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February 28, 2005 ../ Apple's New iPod Mini ModelsApple Computer Inc. (Apple) unveiled two new iPod Mini digital music players slamming the door in the face of their competitors who keep knocking, but just can't seem to get in. The new iPod Mini lineup retains the 4GB model, but drops the price to $199 and introduces a new 6GB model at $249. Both second-generation iPod Minis feature increased battery life of up to 18 hours (although your mileage will definitely vary), USB charging, and weigh in at only 3.6 ounces. Three new shades of pink, blue and green were introduced to remain fashion forward.Apple now completely owns the digital music player market vertically. Starting at $99 dollars for a 512 MB model and rising to $449 for the 60GB iPod Photo, Apple now has a player to meet any price point. By introducing a 6GB model, Apple adroitly leapfrogs recent attempts by competitors to attack the Mini market, at the same time undercutting their offerings with the new $199 4GB pricepoint. Brilliant! Apple has sold over 10 million iPods to date and claim to have almost 70% of the market for portable digital players. They've been able to keep their lead by dominating the market in three ways: introducing new innovative designs well ahead of their competitors, evolving their easy-to-use hardware with enhancements that their customers want, and providing a seamless, intuitive music store. The Future: Even though Apple essentially controls the digital music player market, they will not rest. With the product vertical now complete, Apple will continue to advance and improve each model according to market demands. However, iTunes could really use an update. The service works flawlessly on both the Mac and PC platforms with their hardware, but is getting a little long in the tooth. Some areas, such as AudioBooks, feel downright clunky. Recommendations are weak and artist information is rudimentary at best. We'd love to see a vastly improved iTunes 5.0 by the end of the summer.
>>> Digihear? February 2005
Copyright © 2004 Futuremusic® All Rights Reserved. |
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 As the name correctly implies, Experiments In Sound, is Futuremusic's latest endeavor for pushing electronic music technology to the very edge of what's possible. Experiments In Sound grew out of Futuremusic's avant-garde events in New York City that featured DJ's taking mixing and live sound reinforcement to a whole new level with the very latest gear and software. Be the first to hear about Experiments In Sound by joining Futuremusic Direct.
Part of Experiments In Sound, TestDrive will feature the lab results of our DJ Experiments so that everyone can get in on the action. Take the latest electronic music releases, mix vigorously with bleeding-edge DJ technology in a large beeker, and then cook the hell out of it! Be the first to hear about TestDrive by joining Futuremusic Direct.
Futuremusic wants to thank everyone who participated in The Next Big Thing 2004. John Digweed, Beatport, Alienware, M-Audio, Native Instruments, IK Multimedia, PVDJ, PK Graphics, Ableton, The DubHouse, Propellerheads, Technics, FreeFloat, The Church, PCDJ and every DJ who entered this year's event thank you. From the sheer number of quality mixes, we can tell you that dance music is thriving in the United States. The amount of outstanding talent and creativity really blew us away, and every DJ who's putting their heart, mind and soul behind the music is a winner. John Digweed has made his decision and the winner is...
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