Posted on 10/26/2005 12:23:11 PM PDT by Panerai
An industry-wide shortage of a key flash memory chips will hit the availability of some models of MP3 player during the upcoming holiday shopping period, the head of Creative Technology Ltd.’s U.S. unit said Wednesday. He partly blames Apple for the shortfall, which he says will impact other MP3 makers.
“One of the key challenges we face in our MP3 business is an industry-wide shortage of 1GB flash memory,” said Craig McHugh, president of Creative Labs Inc., in a conference call with financial analysts. “Industry demand for high-capacity flash memory currently outstrips supply and this will impact availability of our 1GB flash MP3 players for the holiday quarter. The shortage of flash memory, according to industry analyst speculation, is primarily a result of a special deal that Apple has secured from a key supplier for the holiday season.”
Apple is widely reported to have signed a deal with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to secure a supply of flash memory for its music players, particularly the recently-launched iPod nano, which replaced the hard-disk drive-based iPod mini in the company’s music player line-up.
The deal struck by Apple is putting pressure on the entire MP3 player industry, said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Singapore-based Creative. He did not refer to Samsung by name.
“The MP3 market is now consolidating, but there is a shortage [of flash memory] because of the special deal we talked about,” said Hoo.
The consolidation has been at the low end, he said, with several Chinese MP3 player makers leaving the market because of the pressure Apple is putting on the industry, according to Hoo.
(Excerpt) Read more at playlistmag.com ...
Bushel's fault.
While (DEMAND > SUPPLY) {
SUPPLY++;
}
I hope creative goes out of business with all their sniveling and whining.
"Hoo" is their chairman.
I dunno, who?
I thought you knew!
The sound you're hearing is the world's smallest violin playing their sob song, compressed to 128kbps MP3 of course.
George: Condi! Nice to see you. What's happening? Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China. George: Great. Lay it on me. Condi: Hu is the new leader of China. George: That's what I want to know. Condi: That's what I'm telling you. George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China? Condi: Yes. George: I mean the fellow's name. Condi: Hu. George: The guy in China. Condi: Hu. George: The new leader of China. Condi: Hu. George: The main man in China! Condi: Hu is leading China. George: Now whaddya' asking me for? Condi: I'm telling you, Hu is leading China. George: Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading China? Condi: That's the man's name. George: That's who's name? Condi: Yes. George: Will you, or will you not, tell me the name of the new leader of China? Condi: Yes, sir. George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he's dead in the Middle East. Condi: That's correct. George: Then who is in China? Condi: Yes, sir. George: Yassir is in China? Condi: No, sir. George: Then who is? Condi: Yes, sir. George: Yassir? Condi: No, sir. George: Look Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone. Condi: Kofi? George: No, thanks. Condi: You want Kofi? George: No. Condi: You don't want Kofi. George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N. Condi: Yes, sir. George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N. Condi: Kofi? George: Milk! Will you please make the call? Condi: And call who? George: Who is the guy at the U.N? Condi: Hu is the guy in China. George: Will you stay out of China?! Condi: Yes, sir. George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N. Condi: Kofi. George: All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the phone
Tears all over keyboard!
If he calls Kofi and Hu - Hu's on first?
the loser will be apple, the winner, well, we will be the winner because we are free to choose which product we prefer (whether apple or creative or sony or jian liang) without the effects of an artificially induced shortage.
It has nothing to do with price. If price was the only concern GPX would have more cash per quarter than Sony. It's about quality, and it's about Fashion, and it's about ease of use.
You can't use creative products with the most popular music store.
Frankly they play second fiddle for MP3 instead prefering the hard to use lower quality less songs available WMA format.
There is no low price that makes garbage gold; especially when the only boon to creatives garbage is the flash memory Apple has bought out from under them.
Whining is a socialist strategy. Winning a capitalist one.
My Apple stock closed at $57 yesterday...
Ok let's see do I go to Music store A with thousands of albums and artists or Music store B with a lossy media format and hundreds of artists.
You use the popular music store because that is WHERE MUSIC IS AVAILABLE, and frankly on top of that Apple has tons free material from bands and most music is available there weeks before it hits actual cd shops.
People usng LINUX don't need a popular music store because they intend to steal music anyway.
You're not gonna believe this, but so did mine.
Mine too. Ain't capitalism grand!!!
You're not gonna believe this, but so did mine. -d
I'm a Mac user since 1984. I bought my first iPod, in the third generation. I waited too long...
I love capitalism!
in my old age i've concluded that all Microsoft and Apple users are just stupid sheep... your comments have done nothing to dispell that notion.
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