“Apple’s iPod MP3 player was one of the hottest gifts during the past holiday season. Driven by a hip marketing campaign and bolstered by Apple’s Music Store, the word ‘iPod’ has become synonymous with MP3 players; and its smaller, limited and cheaper Shuffle model unveiled last week will likely serve to solidify Apple’s lead,” Don Lindich reports for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But as the recent 2005 Consumer Electronics Show demonstrated, it is a much more competitive marketplace.”
Lindich reports, “Leading the pack were two entries from Olympus’ new m:robe line. The m:robe 500 offers a large, high-resolution touch-screen display used for controlling the unit and viewing photographs, which are either downloaded from a PC or taken with the m:robe’s built-in 1.22 megapixel digital camera. Photographs can be automatically mixed with audio tracks to create music videos you can view as you listen.”
“At the same $499 price point of Apple’s iPod Photo, the m:robe 500 offers a much larger display and greater functionality, albeit with a smaller hard drive and larger physical dimensions that make it hard to carry in a pocket. The m:robe 500 offers 20 GB, vs. the iPod’s 30 GB, an advantage for Apple. Even with its smaller hard drive, serious digital photographers are likely to make the m:robe 500 their player of choice by virtue of its large, colorful display,” Lindich reports. “The $249, 5 GB m:robe 100 compares with Apple’s iPod Mini while offering 25 percent more hard drive capacity. The m:robe 100 is one of the most attractively styled MP3 players available with a smooth, black finish that makes it look like the monolith from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.'”
“After a hiatus of many years, Olympus will once again advertise during the Super Bowl — specifically to promote the new m:robe line, demonstrating the depth of its commitment to this new product category,” Lindich reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We require some actual proof before we’ll swallow Lindich’s statement that “serious digital photographers are likely to make the m:robe 500 their player of choice by virtue of its large, colorful display.” Lindich’s mistaken assertion that Apple’s iPod photo offers 30GB for $499 doesn’t inspire much confidence in his reporting skills. Apple’s iPod photo comes in two sizes: a 40GB model, available for $499, and a much larger 60GB model that sells for $599. And, the Olympus bath…, err, m:robe won’t directly play songs purchased from the world’s market-dominating online music store, Apple’s iTunes Music Store, either. Do you think Olympus’ m:robe Super Bowl ad will mention that fact?
my 30 giger can show photos? sweet! one question though: since when? this guy lost all credibility after that statment.
The “recent 2005 Consumer Electronics Show” may demonstrate “a much more competitive marketplace” but the public and market share doesn’t seem to know it.
Let him know that he got it wrong. His email is donlindich@mac.com
I’m right there with MDN’s take on this one – in addition to not being compatible with iTMS, I just don’t think “serious digital photographers” will opt for a smaller hard drive just so they can see their hi-resolution photos (which these days are usually 5-12 MB each and originals that are thousands of pixels tall and wide) at less than the size of a 3×5 print. Lindich believes “large” equals a 3.7-inch viewable screen area (which he didn’t mention, but I got it from the Olympus website). Here’s the link if you want to see what this latest “iPod killer” looks like:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product_robe.asp?l=1&p=&bc;=&product=1146
Furthermore, given the choice, I think such photographers will instead opt for the larger storage capacities that Apple offers for a marginally higher price at the top of the line and better portability (in the pocket vs. not small enough to comfortably fit). And a 1.3 mPixel built-in camera? What a joke! Cameras with that resolution are called “webcams” these days and cost $39. Those same “serious digital photographers” probably aren’t going to be as interested in the music mixing capabilities, either, which I can only imagine will be rudimentary at best.
In two words – not impressed.
Wow, Olympus marketing is blowing their whole ad budget for next year to sell a device that I can’t see anyone using with a name that NO ONE will ever remember once the game is over, hell I don’t even remember it and I just read the article, mrob?
Professional digital photographers, like me, are primarily mac users. Even the window shooters I know are iPod fans. When there is a way to download photos directly to the iPod photo (when Apple comes up with a user friendly way to do it that satisfies their quality standards) then they will become even more popular.
