Dell's DJ Ditty is looking to take on Apple
Dell targets iPod with DJ Ditty
/v3-uk/news/2010435/dell-targets-ipod-dj-ditty
22 Sep 2005, Ken Young , V3
Dell has launched a digital music player dubbed the DJ Ditty in what it calls its first "word-of-mouth" promotional campaign.
The vendor announced the player in the US only with a banner on its website, and stated that it is getting the word out through employees and customer focus groups. Dell has also launched a special multimedia site targeting young buyers.
The announcement was so low-key that a UK spokeswoman was unaware of the launch. "We don't get US announcements but I wouldn't be surprised if it were available here soon," she said.
Priced at around £60, the DJ Ditty is about the size of a stick of chewing gum and is half an inch thick. It holds up to 220 songs on 512Mb of storage, and includes an FM tuner and a 1in screen for managing playlists.
The device plays music protected by Microsoft's digital rights management technology, which is used by online music sites supporting Windows Media Player.
Dell said that this is the first time the firm had used word of mouth to launch a product, insisting that it is ideal for such a form of marketing.
Mark Mulligan, research director at Jupiter Research, said: "To go against Apple, Dell needs a viral campaign that reaches the youth market looking for a cheap device. You need that if you are edging into a market defined by Apple.
"But Apple has been very successful at creating demand for its new iPod Nano in what is usually a quiet sales period. So they have defined the sector rather like Hoover defined vacuum cleaners.
"Apple has stuck to its guns on quality and managed to broaden its range. Dell cannot compete against that but, if players for Windows Media Audio become a strong sector, it has a good chance of being a strong player."
Dell's campaign will be a major achievement if it has a significant impact on Apple, which currently accounts for 75 per cent of the worldwide market with 22 million iPods sold.
Dell also introduced two new printers, the Photo All-In-One 924 and 944, which have improved photo-printing capabilities, designs and wireless options.
The 924 prints at up to 20 pages a minute, while the 944 model prints at 21 pages per minute and has a 2.4in screen for stand-alone photo printing.
© Incisive Media Investments Limited 2010, Published by Incisive Financial Publishing Limited, Haymarket House, 28-29 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RX, are companies registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 04252091 & 04252093
Do you agree?
Y Not?
Not everyone can afford a player with tons of memory and super quality. So what's wrong with an entry-level player for those customers, whether they are teenagers or just people who don't have the need or desire for higher-end device? Besides the DELL DJ Ditty (which is a silly name) has the same 512Mb capacity and $99 price as the IPod Shuffle, AND you can play your songs in the order you want to.
Posted by Danielle, 26 Sep 2005
TOM
If Dell was really serious they would find a way to get SIRIUS Satellite radio into one of those units. That's the only way you will take business away from Apple.
Posted by tom, 22 Sep 2005
eww
That's a horrible product, only 512MB. How can that compete with an iPod exactly? Plays microsoft wma format, big woop, nobody uses that format. And claiming iPods can only play music downloaded from the iTunes music store is a complete lie. You can add your own music just as easily.
Posted by KC, 22 Sep 2005
220 songs? Right!
Only with WMA encoding @ 64kbps which, is pretty lousy sound quality. Oh well, the Ditty get's what it deserves i guess.
Posted by Duder, 22 Sep 2005
Nope
"Apple's iPod only plays tunes downloaded from the iTunes music store."
Umm, no. You can play plenty of other forms of music too, including music stripped from cds.
Posted by Bob, 22 Sep 2005
iPodS play any mp3 file
Your story states: "Apple's iPod only plays tunes downloaded from the iTunes music store." As 22 million people know, iPods play any mp3 file loaded via the iTunes application. You don't have to download anything from the iTunes store if you rip your CD collection or download mp3s from other sources. That said, I'm happy there are competing products. I own two other mp3 players myself but they don't stand up to the iPod.
Posted by roy walter, 22 Sep 2005
Wha?
I can't understand why there is even a demand for this class of product, i.e. small capacity and limited quality. As a music lover, I'm looking for something that has a huge capacity with the best possible quality in the smallest package. The Nano is a step in the right direction, but I feel it's only going to be a short while before there are 20Gb+, Nano-size players that have electronic memory (no moving parts) with more efficient compression. That's what I'm waiting for! In the meantime, something with a 512Mb capacity doesn't even enter into the equation.
Posted by Jack, 23 Sep 2005
iPod
no matter how much dell tries, they can't catch up. i mean, they just lost their customer support battle to apple, fairly done. this little "ditty" is aimed at teeny-boppers too young to know the difference between quality and cheap. i vote the ditty is aimed squarely at those still on their parents' allowances.
Posted by *, 24 Sep 2005
D J Ditty
How do i get music on my dj ditty with out paying money for the songs?
Posted by ray, 27 Mar 2006