Electronic Gadget Costs May Drop
We're too early in the year to know which electronic
gadgets will be smashing successes, but we are already
seeing signs of how 2005 will feed off of the advances of
2004. The most significant products with either the chic or
geek factors could hint at things to come, and Apple may be
telling us that dropping prices is the trend to watch.
Apple already dominates the portable music business, but
obviously wants more. In 2005 it has brought out new iPod
models with more features for less money.
At the start of this year Apple popped out its smallest
iPod version, the Shuffle. Weighing less than an ounce, it
can store 240 songs and play up to 12 hours of music on
its flash card. And as the name implies, it shuffles the
songs a different way every time to change the listening
experience. The Shuffle is aimed down market, retailing for
$99.
Apple continued the trend in February by releasing more new
models that improve on 2004 innovations while reducing
prices. The 4GB iPod Mini debuted last year at $249. That
price has been but to $199 while the new 6GB Mini will sell
at the old price. Battery life has been more than doubled
along with the price break.
The Mini is a dwarf dynamo, able to load 1,500 tunes and
play music for 18 hours. It weighs only 3.6 ounces, and
measures 3.6 inches long by 2 inches wide and half an inch
thick. It can also serve as an organizer, games machine
and portable hard drive.
Apple also introduced two other new models in February,
improvements on the iPod Photo. The 30GB unit holds 7,500
songs and sells for $349, while the 60GB model holds double
the songs and sells for a hundred dollars more. With a $29
connector, both models can import images from a digital
camera. They will store up to 25,000 photos.
The iPod Photo debuted late last year with 40GB and 60GB
models ranging from $499 to $599, so again Apple is cutting
prices in an attempt to get even more of the market where
it is already king.
So will other manufacturers follow Apple's lead? Some who
don't have Apple's dominance may feel competitive pressure.
Here are a couple of 2004 innovations worth watching for
possible trends.
Archos provided a breakthrough in audio/video with the
Pocket Video Recorder AV420. This small gizmo has a 20GB
hard drive and an elegant LCD screen, putting the
convenience and power of a device like TiVo into the palm
of your hand.
The AV420 allows you to time shift and record television
shows and watch them wherever you want. The unit also
stores digital photos and music, so it has broad
entertainment applications. Tired of watching TV? Listen to
music. Tired of listening? Review your photos.
While the AV420 is pricey at $550, it would be surprising
if buses and airlines aren't soon dotted with people
watching their favorite shows. And with a long battery
life, they will have plenty to watch before having to
recharge.
For the weight-conscious carriers of computers,
ultra-portables provided sleek and svelte new options. The
Sony X505/SP and /CP series earned the "gee whiz that's
pretty" award, but this wafer-thin notebook is more than
good looking, it's revolutionary. It's the first notebook
to use the space-age material, carbon fiber.
Carbon fiber makes these dream machines highly heat
resistant, light and tough. The weight? Only 1.73 pounds.
The size? Just 10.07 x 8.19 inches. Sony has set a new
benchmark for notebooks, but it did so with a hefty price
tag of $3,999. Miniaturization has its costs.
Whatever 2005 has in store for electronics products, the
leap forward is likely to be brilliant. While 2004 has
blazed new territory and left us with plenty to consider,
admire and enjoy, cheaper prices would be a nice trend to
see developing.
The author, Vern Hilbourne, writes for <a
href="http://faqelectronics.com">FAQ Electronics</a>. Sign
up for the Electronics newsletter at
http://www.faqelectronics.com .
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