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Music Media Hardware

Dell Announces New Music Player, Download Service 453

Posted by CowboyNeal from the we-can-do-it-too dept.
gotr00t writes "It appears that Dell Computer Corp. has announced that by the end of the year, they will have released their digital audio player, known in short as the 'Dell DJ.' Along with the player, there will also be a digital music download service. Looks like Dell is also joining Apple in the consumer products category."
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Dell Announces New Music Player, Download Service More

Dell Announces New Music Player, Download Service

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  • dude... (Score:5, Funny)

    by foobar31337 ( 702156 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:01PM (#7059245)
    so now can i get the Dude You're Gettin a Dell song from them for only $1? No way dude! I'm gettin a dell now!

  • Holy crap that thing's ugly (Score:5, Insightful)

    by noewun ( 591275 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:02PM (#7059248) Journal
    In more serious news, Dell will need to have Apple's marketing savvy to have Apple's success, and I don't think they do.
    • Yeah, they'll also need to sell an attractive, high quality product with good tech support. No chance.
    • Way to provide evidence. Anyone can make a brash claim like that.

      If you look at Dell's past marketing endevours they have been quite successful at getting their products all over TV. They have been especially successful at creating memorable TV commercials, one of the more important aspects of marketing. (Dude, you got a Dell!)
      • And how well are Dell's various non-computer consumer products selling? From the numbers I've seen, not to well. A lot of people I know won't even use Dell's PCs for fear of quality concerns.
        • Lets face it, most of the people use /.ers know are fairly computer saavy. Dell has a reputation among many of the people I know who know nothing about computers as having good tech support. To a nerd, good tech support really just doesn't exist (Lets face it, we think we know more no matter what and will not be satisfied that we had to stoop to the level of tech support)

          • Re:Holy crap that thing's ugly (Score:5, Interesting)

            by maddskillz ( 207500 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @07:22PM (#7059716)
            They might have had good tech support, but have you tried calling them lately? They have really cut corners lately. There corporate support is still good, but there consumer report is absolute crap.
            • Corporate support is absolute crap. We buy 2500 pc's every 2 years and they can't get that right even though its a 2+ million dollar deal!

              Not to mention they can't re-brand anything and sell it correctly. We bought a 1 terrabyte clarrion storage system form them and went directly with EMC for another cabinet and 2 more terrabytes of space and had alot less headaches and hassles.

              It appears dell no longer has any talent, and what they do have is stuck on location and not answering the phones!

              Not to worry,
      • If you look at Dell's past marketing endevours they have been quite successful at getting their products all over TV

        Of course their products are all over TV -- they're buying ads! Buying a bunch of TV commericals isn't the same thing as marketing success. The Ronko Turnip Twaddler (or whatever) isn't a massive marketing success just because it's on TV all the time.
        • Well actually Ronco's products are generally successes because of his marketing skill. I'm not saying just because you are on TV you will get sales. I'm saying that effective ads will get purchases, and if the product is solid more purchases will come as a result
    • In more serious news, Dell will need to have Apple's marketing savvy to have Apple's success, and I don't think they do.

      Heh. Somehow the conditioning hasn't worn off from the dark years. You say "Apple's marketing savvy," and I still think, "oxymoron."
    • Apple's Success?

      You know, if you bought EXXON stock and APPLE stock when apple went public back in 1982, you'd be WAY AHEAD with EXXON!

      See this chart [yahoo.com]

      I don't hear anyone here praising Exxon! Yet they're clearly a better company (as were nearly all DOW companies over the same period.)

      Apple wasn't the first with a portable music player (think Sony Walkman) and Apple wasn't the first with a portable MP3 player (think Rio). And just because they've hyped the iPod (and yes, I own one!) doesn't mean they

      • Absolutely true.

        But you're comparing, uh, apples and oranges. They're in different industries, and oddly enough stocks in different industries often perform poorly. You should have compared them to another tech stock.

        Granted, I'm sure you could find tech stocks (even besides Microsoft) which have done better since then, but that doesn't make the comparison any better.

      • Success. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by thatguywhoiam ( 524290 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @09:09PM (#7060310)
        You know, if you bought EXXON stock and APPLE stock when apple went public back in 1982, you'd be WAY AHEAD with EXXON!

