It would probably help them immensely if they'd give it a real name instead of an item number. They'd still be playing second fiddle, but at least they'd sell some of them.

And they still can't get it right. Hell, even RC could probably come up with a better iPod copy than Sony has.

Anyone who wants to get into the only has to look at the iPod, iTunes and The Music Store and simply copy it as much as possible without breaking patents or copyrights. Then price it lower and spend a hell of a lot of money on promotions. Better also come up with a catch name as iPod has become THE name over the past 2 years while everyone else was trying to find their @ss with either, or both hands.

I've sat in on multiple naming comittees for Sony products in the past few years. Even though we came up with hundreds of GOOD names and at least TENS of GREAT names, they've used stupid numbers for just about every product that I've been involved in.

Also, "they're very likely to get it right" is off the mark. I'm not so sure. They don't get it. They haven't gotten it for years. The only thing they make anymore that really connects with consumers (in the way that they used to connect) is their WEGA Tvs. Pretty much everything else they create is either slightly ignored, put up with, or taken with a grain of salt. The Sony magic is gone. They're a big company that has lost it's imagination.

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mahuti wrote:
Also, "they're very likely to get it right" is off the mark. I'm not so sure. They don't get it. They haven't gotten it for years. The only thing they make anymore that really connects with consumers (in the way that they used to connect) is their WEGA Tvs. Pretty much everything else they create is either slightly ignored, put up with, or taken with a grain of salt. The Sony magic is gone. They're a big company that has lost it's imagination.

I agree with you that Sony may not get it right the next time around, but I'm not sure whether the company has really lost its imagination as a whole. I feel that the Sony software division (Sony Music Entertainment) is killing its hardware division - and hardware has always been Sony's true gem.

I'd like to see the hardware people in Sony create the "iPod killer" THEY want - an "iPod killer" without the DRM/ATRAC crap that Sony Music Entertainment will probably insist on. However, Sony has been suprisingly stubborn with ATRAC, and I don't think anything like this will happen soon.

In reality Sony's MD technology has been on the market in one form or another for at least five years. This is the first time it has been actively market in a form designed to coexist with personal computers. Previous incarnations were playback only and required an equally expensive recording deck to put music on those tiny disks.

Any way you look at it, this technology was a marketing fiasco for Sony. It had miniaturized interchangeable music recording media years ahead of iPod, but its sales were lukewarm.

Any idea why?

Why do you think Sony will get it right? They have been making MP3 players for years and haven't gotten it right.

Sony has messed up a lot of their products lately. They botched the Mini-Disc and didn't get it right until it was too late. This isn't their first MP3-incapable music player, so they failed to learn anything from the previous one. And look at what people are saying about their latest camcorders:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-DCR-HC1000-Camcorder-Review.htm
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Troubling-Defect-Found-in-Some-Sony-DCR-HC85s.htm

Sony used to own this market. I wish it was because the competition had gotten much better, but it isn't. Sony is in major decline.

Their only strong point now is the Playstation 2, but it is getting old and the PS 3 is a disturbingly long way off. I seriously don't want to see the X Box take over, but I'm afraid it might.

Sony revenue is still around $70 billions (US), in facts sony revenue is growing more now than ever. the iPod is nowhere near the walkman or anything close to the Playstation, hell it's nowhere near the Game Boy from Nintendo, which had sold about 170 millions units in the last 14 years. The new Game Boy SP has sold more than 30 millions units.

Sony is changing, they're entering market that they never had before. Example of that is the VAIO computer Sony offer. The VAIO is the best computer on the market with Video and Audio compressions, and it's talking offer, not to mention the Cool design.

The Sony foundation isn't based on the digital music. Remember they owe this business for 25 years, hell, Sony invented this business. infacts, Sony still sale 10 of millions of Walkman a year compared to the 4 millions total of iPod in the last 3 years.

The new digital walkman is superior to the iPod in term of technology behind its. It's even smaller than the iPod mini. Superior sound and longer battery. there's some interface problems, and how many version of iPod before Apple get it right? 4 or 5. Sony also the the Vaio Pocket releasing soon. it's play music and can store pictures and movies.

Don't for get the PlayStation Portable is releasing in December in Japan. Now there's a hardware I am creaming about. it's play games, movies and music. Hell, it even have internet. This baby probably sold 7-10 millions units in 1 years. Ken Kutarigi is the man, he's probably gonna change the face of Sony when he become the NEXT Chief os Sony Corporation.

Microsoft isn't gonna anyway where with the Xbox 2. it's probably trash like the current xbox. it's probably be poorly designed. hell i couldn't be surprise if they designed it as big as teh current xbox, maybe bigger. They can't even get the Window right, let along the Games.

The PS 3 Cell processor a lot more powerful than the Xbox Power PC chip. both graphics and system overall interface pf the PS 3 is a lot more powerful and can provide a lot more digital media contents, movies, musics and EYE TOYS.

Xbox 2 might get the release date ahead of PS 3 but that won't mean $#!% if the system sucks. Mircosoft think by releasing before Sony the system will be successful. That's a great way to do business.