SanDisk Baits Apple And Woos Rockbox

An anonymous reader writes "CNET reports that SanDisk is courting open source developers to port Rockbox to its popular MP3 players. SanDisk is currently the world's second most popular MP3 player manufacturer after Apple. Rockbox is an open source OS for most major MP3 players. The article also talks about SanDisk's subversive new anti-iPod advertising campaign which calls iPod owners 'iChimps' and uses a 'street graffiti style' to create the illusion of a 'counter-culture uprising against the iPod'. The writer says, 'SanDisk is the first company to market its player as an ideological rather than technological alternative to the iPod. To do so is to fight Apple on their own terms.'"

Comments

Re:open source vs. single license locked itunes fi

[mveloso]

You mean proprietary formats like mp3 and AAC? While iTunes only sells protected AAC and audible tracks, you can in fact use your normal mp3 and AAC encoded files on your iPod.

I think what you mean is you'd rather have Microsoft Plays-For-Sure DRM'd files instead of Apple's FairPlay DRM'd files, which is something totally different.

Re:Their right but

[prockcore]

Currently the SanDisk line required Window XP and WMA 10+

No it doesn't. I have a sandisk player, it mounts on my ibook as a regular drive.. I drag mp3s over to it, and when I unplug, the player itself automatically indexes the new files.

That interface is waaay better than iPod which requires special software.

If chosing 30GB over 6GB makes me a sheep

[unassimilatible]

Then call me a sheep.

Sansa(TM) e270 MP3 Player 6GB: $279.99.

APPLE iPod Black 30GB: $279.99

Baaahhhh!