If you find yourself drooling at the latest iPod models everywhere and wondering if you should give in and trade in your older model, think again. In about 5 months, these slick players could very well be dinosaurs.
The Microsoft giants are hot on the heels of Apple in the digital music market, with the buzz being that their new MP3 player in the works may finally give the iPod some serious competition. With the Xbox the only product Microsoft actually makes themselves (the company licenses its technology to hardware and service creators, nurturing an ecosystem of developers), this is a major change in the company?s strategic model.
Not to be one to willingly relinquish a slice of their juicy pie, Apple is rumoured to be developing a savvy new product, the Wi-Fi-enabled iPod due to hit stores in time for the holiday season. More Apple patents are also in the works, with text-to-speech and speech-recognition capabilities that would enable the iPod to “speak” song titles and allow users to give voice navigation commands. Additionally, there’s the “real” video iPod featuring a touch-screen display, plus the long-rumored iPhone.
