[apnk]

While I was surfing the net I found a new hdd player form creative, the Zen Touch. http://www.creative.com/products/pro...p?prodid=10274

It is going to be released some time in July. The Touch has a amazing 24 hour battery life! (but thats not forsure) It mimics to touch senser thing like the iPod . Also like all Creative products it has an amazing 97db Signal-to-Noise Ratio! It looks like it going to be a kick ass little player. Talking about size, i think its going to be bigger than the iRiver and the iPod because it 24 hour battery life. (Longer life bigger battery). Well what do you guys think?

 

[gpalmer]

There have been a couple threads on that already. I didn't follow them closely but from what little I read I think the consensus was that it wasn't all that exciting.

 

[elrod-tom]

Looks interesting...

 

[wahoox2]

Quote:

Should Apple start worrying about Creative?

Apple has absolutely nothing to worry about. Most people who buy the ipod do not buy it for killer specs; they buy it either cuz it's easy to use, it's extremely well built, or because it's the "in" thing.
Creative makes some really good products, but they have never been, nor probably never will be known for "simplicity" in anything they make.

 

[jmb]

The iPod has become a pop culture icon. I don't think it will be surpassed in sales for some time. I personally think it is overpriced and that there are better PDAPs out there, including Creative's NJB3.

 

[psxguy85]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmb The iPod has become a pop culture icon. I don't think it will be surpassed in sales for some time. I personally think it is overpriced and that there are better PDAPs out there, including Creative's NJB3.

I'm going to have to agree with the overpriced statement, but its portrays the beauty of Apple and it is so easy to use!

 

[blessingx]

Creative already lost the top title... before Apple and after Rio. We'll see how long the iPod hangs on, but my suspicion is Creative isn't going to dethrone it.

 

[bangraman]

Apple should always be worried. Complacency is what kills... Look at Hi-MD. Sony was completely behind and now they've dragged themselves back with a product that's nearly current, but at huge cost.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman Sony was completely behind and now they've dragged themselves back with a product that's nearly current, but at huge cost.

Liked the recent NYT MD 'obsolete and best' description.

 

[Megaman]

Apple shouldn't worry too much.. If the Karma and the IHP didn't kill the iPod, I doubt the Zen Touch will.

 

[pank2002]

I don't think we should jump to the conclutions before the next gen iPod is released. The next gen will show wether Apple have been awake in class. I they haven't improved batterylife I don't think they'll be on the throne for much longer. Other players are getting more advance, with color screens and stuff like that and Apple will have to catch up with all of this new stuff, and become even 'cooler' and 'better' then the other mp3 players -- if not, it won't last.

 

[elrod-tom]

I would tend to agree that the next generation iPod will have much to say about whether Apple will have long term success. Personally, I suspect that they will do very nicely, thanks...they've created a product that is easy to use, which I can tell you as an iRiver IMP400 owner is a nice feature.

I'll be very interested to see if Apple produces an iPod with a Windows-based organizer. If they could combine some fairly basic features found in a Palm OS based organizer with their current high quality MP3 player, I know of several folks who sit within 50 feet of my cube who would buy one tomorrow. They have already incorporated some features which have this sort of cross-over appeal (the mic for voice message recording, ability to use the iPod as a portable hard drive). Longer battery life is a must as well, IMHO.

I really do believe that if they can carry off this kind of crossover product, and do it well, the new iPod will sell very well indeed. This isn't so much about other products - I don't believe that the TYPICAL NEW (read - exlcudes folks like us) iPod consumer is all that interested in spending all sorts of time researching whether this or that product is better. They want portable tunes, and it's got to be easy to use. To the extent that this player is combined with other stuff that the new user will already be dragging around, the more likely they are to capture incremental sales where it would likely have not been considered before. This IMHO is the key.

I know....Sony CLIE. What is it about the company that brought us the BetaMax that they seem to miss the boat so frequently??