Creative says it has sold more than two million MP3 players last quarter. “While the Christmas season is over, Creative believes that demand will still be strong, and plans to continue with its production momentum this quarter,” Connie Tan reports for Channel NewsAsia.
Tan reports, “Over at MacWorld, Apple Computer has launched a new iPod digital music player costing as little as US$99. Chief executive Steve Jobs said Apple had sold 4.5 million units of its blockbuster iPod in the last quarter, almost double that of its nearest competitor, Creative’s Zen Micro. But Creative’s CEO Sim Wong Hoo says Creative is not worried about the new flash player from Apple eating into its market share.”
Said Mr Sim, “Actually, to me it’s a big let-down: we’re expecting a good fight but they’re coming out with something that’s five generations older. It’s our first generation MuVo One product feature, without display, just have a (shuffle feature). We had that — that’s a four-year-old product.
“So I think the whole industry will just laugh at it, because the flash people — it’s worse than the cheapest Chinese player. Even the cheap, cheap Chinese brand today has display and has FM. They don’t have this kind of thing, and they expect to come out with a fight; I think it’s a non-starter to begin with.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Whatever. One question: how many of the Creative players were considered “digital lumps of coal” and returned so that people could go get the Apple iPods they really wanted?
One thing that has to be said: in many countries (mine included, Finland) it’s pretty hard to know about iPod, let alone buy one. But Creatives crap is sold all over the place.
So it might be true that Creative sold 2 million. But not where iPod was really present.
Apple does not have the mind share in Asia that they do in the west yet but they are gaining. Traditionally this market follows more or less the trends set in the U.S.
Woo Hoo sounds like he is very nervous or totally out of it. I have never wanted a flash player. I received a 20 Gig ipod for Christmas. Love it! When I saw the Shuffle I wanted to trade in my 20 gig. I decided to keep it though and order a Shuffle anyway. Can’t wait!!
For some reason the phrases “famous last words” and “gallows humor” come to mind…
Yes iPod go down. Worse than Chinese player. You be sorry Apple. You be sorry. My player kick wang tang. Your player piece of junk. You be sorry.
The entry price for the Digital Music Revolution- Legal has just dropped to a 4-year old PC and $100. The other day it was $250 and that’s HUGE. For small kids, aerobics queens, hikers, etc these things are ideal. It’s going to be big.
I have a first gen iPod, and I usually only listen to my big playlist in shuffle mode. So the iPod shuffle is perfect!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Joel nailed the reason I ordered my 1GB iShuffle the day they were released–I’ve been waiting for Apple to release a jogging accessory iPod for months. Can’t wait to try it out.
I don’t care what Creative’s CEO says!
The iPod Shuffle SUCKS!
I don’t care what Creative’s CEO says!
The iPod Shuffle SUCKS!
So far around here we are three for three on wanting iPod shuffle added to our Mac systems.
We all have iPods already, but iPod shuffle has so many possibilities and is so compact and so inexpensive, we just have to have one.
Also, today I went to Fry’s (huge electronics store, maybe just here in Texas) with a buddy I switched over to an iBook about three months ago I asked the guy putting product out on the shelf in the Apple section if he was putting out any iPod shuffles.
He turned around and said I was about the 50th person who had asked about that today (a picture made page 1 of the Houston Chronicle) and he confessed he didn’t have any idea what it was. After I explained it to him, he wanted one too.
~M
At first, I had my doubts about the iPod Shuffle. I did not get it. Today I went to MacWorld and tried it. The iPod Shuffle is insanely great. You can not believe how small it is. You can not believe how light it is. You can not believe how beautiful it is. The iPod Shuffle is as perfect as it gets.
I think this guy now has over a billion people pissed off at him.
I’d be pissed too if I were Chinese!
There are MILLIONS of parents that will not spend $250 on a iPod but will buy 2 $99 ‘shuffle’ for their whining kids!!