        I don't need to look at your referenced chart. I'm sure that Exxon has some stratospheric numbers, like a lot of oil companies.

        What I'm curious about is your idea of 'success'. The idea of 'success' in Dell's culture as well, for that matter.

        I hear Michael Dell talk in interviews about the state of the industry and his predictions. What immediately strikes me is the fact that his comments are 100% economic. That is to say, all he talks about is where the money is going, essentially. He never talks about actually doing something good. You know, advancing the state of things? Never. Just money.

        So whether you think Apple is successful or not entirely depends on your worldview of success. I would submit that Apple is one of the most successful companies of all time.

        I base this not entirely on financial performance, but rather, a combination of fiscal prowess and the quality and impact of the things Apple has brought into the world. At the end of the day, what really matters in this kind of industry is the work you've done, right?

        I mean, if you really go back to the list, the list of things they've introduced to the mainstream is just staggering. The first mainstream PC. First mainstream mouse. Laser printer. Desktop GUI. Multimedia, in large part. It goes on. Of course Apple is also the crazy artist of the industry. They produce brilliant things but can be absolutely taciturn and overly sensitive and stubborn and... well you get the point. Apple is to Peter Gabriel what Michael Dell is to Garth Brooks. Or something like that.

        Dell doesn't do any meaningful work. They just box 'em up and ship 'em out. That's fine, there's a need for that, and its in a million corporate office farms. For good consumer stuff you can do much better. And when you ask Michael Dell about innovation he thinks that means branching out into areas others have been successful in already. He would, I suspect, look at you blankly if you suggested that he was copying Apple; he'd say it was just 'industry trade winds' he was following.

        Success is not just how much money you make - you can't measure it that way. It's a quality thing.

        • Re:Success. (Score:4, Insightful)

          by Stu Charlton ( 1311 ) on Friday September 26, 2003 @08:29AM (#7063014) Homepage
          I used to think Dell did meaningful work: they had high quality boxes for cheap prices. This was around 1996-97. Then Dell skyrocketed... and and I switched to a Mac.

          Your comments on success are well taken. Economists and businesspeople often view profit maximization and financial results as the end of a business, but the reality is that this is the "mode" of the business - it says nothing of what the business actually does, just the constraints that it is under (it needs to be profitable).

          At the same time, there is concern of a business' sustainability if it is not profitable enough. Apple, for example, has not been particularily profitable lately, which means while they're not decaying fast, they're still decaying in a sense: they're not covering their future costs adequately. This may change, but it is a valid concern, especially to long term buyers of Apple products and services.

          Unfortunately, the over-emphasis on quantitative measures has caused a distortion of what "success" means everywhere. Financial analysts even sometimes go so far as to scorn anyone that actually cares about what a business does instead of a dispassionate look at numbers. This ignores another reality: businesses are simultaenously social and economic institutions. One can't get rid of that social aspect (though they may try).

  • heh (Score:2)

    by klocwerk ( 48514 )
    'cause dell didn't make consumer products before...?

    This was making the rounds on Fatwallet.com this morning. We'll see if it can compete with the IPod which already has a solid foot in the market.

  • Yet another music service? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by elid ( 672471 ) <eli DOT ipod AT gmail DOT com> on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:03PM (#7059258)
    What we need is a music service that doesn't impose draconian so-called copy-protection measures on its audio files. We'll just have to wait and see.
  • will we be able to sell these new Dell DJ songs on ebay?

  • the sexy factor (Score:3, Insightful)

    by sl0ppy ( 454532 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:05PM (#7059265)
    apple has a history of being "sexy".

    dell has a history of being "boxy".

    somehow, i see their image working against them here.

    • Reputation is one thing... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Skyshadow ( 508 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:11PM (#7059319) Homepage
      Reputation is one thing, availability and mindshare is another.

      Apple squandered an insane amount of positive free press and a killer lead by initially releasing a "Mac Only" service. They could have gotten such a big headstart that people would think "Apple = Music" the same way they think "eBay = Auctions" -- that sort of mindshare is absolute *gold*.

      Anyhow, Apple has a history of being "sexy". Unfortunately, they also have a history of being "stupid", at least in regards to capitalizing on their innovative triumphs.

      • Apple squandered an insane amount of positive free press and a killer lead by initially releasing a "Mac Only" service.

