Dell puts $100 bounty on iPods

[Mac Reporter]

Dell wants your old iPod and is willing to pay to get it.

The Round Rock, Texas, PC maker on Wednesday unveiled an offer that grants music player customers a $100 rebate on a 15GB Digital Jukebox when they send it an Apple Computer iPod music player to be recycled.

The rebate, available only on the 15GB Dell Digital Jukebox, is designed to woo would-be repeat iPod buyers and also to raise the profile of the Dell DJ versus the iPod. Apple's iPod, now in its third year, is the leading portable music player.

"We want to help drive further awareness of the products we have available and…the plusses we have to offer," said Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn. Thus the iPod offer "is a way to call out what separates us from the understood leader in this particular market."

Read more at CNET News.com.

[pipoyg]

Talk about aggressive marketing - but still no dice for me:dry:

From the article:

Dell claims that lower price and longer-lasting batteries are two things that distinguish the Digital Jukebox from the iPod

How about form factor? Lower price usually means "sleeping inventory" that needs to be disposed of quickly. Also, the $99 you'll end up paying for the jukebox didn't come with iTunes.

Dell says its 15GB and 20GB players can hold more than 7,000 and 9,000 songs, respectively, while Apple says its 15GB and 20GB iPods can hold 3,700 and 5,000 songs

I'm not an expert but if one wants to go for higher quality audio then one would need to make a compromise on the memory capacity.

The iPod "is not just about the hardware, it's about the entire experience. Apple still offers the best integrated experience, from using the iTunes music store and application to the (iPod) hardware. It's easy to use,"

Bingo. I'm sticking it out with iPod

Oops... looks like too much Coke Light for me this morning:blush:

[PatrickGaerlan]

Trade my iPod for a Dell Digital Jukebox? Fat chance. I wouldn't do it even if the Digital Jukebox was completely free (well, I'd get it and sell it so I can buy more iPod accessories). iPod vs. Digital Jukebox? Pangalan pa lang talo na

[Edited on 7-1-2004 by PatrickGaerlan]

[maya]

I've used the dell dj and it's nothing close to an ipod. :P

[Maverick]

Originally posted by maya
I've used the dell dj and it's nothing close to an ipod. :P

i 2nd the motion... I have an officemate back in the US that bought one. He told me to try it out for a bit and see what I think... no contest indeed.

[Arel]

An excerpt from the article echoes the feelings of many Mac & iPod users:

"Although it's making an aggressive bid for iPod owners' business, Dell will probably have a hard time winning them over en masse. Apple still offers more variety, including a higher-capacity 40GB iPod and the smaller iPod Mini. Many iPod owners are likely to have downloaded a large number of songs from the iTunes service, or uploaded their CD collections to their iPods. It would take, at the least, a fair amount of time and effort to duplicate their iPod setups on a new Dell unit.

"I think it's unlikely that iPod users are going to give up their old iPods," said Tim Deal, analyst at Technology Business Research, despite Dell's "innovative and aggressive marketing strategy."

There are more reasons, Deal said. The iPod "is not just about the hardware, it's about the entire experience. Apple still offers the best integrated experience, from using the iTunes music store and application to the (iPod) hardware. It's easy to use," Deal said. "

[radar]

I took a look at the Dell Jukebox and, just on looks alone, I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. I'll stick with my iPod. And, as I go out this week to get my daugthters an iPod each, that jukebox will not even be considered.

[Arel]

For those who are curious, this is what the Dell Digital Jukebox looks like. Looks alone, there's no contest! What more the actual user experience! The iPod wins on both fronts, in my opinion.

Ask yourself. Will you trade in your iPod for this?

[Edited on 7-1-2004 by Arel]

[Edited on 7-1-2004 by Arel]