Will SanDisk Sour Apple’s Tune?
Sandisk is making the same mistake Sony and Creative and every other MP3 manufacturer does: They’re assuming the iPod is about features and price. They do it because those things are easy to quantify. 30 gigs is more than 20 gigs. Simple.
What they don’t get is that the iPod is more about its seamless integration with iTunes and it’s phenomenal user interface. These things are hard to quantify, and even harder to replicate without duplication. They’re trying to make their players exactly like the iPod, complete with button-less interfaces and smooth, shiny cases. But their software is atrocious, and they just can’t get the feel right.
Here’s a tip for everybody in the MP3 player market: Stop trying to be like the iPod. Stop trying to beat the iPod. Do your thing, and do it well. That’s what Apple did, and they succeeded. If you’re good at making cheap little flash players, make cheap little flash players. If you’re good at making ones with long batter life, make ones with a long battery life. And make your UI easy to use.
I do agree, however, that Apple should open up the iTMS to other vendors. Heck, they could sell it to other vendors on a per-player basis and make a killing. The only way to meet Apple’s iPod is to violate every patent and copyright and create a duplicate player, right down to the bits in the firmware. That’s impossible (mostly because you’ll be sued into a tiny, charred lump of flesh), and not smart.