Creative player serenades iPod audience

15 Oct 2002 08:12

Update: Creative's new digital audio player packs many of the iPod's features at a lower price in an attempt to woo buyers. The UK won't get all the savings, however

Creative Technology on Monday launched a new portable music player in an effort to keep Windows users from dancing with Apple Computer's iPod.

Creative's player, the Nomad Jukebox Zen MP3, will cost £329 inc VAT in the UK -- compared to $299 (about £191) in the US, after a $50 mail-in rebate. This is meant to compete with Apple's comparable iPod music player, which sells for £398. (See Creative's Web site for images of the player.)

In July, Apple introduced a Windows version of its iPod, which at 20GB can hold up to 4,000 songs in 160kbps MP3 files, or 5,200 songs in 128kbps files. The player will begin shipping early next week and will hit retail channels shortly afterwards.

Creative has countered with its player, which looks like a Sony Walkman. The Zen includes a 20GB hard drive, which lets it store up to 5,000 songs using 128kbps MP3 files, or 8,000 songs using Microsoft Windows Media Audio files.

In the UK, Creative's 20GB machine is the same price as Apple's mid-range iPod, a 10GB machine that sells for £329. In the US, it is priced more comparably to the low-end 5GB iPod, which sells here for £259.

The Zen's main selling points are its price and a Firewire connection, which lets it transfer data quickly to PCs that are not equipped with the latest version of Universal Serial Bus, USB 2.0.

However, Creative's use of a standard 2.5-inch hard drive could hamper sales for customers who are not necessarily shopping on price alone. Several manufacturers make 2.5-inch hard drives, which are standard for notebook PCs, while only one company, Toshiba, manufactures the 1.8-inch drive used in the iPod.

Because 2.5-inch drives are more readily available, they cost less. But the 2.5-inch drive makes the Zen bulkier than the iPod.

The Zen weighs 9.5 ounces and measures 4.5 inches by 3 inches and. The 20GB iPod weighs 7.2 ounces and measures 4 inches by 2.4 inches, making it potentially more appealing to people who care more about size and weight than about price.

Creative will be selling the device through online partners such as Jungle.com and Dabs.com, as well as retailers including Dixons and PC World.

For reviews of the latest portable jukeboxes, see ZDNet UK's Reviews channel MP3 Players section.

See the Hardware News Section for the latest update on everything from MP3 players and PDAs to supercomputing.

Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the ZDNet news forum.

Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Creative player serenades iPod audience

Update: Creative's new digital audio player packs many of the iPod's features at a lower price in an attempt to woo buyers. The UK won't get all the savings, however