“What’s black, white and green with iPod envy? The Zen Vision:M, a familiar-looking video player announced by Creative Technology. The similarly styled and priced device will compete directly with Apple Computer’s video iPod for a spot on every technophile’s holiday wish list. Creative plans to put the Vision:M up for sale this month, and with less than three weeks left in the shopping season, that makes the device a tough sell. ‘They’re extremely late,’ says Tim Bajarin, analyst with market research firm Creative Strategies, which is unaffiliated with Creative. ‘In this stage of the game, I’m skeptical this product will give them enough revenue to impact the bottom line for their next quarter… Though Creative is a worthy competitor, I think Vision:M will have zero impact on Apple,'” Rachel Rosmarin reports for Forbes.
Rosmarin reports, “Creative CEO Sim Wong Hoo denied that his company copied the device’s design from Apple, telling the BBC in London that Creative had been planning the new player’s design for more than a year. Apple’s video iPod has been on the market for only two months. Hoo has a history of making loud claims about competing with Apple in the MP3-player space. In August, Creative won a U.S. patent for an MP3-player interface involving the way multiple screens are used to navigate through songs. Hoo told the BBC that he plans to pursue this patent aggressively. In November 2004, he famously announced that his company’s products would outsell Apple’s with the help of an expensive marketing campaign. ‘He’s a colorful guy,’ says Bajarin about Hoo. ‘But since what he says sometimes doesn’t happen, it impacts our ability to see him as truly credible.'”
Full article here.
Sim Wong Hoo, Rob Glaser, and Steve Balmer ought to start up their own carnival freak show of tech CEOs. They could make grand pronouncements, dance and sweat, light up lightbulbs in their mouths, have a chair tossing for distance event, stage competitive eating contests, play frisbee golf with Sony’s recalled Rootkit CDs, fashion Apple product knockoffs right on stage, scream obscenities, rally the crowd for “interoperability,” start imaginary wars – there are so many possibilities! Tickets to the show would be the only product they could muster up between the three of them for which we’d pay a cent. They could videotape it and sell it on Apple’s iTunes Music Store. At least then they’d finally have a hit in the digital content marketplace.
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Related articles:
Apple faces prospect of bruising iPod patent dispute from Creative Technology – December 09, 2005
Creative Technology’s official press relase for Zen Vision:M Apple iPod knockoff – December 08, 2005
Creative’s Sim Wong Hoo vows to ‘aggressively pursue’ Apple over iPod patent – December 08, 2005
Creative announces 30GB Zen Vision:M video-enabled ‘iPod killer’ – December 07, 2005
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
Does Creative own the patent for the Aqua interface, too? If not, certainly they’ve applied for it. What, you can’t patent the Aqua interface? Oh, that’s right, only text menus.
Luxpro’s Super Shuffle -> Tangent -> Top Elegant / EZ Elegant comes to mind.
Translated Creative press release (with accessory photos):
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=ja_en&trurl=http://jp.creative.com/corporate/pressroom/releases/welcome.asp?pid=12272
Cool dock and remote available. Surprisingly familiar, yet different, in an ugly sort of way.
Creative is making a lot of noise about 1 little patent of dubious validity. Let’s face it almost any patent issued by the US Patent Office is of dubious validity. The same goes for patents registered in any other country.
Anyway, I wonder about the thousands of patents Apple holds and how many of them apply to Creative’s wonderful little MP3 players. While I’m at it anyone can play twice as long at half the encryption rate and half the quality.
Oh man I just scammed!
I called Creative @ 800-998-1000, then requested sales.
The phone guy answered and I said I’d like to know more about this Vision M. He explained a bit. I asked what he used. His reply was a small flash based player when he works out. I asked is it the Shuffle, or the Nano. He said it’s the ZenNano. My reply…. Oh the Creative copy of the Apple iPod Nano, now you’ve copied the iPod Video. My name is Steve Job – Call me when they arrive in the USA and I’ll see you in court.
Call the 800 number and have some fun!
“Oh the Creative copy of the Apple iPod Nano, now you’ve copied the iPod Video. My name is Steve Job – Call me when they arrive in the USA and I’ll see you in court.”
Sorry to say this, but Creative had a ‘nano’ player before Apple did. However, Creative’s product was practically rename of an existing product, while Apple’s product was actually brand new.
“Creative should change their name to Microsoft, they have a lot in common”
Well, they wouldnt call themselves Microsoft. In typical Creative fashion, they’d change their name to Mycrosoft.
I must admit that when I saw a Zen Nano (gathering much dust) on the shelf of the local Toys R Us, I was shocked and thought they had copied the name from Apple.
This wasn’t because I’m a mindless Apple zealot, it’s because I had never heard of such a thing.
I don’t know anyone who has a Creative (that is so funny) product. Everyone I know has an iPod (or several).
The knockoff is pretty bad.
~M
If Creative tries to carry on their lawsuit Apple should threaten to come back at them for shamelessly copying their interface.
Clap clap clap clap for MDN’s take. I look forward to watching the tech CEO freak show! I hope your gold embossed letters of invitation have gone out to them this weekend MDN? I really think you must arrange this. We could set up a petition – we’d ALL want it to happen..!
As for Creative they obviously ‘don’t do creative.’
Please surprise us with loads more creativity in 2006 Apple!
It’s the “similarly priced” bit that amuses me. Why would you pay a similar price for this, when you could just have the real thing? I can maybe see people buying this over the iPod for half the cost, but similarly priced is going to win them any buyers.
