AfterDawn: News

Sony has unveiled a line up of cheap flash-memory based walkman digital audio devices in another attempt by the company to knock Apple Computers off the top of the digital player market. Apple has seen much success from its iPod models. The new Sony devices will sell for as cheap as less than €100 ($132.2) and support the MP3 format. Sony's products have a reputation for being over-priced so the company hopes the lower prices will address the issue.

"Until now, the complaint was that Sony products sold at a major premium," said Gregory Kukolj, general manager of the personal audio group in Europe. Twenty-six years ago, Sony introduced the WalkMan device to the world and dominated the market for two decades. However, as music turns digital, Apple's iPod has stolen the lead from Sony and increasing competition from other manufacturers has made it harder for Sony also.



You can now get Sony devices that store 256MB, 512MB or 1GB of music. Apple's iPod shuffle sells for €99 but does not have a display like the new Sony devices. The 1GB Sony model will sell for about €240. "The digital player market is still in its early stages. In the European Union alone the personal audio market is 20 to 22 million devices a year. More than 10 million of those are CD portable players; there is a huge opportunity," Kukolj said.

Source:
Reuters

Written by: James Delahunty @ 8 Mar 2005 23:23