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
Just before Christmas Dell will be giving away 100 free Dell DJ’s with every PC purchase because no one will want them.
its good when a companie like dell produces a piece of crap like this. it just makes me more smug about loving apple. mahahahahaa!!!! Michael Dell , Suffer in ya jocks!!!!
Their should be an awards systems given every year to the CEOs of the big computer makers. ie Award for the most visionary, creative inspiring CEO of 2005 goes to Steve jobs!! wahooooo!! now lets hold on, the award for being the most uninspiring, ignorant, and lets face it the biggest loser is a three way tie between steve´monkey boy´balmer, michael´Ive got nothing´Dell, and Bill´somebody help me, my companies going down the toilet´Gates.
hmmm u hearing this MDN?
ive heard u get a big ass 15ft dell sticker to put wrap around the side of your car as well.
mmmmmmmm that be sexy baby. ohhh yeaaa.
seems like even Dell is embarrassed about it!
read this amusing take on it, “Rhymes with Ditty” at Daring Fireball
http://daringfireball.net/2005/09/ditty
p.s. analysts are forecasting 31M iPods in 2005, 43M in 2006. I wonder what they forecast for the Ditty?
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… glad I have AAPL and not DELL
You funny, dennis.
MW-“donkey” as in dennis is a donkey.
A little FYI for you.
The Dell DJ is just a rebranded Creative FX120. Nothing new.
Dell dosen’t actually design there players, Creative does. They build them like they build there PCs, using the cheapest parts available. There HD series of Dell DJ’s are well known for HD failure. Many owners having had there units replaced 3-4 times under warrenty.
The Dell Ditty is the worst MP3 player ever!!!!! I bought one and it suck. Its always messing up and wont let me delete music, or add music, the screen turns into a black bar so you cant see what your doing, listening to, or even see how much battery it has left, and on top of that, i had to call Dell to find out how do fix the piece of crap and i couldn’t even understand the guy because he had an accent. I hate Dell and all of their cheap products, and for anybody planing on buying a Ditty i suggest you dont.
You guyz are gay the dell dj ditty is bad ass! and wayt better then the gay shuffle without a screen and I have both of them.