Creative Technology is introducing their new Zen Vision:M featuring a 2.5-inch screen at 320×240 resolution and a 30GB hard drive. The press release from Creative Japan states that the Zen Vision:M will come in white, black, and green and is due in mid-late December in Japan (worldwide release information and/or dates goes unmentioned in the press release).
Singapore-based Creative claims capacities of 15,000 songs and approximately 120 hours of video for the unit. Video playback formats supported include: WMV, MPEG4 and DivX, MPEG2, MPEG1, and Motion-JPEG. Creative claims battery life of 14 hours for music and 4 hours for video.
The unit measures 62mm x 104mm x 19mm (width, height, depth) with a weight of 166g.
Apple’s iPod also features a 2.5-inch screen at 320×240 resolution. Apple’s iPod specs state 7,500 songs and 75 hours of video for their 30GB iPod (15,000 songs and 150 hours of video for the 60GB iPod model) with a battery life of 14 hours for music and 2 hours for video (20 hours for music and 3 hours for video for the 60GB iPod model). Apple’s iPod supports H.264 and MPEG4 video formats.
The 30GB iPod is thinner and lighter than the Creative unit. Apple’s iPod 30GB measures 61mm x 104mm x 11mm with a weight of 136g.
Creative’s price for the unit is quoted in the press release at ¥39,800 (US$329) vs. Apple’s US$299.
Creative’s press release (translated from Japanese to English via AltaVista’s Babel Fish) is here.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? And why do iPod cloners (like Mac and Mac OS X cloners) always damage the chromosomes?
From Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
cre·a·tive
Pronunciation: krE-‘A-tiv, ‘krE-“
Function: adjective
1 : marked by the ability or power to create : given to creating (the creative impulse)
2 : having the quality of something created rather than imitated : IMAGINATIVE (the creative arts)
3 : managed so as to get around legal or conventional limits (creative financing); also : deceptively arranged so as to conceal or defraud (creative accounting)
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Related articles:
Beleaguered Creative waves white flag, surrenders self-declared MP3 player war to Apple iPod – November 07, 2005
Beleaguered Creative shifts promotional efforts from music players to new sound card line – September 21, 2005
Apple debuts iPod nano, iTunes 5: how are Microsoft, Napster, Real, Creative, Sony feeling today? – September 08, 2005
Creative explores new way to beat Apple iPod: patent litigation – August 30, 2005
Creative plans ‘very vigorous defense’ of iPod navigation patent – August 31, 2005
Beleaguered Creative Technology’s ‘war’ on Apple iPod not faring well – August 15, 2005
Apple’s iPod shine dims beleaguered Creative Technology’s outlook – August 08, 2005
Microsoft not buying stake in Creative Technology – August 02, 2005
Creative CEO Sim Wong Hoo adds fronts to war against Apple iPod – August 01, 2005
Analyst: Microsoft could buy Creative Technlogy in bid to compete with Apple iPod – July 14, 2005
Beleaguered Creative CEO Sim Wong Hoo ‘optimistic’ the company will survive ‘MP3 war’ – July 01, 2005
Beleaguered Creative may have to write off unsold stock as losses loom – June 28, 2005
Creative Tech’s reduced outlook drags on Apple, PortalPlayer, SigmaTel – June 27, 2005
Creative Tech cuts sales outlook, drags Apple down in early trading – June 27, 2005
Apple passed 20 million iPods sold milestone in early June – June 24, 2005
Apple’s understanding of what really counts makes iPod+iTunes impossible to beat – June 22, 2005
Creative Technology shares slide to lowest mark in almost two years – May 18, 2005
Apple squeezes and Creative’s profit plunges 72-percent – April 23, 2005
Apple iPod pressure forces Creative to drop prices on music players – March 01, 2005
Creative’s self-declared ‘MP3 player war’ against Apple isn’t going very well – January 20, 2005
Creative CEO: Apple iPod shuffle ‘a big let-down, worse than the cheapest Chinese player’ – January 12, 2005
Creative declares ‘war’ on Apple iPod, shoots for 40% market share of MP3 players – December 21, 2004
Creative Technology declares ‘MP3 War’ against market-dominating Apple iPod – November 17, 2004
Mossberg: Dell, Rio, Creative ‘iPod mini killers’ lag badly behind Apple iPod mini – October 27, 2004
Creative pushes to become ‘Pepsi’ to Apple’s ‘Coke’ in digital music player market – August 07, 2004
Its the iPod’s retarded younger brother!
No offense intended to the learning disabled
I’m kinda glad that so many of the road-kill competitors to the iPod include FM radio, because it’s a perfect shut-up argument to those who scream that the iPod needs to add FM itself. I mean, look at all those competitors that offer radio and iPod still kicks their asses. FM radio obviously isn’t the important.
Board Room Meeting with CEO holding iPod:
CEO: “Okay. So we have the shape, screen and system copied. The green battery indicator in the upper right corner was genius.”
Brown-noser: “Thanks.”
CEO: “Now we need to come up with a solution for the wheel. Hmmm…”
Brown-noser2: “How about a multi-colored triangle?”
CEO: “No, that’s gay.”
Brown-noser: “How about a square?”
CEO: “No, that may be too hard to navigate through more than a few songs.”
Lisa: “How about an oval? It’s almost a circle?”
CEO: :Brilliant!! I want a prototype on my desk by the end of the week, and I want product shipped to Japan by Christmas.”
Legal Team: “But what about the legal ramifications? Apple will likely sue.”
