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Microsoft's ZUNE
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chipchip66
Master |
04-Oct-2006 21:02
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Creative was trading around $10.40 and then at closing went up to $10.50!! Could see more upside! |
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chipchip66
Master |
04-Oct-2006 21:01
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The Creative Xmod enhances the low and high frequencies while improving audio dynamics for cleaner, richer sound that surpasses the original audio CD. Without requiring installation of any software, it takes just seconds to connect to a PC or Mac, allowing users to instantly improve the playback quality of their music to the X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity experience. For connecting iPod, ZEN or any MP3 players to the Creative Xmod, an optional AC power adapter is required. "There are more than 100 million people who listen to MP3, WMA or AAC music on their PCs, Macs or iPod or ZEN players, but the quality of this compressed music is highly compromised. The Creative Xmod enables them to listen to their music with audio that sounds even better than CDs," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. "Now with Creative Xmod, all your music is instantly upconverted to the Xtreme Fidelity standard in real time through a simple and compact device!" There is no need to re-purchase music in a new format to experience X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity. Just connecting the Creative Xmod enables Mac users to experience award-winning X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio for the first time, and PC users can now enjoy it for the first time on the notebook. Xmod doesn't require cumbersome or time-consuming conversion of files -- it literally connects in seconds to play back existing music files in X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity. X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity provides two important audio functions, X-Fi Crystalizer and X-Fi CMSS-3D, which improve and enhance music listening experiences. The X-Fi Crystalizer upconverts MP3 music by analyzing and identifying which parts of the audio stream have been truncated or damaged during compression. It intelligently and selectively restores the high and lows such as the snare drums and the bass and the cymbal crashes and guitar plucking that are damaged during the compression of MP3s. Ideal for movies or an immersive audio experience, X-Fi CMSS-3D creates virtual surround sound through speakers or headphones. It expands audio for superior headphone listening so music completely surrounds the listener like a multi-channel speaker system instead of sounding like it's stuck between the headphones. X-Fi CMSS-3D also uses advanced techniques to place specific audio elements, such as the voice of a movie character, in the virtual center channel while ambiance is played through virtual surround channels. Pricing and Availability Creative Xmod will be available this month for only US$79.99 at www.us.creative.com . For more information about Xmod and X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity, visit www.us.creative.com . |
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billywows
Elite |
01-Oct-2006 21:28
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September 29, 2006 01:54 PM ET Analyst Sees 'Modest Success' for ZuneNEW YORK (AP) - Microsoft Corp. will likely lose money on its new music player, Zune, against Apple Computer Inc.'s "industry-leading iPod profitability," an American Technology Research analyst said Friday.Analyst Shaw Wu said a perhaps unintended side effect of the software company's entry into the portable music player market will be competition with its own licensing partners -- even putting smaller ones out of business. On Thursday, Microsoft said the 30 gigabyte Zune, designed to compete with the runaway success of the iPod, will ship Nov. 14 and list at $249.99, about the same as a 30-gigabyte iPod at $249. Wu said Microsoft was caught off-guard by Apple's aggressive pricing and was forced to match the price to stay competitive. Microsoft not pricing lower, he added, shows Apple's "underappreciated scale and supply chain strength," where Microsoft will lose money -- probably about $50 per Zune. While people often focus on Apple's product innovation, marketing and brand name, the company is also well-run, from the operational standpoint, Wu said. Apple's supply chain -- from the procurement of components to manufacturing and distribution -- is profitable and efficient, he added -- much more so than five or 10 years ago when Dell was known as the model of efficiency. Wu said while it remains to be seen whether the Zune, with its similar pricing, bulkier form and "inferior battery life," will take share from Apple and its loyal customers, it will likely at least see modest success thanks to Microsoft's vast resources and strong brand name. This success, however, may be at the expense of Windows "partners," especially companies like Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and Creative Technology Ltd., and others that sell hard drive-based players. Microsoft licenses Windows to the companies so their music players can run Microsoft's Media Player software. While the company also licenses Windows to PC makers such as Hewlett Packard and Lenovo, it does not make computers, so it's not in direct competition with them. But the company's entry into the portable music player market, Wu said, will likely lead to a "civil war" with its own partners. As the market now stands, customers either buy iPods or something else, regardless of brand name. For now, the non-iPod market is very fragmented, with 15 to 20 players. Some of those, especially smaller ones such as iRiver or France's Archos, will probably exit the market -- like Dell and RealNetworks did -- or go out of business. "Ironically, it will hurt them more than it will hurt Apple," Wu said. He reiterated a "Buy" rating and a $91 target price on Apple. Apple shares rose 3 cents to $77.04 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq, while Microsoft lost 3 cents at $27.37. |
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singaporegal
Supreme |
29-Sep-2006 22:15
Yells: "Female TA nut" |
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Zune looks pretty good actually.... |
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billywows
Elite |
29-Sep-2006 21:30
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Tks for the cool pix of Zune, Nostradamus! It looks like a wider iPod, but with bigger screen. Creative had focused too much on added features till its Zen flopped due to its aweful (ah beng) design. |
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Nostradamus
Supreme |
29-Sep-2006 20:00
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Photo of Zune. 