        The record labels never would have gone for a Windows service. By limiting it to Mac users they were limiting the scope of the experiment - basically just checking to see if it was a good idea.

    • Perhaps we can have a new category for the Billboard Top 100 -- Corporate Rock. Peppy and positive tunes designed to bring out the best productivity and upbeat morale for your employees!

  • Another "Apple is our R&D dept." idea. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by General Sherman ( 614373 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:05PM (#7059270) Journal
    I don't know how many times people have seen this, but if it's ANYTHING like other PC companies that have tried to copy apple, they're usually quite terrible (such as www.buymusic.com).

    I highly doubt that this will have any effect, if any, on the iPod.
    • My worry is that is going to be one of those things that they throw in with the purchase of a computer, therefore the people won't need/want to buy an iPod. Thus eliminating sales.

      Side note: Some people at work were talking about buying a computer and Dell kept coming up, and then they would bad mouth Dell about their service. But they still bought from Dell because there wasn't and easier/cheaper alternative. Idiots.

      • Re:Another "Apple is our R&D dept." idea. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by piznut ( 553799 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:25PM (#7059418)
        Dell is being smart, they are letting Apple basically test the market for them.

        I think Apple's original strategy with iTMS was to create a cool premium service that you coudld get only by buying a Mac...then later launch it for windows in order to capitalize on the whole market.

        Trouble is, the lag time waiting for the PC version of iTMS is so long that a smart competitor (Dell) has decided to step in and try to steal the hype.

        From a Houston Chronicle article: [chron.com]

        "Apple has said it will make the program available for the Windows operating system by the end of the year"

        It looks like there will be some interesting competition by the end of the year. That's never a bad thing for consumers as far as I can see.

        • I think Apple's original strategy with iTMS was to create a cool premium service that you coudld get only by buying a Mac...then later launch it for windows in order to capitalize on the whole market.

          Trouble is, the lag time waiting for the PC version of iTMS is so long that a smart competitor (Dell) has decided to step in and try to steal the hype.

          I think the lag time is mostly to create a stand-alone version of their current set-up, in particular including the iTunes shop and DRM and everything which i

        • Re:Another "Apple is our R&D dept." idea. (Score:5, Interesting)

          by LionMage ( 318500 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @07:20PM (#7059704) Homepage
          In a recent Newsweek article [msnbc.com], Apple let slip that iTunes for Windows has been moved up, apparently because development has progressed faster than expected. They're citing an October release, now, less than a month away:
          And Apple, NEWSWEEK learned, quietly informed some music insiders that it's moved up the date for expanding its current Mac-only iTunes for the vast universe of Windows-based PCs to mid-October. Apple couldn't be reached for comment.
      • Apple did NOT invent the hard disk portable music player. The Creative Nomad Jukebox was the first mass market one available. It was the size of a CD discman and had its quirks. Later Archos and Sonicblue (Rio) made them too.

        However, the Ipod IS the best executed design we have yet. In a portable mp3 player, storage is everything. The Creative and Archos were limited by their 2.5" laptop hard drive which saddled them with a big and clunky form factor. Apple scored a coup by getting a good supply of those T

    • PC companies that have tried to copy apple [are] usually quite terrible

      And they usually end up dominating in the end. Apple invariably tries to use its successful products (like iPod and iTunes) to sell its overpriced products (like computers).

      When iPod first came out it was amazing, but I never bought one because it wouldn't talk to my computer. Now iPods will work with PC's, but if you want the music service, it's Mac-only. Inevitably there will be a PC version of iTunes -- after it's too late a

    • Why do you keep thinking that there is an advantage to being first to market. Microsoft should have cured you of that falacy looong ago. Ted
    • What I noticed right away is that it looks almost identical to the iPod, down to the font of the display.

      I wonder if this is designed and manufacturered by the same people who did the iPod?

      The controls don't look as well thought out as the iPod, but otherwise it's quite the ripoff.

      D

  • Picture (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:05PM (#7059274)
    There's a picture of the new music player, together with the bundled speakers here [dell.com]. Very nice styling :) Looks like they've combined Apple's iPod with Apple's G5 PowerMac in design terms.

  • i bet it was the interns (Score:5, Funny)

    by obsid1an ( 665888 ) <obsidianNO@SPAMmchsi.com> on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:06PM (#7059277)
    You know it was the interns that thought this idea up.

