is just up my street.

[Dante Hicks]

I agree it's nothing something I'd want to do but I doubt the "average user" could notice the difference in normal listening conditions.

I have mediocre headphones and mainly listen to my MP3s on the street / train. Would I be able to tell the difference between the two formats? Probably not.

Sony can actually make decent products but a lot of their hardware business seems to be crippled by their software/content side.