Did you mistype your title, Ken ? I found it quite misleading...
The article says "Mobile Phones beating iPod", with the launch of the
"EZ Chaku-uta Full" service
which allows complete song download on KDDI's 4 new handsets from November.
For those who do not like URLs or Japanese text :
The reason advanced for such a statement (which I quite agree with) :
While you needed to download first on PC/Mac and then transfer to your iPod,
the Mobile does not require any manipulation and makes it easier to use.
I think it will prove very successful as
1) sound quality is to be very high, while keeping the file small with
the new 3GPP HE-AAC codec.
2) It enables "impulse purchase" with very simple and various song
search engines
3) DL itself is to require 30-40 sec which is quite acceptable for a
full track
4) pricing is good (said to be about 315 JPY, 3 times the price of a 30
sec "chaku-uta" and slightly higher
than web-based services which retail for about 210 JPY)
The only drawback, which was raised by a Label Mobile guy I met some
time ago,
and confirmed by statistics on CD sales from the Japanese Record
Association, is that
this new "killer service" will simply cannibalize the CD singles market,
and may also
negatively impact the album market as well. (will you buy a 1000 JPY
single if you can get a full song
on your mobile for 300 JPY ?)
The full song service will probably be launched within 1 year by the the
other carriers,
and handset replacement mechanics give another one to 1.5 years before
CD single sales
may get close to current audio tapes sales... (in a slightly pessimistic
approach)
A solution for iPod is to include rapidly some network connectivity, as
people are unlikely
to carry two devices with the same capabilities...
-- Benjamin
Ken Chang wrote:
>does anyone know the manufacturer of Orange SPV C500?
>
>au/KDDI says "iPod phones" will be one of its main money makers as
>a natural extension to the chakuuta (ringsong) service.
>http://www.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/0410/13/news031.html (in jp)
>
>I really liked the J-Phone SH51 handset but what Vodafone.jp is doing?
>will there be any Vodafone "iTune" service for 902SH?
>
>
>
>_______________________________
>Do you Yahoo!?
>Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today!
>http://vote.yahoo.com
>
>This mail was sent to address benjamin@newtgames.com
>Need archives? How to unsubscribe? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/
>
>
>
>
>
Received on Tue Oct 19 18:14:38 2004