Is this the end?

[joetherower]

My friend showed me this in the paper today

what do you think?

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/analysis_and_features/story.jsp?story=623940

 

[Macman]

not true IMO. no other mp3 players are better than the ipod so far in any way, except maybe price but then again, you get what you pay for. the ipod has evolved from its original design and abilities and will continue to do so and crush most if not all competition along the way.
even new comers, like the sony psp with it's music playing capabilities isnt better than the ipod as an mp3 player. aside from the obvious, the ipod has class and style and even dignity behind it that no other mp3 player can touch, no amouunt of $50 flash drive/mp3 players can imagine. also, with all the advertising the ipod gets, plus the amount of people it helps to switch, there's no other mp3 player like it. it's not an accessory to put it simply.

 

[Jefe3223]

agreed. I skimmed the article and it seems to me that it's hard to come up with a concept that will be an ipod killer. a lot of people have spent money on these and won't look for change anytime soon (plus, i always DO ask myself if i have my ipod with my keys and phone).
Nice topic, though.

 

[Kokopelli]

While I have never been impressed with convergence devices, I do like this quote

"When you leave the house you take your phone, car keys and wallet," he says. "Would you have your MP3 player?" He says that the challenge for the mobile industry lies in persuading phone owners to get into the habit of using their handsets to play music.

If they can come up with a phone that uses a stereo bluetooth headset and has good sound quality I would be tempted. I have a feeling it will be a year or two before they will be good/small/cheap enough for me to buy though.

 

[Jefe3223]

If they can come up with a phone that uses a stereo bluetooth headset and has good sound quality I would be tempted. I have a feeling it will be a year or two before they will be good/small/cheap enough for me to buy though.

agreed.

 

[Echo_]

bulllhockey theres tons of players that have better sound quality than the ipod

iriver
creative
rio

(which are also tons cheaper)

ask any audiophile... head down to headfi.com and check it out

only thing ipod is better is interface and itunes imo and the clean look

 

[schweb]

I had a rio, it certainly was not a better sound quality than the iPod. I don't know about the others since I never used them.

 

[Macman]

I've heard many complain about the ipod's sound quality, but in my experience, it's only worsened when I use the eq.

 

[Kokopelli]

Echo: I aplogize, I was not clear. I was not referring to the iPod line when I said the phone would need good sound quality and a reasonable price. I simply meant that the sound quality had to be good (on par with contemporary MP3 players) and that the price had to be reasonable.

I am not an audiophile but I am somewhat discriminating. I would never dream of considering any portable player to be of audiophile grade. Further, except lossless codecs, sound degredation from compression puts that out of consideration anyway. The sound quality of a portable player does not need to match the sound quality of a high end stereo or studio equipment. Indeed current portable players do not even come close. I require good sound quality in my portable players, not audiophile level.

With the possible exception of the shuffle alternative players are less expensive. I am not dispuing that. The iPod has good integration with iTunes and ITMS, as well as a cult following thus demands a premium price. My argument is that the phone (iPod was never mentioned) needs to be a reasonable price. Since Motorola is having problems with convincing the carriers to subsidize the cost a Phone/Media Player could easily cost six to seven hundred dollars, much more than any MP3 player on the market. That is too expensive for me to consider without other mitigating factors.

P.S. Cursing (even using *) is against forum rules.

EDIT: I do not own an iPod by the way. I have a RIO Karma and my Zaurus PDA for portable music. Mostly I listen to music at home and work though.

 

[Echo_]

Echo: I aplogize, I was not clear. I was not referring to the iPod line when I said the phone would need good sound quality and a reasonable price. I simply meant that the sound quality had to be good (on par with contemporary MP3 players) and that the price had to be reasonable.

I am not an audiophile but I am somewhat discriminating. I would never dream of considering any portable player to be of audiophile grade. Further, except lossless codecs, sound degredation from compression puts that out of consideration anyway. The sound quality of a portable player does not need to match the sound quality of a high end stereo or studio equipment. Indeed current portable players do not even come close. I require good sound quality in my portable players, not audiophile level.

With the possible exception of the shuffle alternative players are less expensive. I am not dispuing that. The iPod has good integration with iTunes and ITMS, as well as a cult following thus demands a premium price. My argument is that the phone (iPod was never mentioned) needs to be a reasonable price. Since Motorola is having problems with convincing the carriers to subsidize the cost a Phone/Media Player could easily cost six to seven hundred dollars, much more than any MP3 player on the market. That is too expensive for me to consider without other mitigating factors.

P.S. Cursing (even using *) is against forum rules.

EDIT: I do not own an iPod by the way. I have a RIO Karma and my Zaurus PDA for portable music. Mostly I listen to music at home and work though.

i was replying to another person sorry if it seemed liek it was u

 

[Aptmunich]

ask any audiophile... head down to headfi.com and check it out

First of all: It may be true that other players have a marginally better built-in headphone amp, but trust me - the differences the guys at head-fi argue over are nonexistent for most people, including a lot of audiophiles.

Second: Any true audiophile shuns the headphone jack and listens to his music through the iPod's line-out and a CMoy headphone amplifier anyway, so the point becomes moot...

 

[Bill_Gates]

the article sites that camera phones have made digital camera's almost obsolete

i don't think i agree with that...