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chipchip66
Master |
29-Sep-2006 12:25
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106 lots done at $10.40. |
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chipchip66
Master |
29-Sep-2006 12:05
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Creative now at $10.40! Uptrend still intact!! |
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chipchip66
Master |
29-Sep-2006 11:23
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Zune player retailing at US299.0. Very expensive! Looks like Microsoft is learning the hard way like Creative!! ipod has become an icon or status sysmbol in the MP3 market. The only way MS can beat Apple is to EAT IT! Meaning to buy its shares rather than taking away its market share. Cheerz!! |
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scotty
Senior |
29-Sep-2006 10:35
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Creative seems to be hovering around the 10.2-10.3 mark for many days now and the volume is very low. Boring siah. |
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billywows
Elite |
28-Sep-2006 21:21
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Zune coming out in US on 14th Nov .... -------------------- REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. MSFT is putting the social into digital music, starting this holiday. Today the company announced that the Zune(TM) digital media player and online service will be available to consumers in the U.S. on Nov. 14, 2006, just in time for the holidays. The Zune device will retail for $249.99 U.S. (ERP) and will create new ways for entertainment fans to connect and share media experiences device-to-device through the use of wireless technology and new software scenarios. |
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chipchip66
Master |
19-Sep-2006 10:18
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Creative up 10c to $10.40. Nasdaq also up at USD6.60. |
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Nostradamus
Supreme |
18-Sep-2006 18:17
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More competition for Creative. RealNetworks is teaming up with SanDisk to release a portable music player that more closely links with RealNetworks' Rhapsody online music service, in the latest attempt to take on Apple's iPod and iTunes stronghold. Analysts see the deal, to be announced, as a way for SanDisk and RealNetworks to join forces against a new common foe: Microsoft Corp., which recently announced plans to release its own Zune portable music player and service. Redmond-based Microsoft has been providing the technology that allowed services such as Rhapsody to transfer songs to portable music players without compromising the digital rights of that content. But many say they think Microsoft's plans to release the Zune service and a player made by Toshiba could make the software giant a significant competitor. "This is kind of a way for both Rhapsody and SanDisk to say, 'Well, if you're gong to compete with (us), guess what, we're gong to compete with you,'" said analyst Phil Leigh with Inside Digital Media. Katy Gentes, a product manager for Microsoft's Zune effort, said Friday that the company remains committed to the Windows Media platform it provides to partners and will continue to invest in it. Under the deal, RealNetworks and SanDisk plan to release the Sansa Rhapsody, a portable music player based on SanDisk's e200. The companies said they expected the gadget to be available in time for the holidays, but they would not say exactly how much it will cost. The player will come pre-loaded with hundreds of songs from musicians, as part of a free trial of RealNetworks' Rhapsody To Go subscription service. Anyone who buys or already has the music service will then be able to use the gadget to listen to nearly all of the songs available through the core Rhapsody service. The Rhapsody Unlimited online service charges users a flat fee of US$9.99 to essentially rent an unlimited number of songs as long as they subscribe to the service. Users who purchased the Rhapsody To Go service, at US$14.99 per month, had previously been able to transfer their Rhapsody songs from their computers onto a portable music player. But the process required using Microsoft's technology for managing digital rights, a process RealNetworks said was clunky and had glitches. "The fact that one company was making the player, one company was making the software and a third company was making the service meant it was not seamless," said Dan Sheeran, senior vice president of music for Seattle-based RealNetworks. The Sansa