Sony Corp. on Tuesday launched its biggest challenge yet to Apple ’s ascendancy in the digital music player market with the unveiling of five thespian and a jukebox software software that ties into an online music depot .
The Modern credit line - up includes three flash - memory - based model with capacities of 512 M , 1 GB and 2 G , and two hard - disk parkway - based models with mental ability of 6 GB and 20 GB . They will be available in Japan from October . International launching plans have not yet been arrange .
Sony created the portable audio category with its Walkman cassette actor 22 years ago , but in the digital euphony player market it has lagged behind Apple and other companies for a few long time .
The new players closely mimic Apple ’s in term of capacity and the type of memory board used — or at least , they would have had Apple not kill off it ’s 1 - inch hard - disk drive - based iPod mini a few 60 minutes prior to Sony ’s annunciation . Apple set in motion a new flash - memory - base participant call the iPod nano in San Francisco on Wednesday . It will substitute the iPod miniskirt and be uncommitted in 2 gigabyte and 4 GB capacities .
Sony is accentuate the user port of the raw players rather than just the proficient specification . Among the function on the arduous - disc drive - based models is an “ artist link . ” Clicking the link button while a song is playing highlights stored music from like musicians and musical style . There are also several shuffle modality in all the musician , including a “ time make , ” which will play all the stored Song dynasty from a choose class , and a way that randomly plays songs from the top-100 most listened - to running .
The same creative person link function is uncommitted in Sony ’s new jukebox software . call “ Connect Player , ” the software interface bears more than a passing resemblance to Apple ’s iTunes software and has many of the same social function . It can also be used to get at the Mora on-line euphony memory board established by Sony and many other record companies for the Nipponese domesticated market .
To promote the service Sony will start out selling postpaid music cards in ¥ 1,000 ( US$ 9 ) , ¥ 2,500 and ¥ 5,000 denomination .
But perhaps the strongest indication that Sony has Apple in its pot come with the endorsements offered by euphony company executive at the Tokyo newsworthiness group discussion on Thursday . join Sony Music on stage to bid support for the new players were top executive from Avex connection Inc. and Toshiba - EMI Ltd. , both of whom were among the initial supporters of the iTunes Music Store Japan that open last calendar month .
The new player have several technological features in common , such as an OLED ( organic igniter emitting diode ) showing . The display sits under a face shell and so is only visible when the player is switched on and the display lights up . euphony single file support offer to MP3 and Sony ’s ATRAC formats , and Sony is looking at adding Windows Media Audio and AAC backing in future players , it say Thursday .
The three heartbeat - retentivity free-base fashion model have an FM radio and offer up to 50 time of day of playback time . Sony aver it had n’t worked out the battery life yet for the hard - disk example .
The smallest capacity wink model , the 512 MB NW - A605 , will cost ¥ 22,000 ; the 1 GB NW - A607 will cost ¥ 27,000 ; the 2 GB NW - A608 will be ¥ 32,000 ; the 6 GB NW - A1000 will be ¥ 30,000 and the 20 GB NW - A3000 will cost ¥ 35,000 , Sony said .
In line , Apple ’s 2 GB model costs $ 199 ( ¥ 21,900 ) , and a 4 GB iPod nano costs $ 249 .
Updated 11:00AM 09/08/05 : Added image of NW - A1000 music player and Connect Player software program .
