“In various dark rooms around the world former experts in human behaviour are holding ice packs to their brows and wondering where they went wrong in assessing the iPod. The thing has become a juggernaut,” Garry Barker reports for The Sydney Morning Herald. “Along with the huzzahs of those who have chosen to be their own in-head DJs, one may also hear, receding into the dusty distance, the shrill keening of non-iPod MP3 player makers as they head for the knacker’s yard.”
“Rio, one of iPod’s biggest competitors, shut down in September and some of the surviving big names among MP3 player makers are struggling to compete for the 20-odd per cent of the world market that Apple does not have,” Barker reports. “Creative’s latest machine, the Zen Vision:M, is a seriously close copy of an iPod, even down to the interface. But it is not an iPod and it doesn’t have iTunes. Above all it is not cool, and that is the killer. Such is iPod’s success that if you are carrying some other player, you are obviously a poor relation.”
“The iPod has more than 70 per cent of the global MP3 player market and about 65 per cent in Australia, where iTunes Music Store has only recently opened,” Barker reports. “More than 30 million iPods have been sold since the first model appeared at the end of 2001. Sales of music tracks through the iTunes Music Store are heading towards 1 billion worldwide… And now we have video to consider… Rumour sites suggest we will soon see a new Mac mini, looking even more like the heart of a home entertainment network, whirling stuff around the house over our Airport wireless network, entertaining, informing and connecting us with the world.”
Full article here.
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Related articles:
Piper Jaffray: MP3 player makers cannot compete with Apple iPod – December 13, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Thomson gives up on MP3 player, CE markets – December 12, 2005
Creative’s Zen Vision:M green with Apple iPod envy – December 09, 2005
Creative Technology’s official press relase for Zen Vision:M Apple iPod knockoff – December 08, 2005
Creative announces 30GB Zen Vision:M video-enabled ‘iPod killer’ – December 07, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: BenQ withdraws from MP3 player markets – November 28, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Olympus halts production of portable digital music players – November 09, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Rio is dead – August 26, 2005
Apple’s iPod has blood on its Click Wheel: Virgin Electronics is dead – March 08, 2005
what would happen if all the other mp wanna pee player makers packed up and went home crying.. would anyone even notice?
all is as foretold by Local Leader Steve J. resistance is futile; redemption is near.
Yes, this is exactly as Steve J. prophesied. All Relnackians have been notified to be ready for impending colonization of the Microsoft-laden Earth.
The iPod is a mass control device. Soon we will approach 80% global market domination and Local Leader Steve J. will send the boryton signal to Relnack announcing success.
Steve J. has already been victorious on behalf of the Relnack occupation. Witness this exchange from 3 heplars ago describing the defeat of HD-DVD and the success of the Relnackian-designed Blu-Ray disc format:
Ballmer: Somebody set up us the bomb.
Allchin: We get signal.
Gates: What!?!
Allchin: Main screen turn on.
[Blue screen pause time, reboot slow]
Gates: It’s you!!
JOBS: How are you gentlemen?!? And Ballmer.
JOBS: All your disc are belong to us.
JOBS: You are on the way to destruction.
Gates: What you say?!?
JOBS: You have no chance to survive make your time.
JOBS: Ha Ha Ha Ha . . .
Allchin: Captain Gates?!?
Gates: Take off every Virus!!
Ballmer: You know what you doing – I hope.
[Throw chair smash hole, sweat time]
Gates: Move Virus.
Gates: For great profit.
You mean there are other companies that make portable music players other than Apples iPod?
Kelnar that was awesome!
Kelnar: your bit wasn’t funny yesterday when you posted it elsewhere. Maybe it translates better in your native tongue but here… not so well. But keep trying and keep up the English lessons. You’ll get there!
Kelnar: your bit wasn’t funny yesterday when you posted it elsewhere. Maybe it translates better in your native tongue but here… not so well. But keep trying and keep up the English lessons. You’ll get there!
Kelnar: your bit wasn’t funny yesterday when you posted it elsewhere. Maybe it translates better in your native tongue but here… not so well. But keep trying and keep up the English lessons. You’ll get there!
Kelnar: your bit wasn’t funny yesterday when you posted it elsewhere. Maybe it translates better in your native tongue but here… not so well. But keep trying and keep up the English lessons. You’ll get there!
Kelnar Agent,
Spy you no from Relnack and?
Chair Man Ballmer promotion undo yes. Bomb not from signal, but domination assured. “Relnack think different” ha ha. Keep your antennae in readiness.
MacWrath,
I believe that the improper use of English contructs is intentional. I don’t think it’s out of ignorance…. but I may be wrong, but I think not.
But I do agree with you that it is a repeat. New conversation would have been in order.
By the way, it’s called Engrish… and I don’t mean to be derogaotory toward any culture or foreign speaker…. it came about due to poor translations from video games.
I like Kelnar’s (re)post. While “All your base are belong to us” isn’t the freshest internet meme around anymore, it still makes for the happy fun of good time.
^ ” . . . the happy fun of good time.”
MWAAAAAAAA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!
Good one, Follower.
“All your base are belong to us” is famous. I’m surprised so many in this forum don’t get it. It is second only to “More Cow Bell”.
MacWrath – you’re a poopyhead.
All your mp3 player are belong to iPod…
Cool is belong to Qantum Physics field. You cannot make cool. Mere attempt to make cool make uncool you. Mere attempt to define cool changes cool. You cool or you cool not. When you cool not, you must jump qantum gap to cool. Only cools can jump Qantum gap. Abandon all hope. Stop sweat. Change objective. Maybe cool find you.
Less is More,
That was extremely well said. Cool find you. Poetry.
I got my wife an ipod, never again until they lift the presumption of treating the user as a thief and preventing read / write of songs from any computer. It does not stop determined music pirates, it does severely hassle people who use multiple computers and wish to change a few tracks at a computer different to the one the ipod is locked to.
I can write to (and read from) my new MP3 from any computer (it just behaves as a standard usb mass storage device)
It does not need a specific piece of software to upload songs to it.
It uses standard batteries (I use rechargeable ones) and so I have no hassles about battery problems that need a return of the player to the manufacturer.
It uses sd cards as storage, so no problem if a card dies I just get another card rather than having a junk player.
Obviously its not an ipod – My MP3 player is not a big name brand, but it does what I want – it gives me freedom to use it with any computer and any software I choose, and use standard, easily replaceable “off the shelf” batteries and storage – in my view that freedom is cool.