Double Trouble from Apple

[Q Classic]

Samsung

[Nostromo]

Flash? Its still an HD player, IIRC.

No, its Flash. They got a huge deal from Samsung.

And what's so wrong with the headphone jack being on the bottom? It's not like that is a major move.

If my Mini's headphone jack was on the bottom, it would be a pain in the ass, given that I wear it on my belt. But I suppose people won't wear the Nano on their belts, so its probably less of an issue...

[MarkG]

armbands!!

[RGBVideo]

And the phone/mp3 player combo will never take off to the mainstream.

Why? I certainly could use one. I doubt I'm going to buy this one, though... since it's Apple. :/

[Nostromo]

Its size, compared to the Shuffle

[Nostromo]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
Samsung

Other Korean companies are not happy with Samsung. Why did they give Apple, an American company, a huge discount on Flash memory (reportedly, a 50% discount), and they didn't give one to them?

From Engadget:

Well, this was bound to happen: Korean MP3 player manufacturers are none too pleased with Samsung’s decision to sell out its compatriots and give archrival Apple a super excellent discount on those 2GB and 4GB flash memory modules used in the new iPod nano. Samsung gave Apple such a sweet deal (supposedly in the area of 50%) that now no one else can expect to compete on price, with a spokesperson from ReignCom, the company behind the iRiver brand, dejectedly declaring that since they can, “hardly declare a price war with Apple. We’ll counter Apple’s challenge by releasing new concept products.” A Samsung Electronics exec defended the move, saying that volume buyers get better deals, and that his company, “didn’t mean to do any harm to domestic MP3 manufacturers.” Hey, business is business, right?

[Q Classic]

Business is business. Samsung

Though, it is kinda a shame...

[Agathon]

Other Korean companies are not happy with Samsung. Why did they give Apple, an American company, a huge discount on Flash memory (reportedly, a 50% discount), and they didn't give one to them?

Apple has a 3/4 market share of all players in the US. That's why.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Business is business .

**** 'em if they get pissed.

[Agathon]

I reckon the nano will fail.

My reasoning is simple. Every time Apple has introduced an iPod, folk have said that it will bomb. Everyone thinks this one will sell bucketloads. That means Apple will be out of business in a year.

[Asher]

Apple may need to change the name of the iPod Nano, since it's a blatant ripoff of the Creative's "Nano" player, which launched earlier in the year.

Always copying others, that Apple...

[Nostromo]

The Ars technica review of the Nano.

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nano.ars

Its not great, its just OK. A subpar arstechnica review, IMO. A whole page on destroying the poor thing (Asher will enjoy this), and a whole page on the autopsy. Its tiny, but it sure can take a beating! Not a word on the most important thing: the sound quality.

Careful!

[Asher]

It uses the same chips, more or less, as all the other iPods.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

My problem with the Ars review is that they spent a lot of time trying to break it, but they way they tried to break it was always the same. My guess from looking at it is that it is weakest when bent or twisted in the middle. Dropping it from a height or even running over it doesn't really test how likely the shell is to buckle in the middle.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi
My problem with the Ars review is that they spent a lot of time trying to break it, but they way they tried to break it was always the same. My guess from looking at it is that it is weakest when bent or twisted in the middle. Dropping it from a height or even running over it doesn't really test how likely the shell is to buckle in the middle.

The true test for these tiny gadgets is how easy it is to lose them. When a gust of wind can sweep them from your desk into the wastebasket, I imagine that they'll get lost rather easily.