Apple Took All The Chips, Creative Says
from the follow-the-logic dept
MP3 player manufacturer Creative says there's an industry-wide shortage of flash memory that will make it hard to deliver 1GB flash players. It's a shortage that's affecting everybody but Apple -- and Creative blames it on Apple's "special deal" with Samsung to buy up a large amount of its quarterly flash-memory production. It also sounds like Creative's CEO is blaming Apple for putting price pressure on the industry that a lot of companies can't handle. His response? Raise prices. Sounds like that should work, because if people favor a rival's product, raising the price of your own will certainly make it more attractive. Maybe the real problem is that a Creative MP3 player never made anybody king of the Internet.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
In case you haven't noticed, Samsung is the industry for Flash Memory (price + quantity).
But perhaps you are too concerned with the MP3 player debate to use your head before making obtuse comments about something you appear to have little comprehension about, business.
(I'm sure your concerned with which MP3 player I buy, but I'm sure you'll also appreciate the fact that this post is not about brand names.)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Creative Labs?
Seems the Samsung+chip shortage meme goes back a way, too...like May 2004.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
It doesn't hold as much as the iPod for example but it doesn't force you into propritery software either.
Maybe if their players are in the price range people will start to realise they make just as good, if not a better product than apple.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
For your own ripped music I don't think it's so bad having to use a free organizational tool like iTunes when the alternative is using Windows Explorer or Mac Finder to copy files.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Creative Labs?
By your definition, we can't call Honda an automaker, because they make a lot more than autos. We can't call Microsoft a software firm because they make a lot more than software.
Creative makes mp3 players. The story was about their mp3 players. It seemed reasonable to call them an mp3 maker, even if they make other products.
Please, Jeremiah... explain the rules. :)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Creative Labs?
But since Apples biggest product is an MP3 player and Microsoft's biggest product is software AND Honda chiefly makes automobiles, you seem to have missed the point entirely. Please mike, be a little more thoughtful when replying.
(Your posts usually show more wit. Truly, gaucherie is unbecoming of you.)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Creative Labs?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
OMFGROTFLMFAOLOLZZZ!!!1
iP0d 4 3v4!!!!!!11
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Creative Labs?
I can't figure out why people are complaining about this story. It seems like a good summary of the situation -- in typical smart, insightful Tech Dirt fashion.
The comments around here have really gone down hill lately.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Creative Labs?
Heh, John...
The comments around here have been down hill for more than a year now...I used to comment all the time back when the folks living here would actually hold lively discussions (even when they were arguments, they were well written ones,) but for a year or so I had given up on commenting or even reading the comments to the stories because 9 out of 10 of them were trolls. (Dorpus and his brothern taught me to go to read-only mode.)
Usually it is best to just ignore them and read Techdirt for Mike's insightful summaries. Of course now I should go back to read-only mode for another year...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Creative Labs?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Creative Labs?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
but on the other hand: It's a common business practice when you have the monopoly of a market to squeeze you suppliers for low prices. Doing so, you make it impossible for other companies to compete at the same price.
In many countries this is regarded as "unfair" or even "illegal" business practices. Antitrust laws are there for a reason, you know ...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]