Rhapsody will use RealNetworks' own technology for managing digital rights, which RealNetworks says will work more smoothly and allow the company to offer more bells and whistles. The gadget's release also will coincide with an update of the Rhapsody service. Eric Bone, SanDisk's director of product marketing for audio/video products, said the goal of the partnership was to help smooth out the bumps that came up for users trying to grapple with the Rhapsody service and Microsoft technology. But he said the device would still include Microsoft's digital rights technology, so people could still use it to run other music services besides Rhapsody. Sheeran said the company hoped to release more products with Milpitas, Calif.-based SanDisk, and he also wouldn't rule out working with other device manufacturers. Analyst Michael Gartenberg with Jupiter Research said he thinks Microsoft's move to offer its Zune player and service has left some device makers and music services looking for new partnerships. But he said RealNetworks still has an uphill battle in persuading lots of users to go with this offering. For one thing, people who use Apple Computer Inc.'s popular iPod and iTunes music service are used to owning their music, whereas Rhapsody works as a rental service. While Rhapsody has been around for a while, Gartenberg said most consumers still aren't familiar with it, and especially with using it on a portable player. "The notion of renting music is a very strange concept to consumers, and no one has ever really explained it to them," Gartenberg said. "So one of the things that Real's going to need to do is evangelize." RealNetworks Chief Executive Rob Glaser said in an interview Friday he believes the access to unlimited songs on a portable device will be a major selling point to people who want to take music on the go. "It extends the value to a whole set of users who previously said, 'Well, I like the idea of a jukebox in the sky but I don't live with my PC," he said. Leigh said both companies might be able to do a bit better by working together, but he still doubts the partnership stands a chance of making a dent in Apple's market dominance. |
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Nostradamus
Supreme |
18-Sep-2006 18:05
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Hi pikachu, At Yahoo. Zune is an independent brand. A new strategy centred around ?Zune Marketplace?. |
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chipchip66
Master |
18-Sep-2006 12:07
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Wow, $69.50 a share.... Mr.Sim should have leveraged this to buy a stake into some other companies.It is high time he should look into other business avenues rather than the MP3 markets. So what is its niche now??? |
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pikachu
Veteran |
18-Sep-2006 11:08
Yells: "Holy Cow!" |
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Hi nostradamus, Where did you get the info that the Zune is incompatible with Windows Media player and Xbox? Seems a little crazy if MS develops a product that doesn't sync with its other items. |
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Nostradamus
Supreme |
18-Sep-2006 11:02
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Hi chipchip66, Its peak was not $26. Much higher. It was $69.50 in Mar '00, back in the bubble dot.com boom days. Tech stocks fell as much as 95% in the subsequent bust. |
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Nostradamus
Supreme |
18-Sep-2006 10:55
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Zune is not one where the XBox, Windows Media Player and other MS devices can work together. It's an independent brand. Microsoft has chosen to spawn a new software portal called ?Zune Marketplace?. The Microsoft Zune strategy is incomprehensible. So this has created confusion. |
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chipchip66
Master |
18-Sep-2006 10:38
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Creative up 20c to $10.40 with low vol. Retail investors still accumulating slowly or averaging down. ha! ha! |
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chipchip66
Master |
17-Sep-2006 21:14
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Read today's Sunday Times and this ex-pastor has bought into Creative for about 100k. I wonder what is the average price he bought? This stock has been declining since it reached its peak of $26 2-3 years back. I guess he must have been averaging down until now. I wonder when will Creative reach even half its peak???? |
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