Damn typos… I meant that it isn’t going to win them any buyers.
MW: probably. MDN should probably allow our posts to be edited.
Holy shit, you’re all morons…
Goodness, the flames. Actually, your all seem to represent some aspect of retardedness, so I shall be blunt. This is a good product, marginally thicker than the 4th Gen iPlod. And the dig at koreans copying players. Err, i think you will find that china plays a bigger role there kids. You all need to wake up. But I will always remember, never argue with an idiot. So i will leave with these parting words. Your idiots, only a matter of time till you realise it. If indeed you don’t realise this, I will realise it for you. Your all idiots.
The guy above said it all basically. Stop being sheep and look at the bigger picture. Creative has release a player that’s technically far superior- SO WHAT IT IF THEY LOOK SIMILAR? Most mobile phones look the same, and how many lawsuits do you see about that? And all that crap about the Korean ripoffs… hate to bring you down to earth but most of the time things like irivers are much better. In fact, a Korean fake of the nano (although rather dodgey) plays video, has far more features, yet it’s a fraction of the price.
On a closing note, have you heard of Ogg Vorbis?
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Hi, my name is Mozfan and I shop at Toys R Us.
Like the iPod
Hate iTunes
Buying the Zen Vision:M
“pity the poor kid that unwraps one of these pigs; it will be interesting to see what are the exchange rates for these pigs after the christmas season. it will also be very amusing to see the absolute bitch-slapping that the fat little korean is about to receive at the hands of Local Leader Steve J.” Saying this is just right below kissing Steve Job’s ass. God Damn. Why are all you people so stupid? It makes me sad.
So THATS why Mac’s OS sucks so much…’cause all their employees are busy on this website putting down products that are better than their’s! It all makes since now
FACE IT U ARE ALL SHEEP Look at me i have a hit ipod video i have 2 use shitty itunes amnt i cool
The Vision m is sooooooooo much better
Better Screen
Better Battery Life
No Need 2 convert Downloaded videos 2 play them
And Last But Not Least ITS NOT AN IPOOD u see what i did there iPOOd POO hahaha u all suck
The Zen Vision Is WAYYYYYYYYY Better than the ipod Video…..who won the world class product award?? who???? CREATIVE! i dont see any ipod fanboy queers posting here anymore…why? because there is nothing else they can say. the ZVM is just way beter, and there is no doubting that. so have fun paying a dollar a song faggots.
Some of you have short memories, or more likely, have simply never had any knowledge of history. Creative had MP3 players on the market BEFORE anyone heard of something called an “iPod”. Now here are you clowns, defending your pride in that $400 you plunked down so you can be like everyone else, and you call Creative the copycats. The sad truth that sits in your throats like a giant lump is that there is something out there superior to your beloved Pods, the Creative Zen Vision:M. Don’t believe me though, compare the specs. Four times the color, and double the video output resolution. A dollar per song? How about $5 a month for unlimited downloads instead, with a multitude of services to choose from?
But go ahead, keep denying.
face it the zen vision m isnt a crummy knock off. Its specs are better than the current generation ipod. full stop. video playback formats, audio formats, the microsoft plays for sure meaning it isnt restricted to one particular music program like itunes.
the sounds quality has been verified as better than the ipod. Just because it doesnt have the click wheel doesnt mean its useless. quite the contrary, this device is in fact easy to use. of course i dont expect any of you ipod fans to understand.
face it. its better full stop. better specs full stop. its not envious of the ipod.
Judge the product on its own merit outside the bias of any opinion of the producing company. how does the product itself hold up. If you look at it, you’ll see why its better in just about everything than the current ipod.
here are some links:
http://www.dapreview.net/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.259
http://monsternet.org/reviews/zenvisionm/index.php
http://www.cnet.com/4831-11405-6412049.html?tag=next
take a look if you dare
awesome actually you all are all idiots i just bought z zen vision m much much much better than an ipod. totally dude. its sooo amazing and freakishly kool. i dont reall feel like being a brainwashed ipoop freak thats soo ubsessed with it that anything that comes out and is better ill have to deny it it to hold in my pride. seroisly you people make me sick… lol i mean unless you want like well syndrome stick with the ipood. quality+awesomeness=zen vision m and creative
crap+ripoff+overated=tooexpensive=ipod. clear your mind ppeople jeesh.
Face it, name three reasons that the ipod is better. Better yet, let me answer for you.
1) It is slimmer.
2) Uhhh….
Yeah, the zen has every single feature that the iPod has (that doesn’t suck), and more. It is also cheaper. I really don’t care if it looks the same, it is the quality that counts. Besides, who would want to copy an iPod.
I sold my iPod to get me one of these, best decision of my life. Do you guys realise how crappy iPods are compared to pretty much every othe rmp3 palyer on the market? YOu know what the ipod has on other mp3 players? its slimmer. iIts freaking 2006 and the iPod still doesn’t have recording? fm radio? why not? creative and irivers have had that kind of thing for years now. The Zen Vision: M is THE player to own.
Has anyone noticed that all the iPoo fan boys are not commenting? As they now know that the zvm kicks iPoo. YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF FUCKING IPOD FAN BOYS.
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All you people backing the zvm, I bet you guys aree really coool. NOT sheep.
I think I would be crying if I got a iPoo instead of a zvm
iPods make me look cool.