  • Apple blew this one... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Skyshadow ( 508 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:07PM (#7059283) Homepage
    I can understand why Apple decided to release their service as a Mac-only affair for the first couple of months, but I absolutely can't agree with it.

    Apple's stockholders should be storming Infinite Loop right now with pitchforks and torches -- in excluding Windows users, they went out and squandered the sort of lead (time-to-market wise) that CEOs have wet dreams about. And do you think they sold any more Macs than they would have otherwise? I doubt it...

    All in all, I think Dell is in a great position on this one *assuming* that Microsoft doesn't get away with another violation of antitrust law ("You must include a desktop link to our music software or we won't sell you any copies of Windows").

    I wonder what Dell will become if they escape from being Just Another Wintel vendor...

    • This wasn't a case of Apple *excluding* Windows.

      If you've ever used the iTunes music store you'll know it's completely integrated with their iTunes software.

      Which is Mac only.

      And takes time to rewrite for Windows.

    • Re:Apple blew this one... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by goat_attack ( 127983 ) <goatattack@notsohotmail . c om> on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:22PM (#7059397)
      Apple's working on a PC version of iTunes as we speak. It should be out in October I believe.

      A simultanious PC release of the iTunes Store probably would have led to widespread problems. (BuyMusic.com anyone?) And it would be tough to recover from the PR fallout of a disasterious launch. Better to do it right first, than fix it later (if only more companies worked this way...)

    • Counterpoints (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Infonaut ( 96956 ) <infonaut@gmail.com> on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:23PM (#7059405) Homepage Journal
      1) Apple had a lead (time-to-market wise) because they released the Mac product first. If they hadn't released the Mac product first, they would have no lead. It's all just vapor until you actually get the product out the door. Also, there are no guarantees that Jobs could have scored the distribution deals that he did if the Music Store hadn't been released Mac-only at first. This was a testbed not just for Apple, but for the labels.

      2) Apple's strategy has long been to survive through innovation. Just as 3M will always have copycats selling Post-It knockoffs, Apple will always be followed by the Dells of the world. Apple knows this; it's happened time after time in the past. But Apple's DNA revolves around being different. You can call it a marketing ploy, but it seems to be a part of the culture there. Dell has become successful because of its distribution model. Apple has become successful because of its continuous innovation. And just because Apple doesn't dominate the industry doesn't mean that it's not a successful company.

      3) Dell is in a great position to copy Apple. But Apple has far more experience at this game, in part because of that lead time you were referring to. Apple also has connections to the music industry that Dell can't match. In the end, it comes down to which company can implement their Windows music service in a manner that entices customers. The labels have had online music sites for quite some time now, and it wasn't until the iTunes Music Store came along that suddenly the popular wisdom flipped 180 degrees and everyone started saying, "Duh! This is so easy. Why didn't someone do it before now?" Well, perhaps it wasn't done before because it wasn't really as easy as everyone now supposes.

      4) I've been watching Apple get written off for the last two decades. Oddly, most of the reports of Apple's demise usually come right after they've created something new and innovative. The pundits always come out of the woodwork to declare that Apple is totally screwed now, because their competitors will surely copy them and eat their lunch. Damned if you innovate, damned if you don't.

    • Re:Apple blew this one... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by cosmo7 ( 325616 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:24PM (#7059411) Homepage
      I wonder what Dell will become if they escape from being Just Another Wintel vendor...

      Dell isn't just a Wintel vendor, it's the vendor. Dell has the biggest slice of the market and is the only company besides Apple actually making money from selling consumer PCs.

      So with this huge market share, what R&D has Dell contributed to the world? Absolutely nothing, except for their one invention: a tech support button [theregister.co.uk] on their machines which never worked properly and they longer support. Every single aspect of Dell's business is copied from other manufacturers. There is absolutely no innovation going on there.
      • They created the direct-selling model for PCs. Everyone else had always sold their computers at Radio Shack or whatever electronics store they could, while Dell cut out the middlemen and used that cut to lower their costs. It's not an invention per se, but it's an innovative way to do business that had not been exploited in this market yet.

        Kudos to Michael Dell.

      • "So with this huge market share, what R&D has Dell contributed to the world? Absolutely nothing, except for their one invention: a tech support button [theregister.co.uk] on their machines which never worked properly and they longer support. Every single aspect of Dell's business is copied from other manufacturers. There is absolutely no innovation going on there."

