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
Bloody hell!!! Look at the remote for it:
This is surely the most un-Creative company ever…
what makes this extra sad is the zen is the only mp3 player that really even comes close to competing with the ipod.. now they are copying to blatently, theres nothing there for people who want variety… I love the ipod, but i was hoping to see some great new steps in the right direction by creation more variation in the market.
Queezie,
Yes, camera news and rumors sites that have forums dedicated to specific camera brands feature threads along those lines….
Check out http://www.dpreview.com
Could this be the reason Creative went on their patent tirade a few months back, claiming Apple ripped off their GUI? A pre-emptive strike saying Apple ripped THEM off to head off the bad press when this thing came to light? Just a thought….
Aww, thats so cute, it thinks its an iPod! It wants to be all grown up, and play with the big dogs. And its called Killer! Awwww. Kinda like my pekinese, he thinks he is big too!
Absolutely brilliant analysis, nuffsed!
Like the iPod, but with a clunkier interface, and costing thirty bucks more? Is this thing dead yet?
“IF ONLY THE IPOD PLAYED ALL THOSE FORMATS!”
why would we want to? so we can have over complicated forest of formats, some work excellently some not so good others not at all. sorry take one format and stick with it, and why would we want to pay m$ so we can use their sh*ty format?
yet again creative follow the leaders
RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD!!!@!
when will the nasty little korean/chinese dork realize that he’s done? someone stick a fork in him?
Divx playback is inherently sweet and would seriously reduce a great deal of the almost obligatory transcoding needed for iPod playback. I for one would love to see this supported on the iPod, however, as stated previously, Apple’s relationship with content distributor’s in all likelihood forbids this option.
I comment:
They are really thick!
Quezzie asked
“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”?”
No, they don’t. (at least for cameras, I’ve NEVER seen a copier fan site) Thats becuase the competition for Canon, like Nikon, is able to actually offer competition. Canon has lenses with specs that aren’t in the Nikon lineup, and Nikon had lenses with specs not in the Canon lineup.
As far as camera bodies, no matter if you like canon, nikon, or both, they are constantly one upping each other in some area or another. In other words, there is true competition. Nikon offers a great alternative to Canon. Canon offers a great alternative to Nikon.
Compare the situation to iPods. iPods have EVERYTHING! style, function, great easy to use features, best of any breed interface, seemless integration on PCs and Macs to the #1 iTunes music store. If Apple is comparable to Canon, all the iPod wannabes are more representative of ACME, Vivitar or Keystone, NOT Nikon. Apple doesn’t have an equal worthy competitor like Nikon is to Canon.
Should they be able to use the name ‘Creative’?
Kind of like ‘Fair and Balanced’, isn’t it…
Good gosh, it looks almost like and iPod. And the interface as well!
Hey “Creative,” here is a clue…
innovation (noun)
no appliance manufacturer can survive without an ongoing commitment to innovation change, alteration, revolution, upheaval, transformation, metamorphosis, breakthrough; new measures, new methods, modernization, novelty, newness; creativity, originality, ingenuity, inspiration, inventiveness; informal a shake up.
– Mark
The oval reminds me of a toilet seat.
Why bother so much about what Creatives and others are coming out with? Copycats will always be there.
If Apple is truly innovative, IT HAS TO CONTINOUSLY INNOVATE. Innovation and creativity should be a way of life for Apple.
It’s the only way to stay on top of the “average” competition.
You’ve got a point there…
How can something try so hard to look like the competition and yet still end up so BUTT UGLY!!!!!
And trying WAY too hard with the name Creative Zen Vision:M REALLY!!!!
I used my Creative Zen Vision the other day and visualized a world without overwrought empty monikers.
MW = stand
as in, I can’t stand it anymore! Okay I’ll stop ranting now…
When will they learn. Apple will bankrupt the competition, just by sitting back and letting them do it themselves.
Elmer, you actually bought a Zen ?
Creative has just two problems with this: Design (half-assed knockoffs will not sell) and price.
They also have the problem that “more” features is not “better” features. Windows Media Player or whatever it’s called can not compete with iTunes.
Am I going to recommend any of these to non-geek friends when even my geek friends are getting frustrated with the shoddy software you need to use it? No way.
I can’t put my finger on it, lah. Oh, I get it.
Kotex should sponsor this in return for branding the central button. Upturned edges give you “extra protection” (said while showing a bikini clad girl tossing a beach ball into the air). Introducing…
…the Creative Sanitary iPad. Brought to you by the country with mandatory death sentences for certain crimes. There’s no chewing gum in this tropical paradise where racial harmony reigns. Unless you’re a member of the opposition, that is. Just like their northern cousins.
On the other hand, the iPad handles a wider variety of video formats like divx and wmv. Porn collectors should go gaga over this. Perhaps that explains the shape of the central button.
When will those cloners get it. The iPod is Super Number 1 thanks to the very unique click wheel experience that no other players can ever have, the way i see it, people keep buying iPods not only for its both excellent form & function factors but also Apple brand is a so hot, trendy & preferrable premium brand name now for tech gears, though not only mp3 players, the same reason people buying designer’s clothings. Apple’s another clear advantage is its very competitive pricing too, why would anyone in their right mind would pay the same amount – even more in this case – for something not as hot, not percieved as a cultural icon, not The One.
I personally have family members & friends who used to buy Dell’s dj & the likes because they were cheaper but now all just recently replaced those heavy ugly things with Apple 60gb video iPod.
eww, look that thing (& all of those players out there currently) trying to immitate The Wheel with button arrangement, all fails so miserably, Sad to see the peecee creators from MIcrosuck to anyone can only copy Apple nowadays, so much for creative eh.
cvbncv