iPod shuffle threatened by Sony's new "Walkman Bean"

Sony today unveiled its new "Walkman Bean" MP3 players which compete directly with the iPod shuffle. In an attempt to wrestle market dominance from Apple, the palm-sized Walkman Bean is available in storage capacities of 512MB and 1GB--the same as the Shuffle--but boasts a 50 hours of battery life. Sony offers the players in four colors: Tropical Ice (blue), Cotton Candy (pink), Licorice (black), and Coconut (white). Hoping to upstage the shuffle, claiming that the Bean is less complicated than "other players", Sony hopes to portray the image of cool and hip as it markets this player to existing and potential shuffle owners. Sony is already accepting pre-orders of the devices which will ship in the middle of September; the 512MB model is priced at £80 while the 1GB model goes for £100.

Growing use of iPods, iTunes as marketing incentive...

Marketing incentive programs everywhere are incorporating iPods to attract business. iPod minis are the number one "motivational" electronics product according to the trade publication Incentive, as reported by The New York Times. Century Tower, a residential high rise in the Loop in Chicago offered an iPod mini to anyone who previewed an apartment and signed a lease within 24 hours. Sharon Campbell, the Century Tower's leasing director recalled that "one of the first things they'd say to me after signing the lease was, 'Do I get the iPod now?'". The iPod mini approach proved to be more successful than offering one or two free months of rent for Century Tower, despite the fact that rent costs range from $755 to roughly $3000.

New 4GB, 6GB iPod shuffles coming later this year?

Apple will reportedly launch new iPod shuffle models in 4GB and 6GB versions later this year, according to the Chinese Commercial Times. The report also says that Taiwan Green Point (TGP), a Taiwan-based consumer electronics chassis maker, recently landed iPod case orders from Apple, adding yet another company to the growing list of Tiawanese manufacturers producing components and related items for the iPod. Foxlink (Cheng Uei Precision Industry), Advanced-Connectek (Acon), Mustang Industrial and Ji-Haw Industrial all aid with the manufacturing process of iPods and are expected to see significant revenue increases following the introduction of the new Shuffle models, according to DigiTimes.

iPods continue to dominate Amazon top seller list

In its latest research note on Apple, investment firm PiperJaffray said it believes the iPod is continuing to gain traction in the September quarter, as evidenced by the number of iPods included on the Amazon Top Seller List for portable MP3 players and All Electronics. "The number of iPods in the Top 10 increased 1 spot, from 9 to 10 since our last update on July 18."

Samsung plans more MP3 players to compete with iPod...

Samsung Electronics, in an attempt to lure more sales away from Apple's iPod, will introduce 12 new MP3 players this year and plans to introduce 5-7 flash-based models along with two hard-disk based devices in 2006. In the first six months of 2005, Samsung introduced six new models to its range of Yepp players in the first six months of this year, hoping to triple its annual sales to more than five million units. Currently Samsung's target is still one-sixth of the expected 2005 sales of Apple's iPod player.

Plasticsmith offers tux for iPod stand

The Plasticsmith today the release of tux for iPod, an elegant stand for Apple's popular music player. Tux is a protective pedestal that is designed to be placed on the desk, next to the stereo, on the nightstand or any place where users regularly listen to their iPod with headphones or connected to speakers. Available for iPod and iPod mini, it comes in two versions, upright and tilt. Its side supports are built from extra-thick, flame-polished acrylic, slotted for a perfect fit and easy loading and unloading. Tux suspends iPod above the base, supporting charging and syncing with iPod's cable while secured. It is available in two color themes: black-based or white-based, with clear sides on all models and 3M non-skid pads for stability and protection of table tops. All eight models will be sold exclusively through Plasticsmith’s online store for $35 each.