        Bull. How many major PC makers did PC advanced PC customization before Dell, where you pick exactly what components you want from Monitor t
    • Nobody wants iTunes and the iTMS available for Windows more than Apple does. Unfortunately, it's not simply a matter of porting and releasing the software; Apple has to renegotiate with the record labels to allow it to sell music to Windows users. Part of the reason Apple was able to coax such relatively lenient terms out of the labels in its agreements was that it would be selling only to Mac users at first; the labels viewed it as an experiment that could be expanded to the greater audience if it were suc
    • I was speaking with my dad about this the other day and realized one small intangible benefit Apple has going for it.

      Before 2000, there were several reasons why "you need a Windows PC" to do/use something. There were very few (I still can't think of any) reasons why you needed a Mac and couldn't use Windows. (I guess a few Mac-exclusive games, some software, but very little mainstream stuff).

      Now, want an iPod? Mac only (out-of-the-box retail experience). Want to try out iTMS? Mac only. Windows suppor
    • Wait, how many products have come out the awesome dell software labs? I really want to know because last I counted the only software to come out of dell was crappy system management software and it all 'blows.' So until they start producing good, quality software that works I'm going to sit this out.

      Maybe they will prove me wrong, but I'm not holding my breath until that happens.
  • This is good for Dell and PC users. For Dell, it's a consumer product that can be sold at a higher margin than many PCs are garnering these days. Additionally, it represents a pseudo-"killer app" that will give people a reason to buy a computer. Plus, it's just one more wise move on the part of PC makers to emulate iTunes as one of the few legitimate digital music services.

    For PC users, it means we can have an iPod-clone that interfaces with our machines. Yay for copies!


    • Some time ago I was talking to a Dell rep about a "media PC" that would be delivered with a drive filled with tracks. The customer might pay $1000 more for a huge music library on such a mahine. He said they looked into the idea, but the time it took to load the drives would have cost too much in production time.

      Offering their own player allows them to use the razors/blades model. I would guess they will sell the player for a fairly low cost, certainly less than the iPod, then make a decent profit on the mu

  • Dell copies Apple AGAIN (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Phroggy ( 441 ) * <slashdot3@@@phroggy...com> on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:08PM (#7059289) Homepage
    Any details on how the music download service will work? Subscription with free downloads but strict DRM, subscription with paid downloads and no/light DRM, paid downloads with no subscription but strict DRM, paid downloads with no subscription and no/light DRM?

    Pricing of the Dell Digital Jukebox? Less than $299? I hope so, considering how cheap it looks (compare cheap buttons and scroll wheel [businesswire.com] vs touch-sensitive buttons and wheel with no moving parts [apple.com]).
    • No, if Dell were to actually copy Apple, they'd charge 50% more for their products, they'd start building their own computer components in-house to be "leet", and then they'd release their music service to only 3-5% of the US computer market telling everyone else that they can join in later, "maybe", once they get around to writing the software for the non-Dell market.

  • Is Dell the new Microsoft? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by weez75 ( 34298 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:08PM (#7059297) Homepage
    In the same way Microsoft decided they would try to be all things to all people, Dell appears to have its heart set on dominating all things electronic. An iPod wannabe, a flat-screen TV, and other home electronics? Microsoft once sold operating systems. Then came an office suite, servers, mice, games, ERP suites, and now a fabulous media center for the whole family.

    I'll stick to my iPod...

  • The way I see it... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Tuxedo Jack ( 648130 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:09PM (#7059302) Homepage
    Dell's going to try to cater to a business model rather than what the customers want, just like with their PCs.

    If they (or iTunes, better yet) went and put stuff from Gainax, Toei, Viz, and many, many other anime companies, they'd make a bleeding _fortune_ thanks to all the otaku out there.

    But if the service is anything like their computers... God help anyone who joins. I know from experience; I'm a technology administrator at a local primary school, and we're locked into Dell. >_

    Even worse is that we're stuck paying three grand for their crappy Latitude D600s and that sweet new 17-inch Toshiba's five hundred less - three hundred, counting the upgrade to XP Pro.
  • From the article...
    "We are expanding our product offerings and enhancing Dell.com, and doing it in time for the holiday buying period so important to consumers."