Sorry, that email above doesn’t seem to work.
don@multimediaanswers.com is the email from his personal website that he invites comments to. I wrote to him there.
Good lord. What the hell is it with electronic device manufacturers and product names. First it’s Sony with “NDW-whatchamacallit” and now f%&^ing m:robe from Olympus. Pathetic.
There is more to life than iPod.
I’m much more a photographer than a music listener… and admit it or not, but Apple Ipod is overpriced, plain and simple. They are at “cool cult-status” pricing.
Adding a good music player to a camera seems like a whole lot simpler than adding a camera or photo-viewer to your iPod…
In fact, who needs the scroll wheel, when according to steve jobs, Shuffle has become the most popular way to listen to music. In fact, why is such a big deal made out of… shuffle. I mean… why on earth wasn’t this included in the original? Random, shuffle… call it what you will, but it’s not a new concept and it’s annoying that they make a big deal out of something like shuffle.
I don’t need another electronic device. Apple will slowly update their product, because they want you to buy each version. They want to ride the ipod wave as long as they can. Who can blame them, really?
Why else would they only now add photo capabilities and yet miss the obvious method of moving them from camera to ipod? They’ll add things like that (and basic things like a colour screen) and then people will buy more… and sell their old ones. All major electronics brands do the same.
I’d like a set of fatty headphones with a built-in iPod flash. I think that would be cool. I used to have some headphones with a built-in FM radio, but a flash iPod shuffle would be even better.
Go on, design one for me.
David goes up against Goliath once more
As Steve would say, one more thing…
The m:robe 500 only holds a charge for 3 hours.
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product_robe.asp?l=1&p=&bc;=&product=1146&fl=4
Don Lindich [writes] for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “But as the recent 2005 Consumer Electronics Show demonstrated, it is a much more competitive marketplace.”
It wouldn’t matter if there were a quintillion ‘competitors’ to the iPod. If 6-8 out of 10 consumers are using iPods, the only the thing that the ‘competition’ will be doing is sitting on the shelf collecting dust.
This article is simply an expression of the author’s wishful thinking for some company to finally release something to ‘unseat the iPod’. That way, he can tell himself, “See, the iPod wasn’t that big a deal after all.”
This guy is a Wintel user and Apple’s recent string of commercial successes is making him ask himself, “Why are Apple’s products so successful? What’s the big deal? My Wintel PC and Dell DJ are just as good as Apple’s stuff. What gives??”
Apple makes him (and many other Wintel users) uncomfortable. For over 20 years, Steve Jobs has been saying to computer users, “There is a better way.” The fact that Apple is doing very well right now forces them to ask themselves the question, “What if SJ was right?” The flip-side of that question is, “What if I was/am wrong?”
It’s a painful thing to be in an abusive relationship, yet that’s what many Wintel users are in. With Microsoft, they keep getting ‘slapped around’ by Gates and company, yet they keep going back for more. Why? Part of rationale is that they ‘already have too much invested’ in the ‘relationship’ to leave.
If you are a Windows user, listen to me: IT”S NEVER, EVER GOING TO GET ANY BETTER. You don’t have to live your life this way. Microsoft is never going to change; you are going to have to. You owe it to yourselves to at least become aware of the alternatives for a more meaningful computing experience. Go to an Apple store and use the equipment. Ask lots of questions. Get help.
Counselors are standing by…
This P.S.A. is brought to you by F.W.U.A. (Former Windows Users Anonymous)
3 hour battery charge – I can make love for longer than that.
Once again Olympus are last out of the blocks with another shite product.
Hey MDN my magic word was analysis – how dare you!
Why does everyone who posts a contentious article get their email address posted on MDN for educative feedback? No wonder Mac users are portrayed as zealots – get a life!
