Disclaimer: The following comments are my own and in no way represent my employer. The following is based on personal opinion, provided “As Is“ with no warranties or rights.
It looks like Scoble and Dare among others have hit a chord with many in their discussion of the iPod, though I think they're shouting past each other to a certain extent. Just because Robert's touch points are different from Dare's does not mean he's being influenced by the “borg cube“. I have no interest in getting in the middle of their debate but a few facts should be clarified. Note that this is not an “Apple to Apple“ comparison (no pun intended) but rather offered as a few points of correction to some of the market share and device compatibility statements that have been made:
Apple Music Player Market Share
Source: IDC, Gartner Inc. as reported by Business Week 2/2/04
- 2002 Player Market Share - 24%
- 2003 Player Market Share - 25%
- Music Services: 1
- Compatible Portable Music Players: 2 (both iPods)
- Non-PMP's (Receivers, Car Players, Etc.): 0
- Lowest Cost Device: $249 (iPod Mini)
Windows Media Support in Portable Music Players
"So, what device do you use? What device should I buy?"
This is the #1 question I get in email and comments on my blog. It's not a cop-out but you have to make the choice that is right for you. Microsoft doesn't make devices, but we make parts of the technology that when combined, equals the device, hence our desire not to talk about specific devices, but rather the experience. Personally, I like that there's more than one DVD player on the market- or more than one HDTV or AV Receiver manufacturer. I equally like having the choice of picking which music services, device styles and manufacturers I use. I've made my choice based on personal preferences and yours may be different. Some may like the simplicity that others offer, others may feel constrained. That's fine. That's what choice means to me.
I have a new iPod, a Dell Digital Jukebox, a Creative Nomad Zen NX, a Nomad MuVo 256MB, a Samsung Napster Player, a Rio Nitrus, and have used most of the others or at least had the opportunity to play with one. I'm fortunate given where I work, I have the opportunity because we want to understand what different types of customers want, from Music Services to devices- people have different lifestyles and preferences. On average, I've used each for approx 1-2 months. Based on multiple requests, here is my personal reasoning behind my main device choice:
Why I use a Dell Digital Jukebox as my main personal music player:
- The battery lasts 14 hours (per charge). A week in France on a single charge, 5 hour layover in Heathrow, 2 of 4 bars left on battery. I can't comment on whether the Dell lasts more than 18 months yet.
- I can take more Music on the Go. I can store more music on the device (at least 30%-50% more than non-WMA devices @ 96kbps or 64kbps respectively).
- I have a better choice of music. I can pick and choose what I put on my Dell DJ from over 20 different music services. I prefer the subscription model personally. Maybe NetFlix just wore me down but it works for me, but not for everyone. I like having the choice given lifestyles and personal budgets change.
- I don't lose my music if I lose my device. If my Dell DJ HD crashes or I lose it, I can still go back and re-download my music from most services like Napster 2.0. I have yet to see a way to do this with others yet I can't believe this hasn't been raised more.
- I have a wider choice of software. I can use Windows Media Player, MusicMatch Jukebox, or the new Red Chair DudeBox Explorer software. Others are sure to follow. Personally I still don't understand why iTunes continues to keep two apps/processes running in memory all the time even when I'm not using it or have my iPod connected. It's a 1394/Firewire device- it should just know when I connect and go.
That's what choice looks like to me. What's your choice?