The first comment that I have read from somebody who has actually used one. The specs/look of the handset seem pretty good, but the key will be the user interface. The Sansa that I own is good for the money, but it pales in user friendliness compared to the iPod.
The other question that I have is....what is the street price for these players going to be? The previous generations of Sansa's could be had for a significant discount to the list price pretty quickly after launch. Will Sandisk try and do that again or are they going to try and create a premium product line?
forbes.com
IPod Still Dominates More Crowded MP3 Market
Kate DuBose Tomassi, 01.06.06, 12:18 PM ET
NEW YORK - Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Gene Munster expects the iPod will continue to dominate in 2006, despite a growing number of MP3 devices on the market.
The analyst maintained an “outperform” rating and a target price of $80 on Apple Computer (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) after examining MP3 players at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday.
“While we found that there are several more legitimate devices out now versus what we saw at last year's CES, we still believe Apple has the market beat in form factor, intuitive user interface, and the ‘cool factor,’” the analyst said in a report Friday.
Other companies with products the analyst expects to “nip at Apple’s heels” include Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ), which showed its NW-A1000 and NW-A3000 at CES.
“We continue to be shocked at how Sony's devices miss the mark despite the resources that are being put into creating a competitive product,” said Munster. Navigation is not user friendly, he said. The devices don’t yet have a ship date for the U.S., nor are they yet priced, he added.
SanDisk (nasdaq: SNDK - news - people ) released its new line of Sansa MP3 players. “These devices are more intuitive than many other devices we tested and each includes some nice extra features like FM radio and microSD expansion slot” and are priced comparably to the iPod nano.
Samsung introduced its YP-Z5 iPod competitor, which is expected to be available in February. “The device is slim like a nano, but has a larger screen and better battery life; that said, the nano is easier to navigate,” Munster said.
“Apple’s domination in digital music is a critical piece to the story," the analyst said. "But we do not believe iPod is the only growth avenue."
Munster expects the iPod to continue to be a foundation for growth in other parts of Apple’s business providing Apple with a greater scope of awareness, the analyst said. |
