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Retail Wire has published a news item titled Sony Says iPod, SchmiPod: the Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer announced it has developed a portable digital music player that not only has better features than Apple’s iPod, it also costs less.
Comparing oranges with oranges:
The mid-range iPod has 20 GB of storage, with capability of storing 5000 songs. The battery life is about 8 hours. Retail price is $399.
The new Sony Network Digital Walkman also has 20 GB of storage with claims of capability up to 13,000 songs. Sony says battery life is more than 3 times longer than iPod, at 30 hours. U.S. retail price will be set at just under $400 (which in my book means $399).
So… all this hoopla about Sony kicking Apple’s behind with what basically comes down to more song storage. BUT… start reading the fine print, and you find out how Sony gives you room for 13,000 songs – what they call “advanced audio compression.” It means exactly what it says… compressing the bits and bytes and whatever else is in the mix. Sure it gives you more storage, but the sound quality suffers (in my humble opinion). Anyway, if your solar system is centered around downloading more than 10,000 songs, you need to get a life… fast.
Here’s how iPod will win out in the end… design. To me, it’s undeniable that the Apple products reign supreme in that arena, and, well, just make stuff look cool. It’s been proven time and time again that people will pay the same price (or more) for a product that sometimes inferior to another. Sony hasn’t even started to think about design… they are still mired in the world of “tech.” There will always be customers for both products (as with PC vs. Apple), but it’s easy to see which one lends itself to making a statement of personal identity.
Michele Miller is a writer, speaker, and consultant on ways to capture the heart of the female customer. The co-author of The Soccer Mom Myth, she consults with businesses of all sizes across North America
How’d you know I was in the midst of making a decision on buying one of these things? You are darn right, Michele – the cool factor is HUGE with the iPod, so I’m saving my bucks to get one of those.
Michele,
In Seth Godin parlance, design is the ultimate “free prize.” iPod will win the war between these two hands down!
Not only is the Apple iPod the “coolest” MP3 player on the market, it has developed into a sort of fashion accessory as well. With the available colors of the iopd mini and large aftermarket product base for “customization” possibilites, the iPod makes other devices look and feel cheap and chinsy regardless of their capabilities. Plus, with Apple product placement in trendy areas like the Sex and the City series, people recognize Apple as, essentially, a cooler brand, which obviously can give a company a tremendous competitive advantage, especially when targeting younger age groups.
iPods are cool. when it comes to marketing it is hard to beat the “cool” factor. If only we knew how to create cool on an ongoing and sustainable basis. The problem is…i’ve never been able to completely define cool. i can recognize cool but I also realize that my cool may not be your cool. i definitely think an iPod is cool. Although i don’t think i’m particularly cool because I have one. I also think Theresa Heinz Kerry is very cool. laura bush isn’t cool – although she seems nice. Barbara Bush is cool. i think its cool that my son is visiting Kenya and that my daughter’s paper on the history of Sesame Street made it to the National History Day Contest.
I think my PocketPC is cool but the stowaway keyboard that I use to take notes during a meeting is even cooler.
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I think Ebay is cool. I think any product that does what it says its going to do is very cool.
I used to think email was cool. And the day I got my beige Princess Phone I thought i was the coolest of the cool.
For the life of me, i’m not sure what cool actually is. As a baby boomer ,I remember when saying the word “cool’ was actually being edgy. And while many slang words seem to come and go, and it would be totally inappropriate for me to use some of the slang that my 15 year old daughter uses, “cool” has staying power. My kids don’t think I’m a dork or someone who is trying to be cool by saying cool.
You’ve once again nailed it. Sony used to be cool, they even bought the design firm the whipped up the original Mac, but their day is over. As long as they spend their time and money flogging Memory Sticks and CD-ROM based cameras you’ll know they are heading over the hill. Too bad.
Apple has the benefit of having screwed it all up many times in the past, but, unlike Sony, they have learned from their mistakes and now tend to err on the side of neat rather than stupid.