Why isn't there an Android competitor to the iPod (Touch)?

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Why hasn't someone like HTC or Motorola produced a device like the iPod touch based on their Android phones?
Basically make a watered down version of their phone without the radio chip of course.
Their phones already have MP3 and video capabilities, browser, apps, etc.

 

[TheWart]

I dunno...perhaps they feel the market is already too saturated and that it would be too difficult to go up against the Zune, much less the iPod lineup?

 

[Phobic9]

There's a few baking in the oven. Google and Verizon are working together to bring a decent tablet to the market.

I'd say most of big manufacturers are in a "wait and see" holding pattern.

 

[MJinZ]

Because the iPod Touch is already a redundant and superfluous device.

Oh, and because Android interface for its Mp3 player pretty much sucks ass. I know, I use it every day.

 

[Anubis]

I dunno...perhaps they feel the market is already too saturated and that it would be too difficult to go up against the Zune, much less the iPod lineup?

agree here, TBH i wish someone would make a new MP3 player that just plays MP3s and has a large storage capacity in a small footprint

think the ipod classic without being an ipod and having that shitty wheel and itunes to deal with.

but thats just me

 

[Spoooon]

Because the iPod Touch is already a redundant and superfluous device.

Oh, and because Android interface for its Mp3 player pretty much sucks ass. I know, I use it every day.

Check cubed out. The stock one doesn't really suck ass, it's just pretty bare bones.

And yes, I don't see why anyone would want to get the Touch over a nano or classic.

 

[tfinch2]

There's a few baking in the oven. Google and Verizon are working together to bring a decent tablet to the market.

iPod Touch, not iPad.

 

[Deeko]

Probably because A) the media player on Android is pretty awful and B) the iPod line is very entrenched in the consumers mind, so you need a device FAR superior to suceed.

 

[Phobic9]

iPod Touch, not iPad.

Whoops. :$

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Probably because A) the media player on Android is pretty awful and B) the iPod line is very entrenched in the consumers mind, so you need a device FAR superior to suceed.

OR build a device of comparable quality and compete on price.

 

[Deeko]

They would have to really improve the quality of Android's media player (or the manufacturer would have to write their own) before they could have anything of comparable quality, regardless of hardware used.

Also - companies have been doing that vs the iPod for years. Only the Sansa has been successful with that angle. The Zune HD was an attempt to build a device of comparable (or, depending on your needs, better) quality and have a slight price edge, and it hasn't exactly dominated the market.

 

[dwell]

Because the iPod Touch is already a redundant and superfluous device.

iPod Touch is Apple's ace in the hole. It accounts for a large percentage of AppStore sales and it's why Apple's gaming platform is so healthy.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

They would have to really improve the quality of Android's media player (or the manufacturer would have to write their own) before they could have anything of comparable quality, regardless of hardware used.

Also - companies have been doing that vs the iPod for years. Only the Sansa has been successful with that angle. The Zune HD was an attempt to build a device of comparable (or, depending on your needs, better) quality and have a slight price edge, and it hasn't exactly dominated the market.

The Android name is now more popular than Sansa or Zune and hence easier to market.
It will succeed where those 2 failed because of this fact alone IMO.

 

[dwell]

The Android name is now more popular than Sansa or Zune and hence easier to market.
It will succeed where those 2 failed because of this fact alone IMO.

Sansa is the #2 MP3 player on the market. It is much more popular than Android. In fact, not many people know the Android name, though they do know Droid. The Android brand is convoluted between Android, Droid, and "With Google".

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Sansa is the #2 MP3 player on the market. It is much more popular than Android. In fact, not many people know the Android name, though they do know Droid. The Android brand is convoluted between Android, Droid, and "With Google".

Are there more Sansa players out there than Andriod phones (of all makes)?

 

[dwell]

Are there more Sansa players out there than Andriod phones (of all makes)?

I don't know for sure, but I would not doubt it. They've been #2 for years now. There must be 10 - 20M Sansa players on the market.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Unofficial answer.
http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=sansa&word2=android
Android wins!

 

[preslove]

The standalone mp3 market is shrinking, there are a couple entrenched incumbent firms in place, and profit margins are being squeezed by falling prices.

Not a good recipe for new entrants into a market.

 

[TheStu]

Yea, as it stands right now, Apple's iPod business is whithering. More and more people are buying iPhones and iPod Touches (which are lumped more in with iPhones than iPods) than they are Classics, Nanos and Shuffles. I don't know when they will kill them off altogether, but it will probably be within a few years. I just hope that the nano hangs around at least. I use my iPod in my car, I need buttons.

 

[TheWart]

Yea, as it stands right now, Apple's iPod business is whithering. More and more people are buying iPhones and iPod Touches (which are lumped more in with iPhones than iPods) than they are Classics, Nanos and Shuffles. I don't know when they will kill them off altogether, but it will probably be within a few years. I just hope that the nano hangs around at least. I use my iPod in my car, I need buttons.

I wouldn't worry about the nano or classic dying off anytime soon. Despite the negative YoY decline in iPod (excluding the iPod Touch) sales, there are still millions being sold every quarter.

Another reason a company might be holding off is that most people assume the next iPod Touch will have the same impressive camera capabilities as the iPhone -something which I don't think any other mp3 player really rivals- thus making the barrier for a legitimate alternative to the iPod Touch line even higher.

 

[randomlinh]

And yes, I don't see why anyone would want to get the Touch over a nano or classic.

I don't want to carry an ipod touch when I'm jogging.
I don't have any need for video, so why pay for it?
I simply don't want to pay as much.
I want my entire collection of music to go.
I don't want want to drain my phone battery (for those that say, just get an iPhone).


Not all my own, but some reasons why one might not want an ipod touch.

 

[Anubis]

I don't want to carry an ipod touch when I'm jogging.
I don't have any need for video, so why pay for it?
I simply don't want to pay as much.
I want my entire collection of music to go.
I don't want want to drain my phone battery (for those that say, just get an iPhone).


Not all my own, but some reasons why one might not want an ipod touch.

every single one of those reasons is why i don't have a zune/hd/touch/.... any modern MP3 player

 

[shortylickens]

For the same reason we dont have PDA's anymore.
Phones are a much better way to do things and also lend themselves to more money down the road in terms of charging for service and/or running ads.
Why do you think they kept adding features to phones? People want all of their gadgets in one place. They dont wanna have to carry multiple things around.

 

[Anubis]

well in that case shorty wake me up when they have a phone that can hold 100 gigs of data and play FLAC files

 

[theeedude]

Because it's a waste of a perfectly good phone platform. The modem costs basically nothing compared to price of overall device, Snapdragon has it on chip for example.