Home Phone and Internet $60/moFebruary 6, 2006 10:40 AM PST
Dell bids adieu to hard-drive music players
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The company will, however, continue to offer its 512MB flash player.
Dell will discontinue the 5GB Pocket DJ, 20GB Dell DJ20 and 30GB Dell DJ30 music players, said Liem Nguyen, a Dell spokesman. The company has decided to focus on the
Like other hardware makers, Dell has been unable to compete with Apple Computer's success in the MP3 player market. Several have tried--notably Sony, Samsung and Creative Labs--but none have hit on a combination of hardware and software as winning as Apple's
"If there were 100 million music players shipping a year, which we think will happen by the end of the decade, people might go with Dell," Doherty said. But products like the Dell DJ got lost in a sea of iPods and other competitors. "Dell never broke out of the 'everybody else' category," he said.
Dell launched the DJ Ditty last September. The basic player costs $99, and special bundles with armbands, FM radios and protective cases are also available. The DJ Ditty uses flash memory rather than small hard drives to store songs, making it more durable and suitable for exercising.
PC companies have had mixed results in their push to enter the consumer electronics market. Dell and Hewlett-Packard have had the most success selling digital televisions, but have not translated that accomplishment into musical harmony. At one point, Dell attempted to compete with the iTunes store through a
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But, there are plenty of competitors that offer similar, if not more features than the iPod. However, people buy the iPod because of Apple's brand recognition. People who have owned Apple pc's don't kick and curse at their computers like Windows users do. I'm not picking sides, I use both. But, I can't think of the last time I heard an Apple user say, "this p.o.s. and "F" Steve Jobs and his Tiger OS." Usually all those compliments are saved for Mr Gates.
So, considering that Apple users are proud of their computers, regardless of wheater they are faster or slower than a Windows based. The OS is elegant. And all that was transferred to the iPod. That's why people use the iPod. It's simple, elegant, and delivers. Sure it has batteries, scratch-prone, and other issues. But, people who've owned them, would buy another without hesitation. Why ??? "It's simple, elegant, and it delivers"© This slogan has been trademarked.©
I haven't even mentioned iTunes store yet. Get the point Michael Dell, Bill Gates, and all you other competitors who get lost in the maze of confusion and bitter jealousy. Find out what makes the iPod so popular, and then start to compete. "Build it and they will come" doesn't always work.
But, there are plenty of competitors that offer similar, if not more features than the iPod. However, people buy the iPod because of Apple's brand recognition. People who have owned Apple pc's don't kick and curse at their computers like Windows users do. I'm not picking sides, I use both. But, I can't think of the last time I heard an Apple user say, "this p.o.s. and "F" Steve Jobs and his Tiger OS." Usually all those compliments are saved for Mr Gates.
So, considering that Apple users are proud of their computers, regardless of wheater they are faster or slower than a Windows based. The OS is elegant. And all that was transferred to the iPod. That's why people use the iPod. It's simple, elegant, and delivers. Sure it has batteries, scratch-prone, and other issues. But, people who've owned them, would buy another without hesitation. Why ??? "It's simple, elegant, and it delivers"© This slogan has been trademarked.©
I haven't even mentioned iTunes store yet. Get the point Michael Dell, Bill Gates, and all you other competitors who get lost in the maze of confusion and bitter jealousy. Find out what makes the iPod so popular, and then start to compete. "Build it and they will come" doesn't always work.
to get people interested
to get people interested
took a couple of years to become an overnight success). But
once it did Apple's elegant design became THE player to have.
Dell didn't stand a chance when their customers were faced with
people saying/thinking:
"Dude, couldn't you afford an iPod?"
took a couple of years to become an overnight success). But
once it did Apple's elegant design became THE player to have.
Dell didn't stand a chance when their customers were faced with
people saying/thinking:
"Dude, couldn't you afford an iPod?"
couldn't ramp up sales of the DJ despite undercutting the iPod
on price.
The debate over whose player is superior is now a moot one as
Creative, Dell, Sony, Rio, iRiver, and Microsoft know. Even iPod
lovers must admit that for the past 2 years iPod's competitors
offered more features, longer battery life, and (slightly) lower
price on their products. But in the past year, the market (with
the help of word-of-mouth and slick commercials) determined
that iPods' ease-of-use and simple design was worth a $20-$40
premium. The market also determined that 6-8 hours of battery
life was enough and the FM transmitters and voice recording
were superfluous.
The window for competing on the basis of tech specs has
closed. Apple now has the upper hand because of economies of
scale; they sell many more units than their competitors now and
have pricing power against the competition. Whereas iPods
initially sold at a premium price, they're now price-competitive
because of VOLUME. Dell's DJ was relegated to the figurative
clearance bin. They were "on sale" - cheaper than the iPod by
about $50 - but still ignored.
The original plan was to undercut the iPod's price enroute to
selling millions and millions of DJs. But Dell couldn't turn up the
volume. R.I.P. DJ
Creative, Sony, Dell, Toshiba, etc. cannot beat Apple at this game. They'd be better off making their money on accessories for Apple's platform versus trying to own the platform themselves. Apple OWNS the market for the whole portable digital music platform: the device, the software, and the add-ons to go around it. Until somebody matches that, Apple will continue to dominate.
I know some will say, "well, look at the PC world that Apple lost!" Well, everyday consumer electronics are NOT PCs... it takes more than tech specs to win the hearts of everyday consumers. This is why Apple owning the whole platform and ecosystem around it makes the iPod experience so compelling for that everyday user. I am honestly waiting for Microsoft to work the magic it did in the PC world: collaborate with Intel so tightly that it created a comparable "platform" experience to Apple. Maybe if Microsoft did that with Creative or someone else versus just making generic "me too" software for media, there might actually be success at de-throning Apple.
- But where is Creative's ecosystem of partners???
-
by
February 7, 2006 4:01 PM PST
- This is where Apple beats EVERYONE hands down: it has a legion of accessory making partners, including well-respected brands like JBL/Harman-Kardon, etc... and even Denon/Marantz building iPod direct connectors into their higher-end receivers. Creative cannot even TOUCH the power of Apple's ability to develop and nuture a legion of add-on makers around their products. And, Apple's panache for industrial design drives their partners to be just as innovative in their offerings that work with Apple's products.
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See all 110 Comments >>Creative, Sony, Dell, Toshiba, etc. cannot beat Apple at this game. They'd be better off making their money on accessories for Apple's platform versus trying to own the platform themselves. Apple OWNS the market for the whole portable digital music platform: the device, the software, and the add-ons to go around it. Until somebody matches that, Apple will continue to dominate.
I know some will say, "well, look at the PC world that Apple lost!" Well, everyday consumer electronics are NOT PCs... it takes more than tech specs to win the hearts of everyday consumers. This is why Apple owning the whole platform and ecosystem around it makes the iPod experience so compelling for that everyday user. I am honestly waiting for Microsoft to work the magic it did in the PC world: collaborate with Intel so tightly that it created a comparable "platform" experience to Apple. Maybe if Microsoft did that with Creative or someone else versus just making generic "me too" software for media, there might actually be success at de-throning Apple.