Let the gentleman hold his opinion – it may be wrong in your view, but it is his to hold … time will tell him just how mistaken he was – he doesn’t need correctional feedback from a bunch of fanatics …
Get over the platform. Stop wearing it like a badge of honour … Fanaticism is a dangerous thing.
The m:robe link….
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_digital_musicplayer.asp
It doesn’t have playback time of 3 hours, that’s how long it takes to charge the battery.
Playback time is 8 hours for WMA, 12 hours – MP3
iPod photo is 15 hours for music; 5 hours photo viewing
$499 both products (20 GB m:robe; 40 GB iPod photo)
In addition to not being able to play songs purchased from the world’s market-dominating online music store, I just read in a review of the :Robe thing in The Boston Globe today that:
“…The desktop software will rip music from CDs, but only in WMA format. However, both WMA and MP3 files can be played on the unit. Neither Napster nor MusicMatch songs would play on the m:robe…”
So, I guess that means you can ONLY play music you ripped from your previous bought CDs?
Yup, that’s a iPod killer for sure!
“Even with its smaller hard drive, serious digital photographers are likely to make the m:robe 500 their player of choice by virtue of its large, colorful display”
I actually copied this this statement before I read MDN’s take. Like MDN, I have a problem with this statement. Serious digital photographers, serious photographers, period, like to take lots of shots and choose the best ones. Storage capacity is the key here. Again, serious photographers generally like their equipment as portable as possible. A player that’s physically larger, with smaller storage capacity, seems to me to be a bigger drawback than an elephant’s foreskin.
Before piling onto Mr. Lindich for having a typo in his article, read this:
http://www.post-gazette.com/interact/20020801lindich5.asp
He’s aware of the advantages of Macs, to put it mildly–he’s a Switcher himself, and the linked article reads more or less like Apple ad copy–and probably just homestly thinks this thing is better than an iPod photo. That’s not a sin, only an opinion. The marketplace will figure out who’s right–and if Olympus does very well with this thing, Apple will counter them.
Let’s not eat our young!
“The marketplace will figure out who’s right”
Absolutely correct, and I agree with you completely. I simply disagree with the writer’s reasoning about the needs of “serious” photographers.
Neither the m:robe or iPod photo are attractive to serious photographers since neither can directly transfer photos from a digital camera. Too bad the m:robe doesn’t, I’m hoping that somebody does to “pressure” Apple to get this functionality into their iPods.
I used to be a fan of Olympus Cameras- the OM-1 is one of the all time great 35mm cameras, but that was a long time ago. Obviously Olympus still cannot make an electronic device that doesn’t eat batteries. My first DigiCam was an Olympus that would flatten a set of Lithium Batteries faster than you change them. As to siding with the Wintel Cartel- you can figure that out. WiMP (Windoze Media Player) technology is what you would associate with Micro$oftopoly.
Anybody notice how Apple priced the Shuffle at $99 and $149, therefore leaving open a price point at $199. My prediction is; soon they will lower the old mini with 4 gigs to $199. At the same time a new mini with 10 gig capacity and new more tasteful colors like maybe dark blue and maroon will appear at $249. That will blow the competition away in the mini market as well as cause people looking at the shuffle to consider the minis larger capacity for just $50 more. Sort of like what happens now with the 20 GB vs. the mini. By the way Apple, don’t sue me, it’s just an educated guess.
We should say: Welcome to all competitors here.
The real fact is that, with competition all products that want to prevail, must get better and better and, generally, the winner is the end user.
I love Macs, but I realize that not all the answers will came from that healthy fruit company. The thing here is to get advantage of the improvements from all over the wolrd. Apple have been very good in get an idea and make it real, in a very fashionable and excellent way, always with industrial design and the like.
I think Apple will prevail because of his nature (the way they do thinks) and the way they appear to the World. However, this is a big World and there should be room for all expresions.
Viridian and zupchuck are both on the money.
Also, one of the first criticisms of the iPod photo was that it didn’t directly download from digital cameras; so how can this Olympus be anything special if it can’t do it either? Where is the bandwagon to harp on that “missing” feature?
