Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPod Family
MP3 Newswire's iPod killers for Christmas 2006
It is mid-October, and you know what that means! MP3newswire starts compiling a list of iPod killers for this Christmas season (we covered last year's roundup, though the iPod was the best selling player last year, and it wasn't even wounded). You have to love a round up of potential iPod killers that starts with, I'm paraphrasing, 'We have been compiling this list for the last 2 years and while the 149 devices we covered were trounced by the iPod, this year we think things are going to be different!'They point to the Zune and Sandisk's offerings as being strong challengers, but also admit that even if the iPod does lose some market dominance, the MP3 player market will continue to expand which means that Apple will sell more and more of those little devices we all love so much.
So, who's asking Santa for a Zune this Christmas?

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GadgetGav said 5:56PM on 10-15-2006
That's pathetic (although they do know the #2 maker is SanDisk, not ScanDisk!)
There's not really any thought or analysis there, it's just a list of almost every other MP3 player out there. That's not the way to find the 'iPod killer', although if one ever does topple iPod, they're bound to have named it and will no doubt claim credit.
MP3 playing football helmets, MP3 players with vibrators...? They're novelties, not killers.
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Scott McNulty said 5:58PM on 10-15-2006
I always get SanDisk's name wrong. I fixed it, thanks! :)
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Nik Fletcher said 6:02PM on 10-15-2006
Heh. I wonder whether the jackasses at http://www.smashmyipod.com/smash/ will decide to buy a Zune and try to get hits from the Zune-hating Mac community that we all so obviously are....
Note: I welcome competition from the Zune. It means that Apple will continue to improve the iPod because of increased competition, however small a dent a product might make in the iPod's market share
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Mr Krinkle said 6:26PM on 10-15-2006
*Yawn*
My seasonal gift shopping is already done. Blue, Green, and a Red (festive, no?) Nano's will get new homes this year.
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Derek said 8:21PM on 10-15-2006
The new nanos this year are amazing. I doubt Apple will have any problem at all having a great year. If only they made a 5G iPod with the aluminum body, then I'd buy that instead.
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Mike Pourhadi said 7:48PM on 10-15-2006
To answer your last question: I think somebody named Edwardo ordered one in Southern Califronia - don't quote me on that, I could be wrong. Other than Eddy, uh, no one.
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Aaron said 5:32AM on 10-16-2006
I might buy Steve Jobs a Zune this year just to see the reaction on his face.
Haha, "Remember the time when..."
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Orange Crane said 1:27AM on 10-17-2006
Ok, in all seriousness, as a former Apple Employee and owner of several ipods (and dork that I am, I still carry my 2nd gen for the cool factor), I really like the concept of the Sony w/noise cancellation. Because on the train or bus in Chicago, I can't hear jack, and this seems like a good answer.
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Amos Goldreich said 9:24AM on 10-20-2006
I don't think the Zune is going to be popular in Israel. If you read the name of the new ipod look-alike from Microsoft as Z-une It sounds like a very naughty word in Hebrew.
http://hypebot.typepad.com/hypebot/2006/10/oops_zune_sound.html
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