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Creative Gunning For the iPod
yashchopra writes "CTZ is running an article where Creative's main goal in 2005 is to take away market shares from Apple's iPod music player, which they believe is very possible. The publication also have some information on the upcoming flash MP3 player standards that we will see this year. "While many companies are looking forward to their flash MP3 players, Creative has other plans. Creative was one of the most popular exhibitors on the show floor with their Zen Micro and Zen Touch players on display. Creative's sole goal this year is to take away some market shares from Apple's iPod. The company believes it to be a possible task, as iPod is limited to iTunes when it comes to purchasing music online and with Creative's products, you will be able to purchase music from major online vendors. The ability to download and listen music from any major online retailer and the price are what Creative is using as their marketing strategies to compete against Apple's iPod. But other than that, Creative's products look very much like the iPod with a few changes."
I really hope Creative takes Apple down on this. How many times does Apple need to learn that people don't want lock-in solutions. Where you buy there player and are locked into their music service. I mean I can't even re-download songs I already own. Most if not all of the WMP online music providers let you re-sync your songs. Maybe this is because Microsoft has a better DRM than Apple and this can be done.
But back on point, Apple needs to stop these lock-in practices, they tried to do it in the early days of the desktop computer, and now they are again trying to do it now. And like the late 80's and early 90's Apple started out real strong, because they had an amazing product, but soon people realized that there is nothing out there for them when choosing Apple. I beleive you will see that in the next couple years with iPod.
So Creative smack Apple around a little and maybe they will start supporting Ogg Vorbis and WMP (which their chipset in the iPod already supports).
Because it screams "I am unoriginal!" "I jump on bandwagons" "I am a lemming!"
Isn't that one of the reasons why people are replacing their iPod earbuds?
And quite frankly, who cares if creative is just copying apple? I mean really!
There's soemthing for everyone. If you want to be a Steve Jobs worshipper, go buy the iPods. If you don't and want to save a little money and forego the nice looking iPods with nice usable designs, go buy something else.
I think the posts for this article is really why people don't like Apple zealots/bigots.
(I know this post is inflammatory, but that's how I truly feel - nothing against all the iPod buying/using people really, except when you tell people that somehow they are inferior because they don't share your tastes - imagine that - people actually disagree with you. Enough already - it's just a friggin portable music player)
are you implying that MP3 is open??? that's news to me. I'm not aware of any open formats supported by the Ipod, neither does creative for that matter, however where apple limits your choices is in the area of support for Online music purchases. You buy Itunes or you don't buy music online. For that matter only Ipods work with Itunes.
Here's the other biggie, let's suppose a few years down the road you decide you want to buy a non apple player, and you've accumulated a nice little library of music from Itunes. Guess what? You HAVE TO buy another apple player or your collection is worthless.
That's the kind of business practice that makes some people call Microsoft EVIL, and while I think Evil is strong wording, but it's the kind of situation that I would shop around to prevent dissappointment in the future. People hold Apple up as some "holier than microsoft company," but the truth is that they are the same as microsoft even before Microsoft became part owner of Apple, and pretty much have been since they came out with the Macintosh (a closed system) Try building or buying a Macintosh without the Mac OS.
Lastly, I'll agree that Ipods are nicely crafted, but they don't have the best sound processing and you simply cannot argue against them being the most "closed" player out there. I don't buy things because they are pretty, you can if you want to, no one is trying to stop you.