“If ever there was a company that could challenge Apple Computer for the dominant position in the still-young digital music space, it should be Sony,” Arik Hesseldahl writes for Forbes. “And yet, it isn’t. Despite the strength of its now decades-old Walkman brand, Sony’s various moves into the digital music player market and online music sales have come in fits and starts with little notable success. Sony’s online music channel, Sony Connect, accounts for only a modest bite of the overall music download market, compared to 70% or more (depending on whom you ask) for Apple’s iTunes Music Store.”
Hesseldahl writes, “But, Sony is mounting a new attack from an unlikely direction: video games. Sony’s forthcoming Playstation Portable (PSP)–a handheld gaming platform–will be primarily a gaming device. But, its use of a new Sony-created storage disc format–the Universal Media Disc, which stores nearly two gigabytes–can’t help but become an easy method for selling music. The plan, says Andrew House, executive vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment America, is to get the device in consumers’ hands primarily as a gaming device and then use it to market music and video.”
Full article here.
you want to listen to the radio? so your answer is to get an mp3 player? get a radio. close to perfect? pc only, no mp3, slow sync, and it records in some odd sony format…yeah almost. why would you want a hi-md player even for live recording? youll have to do another conversion and lose more data. mini discs have never caught on, and there is no compelling reason they will now. dont be cheap, save up for a dat recorder
It is evident the people here are also clueless.
If this ‘Playstation Portable’ catches on with the kids, then any amount of analysis about disk formats or Sony’s recent fiascos is irrelevent – it’ll be a success. Admittedly, that’s a big IF.
And … wont there be some sort of compatibility with the very successful Playstation – or at least the next version?
For example, they might offer a version of a game you buy for the Playstation for the new portable – either free or at a reduction.
Sony’s “New Angle of Attack�” will most likely be quickly followed up with it’s latest plan, the “New Angle of Retreat�.”
Just wait a few months. Then the new Sony NW-BS-146789 will sport a label “Plays for sure”, and they’ll share in the leftovers of market share.
Don’t these screw ups do any market research?
fandango
Sony’s “New Angle of Attack�” will most likely be quickly followed up with it’s latest plan, the “New Angle of Retreat�.”
lol… good one!
hangar57
Just wait a few months. Then the new Sony NW-BS-146789 will sport a label “Plays for sure”, and they’ll share in the leftovers of market share.
Yes, but by then it will have a new more memorable name, the Sony NW-BS-PFS-127596.
Twylightmoon,
why not the “Slipped DiskMan”, it’s clunky enough.
They might sell a few songs to people who already own the unit but no one will be buying it with the number one intention of playing music so these will be incremental sales.
Wait till Apple starts a game service. iPod meets GameBoy. Sony who?
Charko.. not sure what you’re suggesting.. the PSP will be available in very limited volume.. Sony is going to make about 500,000 of them by the time Nintendo will have sold 5 million… furthermore.. the PSP uses a much different format than the PS2 which uses,basically, DVD. The UMD format for the PS2 holds about 2 Gigs.. and looks just like Nintendo GameCube Discs.
Connecting the two is not that simple..I don’t see where you’re getting this leverage..
The PSP is awesome.. but.. the annoying battery life sucks, and the mp3 and movie features make it an annoying ‘convergence’ device.. pffft..
The DS will have much cooler gameplay, even if it has N64 graphics on those 3 inch screens//of course the ds will also have commanding marketshare..
trippah said apple gots to pump out more range of products to get to where sony is.
Yeah, you are right, 100%. Sony got where it is today by releasing TOO MANY products and trying to be everything to everyone instead of focusing on high quality audio which is how they rose to fame, glory, recognition and riches.
Yeah, apple could downgrade their quality to flood the market with junk, but I’m sure glad they don’t
portable high quality audio? mabe you should have the name trippah instead of me.