Apple robbed Sony of the portable music market when the iPod emerged as the most popular MP3 player available. With consumers demanding more mobile entertainment, music video players could mean the end of MP3 players, and it looks like Sony is serious about launching its new Walkman.
During the time when portable music was coming in a much more tangible form of cassettes and CDs, Sony pretty much dominated the market with its Walkman concept. However, since the dawn of the iPod, Sony is no longer the market leader for portable audio players. It looks like Sony’s latest offerings could force the iPod to wobble a bit in its position as it seeks to recapture what has been its for so long: dominance of the portable music market.
The NW-A 800 range extends Sony’s current line of portable music players. The design is still recognizable from the previous NW-A 1000 range, but it is now much slimmer, measuring just 1cm thick. While its predecessor failed with Sony’s Connect Player music management software, the NW-A 800 models ship with SonicStage in a bid to rival Apple’s iTunes. By killing Connect Player and resurrecting SonicStage, originally designed for use with the unfortunate NetMD players, Sony is effectively showing how it tries to learn from its mistakes. The organization continues to persevere with the ATRAC audio format, maintaining Sony’s determination to dominate the world. The players themselves also support the more generic MP3, AAC, and WMA formats, making them accessible to more users. Although audio transfers are done with Sony’s own software, video transfers are done with a simple drag and drop, and the players support MPEG4 and AVC video formats. There is another subtle difference between old and new Walkman MP3 players, in that the NW-A 800 comes with flash memory instead of a hard drive. As is standard with portable video players, it will also be possible to upload JPEG images for viewing.
On paper, Sony’s Walkman MP3 player looks like it could compete with Apple’s iPod; it looks good, can play continuously for 30 hours (8 hours for video), uses software that works just as well as conventional methods, and supports many other popular file formats. Unfortunately, Sony may find that this Walkman won’t be able to compete with the iPod Video on price. Apple’s 30GB iPod Video can be found online for prices as low as £150, while the 8GB Walkman NW-A808 retails at best for £179.99. Although people with smaller music collections may have more money on hand, the Walkman’s compactness and guaranteed uninterrupted playback can’t earn as big a savings per GB. The iPod’s shorter battery life may also play into Sony’s hands, as well as additional file format compatibility, but it’s hard to imagine there will be many people willing to pay for portable MP4 video players right now. early stage of the market life cycle. Clearly, Sony is betting big on early adopters.
In terms of accessories, Apple has captured the imagination of many other manufacturers, and there are plenty of add-ons and spin-offs to keep the savviest happy. These range from portable speakers and cases to audio pets and body straps, and all are designed in the same quirky style synonymous with the iPod. Sony has announced that there will also be a host of accessories available for the new MP3 player, but there likely won’t be the same adulation and acceptance from third-party manufacturers as Apple. Since Sony’s design is also aiming for a more sophisticated “cool” look, it might also be more difficult for designers to create something that can really complement the player. Sony’s past insistence on imposing its own formats and standards hasn’t always endeared itself to the general public either, so this counts against adopting third-party-produced contraptions. But by incorporating the standard drag-and-drop method of playing MP4 and video files, this may cast Sony in a more popular light. To help boost their presence, they have also launched a MySpace page to encourage a more approachable personality.
Breaking into the MP3 player market is already tough enough, with other brands like Creative and Samsung ranking below Apple. Sony’s history in the portable player market has taken them well into the digital age, but now they find themselves playing catch-up against considerably greater odds. Proponents of Sony’s innovation and build quality will be more than willing to pay for this new MP3 player and that may be enough to ruffle Apple’s feathers. As credible as this achievement is, it is likely that Sony will not be satisfied with this, and will hope that the NW-A 800 range will be a step towards regaining the leadership position in the market.
