Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPod Family, Cult of Mac
Giga-what? Giga-who?
You've probably heard all the
talk about the new Toshiba Gigabeat S Series Portable Media Center.
It's the video-capable 5G iPod killer announced by Toshiba and Microsoft over at CES this week. It's supposed to come
out this quarter in 30GB for $299 flavor and 60GB for $399 flavor.It looks good. Nice screen and nice device and if I didn't already have a 5G iPod (or any iPod for that matter), I might consider buying one for the Vongo compatability alone.
However, the Gigabeat, like all products of its ilk, is no iPod killer. Why? Look at it. Look at any of these iPod killers. They either are trying to cram too many features in or they are trying to in some way shape or form appear similar to the iPod. They are all followers to a device that has already permeated the market.
When an iPod killer does come, as it eventually will, it's not going to be an MP3-player with video capabilities. It's going to be an entirely new creature of technology. Like a cellphone that dominates the market. Or some other unknown gadget that reaches cult status because it is lighter than a feather, is powered by the wind, displays holograms, and looks really cool. The iPod is the cult right now and all these multiple cool devices, even though they are undeniably cool are not going to be able to knock the iPod off the top of the hill.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ryan said 12:06PM on 1-06-2006
You must admit though, integrating the MCE interface into a digital audio player is a good idea if executed correctly.
I'll probably still stick with my ipod though.
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Micha10589 said 12:13PM on 1-06-2006
I love the idea of having a long vertical display, great for song lists, and to watch videos (photos maybe, too?) horizontally. It may not be an iPod killer, but it's a killer improvement that I hope to see on a future iPod. If I weren't an iTunes addict I would seriously consider this (it's scratch resistant, too!)
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Greg said 1:32PM on 1-06-2006
It's got all those little buttons and knobs and switches on the side. They make it look like any other chinese no-name product.
OK, that screen with MCE is a nice feat.
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Sean D. said 1:59PM on 1-06-2006
I actually like all the buttons and switches on the side- I used a creative nomad jukebox zen for a couple of years before I got my nano- I get serious thumb cramps with the nano (forget trying to play a full game of solitare on there) and I do miss the comfortable and easy to discern buttons that I can operate without looking directly at the device. I do love my slim and sexy iPod, but the Gigabeat definitely appeals to me with the FM tuner and the promise of a longer battery life. Still no word on DivX or XviD codecs tho... That would seal the deal for me.
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buy-proxy said 2:11PM on 1-06-2006
The only way to make an iPod Killer, is if you can make an iTunes killer at the same time
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Robert Knight said 3:06PM on 1-06-2006
When a true iPod killer does come along...
its going to have an iTMS killer offering content that makes it worth the switch from the iPod/iTMS system. Its the WHOLE package that matters.
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Pete M said 11:35PM on 1-06-2006
URGE
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amiga_tone said 4:28PM on 1-08-2006
It may not be an iPod killer, but it may certainly become the PSP to the DS of iPods, i.e. good competition.
One thing Microsoft is pushing this generation is integration. Now I'm not sure how you sync this baby with your PC (does it use a cable? is it wireless? no details yet) but the consistentcy of moving content around is what makes the latest incarnation of Windows Vista more appealing. Literally dragging content to devices that are wireless with no loss of quality is really appealing.
Hey, MS borrowed alot of ideas from Mac OS X to develop vista, there is no denying that but I think the gigabeat is the one step closer to providing a more competitive media player to the iPod.
If Apple cannot recognise it and act upon it then Apple will slowly sink. I'm sure Apple are aware of the situation and we may see some upgrades to the 5G iPods and I know I will not upgrade to a video iPod until they fix that battery life issue.
Things I'd like to see Apple do:
Develop a handheld option - come on, Darwin is lightweight enough to load onto a handheld device. Why are we still waiting for some kind of integrated handheld? Do not mention the Newton, that technology is part of last century now. Yes you have certain sync abilities with mobile phones but they are so poor they are not even worth trying.
Streamline Mac OS X - Apple do not need to produce a different flavour of Mac OS X for different environments (like the media edition of windows) because it can already do all that. Only thing is it needs to be refined. THe Mac mini needs to start looking at multimedia capabilities so it is no longer another computer thats hidden behind your books. Apple seems to have the infrastructure in place but no idea on how to use it properly.
Improve the quality of it's core applications - I'm talking basic business applications. For now we make more use of MS Office out of compatiblity concerns yet we are living in an age where compatibility should not be the end users concern. Macs and PC's can operate relatively harmoniously on the same network so there should be no issues with what format you save a document in or what format of disk it's on.
Thats my 2c minus the other 5c I want to put in.
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Goodman said 3:25AM on 1-09-2006
I don't understand all this talk of an "iPod killer." I don't remember anyone ever releasing a "Macintosh killer," but the Mac eventually dwindled in marketshare, despite Apple continuing to release superior computers.
Part of that was the result of the premium pricing of Macintosh computers, and Apple seems determined not to make that mistake with the iPod. But Apple is also a little too willing to protect users from features they might find "confusing," hence no support for music subscription services. Thus far a lot of iPod competitors haven't been entirely ready for primetime, nor have they had major marketing behind them. I expect that to change, and Apple's market share to erode. But if Apple continues to update and refine their products as they have, they should be in a strong position for many years.
The new Gigabeat looks way cool though. I may buy it myself for my birthday if, as I expect, Apple continues to foreswear subscription music.
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Navypoo said 2:27PM on 1-09-2006
Can we please stop using the term "ipod killer" until a player gets -- oh, I don't know -- more than 5% of the market?
Let's come up with a new term, shall we? Like "iPod competitor"?
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DT said 6:21PM on 1-09-2006
I don't know, I love my Ipod but its really not a good video player as the battery life for that is abysmal. this thing will play nice with my media center pc in the living room...so I don't know it could replace the pod in my pocket. Now if apple did a media center pc and made the pod play nice with that I would be really content.
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