Yes I’m one!!!
SIM WHO? can say whatever he wants – the bottom line is Creative don’t have iTunes or access to it.
SJ is not daft. Why let every other player manufacturer into the profitable, high margin end of the business by allowing compatibility with FAIR PLAY.
Until M$ or Creative produce an elegant software front end they will not challenge Apple.
Mr. Hoo, a month or so ago, brought down the gauntlet and announced that his company would overtake Apple in the MP3 player wars. I think he announced a million dollar (plus?) ad campaign. His company was one of the first to introduce an MP3 player. Now he knows what it’s like to lose out – just as Apple did to M$. In the Far East tt’s a “dog eat dog” situation!
Sim Wong is simply wrong, and here’s why�
Here in the UK, the Kingston 1.0 GB Traveller Elite USB 2.0 Pen / Flash Drive costs around �90.00 inclusive of VAT (I chose a branded drive, as opposed to some generic piece of nonsense).
However, for a mere �99.01 (an extra �9.01), I can purchase an iPod shuffle.
So, I buy an iPod shuffle, use 25% of it for data storage and yet I still have enough space for 180 songs at 128kbits. Hell, even if I encode at 160 kbits, I’ll still have room for around 150 tracks which will get me to and from work each day for a week so long as I don’t have more than a 60 minute commute.
Oh, and it works with iTunes and – even more importantly – iTunes Music Store. So, it’s not quite like the “cheapest Chinese player” now, is it??
REMEMBER PEOPLE – Creative are bound to slag off the Ipod Shuffle as it competes with their crappy flash player!
And they know it is better than anything that they can produce too!
I don’t expect Creative to say anything but bad things about it!
Intresting how uncreative ‘Creative’ is!!!
Cost of USB flsh drive + cost of headphones = cost of iPod shuffle.
So the music player and battery parts are free !
Cost of the same device with a display ? MORE!
If you want a music player with a display, don’t buy one of these.
They’ve taken a step back and made a good choice with this. Released it at a good price too. I was thinking about getting a USB flash drive and this just sold me on the apple version.
fyi – check out the range at Creative:
http://www.creative.com/products/welcome.asp?category=213
They’re doing everything they can to keep up with iPod. I don’t doubt they sold 2mil – in Asia.
I reckon Apple would be right to keep tabs on what they do. Some of their players are obvious rip offs of iPod, but others aren’t.
Their weakness it seems, is they’ve forgotten – in classic Asian thinking – the core philosophy.
“It’s about the music, stupid.”
I’d be surprised if it didn’t sell heaps — particularly to people with a larger iPod already. Sim Wong Hoo doesn’t want to think of the connection between the shuffle and iTunes — that’s the source of his nightmare.
Me, I have to pass. With a first-gen and a mini in the family, the next one’s gotta be biiiigggg. There I was in business class with my first genner, and the fellow beside me whips out his 40 gig momma — a Windoze user for chrissakes. I felt like chokin’ him. Never again, I vowed.
NEXT CHRISTMAS… My business will purchase about 75 of the iPod Shuffles of whatever iteration is available – and we will stamp them with our business logo for gifts to our staff and our best clients.
At $125 each they are no more costly than the gift baskets we already distribute – and they will produce a much bigger bang for the buck than fruit and champagne.
Once again…. Thank You Apple for providing a computer system that is stable, secure and intuitive. It just works.
Secret Word = Feeling. As in… “I have a feeling that Billy Gates is going apoplectic right about now.”
Yeah, four generations behind…when did yours have a scroll wheel, Mr. Sim? The iPod shuffle is soooo terrible, that I just bought one. Little product and big talk. Haven’t we seen this before?
Less than an ounce. I’m eating mine, damn #2.
Hywel.. by taking out a display it has better battery life and lower cost..
Apple is probably making 10 bucks on each iPod shuffle…
Perfect strategy..
I’m getting mine next week i think..