[Waveblade]

Microsoft in the US has like 12% in the market so I wouldn't write them off completely.

 

[EFN]

From a niche perspective, the iRiver H120 & H140 still going strong and getting stronger everyday. Yes that damned thing looked so Jurassic but the H1XX series are the only one that offer BOTH true lineout and Optical Out. I just can't believe that recently I have lost a bid for a rundown iHP-140 for $200 at eBay. I even lost a bid for a functional H120 at $130. So there's quite a number of porta audiophiles out there who's beginning to look backwards for HDD based DAP. And they are very easily upgradeable to either flash based 32GB CF or even 120GB ZIF HDD (using IDE to ZIF adapter off eBay)

 

[nsx_23]

I've been on the hunt for a 2nd high-cap player to compliment my 32GB CF modded H320, and ended up buying an S60.

I guess there isn't much choice around for high-cap players these days because most people just don't carry huge amounts of music around.

 

[Kicksonrt66]

Any company developing a player has got to be trying to divine what the market will be in 5 years. I see it going in 2 directions.

1) Gym rats etc who want to feel like they are carrying nothing. Players like Sansa Clip. No chance of large HD there.

2) Convergence. People are tired of carrying a lot of stuff. Player, PDA, phone... Maybe this will go to a small verson of netbook or super pda. Maybe by that time "the thing" will be getting your music over wireless from your locker at mp3tunes or your PC at home. Besides cutting down on overloaded pockets, you get more flexible user interface.

Assuming there's a model with good SQ, the big detriment now is PDA's don't get good battery life while playing music.

 

[shigzeo]

what i meant is that microsoft zune is only available in the usa. that already makes that market in the low single digits for world penetration.

 

[Young Spade]

I agree. All I see in HDDs on the street now a days are ipods and zunes. I want to see a 3rd contender come into the US market to bring prices down and quality up.

Obviously, for audiophile purposes, the ipod would be a little better IMO because of the iMod and LOD capabilities, but... yea.

It obviously isn't the best.

 

[Mr Pink57]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadDog /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hope they are not waiting for SSD (solid state drive)..it would be real long time before SSD becomes a cost effective solution. Boy, if Sony comes out with 120GB player with decent size screen I'll try it our in a heart beat. Tired of having only two solutions from OS manufacturers.

It would be more cost effective in the long run to use a SSD drive vs a standard HDD with plates. Most average consumers who buy the big players like Zune, Creative, and Apple think they can just be active with the player. When in reality you are destroying the plates when you run, jump, and play with them. Which then leads to warranty swaps, non return business, etc.

I think the break thru will be a 32gb MicroSDHC card, I think players will get a big push then.

pink

 

[GravityEyelids]

I realize that it wouldn't have a huge market, but damn...I love my Zen Vision:M to death, but i exceeded 30 gigs a while ago, and i still have a ton of used CDs i got that I'd like to rip to FLAC for a compatible player.

i need a small, large capacity (80GB) flac supporting player for cheap...So basically....it's never going to happen.

 

[jvgig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Pink57 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It would be more cost effective in the long run to use a SSD drive vs a standard HDD with plates. Most average consumers who buy the big players like Zune, Creative, and Apple think they can just be active with the player. When in reality you are destroying the plates when you run, jump, and play with them. Which then leads to warranty swaps, non return business, etc. I think the break thru will be a 32gb MicroSDHC card, I think players will get a big push then. pink

Why would they need to go with a micosdhc as opposed to any of the (slightly) larger media? Either way, you dont want your portable player to be too small or you will break it so the size of either should not be a problem.

 

[ZarakiSan]

I want to see a player with four SD slots. That would allow us to get as much space as we want, and it doesn't have to be bigger than a single HD.

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZarakiSan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I want to see a player with four SD slots. That would allow us to get as much space as we want, and it doesn't have to be bigger than a single HD.

with four SD slots, the battery could be severily impacted. With each additional card comes the penalty of reduced battery life, additional scanning time, longer booting times, etc.