    Who is he trying to kid? I'd venture to say that the holiday shopping season is a lot more important to retailers and manufacturers than it is to 'consumers'.
  • This can pose a real threat to iTunes Music Store if Dell Music Store uses the same format as buymusic.com. That is, music "bought" from both stores can be used/played on one computer, in one portable player, seamlessly. And once the format catches on, here will come a windfall of many many music stores that use the same DRM encumbered format.

    Of course Apple has a better, more sensible solution. But it will not be able to take an onslaught of many online stores that use the same format.

    It's Mac vs PC all

  • Can You Say Apple Envy? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by THotze ( 5028 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:22PM (#7059400) Homepage
    Has anyone used a Dell PC lately? I've had to fix SO MANY fairly recent (ie shipped with Win XP) Dells that its not even funny. Now, admitadely, a MP3 player isn't as complicated as a space heater... *ahem* I mean, a Pentium 4 3GHz system... but, well, Dell seems to be almost entirley concerned with undercutting competitor's prices and offering slightly better #'s where it's the facts and figures that are a selling point (Basically, I figure that if you take an iPod, add 5GB of space and take $50 off their selling point, you've got what Dell wants to sell their device as). Of course, the catch is, it WON'T be an iPod, it won't have the same sex appeal, it won't have as nice of headphones, etc.

    I've been under the impression, however, that Dell was still by enlarge a corporate/business PC manufacturer. I'm wondering what Dell is thinking, trying to do this... even their PDA's can be explained as trying to expand themselves into a 'one stop shop' for corporate computing, like some sort of HP or IBM, but a MP3 player? Weird. And I can't see how they'd expect to get Dell-like margins out of this.... which makes me think they've probably cut quite a few corners.... everywhere.

    And my understanding from the Apple iTunes store was that the only way that Apple managed to pull it off was because of their goodstanding with the industry... being Apple and all. Were they a trailblazer making it easy for Dell, or is this just going to be a really inoperable service with none of the music I want?

    I guess we'll see.

  • Lighting a fire under Apple's.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ibanez ( 37490 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:28PM (#7059428)
    I wonder if this means Apple will get a Windows version of iTunes out sooner. With this announcement, and Dell's already well established consumer base, Apple's hopes of trying to capture the PC market might be thwarted if they don't act fast...

    Blake

  • Not usefull to me. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by pavon ( 30274 )
    Its cool that more of these services exist. But I can't say that any of them serves the use that I had for Napster.

    Now I can't speak for everyone but I will speak for myself. I love MP3's. I listen to my MP3's far more often than my CD's. However, I have never wanted to buy MP3's. I like owning CD's, and there are alot of good reasons for this. But the main one, is that is is a high quality, lossless, patent free, universally supported format. What if I don't' want to (or am not able to) use the IP encumbe
  • How come Apple iTunes and this new Dell service are exempt from DMCA? Live365's rules for humans [live365.com] quotes some of the many ways the DMCA prohibits download on demand, even if the uploader owns all the rights. But their rules for corporations [live365.com] don't mention these DMCA restrictions:

    i. You may not include in your Internet Radio Programs specific sound recordings within one hour of a request by a listener or at a time designated by the listener.
    ii. In any three-hour period, you should not intentionally program mo

  • Um...So this is me... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by greymond ( 539980 )
    I hear a lot of people bashing Dell for making "an Apple iPod Rip Off" however i'd like to point out that Apple's iPod was not the first MP3 player on the market, nor will it be the last. Right now if you go into your local computer store or your favorite online shopping center you'll see countless models.

    Now whether the Nomad is better than the iPod is definately a matter of opinion, much like if Apple's are better than...Orange's (PC)? Each person has a unique and individual need and desire when it comes

  • Big closeup (Score:3, Informative)

    by Chuck Bucket ( 142633 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:41PM (#7059493) Homepage Journal
    Fixed link: http://www.businesswire.com/photowire/pw.092503/bb 8a.jpg [businesswire.com]

    CB

  • that's exactly what this market needs (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Richthofen80 ( 412488 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:44PM (#7059505) Homepage
    ...competition. Apple's pricepoint is too high. Hopefully, competition will bring the prices down. How about a rebate if you sign up for the service, to make the hardware cheaper.

