Medical Breakthrough: iPod Shuffle Cloned!

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.ipodlounge.com/ipodnews.php?id=P6654' target='_blank'>http://www.ipodlounge.com/ipodnews.php?id=P6654</a><br /><br /></div>You all know the old saying...<i>imitation is the sincerest form of flattery</i>, but when it comes to Apple and its well known products, imitation is the surest way to get your arse sued. Well the folks at LuxPro are just asking for a visit by the Litigation Fairy, and I'm not talking about Steve Jobs. This small electronics firm has just unveiled what it calls the Super Shuffle (how original), which happens to bear a striking resemblance to Apple's highly popular iPod shuffle. Okay, <i>resemblance</i> is putting it mildly. This thing<b> IS</b> the iPod shuffle, down to the last seam. It features the same identical white plastic body and control button arrangement found on Apple's media player, and even shares the same measurements (except for thickness); 3.3" by 0.99". Funny, that. <br /><br />So what makes LuxPro's product unique, you may ask? It has two features not found on Apple's product. Namely a built-in FM tuner and voice recorder. Oh, and it plays WMA files. Now I have nothing against LuxPro offering a digital audio player with these functions, but did they have to rip off Apple? It should be interesting to see if this product lives long enough to hit store shelves before Apple lawyers force them to play a different tune. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/9142605493759137.JPG" />

[Jason Dunn]

Damn! Depending on the price, hell, I'd buy one of these because I like the Shuffle but I NEED WMA playback!

[Gary Sheynkman]

That is just so cool!

Can some one make an Ipod with all archos gmini 400 and iriver h320 features....I'd get one in a second!

[Filip Norrgard]

Hah! I would buy this only to tease a Mac fanatic I know. :lol: The built-in FM radio and WMA are very cool additions that really could make me buy this thing - assuming, of course, that it makes it to the stores... ;)

[jizmo]

:roll:

I never got this shuffle thing. You can get a player that's more slender with wma support AND a display for the same money. Plus an option to shuffle.

People go to amazing lenghts just to own an iPOD. Well, that's good marketing on the behalf of Apple for you. If these cloner guys would've come up with this player on their own, they'd have zero sales with these antique features.

/jizmo

[JennWin]

WOW! The added features are really nice, however the shuffle design is not all that to copy, with those features and a different design, it could really be a legitimate competitor to the Ipod royalty. But I live in WMP 10 so the ipods never really appealed to me anyway

[Jason Eaton]

At least they could have rounded off the hard edges. :?

Don't people understand that research and design cost money? This isn't flattery, it is stealing. Like if I were to take all the 'Thoughts' sites designs and UI coding and make a 'Digital Media Ideas' site. Anyhoo, you may not like Apple but at least understand when something is just wrong.

Now, I am off to preach at another forum good citizens, Hi-Ho-Silver... away! :D

[Felix Torres]

I wonder if they're contracting with the same Chinese manufacturer that makes the shuffle...
(Or if they *are* the Shuffle manufacturer.)

Of late, I've heard some "amusing" horror stories about companies dealing in China getting their IP ripped off.

It is not out of the question that somebody at Apple might've missed something in the contract.

Which is to say, this thing just *might* be legal...

Not that I'm interested in one; the reason I like digital music players is being in control of what I listen to. There's plenty of music-playing thumbdrives out there and they all have displays; I'd sooner pick one of those that a blind shuffle...
&lt;shrug>

Makes for an amusing read, though: not even Apple's litigious reputation will stop IP pirates, huh?
And some want to abolish patents altogether... :roll:

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Quantity price from the grapevine is definitely less than US$100 for the 1gb model. That's right folks, it's cheaper than the real thing at 512mb.

[Felix Torres]

Quantity price from the grapevine is definitely less than US$100 for the 1gb model. That's right folks, it's cheaper than the real thing at 512mb.

No surprise there.
Published reports have said Apple's profit margin on the shuffles is a clean 40% on the 512 and 35% on the 1Gb.

http://news.com.com/A+voyage+inside+the+iPod+Shuffle/2100-1041_3-5590430.html?tag=nl

The single highest cost item is the flash RAM making up 50% of the cost.
Of course, Flash prices are steadily dropping so the profit can only go up.
And since the components Apple uses are available to all, it is no surprise the thing was so easily duped.

Marketing rip-off aside, if the market really wants displayless thumbdrive-players, rest assured the asian manufacturers will deliver them. And they'll all have radio, wma, voice recorder, *and* cost less than the Cupertino fashion statement.

Of course, that assumes the market really wants displayless players.
I'm reminded that, for a while, it seemed like the market wanted lucite cubes... :twisted:

[David Horn]

Interesting how it doesn't seem to be put together as well as the shuffle - you can see seams on the pictures.

[klinux]

People go to amazing lenghts just to own an iPOD. Well, that's good marketing on the behalf of Apple for you.

Actually, I think people go to amazing length to rationalize why a product from a company they dislike is selling well. It is never possible that the product could be superior (overall, not just a feature set) but the marketing. Oh well.