Gateway's iPod knockoff...yikes!

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
And you wonder why Gateway's losing money?



For $299 you get a 20gb w/FM tuner.

There was no link to get a larger view of this thing...but judging from it's appearance, perhaps it's better that we can't.

I really wonder who in their right mind would get this. And I'm not even saying you have to get an iPod.



http://accessories.gateway.com/Acces....htm?ref=merch

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    kecksykecksy Posts: 1,002member
    The competition has really started to heat up in the online music and portable music player space. Let's hope Apple can find a way to stay on top.
  • Reply 2 of 18
    mcqmcq Posts: 1,543member
    Looks like a strange hybrid design of the iPod and Dell's music jukebox thing.
  • Reply 3 of 18
    This Gateway thing looks ugly and pretty bulky to boot. An FM tuner is a worthless addition if it compromises the core functionality of being a portable, lightweight music file player.
  • Reply 4 of 18
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    http://www.edigital-store.com/odyssey1000.html



    Look familiar? Specs are very similar. Either this is the OEM partner or Gateway copied the wrong people.
  • Reply 5 of 18
    ryaxnbryaxnb Posts: 583member
    Yuck. Dell DJ please thanku. (I mean the DJ stinks but gotta be better then this)
  • Reply 6 of 18
    God Lord man! WARN someone before we click the link (or the pic gets posted)! Some of us have children (or are in the midst of eating breakfast).
  • Reply 7 of 18
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Chris are you talking about that one from Eugene's link? It looks like a chrome/aluminum iPod.



    If Apple came out with something that looked like that, let's face it: most of you would be creaming your Levi's over it.







    Not me, of course. But you guys into the whole "metal, metal, metal...on everything!" crowd.







    I've read more than one post here at AI calling for an aluminum iPod (and iMac and...)
  • Reply 8 of 18
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates

    Chris are you talking about that one from Eugene's link? It looks like a chrome/aluminum iPod..



    The one I refer to is the picture posted above (which looks the same as the one in the original link. Eugene's link looks slightly better...but only slightly. The control panel looks terrible (IMHO), and this thing sorta looks bulky (to me). The iPod looks much better by comparison. Let's see:















    Or...









    Quote:

    If Apple came out with something that looked like that, let's face it: most of you would be creaming your Levi's over it.



    Not me. I like the iPod.



    Looking over them, I realize that Dell's is the by far the ugliest. Go figure.



    P.S. This is my favorite picture of it:



  • Reply 9 of 18
    Well in their press release they are saying its dimensions are smaller than the 20gb ipod
  • Reply 10 of 18
    Quote:

    Originally posted by JohnHenry

    Well in their press release they are saying its dimensions are smaller than the 20gb ipod



    The Gateway? Nope.



    GW\t\tiPod

    7.7oz\t5.6oz



    3.99"\t4.1"

    2.64"\t2.4"

    0.83"\t0.62"



    8.7 cu in.\t6.1 cu in.
  • Reply 11 of 18
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates



    If Apple came out with something that looked like that, let's face it: most of you would be creaming your Levi's over it.




    Forget for a second that the iPod is available at Target stores. That e.Digital device looks like something you'd buy at Target! You know, something that would come in a cheap looking package with a window showing the actual device...It looks cold, with irregular shapes. Every button on the iPod is a circle...



    The iPod is an emblem.
  • Reply 12 of 18
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    I think the iPod is great because it doesn't look like it's "trying", you know? Being Apple, I'm sure they could've easily snazzed it up the wazoo with curves and translucent this and colored that.



    But it's damn near perfect. Simple and is what it is. And so SMALL!







    Still doesn't negate my point: a lot of people ding gear from the "other side" (ugly or attractive), but if Apple came out with something that looked just like it, they'd be starting threads cooing over its "slick, forward-thinking design and cool, crisp lines".







    On a somewhat related note: if Apple - now that iTunes for Windows is out, along with the online store and the iPod working beautifully with it all - doesn't really sell the living crap out of these things this coming holiday season, I'm REALLY going to have to start wondering about their marketing...even more than I already do, of course. The "dancing silhouettes on colored backgrounds" are nice and attention-getting. But I'd sure still love to see SOMETHING that conveyed the whole experience in a nice 30-second spot (buying, organizing, transferring, listening, etc...the whole process and how the three work together: music store, iTunes and iPod).



    I promise you there are people out there - millions, I'm sure - who see the current ads and don't really grasp EXACTLY what's going on or why they should investigate "this iPod thing" further. One attractive, snappy, well-written spot WITH SUBSTANCE (to go along with, not replace, the current ads) would really kick things into high gear.



    But I'm not holding my breath...
  • Reply 13 of 18
    idaveidave Posts: 1,283member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates



    On a somewhat related note: if Apple - now that iTunes for Windows is out, along with the online store and the iPod working beautifully with it all - doesn't really sell the living crap out of these things this coming holiday season, I'm REALLY going to have to start wondering about their marketing...even more than I already do, of course. The "dancing silhouettes on colored backgrounds" are nice and attention-getting. But I'd sure still love to see SOMETHING that conveyed the whole experience in a nice 30-second spot (buying, organizing, transferring, listening, etc...the whole process and how the three work together: music store, iTunes and iPod).



    I promise you there are people out there - millions, I'm sure - who see the current ads and don't really grasp EXACTLY what's going on or why they should investigate "this iPod thing" further. One attractive, snappy, well-written spot WITH SUBSTANCE (to go along with, not replace, the current ads) would really kick things into high gear.



    But I'm not holding my breath...




    A little off-topic but you're right. Apple's ads are too visual and not informative. iTunes is just about the most amazing application I've ever used, and the iPod is just about the most amazing device. Together, they've revolutionized the way people manage and listen to music. You'd think Apple would want to tell everyone. But no!
  • Reply 14 of 18
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    The Devil is in the details.



    I get a lot of people stopping me in the street and saying, "Hey, is that an iPod?"



    I could never, ever see anyone stopping me in the street and saying, "Hey, is that a DMP-X20?"



    Never mind that it looks like "Dump x20," and reminds us old-schoolers of the old Radio Shack Dot Matrix Printer.
  • Reply 15 of 18
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    EVERYONE (okay, most) know the iPod when they see it. That's very cool. There's no reason it can't - and shouldn't - rule the whole "digital music" battle currently heating up (is it just me, or has everyone jumped on the whole digital music bandwagon in the past few months?).



    Makes you wonder if they would've had Apple never brought out the online store and all. Were any of these other services in the pipeline prior to April of this year?



    Once again, it seems, there's Apple doing it first. And best. And then everyone else slowly comes on board with a less snazzy/slick version of it...



    Seems to happen A LOT.



    Yeah, I'm biased...but still.
  • Reply 16 of 18
    idaveidave Posts: 1,283member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates

    EVERYONE (okay, most) know the iPod when they see it. That's very cool.



    I wonder if that's really true. We know it. Most school-age kids probably know it. Does the rest of the average population know it, or will they be introduced to digital music by Gateway?



    I've seen the new (as of Thursday, 11/13) iPod/iTunes commercial. It's another like the others. If you watched it, it would have to make you wonder what's going on, what iTunes is, what an iPod is. But it doesn't tell you!
  • Reply 17 of 18
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    True. Very true.



    By "everyone", I probably was meaning us and younger people who would know it from ads and TV and just keeping up with pop culture/tech stuff in general.



    I don't know if my grandfather would know.



    But I know he'd love to have his Statler Brothers and Jim Reeves CDs on one when he's walking around the neighborhood or puttering around in the garage.



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