  • Time for a 'trade dress' smackdown. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by phillymjs ( 234426 ) <slashdot@sta[ ].org ['ngo' in gap]> on Thursday September 25, 2003 @06:46PM (#7059515) Homepage Journal
    Must everyone follow a successful Apple product with their own half-assed, 'me too' version of it? This is why Apple now attempts to patent or trademark everything they do, people!

    This Dell thing (the "metooPod"?) looks similar enough to the iPod that maybe Apple should seriously kick around the idea of filing another 'trade dress' suit, the way they did to take care of the Future Power e-Power [macspeedzone.com] or the eMachines eOne [aventure-apple.com]-- I mean, since practically everything else Dell makes is dark in color, it seems mighty suspicious to me that this is white. The screen size and placement looks almost identical. From the photo I've seen it also looks like the GUI is pretty similar. I see they've taken pains to move the battery gauge from the upper right corner (where the iPod has it) to the upper left corner-- reminds me of the difference between the Apple menu and Start menu.

    At least the iPod has enough mindshare amongst the target market that no amount of B.S. marketing from Dell will make people think they did it first (I still remember Michael Dell's bullshit claim that Dell was the first company to build wireless networking into their laptops). The only way Dell will move very many of these things is by irrevocably bundling them "free" with their systems. I predict we'll start seeing a lot of them on eBay after a while, and then the product will die a quiet, relatively quick death like Dell's iMac wanna-be, the WebPC.

    ~Philly

  • Revolutionary? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by sekabe ( 661523 )
    "We are revolutionizing technology for our customers -- again." How is a new digital media player so revolutionary, if Apple already has one?

  • good luck (Score:3, Interesting)

    by goon america ( 536413 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @07:06PM (#7059617) Homepage Journal
    As much as I loathe Dell and love Apple, competition can only make the market better.

    What would I do if I were Apple right now? Start selling iPods at cost. 'Course, Apple's got its nose too high in the air to ever consider such a thing, and that's what burns them every time.

    sigh...

    • Re:good luck (Score:3, Insightful)

      by burns210 ( 572621 )
      ya, silly apple! they produce the number 1 selling mp3 player AND make a nice profit on every sale. What are they thinking?

      Apple does not, and will not, price cut to become the lowend(and often low quality) computer maker. They sell you quality stuff, and they charge you for that quality.
    • check out the cost of the hd that's inside an iPod and they're not making much at all on these things.

  • Will the RIAA get a clue now? (Score:3, Funny)

    by MongooseCN ( 139203 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @07:14PM (#7059672) Homepage
    RIAA exec 1: Look! Companies are selling music online. They are giving their customers what they want and making money. Logically this means we should do one thing.

    RIAA exec 2: Of course! Continue to sue our customers!

    RIAA exec 1: Because only WE know what's right for them!
  • While Dell is piddling around with a half-assed music service, now is the time where Gateway could move ahead - all they have to do is partner with Apple to bundle the music store software when it comes out, and offer discounted iPods with systems!

    Gateway has shown good sense with digital music before, so it seems like a move they might well make especially when it could show up Dell.
  • I was hoping Dell was going to enter the wide screen plasma market. Lord knows we could use someone like Dell to drive the prices down in that area.

  • What I want in a portable music player (Score:3, Interesting)

    by sirshannon ( 616247 ) on Thursday September 25, 2003 @07:31PM (#7059764) Homepage Journal
    I want something that RealOne Rhapsody will work on. I don't really care to copy or download music, I just want to hear it on demand whenever I want to hear it. Rhapsody works great for that, a good price, the selection is pretty large, I can install the program whereever I want but I can't listen to it in the car yet. Put it on a portable with a wireless connection and I'm there.
  • If both Dell and Microsoft are going to come up with their own "let's rip off Apple" music service, that means the two of them will be competing with each other. Oddly enough, Microsoft doesn't seem to like it when customers compete with them. And let's face it, a Dell/Microsoft split rift would be an annoyance for Microsoft, but a DISASTER for Dell.

    If I weren't so convinced that both of them were going to release DRM-crippled, dead-on-arrival, inelegent and unwieldy abortions in trying to ripoff iTunes, I'd say this has the potential to be interesting. As it is, I suspect both services will be dead (and iTunes still doing very well indeed) by mid-2005 or so...

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