Dell has announced their new US$99 Dell DJ Ditty which they hope against hope will be an iPod shuffle killer.
Dell DJ features include:
• 512MB of storage for up to 220 songs (Assumes audio format is 64kbps WMA encoding with average song length of 4 min. MP3 audio format at 128kbpS compression: 512Mb – up to 110 songs.)
• 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack
• Integrated FM tuner
• 26x11mm LCD screen
• USB 2.0
• 3.6 x 1.1 x .5 inches and weighing 1.29 ounces (vs. Apple iPod shuffle: 3.3 x 0.98 x 0.33, .78 ounce)
• Rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery with up to 14 hours of battery life
• Includes earbuds, lanyard, and black & blue USB Cap only
• Easy and affordable downloads via Musicmatch Jukebox by Y!Music
• Compatible with Napster to Go
• Compatible with Audible
More info here.
Advertisements: iPod shuffle. Starting at $99. Free shipping.
Apple iPod nano. 1,000 songs. Impossibly small. From $199. Free shipping.
Now we know what floats through Jonathan Ive’s nightmares. Why does Dell even bother? If you want a smaller-sized, equal-capacity, good-looking, cross-platform player, get an iPod shuffle 512MB for the same price, 1GB for $30 more. If you want a screen, then Apple’s iPod nano is a no-brainer starting at $199. Dell ought to just forget about the digital music player market and concentrate on assembling commodity Wintel boxes.
[UPDTE 2:51pm: changed $50 to $30 in “Take,” thanks “macnut222.”]
Related articles:
Dell plans expansion of Dell DJ portable music player line – September 14, 2005
Dell CEO: Apple can’t just have one product and then say they’re the innovative leader of the world – February 22, 2005
BusinessWeek: Rather than dismissing Apple products as fads, Dell should try starting a few – January 31, 2005
Dismissive Dell CEO not impressed with Apple Mac mini, calls iPod a ‘one-product wonder’ and a ‘fad’ – January 17, 2005
Mossberg: Dell, Rio, Creative ‘iPod mini killers’ lag badly behind Apple iPod mini – October 27, 2004
Dell offers $100 rebate for Dell DJ buyers who send in Apple iPods ‘for recycling’ – June 30, 2004
Dell vows ‘to chip away at Apple’s market-leading iPod and iTunes combo’ using Dell DJ, MusicMatch – June 14, 2004
Columnist: Dell DJ a junky knockoff of the superior Apple iPod – May 28, 2004
Dell preps its own ‘iPod’ hard drive portable music player – September 23, 2003
Dell re-signs Apple iPod retail contract – April 16, 2003
Dell to sell Apple’s iPod – October 29, 2002
why is it so important to “kill” the iPod? even those hapless persons still under the spell of redmond can use iTunes and their choice of iPod every bit as easily as those of use on the path of righteousness. why would anyone insist on encoding their music as mp3, when aac is superior in every way? what is little mikey smoking, to think that this ugly piece of dull crap could have even a chance of “killing” the iPod?
Where did they get that name?! Sounds like something made for my grandmother.
AFAIK iPods of all types have shorter battery charges because they pump out higher quality sound. Better signal processing + higher output=shorter charge?
Any experts verify?
Too bad, Apple will probably up the storage on the mini before Xmas, and the Ditty will be done.
(I meant shuffle, not mini)
God that thing is U G L Y! No sense of style at all. Let’s see now, what rhymes with ditty? Kitty…gritty…not itty bitty…no wait…sh****! That’s it!
Good thing too that Mikey Dell ain’t a sperm donor. What with that big tater-like and that dufus grin it would’nt be hard to spot the spawn of his loins!
Dell and his products are a good match. Gosh, doesn’t he even look at those designs before approvial? Maybe he does….
It looks like the handle from my umbrella.
someone has to make something for the people who decorate their houses with velvet paintings of big eyed kids and elvis
I agree with anon….how come everyone BUT Apple has the worst designers.
If they’re trying to create these “iPod Killers” why don’t they come up with some “killer” designs. Do they really think they can beat Apple by just having something that DOES the same thing, but doesn’t LOOK better?
Idiots
Chinese electronics junk dealer,
Thank you for the laughs!
DELL all over the thing is so tacky. Sounds like somebody is ego trippin’.
MW=happened (i.e., poop happened)
Coming soon as a competition prize near you – ‘And win a free crap MP3 player.
The more the competition wastes on this sort of crap (time and money) the stronger Apple gets.
How come nobodies trying to come up with a FUEL KILLER.
So between this, Rio and Creative we should be seeing some realy cheap mp3 players starting to flood the xmas market.
Jeez… look at it… is there anything different between?
Besides the fact that the DJ is butt ugly?
I know! Next time they’ll put a cigarette lighter and call it the “DJ shuffle”
dumbasses….
win apologists, begin expounding on the value of a 1 inch screen….
…………..NOW!
‘why do they even bother?’ ..
thats exactly what I thought.. go ahead.. release the damn thing.. whatever.. who cares..
After seeing that thing, I have to go take a Ditty. I mean a Doody.
Maybe these guys can help clean this mess up.
http://www.doggydoodyduty.com/
Is DJ Ditty a rapper?
I think Hugh Beaumont was chief designer on this thing.
Looks more like kitty litter.
I think it needs a few more DELL logos, don’t you?
I just feel for those poor kids whose parents/grandparents get lured into buying one of these things as christmas presents for their offspring. Imaging, going back to school after the holidays.
“What did you get?” – “A nano!” – “Cool, and you?” – “A, hrhm, a DJ Ditty…” – “Oh, man, that sucks! What did you do to piss off your dad that badly?”
Or that one:
“You are hereby sentenced to tour your hangouts for four consecutive weekends, wearing a DJ Ditty openly on your belt. And let that be a dire warning for you to change your ways!” – “Oh man, can’t I just do jailtime instead?” – “No, I am through with lenient sentencing!”
Don’t Dell know yet that the first thing they have to do to make a cool product is to remove ALL references to Dell?
It would be a start at least…
I vote that MW comments are silly and pointless.
What an embarrassment to Dell. Why are they even bothering?