The interesting part of this story isn’t that Disney is selling their own MP3 player.
After watching the iPod rock the adult market for entertainment devices, Walt Disney wants a piece of the action. The company announced an MP3 player on Thursday designed for children 6 to 12 years old at half the cost of the cheapest iPod.
It’s this (I’ve hi-lighted the section):
Hoping it hasn’t already lost the pre-teens to the immensely popular iPod Shuffle, Disney is marketing its Mix Sticks music players as an iPod with additional benefits. Young adults can download music as iPod users do, and they can copy songs from their CD library.
Isn’t this a break with the rest of the movie studios and recording companies by allowing copying material between different players? Haven’t they been screaming about not wanting this capability, wanting to control what people play where, all the way to requiring payment for each copy on each device? This may be a story to watch.
Here are some pictures of the player.
“Isn’t this a break with the rest of the…”
Not really. The music industry in the US sheepishly admits that we have a fair use right to make personal copies of the music we buy. That’s why it took so long for DRM infested CDs to get in the US. Such CDs in the US some with songs in Windows DRM infested format. You’re limited to how many times you can copy them, but you can copy them.
And even ignoring fair use, the Home Recording Act specifically allows us to copy our music for any personal non-commercial use.
wow disney has hit a new low
Disney did this with TV’s and DVD players — they’re all over target, and been there for years. Yet, I don’t think they’ve sold barely at all, if I’m wrong?
If it plays AAPL AAC, mp3, some form of lossless and ogg i’m there. Don’t care if I look like I just beat up some kid 5 minutes ago.
The MP3 idea is good but for really small kids, it needs a Karaoke recording function. Absolutely essential.
But here is what we parents REALLY want:
A KIDS’ DIGITIAL CAMERA
Its a multi million-dollar toy idea that I’m surprised nobody has done yet.
It can be totally sub-megapixel but it MUST have the following:
Super tough, waterproof, etc.
A clear screen for reviewing the pictures.
A HUGE picture capacity.
Long battery life
Flash
Totally automatic
-Greg,
Oh hell no!
A long time ago, we went on a family vacation to Europe…and we gave my son an inexpensive film camera….. came home and it was perplexing to find six developed rolls of PEOPLE’S BUTTS!!! My son was hip high at the time, so….guess what his perspective was. I should have thought of that.
After that I’d let him take “pictures” (and his little sister, too) with a camera with NO film, or a disposable…(once it runs out of film it still keeps “taking pictures”) You “invest” in one roll, and if they lose the camera, who cares.
Kids do not relate “photo click” with “picture”. It’s the snapping the button that is important, not the actual photo.
Kids need less electronics, not more. And parents do not need another thing to keep track of on those family outings!