“A search through Dell’s Web site comes up dry if you are looking for the DJ Ditty digital music player. The MP3 player page on the company’s site sells the Sandisk Sans m240, e-Series, and Creative Vision:M players. Dell even offers an MP3 player comparison chart to help you pick out the device that’s right for you, but there’s no mention of the Ditty,” Jeff Gamet reports for The iPod Observer.
MacDailyNews Note: Dell’s http://www.dellditty.com/ site is now defunct and just redirects to a page where Dell tries to sell third-party MP3 Players as listed above.
“The DJ Ditty was Dell’s Flash-based MP3 player designed to compete with the iPod shuffle. The company continued to sell it after dropping it hard drive-based Dell DJ in February, and dropped the price from US$99 to $79, and then eventually to $39,” Gamet reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “NeverFade” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: iPod, killer. Unsurprisingly, Dell’s DJ Ditty couldn’t even survive for one year. Looks like Dell can’t even muster up just one wonder product, much less say they’re the innovative leader of the world.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
DellDitty.com debuts to promote ‘Apple iPod shuffle killer’ Dell DJ Ditty – September 23, 2005
Dell launches ‘iPod shuffle killer’ DJ Ditty – September 20, 2005
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
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: iRiver gives up on digital media player market – May 23, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Sony’s Walkman Bean is cooked – February 13, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Dell dumps ‘DJ’ hard-drive MP3 player line – February 04, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: iRiver pulling out of Europe? – February 01, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Thomson gives up on MP3 player, CE markets – December 12, 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
Done… Ditty-Ditty…. Done.
I know there is a song with that lyric, seriously, I just can’t place it.
Apple has played their cards right. They own the market. The only people buying non iPods are either ignorant or Apple haters. Add touch screen clicking and phone capabilities and they will have this market for years to come.
Remember the Sandisk “Idon’t” campaign. Google that one. No longer exists.
Hehe “de e najs!”
“Dittyity-Dittyity Oh yeah”
“Gone Daddy Gone”…Violent Femmes maybe?
I wonder how Dell stockholders feel about this?
All these over hyped iPod Killers have died in a vacuum.
RIP, Ditty Dum, Ditty Doo.
I can’t help but think of the stupidity of Dell’s moves in this market. They could have remained an iPod distributor and made millions.
Instead they opted to make their own player, which cost them millions.
That’s what happens when your ‘vision’ is to be the low price leader.
It’s Nate Dogg – Ditty Dum Ditty.
From the lyrics:
“Dum ditty dum da dum Ditty dum ditty dum”
But guys, stay realistic: not the iPod killed the Ditty, Sandisk did that. These baby sharks are all swimming in the same 25% pond of the market and eating each other like crazy. Apple’s market share has not moved (in the US).
Do Dell’s MP3 players burst into flames as well? Quite an important feature for spies & such as a self-destruct mode.
You can still buy a refurbished ditty
http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/dj?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh
My question is: Is the Ditty dead solely because of the iPod, or does Microsoft’s screwing their partners have some influence on its demise as well? I’m certain the iPod is primarily responsible, but I’m thinking that this is also Microsoft grabbing market share from iPod rivals as has been predicted.
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“Could Dell ever come up with a PlayStation or an iPod on its own? ‘We could. But I don’t think that’s our strategy,’ Dell CEO Kevin Rollins insists.
After reading that I laughed so hard I farted!
….excuse me.
Gregg Thurman
That was HP that sold the iPod. Then they fired the CEO and dropped the iPod.
There she goes just a walkin’ down the street
Singing doo wa diddy diddy DUM diddy doo.
Manfred Mann
You mean that awesome online marketing campaign didn’t work? I can’t believe it!
</sarcasm>
I have a friend who bought a 20 gig Dell DJ. What a piece of junk. He just refuses to even look at anything made by Apple. The funny thing is, he uses Windows because everyone else does, but you’d think that logic would send him to the iPod as well. Oh well.
is there a page that lists, “dead” podkillers: eg,
Sony Bean is dead
BenQ is dead
Rio is dead
Virgin is not virgin anymore
Thomas surrendered
Olympus been torned down
Dell killed the DJ and Ditty
iRiver dried up
———-
and the stores that try to overcome iTunes
cokestore (gone)
napster( barely makeing it)
etc…
Looks like they have only 407 refurbished Shitty Dittys left in stock! LOL
“That was HP that sold the iPod. Then they fired the CEO and dropped the iPod.”
You’re thinking of how HP BRANDED their own iPod. Greg is referring to the fact that Dell used to sell Apple iPods through their website but eventually dropped them in favor of their DJ series <cough!> MP3 players.
Ditty DUMB ditty, eh?
Yup, the song is “Doo Wah Ditty” by Manfred Mann.
I thought P Ditty had a blinged out iPod?
Dumb Ditty Dell Dumb Dumb
A dumba dumba dumb Ditty Dell Dumb Dumb
A dumba dumba dumb Ditty Dell Dumb Dumb
Breakin’ up is harrrrd tooo doooo!
$39 and they still couldn’t sell the thing?!?!?!!?! That should be a warning to all these so-called “iPod killers” that spring up daily.
Ditty Ditty Bang Bang
Ditty Ditty Bang Bang
Ditty Ditty Bang Bang.
Ditty Ditty Bang Bang.
Ditty Bang Bang Ditty Ditty Bang Bang
Ditty Bang Bang Ditty Ditty Bang Bang
Ditty Bang Bang Ditty Ditty Bang Bang
Oh you stupid Ditty Bang Bang,
Ditty Ditty Bang Bang
We hate you.
And, without
Ditty Ditty Bang Bang
Ditty Ditty Bang Bang
What will we do.
Yeah!