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Creative: Apple to blame for MP3 player memory shortage
Playlist ^ | 10/26/2005 | Martyn Williams

Posted on 10/26/2005 12:23:11 PM PDT by Panerai

An industry-wide shortage of a key flash memory chips will hit the availability of some models of MP3 player during the upcoming holiday shopping period, the head of Creative Technology Ltd.’s U.S. unit said Wednesday. He partly blames Apple for the shortfall, which he says will impact other MP3 makers.

“One of the key challenges we face in our MP3 business is an industry-wide shortage of 1GB flash memory,” said Craig McHugh, president of Creative Labs Inc., in a conference call with financial analysts. “Industry demand for high-capacity flash memory currently outstrips supply and this will impact availability of our 1GB flash MP3 players for the holiday quarter. The shortage of flash memory, according to industry analyst speculation, is primarily a result of a special deal that Apple has secured from a key supplier for the holiday season.”

Apple is widely reported to have signed a deal with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to secure a supply of flash memory for its music players, particularly the recently-launched iPod nano, which replaced the hard-disk drive-based iPod mini in the company’s music player line-up.

The deal struck by Apple is putting pressure on the entire MP3 player industry, said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Singapore-based Creative. He did not refer to Samsung by name.

“The MP3 market is now consolidating, but there is a shortage [of flash memory] because of the special deal we talked about,” said Hoo.

The consolidation has been at the low end, he said, with several Chinese MP3 player makers leaving the market because of the pressure Apple is putting on the industry, according to Hoo.

(Excerpt) Read more at playlistmag.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: apple; creative; flashmemory; ipod; mp3; videoipod
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To: pageonetoo

First Mac here was a Lisa, running Mac emulation SW -- the name escapes me. IIRC, the 10 or 20 MB (!) external HD alone cost a coupla grand.


21 posted on 10/27/2005 7:20:59 AM PDT by dighton
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To: dighton
Gee, my first time was a fat Mac, with a 5 meg Hyperdrive INTERNAL (GCC). I bought an ImageWriter, (and replaced it as soon as someone made a driver for the HP DeskJet), and a MacDraft CAD program, and sat at my desk for a half hour setting it up.

Then, I spent a few minutes playing, and printed a rough 1/4" scale floor plan. I was hooked. My friends were using a c>. I was using a mouse...

Currently using a G5 desktop (running Final Cut Pro, among other goodies. Think iMovie on steroids), with the 23" cinema display, but still using HP (OfficeJet). I also use a G4 17" PowerBook, a G4 desktop, my wife won't get rid of her Wallstreet G3, and 16 yr old has iMac DV. Airport Extreme runs them onto a cable modem, and print share.

I remember my (then) four year old daughter sitting at a computer. I had purchased an innocuous little program called StickeyBears. She learned to use it instantly, and fought me for time on the Mac.

She was reading, and doing math when she went to kindergarten...

Windoze guys are welcome to their PC's. I think I'll make another movie of my grandkids!

22 posted on 10/27/2005 7:38:40 AM PDT by pageonetoo (You'll spot their posts soon enough!)
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To: Izzy Dunne

Did you come up with that?

If so, I'm impressed! That old A&C Who's on First routine is one of the all-time classics of comedy.


23 posted on 10/27/2005 7:44:07 AM PDT by webstersII
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To: chilepepper

Who's a stupid sheep the guy paying for a CD (quite possibly rip-protected) for 17$ without free bonuses, then taking time to load the CD, attempt to rip it, and then storing it somewhere, or the guy getting it for 10$ with free videos and bonuses, who can store it in one central place and also take it on his iPod or broadcast it over WiFi to anywhere in his home?


24 posted on 10/27/2005 7:48:01 AM PDT by x5452
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To: webstersII
Did you come up with that?

No, I cannot claim credit. Alas, I do not know where I got it, though. It's on a Sticky note.

25 posted on 10/27/2005 8:12:14 AM PDT by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: pageonetoo
She was reading, and doing math when she went to kindergarten...

Great story up to that part.

26 posted on 10/27/2005 8:27:26 AM PDT by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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To: agooga

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


27 posted on 10/27/2005 8:29:19 AM PDT by MortMan (Eschew Obfuscation)
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To: x5452
only a stupid sheep pays $17 for a CD. I buy my CD's from BMG, and averages $9 a piece, if that... i own the music i want to own. all the modern stuff is written for stupid sheep who must always be listening to *something* to drown out the unbearable silence within their hollow minds...
28 posted on 10/27/2005 9:08:00 AM PDT by chilepepper (The map is not the territory -- Alfred Korzybski)
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To: Aquinasfan
Great story up to that part.

?

29 posted on 10/27/2005 9:20:36 AM PDT by pageonetoo (You'll spot their posts soon enough!)
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To: chilepepper

So basically if a consumer product isn't aimed at your tiny niche taste you feel it's prone to fail in the market. Your original synopsis was the iPod/iTunes is bad for the average person, it's actually perfect for the average person, and when creative goes out of business it will be because only niche users like yourself care to use their product.


30 posted on 10/27/2005 10:21:45 AM PDT by x5452
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To: MortMan

I am SOOO sorry about that!!!


31 posted on 10/27/2005 10:32:45 AM PDT by agooga (Got Boomstick?)
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To: agooga

No you're not. It was funny, but needed to be booed!


32 posted on 10/27/2005 10:39:01 AM PDT by MortMan (Eschew Obfuscation)
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To: x5452

you should eat more fish... maybe you'll become more intelligent.


33 posted on 10/27/2005 1:55:31 PM PDT by chilepepper (The map is not the territory -- Alfred Korzybski)
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To: chilepepper
You should read some economics books and study consumer trends. Then maybe you'll understand why when Creative closes shop.
34 posted on 10/27/2005 1:56:50 PM PDT by x5452
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To: Panerai

Creative is better than Apple anyway.


35 posted on 10/27/2005 2:02:16 PM PDT by Sir Gawain
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To: pageonetoo
Great story up to that part. ?

School changes kids for the worse.

36 posted on 10/28/2005 4:31:04 AM PDT by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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To: Izzy Dunne

LOL. Well Done.


37 posted on 10/28/2005 4:33:41 AM PDT by evolved_rage
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To: Izzy Dunne

Why didn't you include 'COST++' just before your loop...


38 posted on 10/28/2005 4:57:31 AM PDT by LearnsFromMistakes (We know the right things to do, why don't we just do them?)
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To: chilepepper
... they build very nice players...

This would be a first that a Creative product was ever "very nice," then. I can't believe this company has a monopoly on the PC sound card market.
39 posted on 10/29/2005 10:28:56 AM PDT by Terpfen (Libby should hire Phoenix Wright.)
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