Creative Turns Up the Heat On Apple

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/01/BUGQADVKFF1.DTL&type=business' target='_blank'>http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/01/BUGQADVKFF1.DTL&type=business</a><br /><br /></div><i>"...in an interview in San Francisco last week, Sim said his long-term vision isn't just to conquer the iPod but to get Creative's technologies into every home entertainment device, including DVD players, cable set top boxes and home theater systems. "Last year I declared war on Apple, but actually I was thinking of something bigger,'' Sim said. "The war is in the living room. We are going after the living room.''</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/bu_creative01_088_ca.jpg" /><br /><br />Creative certainly has ambitious plans, but they face a tremendous uphill battle against Apple. The portable video player is supposedly the next big thing. Apple is expected to announce something along those lines in October, so Creative won't have that market to itself either. As for Sim's other bold plans, does he really think he can beat Apple in digital entertainment? We'll see.

[Darius Wey]

As for Sim's other bold plans, does he really think he can beat Apple in digital entertainment? We'll see.

Probably not. Apple has dominated the digital entertainment market with its non-stop advertising and awesome reliance on word-of-mouth. Creative will always have its place in the market though - it'll take a significant bite out of it, but will probably fail to surpass Apple's share.

Over the past couple of years, the iPod has gained appeal (for whatever reason) among newbies and professionals. Unless Creative can come up with a way to turn its products into a "cultural" icon, it will stand at Apple > Creative. Shame though - for what it's worth, I like Creative's latest range of media players.

[marlof]

For me any new media player will have to be able to do one thing: sync with iTunes. I haven't found any better jukebox so far.

[Damion Chaplin]

For me any new media player will have to be able to do one thing: sync with iTunes. I haven't found any better jukebox so far.

And there you have it folks.
In one fell statement, Marlof has declared the death of Creative, iRiver and Archos. Time of death: 12:33pm. :wink:

Seriously, though. Creative will have an incredibly hard time wresting the crown from Apple. The other day, I was speaking to a friend who happened to mention that they 'need an iPod' because they 'need to get into the whole MP3 thing'. They looked shocked when I mentioned that, you know, there are other MP3 players on the market that are actually cheaper, less restrictive and (some would argue) easier to use. They had no idea. They thought Apple invented the MP3. :roll:

I agree that in order for Creative to become competetive, they must have a jukebox program that is tightly integrated with their players, much like iTunes. They could do us all a favor, and perhaps gain more ground, if they made it work with other companies' players as well...

'Cause using Windows Explorer to drag and drop those files is so difficult, only power users can do it, right? :wink:

Besides, if they're really 'going after the livingroom', then they're really targeting Microsoft and their media players, not Apple, wouldn't you say?

[randalllewis]

Creative has demonstrated that it can produce eye-catching and functional media devices. What it has not demonstrated to date is how to maximize those products through the advertising and buzz factors that Apple is so deft at.

And there is so much for Creative to market- let's take the Zen Micro for an example. Not only is it distinctive, it is intuitive and easy to use. Those are two of the key points Apple made with the iPod. Apple's other point was the integration with iTunes. But that fact could be the strongest argument for Creative and others. iPOD=no choice, Zen Micro=freedom. I can envision lots of television ads that play off of this, including one satire of the Apple 1984 spot where all these iPOD users march off a cliff in lockstep to iTunes in a monochrome world, while in a full color world, happy Micro users get their tunes from Rhapsody, MSN, Musicmatch, Wal-Mart, etc, etc, etc.

SELL SELL SELL. That is what Creative has been missing. If they want to take on the living room, they need to learn that lesson not just to deal with Apple but because the other gorilla in the living room, Microsoft, knows how to market too.

[Jason Dunn]

I wonder though, if Apple can be successful with video? Quicktime isn't a terribly popular format any more...especially not with the video-swapping 'Net crowd who will undoubtedly want to use a portable video player to watch pirated movies.

[Jason Dunn]

SELL SELL SELL. That is what Creative has been missing. If they want to take on the living room, they need to learn that lesson not just to deal with Apple but because the other gorilla in the living room, Microsoft, knows how to market too.

Exactly! Creative needs to actually MARKET their products. I've NEVER seen a TV commercial for Creative, or seen any Creative product placements in TV/movies. They need to build brand awareness among the mainstream population.

[Jason Eaton]

I wonder though, if Apple can be successful with video? Quicktime isn't a terribly popular format any more...especially not with the video-swapping 'Net crowd...

But isn't that the thing here?

Perhaps a small few, the niche as they say, *care* about the format of the files... the main stream market doesn't.

People say MP3 instead of AAC or WMA... iPod instead of Digital Music Players. The main stream doesn't care or even want to know. To mechanics there is a difference between Craftsman and Snap-on wrenches but to everyone else it is just a wrench.

So can Apple be successful with video even though Quicktime isn't popular? Yes.

Video will be successful once there is content that doesn't require more then a step or two to purchase/rent/transfer and content is available.