In a review of the Ibiza (another new MP3 player with some cool features), Michael Gartenberg points out something that I totally agree with:
Actually, what would even be more interesting is a wireless device with EVDO like the Kindle for refreshing content and acquiring new stuff wherever I go. Think iPod Touch meets Kindle but with free EVDO enabled and services to go with it. Now that would be a contender.
So the idea is an MP3 player with a wireless connection that always worked (unlike WiFi) and let you acquire content over-the-air. It takes the PC out of the loop and could radically simplify the whole experience. And that’s really the point: make it dead simple to use! Even the iPod is too hard to use and requires that you plug in your iPod to get content (remember WiFi is too hard to use).
Of course, there are challenges with such a device as well but I think it could sell quite well. Possibly a smartphone could fill this niche but I am not sure. By definition, a smartphone is a multi-function device and that contradicts the simplify edict that makes the device compelling in the first place. What’s required is for someone to make a killer device backed with a killer service that lets you acquire content over-the-air. Kindle is trying to be this device for ebooks. Where’s the MP3 player like this?
