Switched On: MP3 from Rio flight to neophyte

NPD analyst Ross Rubin takes a look at the MP3 portable device market in his weekly Switched On column at Engadget. Rubin comments on the different directions Rio, Thomson and Samsung are taking to compete in a market dominated by the iPod.

Rubin observes that while "the prestige audio brands have been unwilling or unable to able to crack the MP3 market, the mass-market manufacturers aren’t giving up." The Thomson RCA-branded five-CD shelf system and docking MP3 player is one of those products, although in my opinion its high cost ($179 at Best Buy) and lack of memory (128MB) might be gating factors against achieving mass market success.

Rubin says "Thomson has aimed it at “younger children, students, and even grandparents,” with its best chance for success probably among that last group," but still deems it "a decent transition product for late-adopter CD owners who would like to check out this MP3 fuss."

Even with Apple making a killing in the space, expect to see a lot more branded players to hit the market in the months before Christmas that retail at the mass market sweetspot of around $50...

via Engadget