HP to Launch Music Service, Player In 2004

securitas writes "HPShopping.com CEO Peter Appl told Reuters that HP will launch its own branded online music service and a portable MP3 / digital music player in 2004. Appl (the CEO) said that the newcomers would compete with Apple (the company's) music products such as the iTunes music store and iPod music player, among others. HP expects its store to be a branded version of an existing service. Appl also said that the launch will take place at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. Compaq sold its own line of digital music players, now discontinued, before its merger with HP. Mirrors of the Reuters story at CNN and Boston.com. A quick check shows that HPMusic.com resolves to an 'HP customer care local language selection' technical support page, and the domain has been registered since 1999."

Comments

Apple Copy

[General Sherman]

"If Apple can do it, so can we!"

Joining dell on the music bandwagon. Oh well, I guess it's a good thing. Competition inspires innovation, right? right?

Re:Apple Copy

[rolocroz]

Sheesh, you'd think that if they were going to copy Apple they could at least spell it right. I mean, Peter Appl? Come on!

Oranges

[Seehund]

Let's get the Now You're Comparing Appls And Apples jokes out of the way.

And they say...

[GreyWolf3000]

OSS suffers from too many developers scratching the same itch. Pfffftt.

Re:And they say...

[Unregistered]

--
Sick of gentoo zealots throwing plugs in completely unrelated topics? Me too!

Well, if everyone used gentoo, that wouldn't be a problem

The CEO's name...

[Steve 'Rim' Jobs]

HPShopping.com CEO Peter Appl

Coincidence? I don't think so.

Now we can say it

[armando_wall3]

Imagine a beowulf cluster of online music retailers!

What if...

[Anonymous Coward]

With all the recent desires to open a branch in the music industry, you have to wonder what would happen if Microsoft got it's hands wet, "Sorry, you cannot play this on linux" or "Sorry, this is an apple product." Still, at least SCO or Al Gore isn't involved:

SCO: You must have a license to listen to music, available for a modest fee.

Gore: Sorry, but I invented music.

Microsoft: And I invented the stringent EULA's and Windows, which runs flawlessly.

RIAA: You all must bow down to me, the screwer of all artists.

Value in old domains

[rf0]

Prehaps hp just went through a list of domains they owned and thought, how can we make money off this and off they go. Wonder if they own hpporn?

Rus

Features of the HP's music player

[markov_chain]

I can already see it:

* Equipped with a 192-bit DAC for maximum output quality
* Sound recording feature with 1MHz sampling rate
* Full-color spectrum analyzer
* Sturdy, "expensive plastic" design- you can drop it, drive a truck over it, and it will still work.
* Modem line-quality test feature: just let it record the sound of your modem
* The MP3 player uses 3 DSPs for fault-tolerance
* Costs $15000

Re:Features of the HP's music player

[bbc22405]

* One headphone cord is red, the other black. :-)
(with an alligator clip at the end of each, ouch!)

I can't see how this fits HP's business model

[Anonymous Coward]

How in the world can this lead to sales of Inkjet cartridges for $40 each?

And in other news...

[FVK]

Packard Bell today announced it would re-enter the US market with the introduction of a new online music service and branded media player. Company spokesman Mr. Fuzuoku said "we will avoid repeating past failure by competing only in markets with no competition from DELL and H........D'Oh!!"

other, hip new ideas nobody has thought of yet

[finkployd]

Word Processing program for Windows
Online Brokerage
Auction Website
Internet Porn
Filesharing App
The Wheel
Sue Open Source for an undisclosed reason

The list just goes on

Sheesh

Finkployd

You forgot ...

[s20451]

Size: Rack mount form factor
Weight: 60lbs

Re:New Pair of Dimes

[cmacb]

Yeah, doesn't this pretty much prove that most of America's CEOs have absolutely no imagination?

Step one: Offload manufacturing, then programming, then support over seas and lay everyone off.

Step two: Look around and realize that there is not much point in being in charge of a company of one with everything being done elsewhere, better come up with a new product idea fast.

Step three: Read headline in last months business journal that say online music really taking off fast.

Step four: WOW, I'm gettin' into THAT. I bet nobody else has thought of this! Hire the son of the CEO that lives next door to run the whole thing from his bedroom.

Step five... wait for it..... Profit!

To recap recent news:

[Cuthalion]

Apple says "We're really not making any money selling tons of music over the interent"

AOL, HP, Wal*mart, Microsoft, Napster, etc all say: "Not making any money?! Shit! I gotta get me some of that!". Hilarity ensues.

Re:I wish.

[bsharitt]

Well since this is likely to be a consumer device and not an enterprise class audio player, you're probably out of luck.

Obligatory simpsons quote

[Codex The Sloth]

They looked at a crowded market place and said "Me too!" -- Homer J Simpson