“Sony has taken the wraps off its first hard-disk drive-based audio player, saying the gadget, to be sold under its Aiwa brand name, will be available worldwide from April. The Giga Pavit is based on a 2GB drive from Cornice whose “storage element” drives are already used in several other digital music players. Its 2GB capacity version was launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week,” Martyn Williams reports for Digit Magazine Online.
“The drive provides enough storage space to accommodate around 500 songs, with the device’s USB 2.0 interface able to transfer an hour’s worth of CD quality audio in about 18 seconds, according to Sony. It supports MP3 format files at fixed or variable bit rate. Two versions of the player are available. The HZ-WS2000 has an in-line remote control in the headphone cable, while the HZ-DS2000 has all the components built into the main case. The former player measures 91-x-56mm
$249 for the mini doesn’t sound so bad anymore eh?
Assuming it costs that much when it gets here, you are right, MDN.
However, all you mac guys who have paid 3x more than you had to for a computer over the last few years cannot really be called blunder free, can you?
Joe, we’ve had this out before. I would rather pay �1000 for a computer I enjoy using than �400 for one I despise. The extra �600 is an investment in my own sanity.
When the iPod mini was announced every anti-Mac tech writer pointed out that it was $50 less than the 15 GB iPod and was thus too expensive. Let’s see if anyone of those hypocrites will call SONY’s Giga Pavit too expensive.
“sold under its Aiwa brand name”
Interesting. seems that Sony doesn’t want to attach its brand name to a product that is doomed from the start.
In case you want to see what it looks like:
… and Joe, really, if you think equivalent mac machines are 3x the price, then there’s really no way to discuss your point, cause you’re just living on a whole other planet. 1.2x to 1.5x the price for the initial purchase? Sure, no argument there. I’ll gladly spend the extra money for the day in day out computer experience that is much more satisfying. And don’t get me started on the total cost of ownership.
Also I’ve been using windows at work for the past 8 years. So I’m not just blindly following some mac ideology.
As for this Sony product, I really have no idea what they are thinking. Unless of course they have found some magical new interface that is even more intuitive and pleasant than the ipod…. which, I doubt.
Kinda makes the iPod mini look positively cheap in comparison! Mind you I bet those Sony machines will sell for a lot less retail when they are out.
Had a look on the aiwa website, they look really bad. iPod looks to be a much better design.
Sol: Sony’s device is obviously a non starter, but it doesn’t change the fact for me at least that the mini should be $50 less. Portable MP3 players are just way too expensive, period. They need to come down across the board.
Joe: Macs are not now more expensive than PC’s. Everyone who is up to date knows that. Just have to look at the Virginia Tech supercomputer if you don’t believe me.
Thanks for the URL MJG. Looks OK, but we’re smart enough not to judge a book by its cover, right?
Sony is going to introduced an online music store later this year called “Connect” or something like that.
Joe you can make your points without exaggerating or do you have any point to your post?
A sub $200 Sony mp3 player would have given apple competition… they blew it…. looks like the iPod’s competition next years will be the minis
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i can tell… six months from now, other PC makers will be knocking on Apple’s door wanting a similar deal HP got… Someone like Gateway should be looking at how much money it could make re-selling these ipods… MP3 players will be a big business… and yup… Apple is the new Microsoft of this industry… early 2004 seems to be microsoft’s last stand in this area… and by the looks of it all of their recent moves haven’t been working…
Maybe other manufacturers are betting on Micro$oft’s music store… but with the way mp3 players are being sold… M$ won’t catch up to Apple’s lead… End of the year, when the MP3 player market really booms… Apple will likely still has the same lead… and with the iTunes-iPod lock they have… they’re going to rule!
On the price thing… I bought one of the first generation 12″ PowerBooks with a SuperDrive and 60GB options. I later compared this with another brand I like, Sony. Now their VIAO with smaller (albeit better) LCD was about the same weight but slightly smaller than the PowerBook (but not in thickness, I think). Total cost of the Sony was about an extra �200.
I want to find all those whiners, critics, crybabies who were complaining about the price of the new iPos mini and smack their heads with a Sony Giga Pavit!
This is really weird! Between the ComputerWorld article about Macs being way cheaper for servers, the VT supercomputer, and now this price and capability difference in music players, I never thought I would see the day that my favorite computer company is gradually being labeled the CHEAPEST ALTERNATIVE as well as the BEST QUALITY!
Maybe Apple should start raising their prices?!
Aiwa is the shit that Sony won’t put their own name on. We can expect a formidable competitor to the iPod, I assume.
“Aiwa Giga Pavit” That’s a joke, right? How the hell is Joe Consumer going to pronounce that shit? When Nissan came to the US, they had to change their name to Datsun because they found that average George American couldn’t pronunciate (lil’ Dubya dig there, sorry) the name “Nissan”.
For their name alone, this shitcan of a product will be a miserable failure.
DrBadAss,
I didn’t realize that Aiwa was still low quality. They were a low quality company in the 60s when I was in college. It good to see that some things remain constant.
However, all you mac guys who have paid 3x more than you had to for a computer over the last few years cannot really be called blunder free, can you?
Still using the old tired, LIE ?
FYI: Macs are cheaper to own over a 6 year period. We know you Windows idiots will never be able to understand this since your PCs are lucky to make to year 3 in one piece.
Time to refresh your FUD supply there Joe, you moron.
Lest we forget, there’s also this new kid on the block:
http://www.soniqcast.com/manageable.html
WiFi, FM in & out, card reader, 1.5 GB HD,
$300 @ BestBuy maybe next month.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/7694940.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
He said they have the same capacity as the iPod, am I wrong or is the Pavit only 2 gigs and the iPod 4 gigs?
And it’s bigger than the iPod mini too. No thanks.
Glad to see the “Soniqcast” marketing department has joined the discussion. Don’t you have a press release to write or something? What a joke.
Well Joe, instead of coming into this forum and making a completely false statement and then leaving (notice he hasn’t responded), how about some examples of us Mac users paying 3x what we needed to?
Even if you exclude the obviously superior Mac OS and just compare hardware, you are still not gonna find Macs to be 3x the cost of a “comparable” PC. Yes, I know there is no PC comparable to a Mac, but use your imagination, folks….
iPod wanna be? Hum, I’m sorry, but are you guys going to call every single attempt to make another MP3 player, an “iPod wanna be?” We know that the iPod is the ultimate MP3 player, but please, don’t insult it trying to compare it to these low class, expensive, MP3 players. Thank you.
Joe, there is nothing that can touch longterm, quality, intuitive, growing investment. And that is Apple computer.
3X more, I don’t think so. How much money have you paid in time dealing with Windows issues? I’ll put that on the Mac side of the scale any day. Don’t write me back and say that you bought the low end consumer G3 iBook and had some issues. Purchase your bare bones Dell and don’t realize what you are missing like the others. I want a tool and a user experience, not a throwaway. You can also pay huge bucks for Micro$in Office for what is really a word processor, a calculator/database combo, a decent e-mail program, and a non-growing late version 2D text mover with lousy transitions. And lets not forget that also you get a late version pop-up window maker program that can’t even do tabs and knowledgebly can’t compete with even a beta Safari.