08-17-2006, 11:03 AM
It really is sad to see. Sony *knows* how to make innovative products. What they have yet to learn is how to get the market to accept them.
Case-in-point: The MiniDisc. I had a minidisk deck and portable player. I got what basically amounted to "last year's model" on hella clearance at Wards. It was *awesome*. Used few batteries, never skipped, couldn't scratch it, and the downgrade in audio quality was negligable with a good optical input from source.
So I took all the CD's I listened to on a regular basis, copied them to minidisc (at a fairly reasonable cost, if I remember correctly) and then listened the crap out of that thing. It was an awesome product. Then it broke. So I went to buy a new one.
Whoa Nelly! 200 bucks! Holy shit! Granted, the new "minidiscmen" also recorded, an from an optical input should you be so lucky but I had a deck already! What did I need that for? Well, no "cheapie" model for those of us who shelled out the extra cash for a shelf unit. And for 200 bucks, I'll just buy an MP3 player and cut out the minidisc crap altogether.
And that's just one example. Sony needs to learn that the industry is very good at out-Sony'ing sony's good ideas.
Case-in-point: The MiniDisc. I had a minidisk deck and portable player. I got what basically amounted to "last year's model" on hella clearance at Wards. It was *awesome*. Used few batteries, never skipped, couldn't scratch it, and the downgrade in audio quality was negligable with a good optical input from source.
So I took all the CD's I listened to on a regular basis, copied them to minidisc (at a fairly reasonable cost, if I remember correctly) and then listened the crap out of that thing. It was an awesome product. Then it broke. So I went to buy a new one.
Whoa Nelly! 200 bucks! Holy shit! Granted, the new "minidiscmen" also recorded, an from an optical input should you be so lucky but I had a deck already! What did I need that for? Well, no "cheapie" model for those of us who shelled out the extra cash for a shelf unit. And for 200 bucks, I'll just buy an MP3 player and cut out the minidisc crap altogether.
And that's just one example. Sony needs to learn that the industry is very good at out-Sony'ing sony's good ideas.
1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442