CEO: “F*ck Apple. F*ck Steve Jobs. We are Creative Labs, and our name says so. Oh, and Jill? Can you have the marketing team create some product shots? You know, white on white with reflections as if they are sitting on a glass table?”
Jill: “Wow. That’s a great idea, boss.”
Jill to Lisa under her breath:
“And then we can start working on our resumes before the ship takes on water.”
Lisa to Jill: “Uh-huh. You go girl.”
The End
For some reason the green model still has a white central button.
The thing is that no matter how much they knock it off they can’t compete with the iPod without the scroll wheel. Apple basically has one big button in the centre with 5 buttons built into it which in themselves are double function. Any competitors have to have a load of unsightly buttons which throw off the whole styling. Even worse is that they still don’t look as good as the old iPods that had separate buttons before they came up with the clickwheel.
Take that price difference with a grain of salt. Let’s see MDN translate the Japan price for a 30 GB iPod into USD as well so that we can see the real difference.
having said that, there are only so many ways you can build a white MP3/Video player with a 2.5 in. screen and a mini 30 GB hard drive, but, this copy of an iPod is awfully close to the real McCoy.
Lawyers, start your Powerbooks.
MDN misleading headline: “Creative announces 30GB Zen Vision:M video-enabled ‘iPod killer'”
Where does the company claim this is an “iPod Killer”????
If Kodak releases a new camera is it a “Nikon Killer”?
If Ford releases a new car is it a “BMW killer”?
Once again, amateur journalism by the small boys at MDN with its, “My wiener is bigger than your wiener ranting”.
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And why the fear of competition with Apple? Do Canon camera and copier chat sites make fun of every new camera or copier machine that comes out…deriding each one as “Canon Killer”?
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And if you wouldn´t have advertises it hear none of us would have ever seen it or cared about this product.
MDN – let´s see you come up with a different design for this type product.
Ever notice how all cameras, TVs, drawing tablets, phones, etc, etc, etc, have the same basic form – is no one creative there or its the most logical shape for the parts included in the object?
Karl,
The design for a portable digital media player all seems very logical now that Apple has done all the work.
I did a double take. If Apple doesn’t sue their asses off something is wrong. They did it with eMachines I think. Too close to claim similarity. Out ‘n out theft. If Apple loses a design copyright suit the wannabe tech guys at Circuit City and Best Buy will have a field day. The specs seem close enough that the uneducated will buy if the price is right.
And they look good enough that people will still have the cache’ of style. Could be big trouble even though the formats, software, compatability, and integration suck. That hasn’t stopped millions of Windows users before. They’re happy with almost works! I often wondered why others didn’t copy the profile and color of the iPod. That’s what’s iCatching.
The 30 gig ipod costs 34800 yen in Japan. At current prices that’s around $280. So in fact it may be even cheaper than the Creative offering.
It would be interesting to find out if Creative are starting to lose money on MP3 players. If not yet maybe soon. This beast will probably tank big time especially when you can get a comparable iPod for less money.
And it will still lose in the marketplace.
Karl,
It’s not so much the look of the thing, but the OS of it. From these photos, it looks almost EXACTLY the same.
Queezzie,
Where does the company claim this is an “iPod Killer?”
– In the very design of their product.
If Kodak releases a new camera is it a “Nikon Killer”?
– If they copy a Nikon camera, yes.
If Ford releases a new car is it a “BMW killer”?
– If they copy a BMW, yes.
And why the fear of competition with Apple?
– Where does MDN show any bit of fear of Creative?
“I know this music…time to up the tempo.”
– Jean-Emmaneul Baptiste Zorg
Hurray! At last an iPod that supports WMA!
Don’t most killers end up on death row?
I want a green iPod!
Apple’s lawyers are gonna have a merry Christmas
I don’t know why you would produce a “more” expensive rip-off. No iTunes sync…me no buy.
I do like the green though.
MW- green…yeah
Replay:
Good one!
REPLAY: “Don’t most killers end up on death row?”
Answer: No.
The price quoted is suggested retail price – the real price will be lots less.
Price point is the question. If the Zen can compete, it can compete
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PC apologist hm? What the hell do you have to say for yourself? This thing is a monster!! ARgh.. what an ugly pos..
forget it.. just.. no.. can we stop accepting applications for innovation from the PC industry.. between this and MS’s kludgy media center.. it’s starting to look like every company besides apple is mentally handicapped..
I don’t see this as a rip off. There are very distinct differences that make the Zen interface a much truer expression of their product. Look at the interface. Starting from the upper left there is the logical “curved arrow” icon that kind of says “hey, I’m going this way, but I really want to be over there.” Then in the upper right you have the standard “pause/play” button, again logically located so that the majority right-handed population can hold the device in their dominant hand and then have the option of using their left hand to press the button or practice dislocating their right-thumb for one-handed operation. Below that is what I believe is one of those ‘gliphs from the movie “Blade” that says “hey, Creative tapped my artery for over 300 bucks, now I’m thier bitch.” My favorite icon is in the lower left, the “broke dick” symbol that indicates the limited potentcy of the product and gives a subtle warning to would be buyers by pointing away from the centerpiece to the interface as if to say “you don’t want to use this thing, do you?” Lastly is the big white button that really doesn’t say anything. It just leaves you wondering “what does this do and how?”
MDW likely, as in this is likely the last article we see on this one.
No compatibility with OS X! What a piece of crap!
Man this is sad.
Apple: Get your legal guns warmed up!