United States, November 12: It looks like no one is going to find Dell music players under the tree this Christmas.
Hoping to, finally break into the music player market, which rival Apple has dominated so far, news surfaced last summer that Dell would be launching its own MP3 player this fall in time for the holiday season. However, a report suggests, Dell has put the plan on pause in favor of building media portal software into every machine it ships
The original plan looked promising as prototype testing began early this year of a MP3 player based on media portal software developed by its recently acquired company, Zing Systems. The software was aimed to provide users with a new way to organize their music files and eventually give the iPod a run for its money.
Dell bought Zing Systems Inc., a startup consumer technology and services company that focused on always-connected audio and entertainment devices, in August 2007. This was practically one year since the company (Dell) scrapped their portable media player program in August 2006; roughly, two years after they made their first grand entry into the MP3 music player scene in 2004. It is therefore the second time that Dell tries to make a dent into this market and it looks like it will also be the second time that it will bounce off it.
While the company has no definite plans regarding the player, Dell said it would still be pursuing the Zing software. The original strategy involved coming up with a solution that would provide the customer with a seamless experience between the PC, the MP3 player, and the store. The vision looked good with Zing positioned to serve as a comprehensive portal for Dell's collection devices and services; a media hub of sorts.
If Dell still pushes through with its original plans, starting with the MP3 player, it would be in for a very steep uphill climb before achieving the status that Apple's iPod so comfortably holds. Along the way, the Dell product would have to battle it out with Zune, which holds a distant third spot in the MP3 player market. Next in line would be low-cost manufacturer Scandisk who holds second place.
In the meantime, in the face of economic gloom, it would be difficult to imagine how Dell could surface with such a product that would be enticing enough to, actually drive people to part with their hard-earned money.
Post new comment