He may be a Mac user, but there is still some slant in his article that makes me think that he is looking for some excuse to dethrone the iPod. This article doesn’t do it.
Zupchuck,
Good point concerning the ability to transfer photos directly to the iPod. Are you listening, Apple?
I’d have a big problem with the touch screen interface. With my iPod it’s easy to make track changes without looking at the iPod itself. I guess you might eventually learn to put your finger exactly where it belongs on the m:robe (weird name, even more so than iPod when it first came out). Oh well, I don’t care, I won’t be getting one, but like others have said, more competition never hurt.
“A hip design makes it cool to carry.”
If you have to tell your audience it’s hip… it’s not.
brought to you by the Magic word “play”
To me, it’s ugly. Looks like a fake iPod U2. Plus, when you go to the store, are you really going to ask for the “m:robe?” How do you even say that? iPod is much more esoteric. These companies forget how important a name can be.
And heck, they can’t even make a decent camera. I would not even think about buying something from Olympus’ core competency.
It’s fun watching the competition try to compete with Apple. Apple makes everything look so easy that soda-pop companies think they can make software to sell music online.
Just crazy.
“At the same time a new mini with 10 gig capacity and new more tasteful colors like maybe dark blue and maroon”
Double anodized Black with SS trim please!!
“Even with its smaller hard drive, serious digital photographers are likely to make the m:robe 500 their player of choice by virtue of its large, colorful display,” Lindich reports”
I doubt a serious digital photographer will be satisfied with anything less than a 17″ display… Ok, may be they may compromise for a 12″ display, after looking inside their wallet.
Pete said on Jan 17, 05 – 06:06 am
“… time will tell him just how mistaken he was – he doesn’t need correctional feedback from a bunch of fanatics …
Get over the platform. Stop wearing it like a badge of honour … Fanaticism is a dangerous thing.”
Hey Pete – Mac users are on top now, and we intend to enjoy ourselves. After years of being branded fanatics by Windows users who refused to see that the Emperor has no clothes, Mac users are now seen to be intelligent cutting edge visionaries.
Besides…the only “fanaticism” I see are Windows users steadfastly maintaining support for a failed operating system despite massive evidence that Windows is unstable, vulnerable and lowers productivity.
Given a choice, why would anyone use Windows?
Magic Word = Soon, as in “Soon, people will be saying to each other… you’re still using Windows? Yuk.”
Pic here:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product_robe.asp?l=1&p=&bc;=&product=1146
As soon as I saw the three choices (Camera, MP3 Player, Pic Viewer) offered at startup I knew I’d never buy it. Extra steps! Extra complexity! Extra wasted neurons! When I want to eat my spaghetti I don’t want to pick up a utensil and have it ask me if I want it to be a fork, a knife or a spoon. I reach for a fork to have a fork. I reach for an iPod to listen to music. If I want photos I’ll ask for them later, not at startup! To that end, I wish Apple had put the Photos menu one layer deeper. Can you customize that?
“the world’s market-dominating online music store, Apple’s iTunes Music Store”
In the Sunday, Jan. 16 article “Can Mac mini help Apple win back double-digit market share in the personal computer market?” you dismiss the importance of market share in your red letter “take”. But today you are gloating over the “market dominance” of iTunes and iPod. What gives? Are you trying to have it both ways?
atomic flowre
I use to think he iPod was over priced, then I took a closer look at the competition. The iPod isn’t over priced, it’s just an expensive device that’s well made. Don’t confuse ease of use with with cost.
Yes, you do pay some for the advertising as you do with any product that advertises.
First there is no 30 gig ipod photo only 40 and 60, second if you want a “built-in 1.22 megapixel digital camera” buy a cell phone and third this guy has no idea what he is talking about.
Hello. Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong.
I am from Slovakia and also now teach English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: “Includes destination guides, travel blogs and advice, cheap airline ticket information, flight information, reservations and lodging.”
Thanks :-(. Danah.