And the award for “mis-timed press release of the year” goes to Yahoo. On the same day that Apple announced it had sold 100 million iPods, Yahoo is pushing their partnership with SanDisk for the new Sansa Connect music player. The marquee feature of the Connect is its integrated Wi-Fi, and its link to Yahoo’s music library. You’ll get unlimited music downloads for $12 a month, as well as the ability to download pictures directly from Flickr and listen to Internet radio.
Never mind that subscription services have never really caught on, that the iTunes Store has proved that people want to own their music, and that the iPod holds something like over 70% of the marketshare for digital music players. Wi-Fi is here to save the day! Reviews of the Connect have been mixed, with some lauding the device and others taking it to task (WSJ subscription required) for its limitations, such as slow speeds and the lack of an easy way to search for artist information.
But Yahoo Music’s own Ian Rogers perfectly sums it up with this pull quote from a Gadgetaholic review of the Sansa:
I am thoroughly impressed with the features available on this little device. Once you hooked this player up to your wifi network, it is almost impossible to put it down. This is what the Zune should have been.That’s right, folks: this is what the failed attempt at a second place music player should have been.
Speaking of that, how are things in Zuneland, USA—oh, dear lord…never mind.
I think the fact that 90% of music is still sold on CD's proves that people want to own their music more than the iTunes Store's small slice of the pie.
This will appeal to the "have nots" category of those who own music players. Its biggest competition will probably be the Zune. If you own a music player, you either have an iPod, or you don't (for whatever reason: too expensive, don't like, etc).
Why this obsession with wireless by hardware vendors? Current wi-fi speeds are slow, drain batteries, and aren't reliable. If you want to have it easy with music, forget about wireless, invent something else.
No one has yet mentioned this: The thing weighs 15.2 ounces.
Let that sink in. This MP3 player weights NEARLY A POUND.
so why is the first picture I see on ymusicblog of the thing being used as a baby chew toy?
a heavy baby chew toy, apparently; how the heck does something the size of a Moto RAZR weigh that much, unless it's carved out of iron...