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Latest "iPod Killer" Takes Aim at the Mini
blamanj writes "ReignCom, has just released the iRiver H10, a 5GB MP3 player with 1.5" color screen and FM tuner. Currently available in Korea, the company plans a US release in January. The price is higher than Apple's iPod mini, but it does have extra features. iRiver has generally gotten good reviews for quality, as well." Update by J : We typoed that as "5MB" earlier, sorry.
the iRiver H10, a 5MB MP3 player
Who needs 1000 songs, when you can have one?
That should be 5GB, not 5MB, otherwise it wouldn't be much of an Ipod-mini killer. Speaking of which, can we stop calling every portable audio device that? If it's cool, it's cool. It brings more choice to the consumer. But why should the Ipod die? For some people it's what they want, for others it's not. Okay, buy a different player. Sheesh.
Without a proper flamewar, Anonymous was undecided on what shell to run.
It was an engineering decision. The user interface can be drastically simplified by having only one song.
There is one button, 'play'. Compare this to the overly complicated ipod
Hear that sound? That's the iPod laughing itself to death.
Is it just me, or does it seem like it would be a better idea to release this thing DURING the Christmas season, rather than directly after it? (you know, when everything else drops to clearance prices to ditch unsold Xmas stuff)
Before you mod me funny, think, perhaps I was insightfully funny?
To be a certified iPod-killer, a new product must undergo rigorous tests and examinations. Specifically, it must meet these criteria: 1. Must be ugly as sin. 2. Must be a rectangular prism. 3. Must have a square display of the exact same size as the iPod. 4. Must incorporate a stupid button/barrel system instead a scroll wheel. 5. Must lie about battery life, giving figures that are for 48 k/sec files. 6. Must have an FM tuner, since people buy Mp3 players to listen to the radio, not their music files. I'm happy to say that this candidate meets most of these criteria easily (though it's not quite ugly enough), in addition to adding some of its own: -Useless color screen -Voice recording (since it's the same shape as a tape recorder)
Walkman was to Sony. Many alternatives appeared to compete with the walkman but Sony is still counting the cash...
Does it include a popular online retail music site built specifically for it? Does it have 'best of breed' management software integrated tightly with both the retail store and the hardware?
Trying to compete with the iPod is a tall order, there is the overall experience which isn't necessarily about built-in features or price.
And whats up with the chrome framing around the touch pad and the display screen? It makes it look like one of those miniature TV's from the 90's. Not something to aspire to. But its pretty hard to know what its like without actually holding it, the iPod has the looks, but it also has a feel thats pretty nice (not that I own one, but they let me touch it at my local Fry's...still).
Quack, quack.
I'll give you the battery life, but a difference of a gig (even though it's 25% larger) won't make or break a sale for most people. Likewise, the size difference is miniscule and won't make a difference either. A color screen - what the hell for? If we're comparing MP3 players, who cares? The iPod Mini has a wonderfully readable screen with a great backlight (far better than my old 2G iPod). And I'm sorry, but given the download numbers of the various stores, I can't accept the argument that WMA is such a plus.
No, what will will the H10 isn't any of these specs. What will kill it is the fact that in the consumer marketplace, the iPod is *the* thing to have, because everyone knows it works, it's "cool", and it's simple. The fact that the H10 is more expensive will seal its grave.
Come on guys, we've been over this a million times already. Until you have a product with a MAJOR advantage over the iPod, it's not going to make a dent. We've seen dozens and dozens of players that have this extra feature and that one, maybe a little less money, but nothing huge. One has an FM tuner, one plays more formats, one has 5GB, one shows photos, one costs a little less. Ultimately, these are nits compared to the sheer buzz of the iPod.
[Where Apple *is* extremely vulnerable is the iPod photo and the high-end - sales numbers are confirming that the iPod photo is a dud, and Apple's refusal to embrace video sounds an awful lot like their initial resistance to CD burners.]
I don't know what kind of crack I was on, but I suspect it was decaf.