The Zen Micro Photo
By Ryan Block 
posted January 14th 2005 4:24PM
posted January 14th 2005 4:24PM
We're not entirely sure how this slipped by as it was announced at the same time as the new Zen Micro sizes, but apparently Creative pulled a fast one on Apple and is launching a photo version of their Zen Micro player. Can you guess the name? It's the Zen Micro Photo. We know, you never saw that one coming. But it's got a 1.5-inch 130x130 pixel OLED screen capable of displaying 262k color images, and like its larger, more expensive Apple counterpart, it doesn't freaking play movies. Why? Why? Listen, Creative, if Archos can do it, you can do it, so get on that, aight?
if creative ever wants to start gaining on apple, they need to create products that are actually different/better than the ipod. case in point: this new ipod micro photo. why just copy the ipod photo? they should have added the video capabilities and really any other feature that people out there don't like about the ipod photo. that's how creative will get people to start buying their portable mp3 players. just my two cents.
I really like Creative's players (besides the larger zen touch being too big), so i hope this ends up being a winner. photo is the next logical progression, but i could show photos from my phone, but don't. also, i'm assuming this can't be hooked up to a tv... or can it? and what about battery life?
price and availability?
If Creative was to gain on Apple, sadly, it would have to so by creating an image. Style and status are the real reason the iPod is the market leader. It's not price. It's not functionality. The quality and ease of use helped the iPod get the lead but its all image now.
Lets face it, Apple is one of the only tech companies that can pull off a cool image.
Also, Creative might need to make a product that isn't butt-ugly.
Creative has set Apple back on their heels with the Zen Micro. I love mine. The ZM Photo will be so much better. I was at CES, where they demoed it. The image is SO MUCH SHARPER than the iPod Photo.
The OLED will be almost no hit on battery life, and so what if there is some loss in battery life. I'll just carry a spare in my pocket, thanks to Creative actually listening to their customers' desires. I can't wait until the next generation of 20/40GB players from Creative that incorporate the features of the Zen Micro.
I agree that Apple has a hold on people with their image. The battle between Apple and Creative comes down to Style vs. Substance. It will be much harder for Apple to come up with something of substance than it will be for Creative to incorporate style into their already substantive players. The Zen Micro and Zen Micro Photo are two great examples of this fact.
Creative has set Apple back on their heels with the Zen Micro. I love mine. The ZM Photo will be so much better. I was at CES, where they demoed it. The image is SO MUCH SHARPER than the iPod Photo.
The OLED will be almost no hit on battery life, and so what if there is some loss in battery life. I'll just carry a spare in my pocket, thanks to Creative actually listening to their customers' desires. I can't wait until the next generation of 20/40GB players from Creative that incorporate the features of the Zen Micro.
I agree that Apple has a hold on people with their image. The battle between Apple and Creative comes down to Style vs. Substance. It will be much harder for Apple to come up with something of substance than it will be for Creative to incorporate style into their already substantive players. The Zen Micro and Zen Micro Photo are two great examples of this fact.
According to a website I surfed (but can't remember now) the release date is in June. Bleh, no thanks.
Also, like others above have mentioned, why not throw in WMV support? Let us sync them with Media Player 10 so we can take our recordings of the Daily Show on our commute.
Oh, and for those looking for Creative to come out with something that plays video, you just need to look next to the Zen Micro on the shelf to see their other award winning player. The Zen Portable Media Center.
Creative never semms to learn.
The reason why people buy apple products is because they are cool and different and if creative wants to get more sells they should start producing products which differs from apple's products(i.e get more sales). Instead creative is doing the opposite which is copying apple which is the most uncool thing you can do. Not only that but their products are quite ugly too. Creativ needs to hire innovative designer and fire the current ones.
Next up: The Creative Shuffle.
This thing is fugly. It looks like it belongs on the set of Buck Rogers with some space disco streaming off it. Did Dr. Theopolis design this?
Apple have been doing this "coolness" marketing for so many years. While it failure on gaining ground in the PC market, it actually works for smaller units and lower price products like iPod. I would imagine many people get iPod is jsut for it's coolness, even though many of them might be educated buyer knowing the fact that it cost more for the same amount of features you can get else where.
With a clear mind, you would agree that Creative is trying to set the bar higher, especially with the push of OLED.
Just picture and no movie? Well, if you want movie you are getting the media center. It's how the market the difference and I am sure it will take awhile for Apple to get into that battlefield if only supporting quicktime.
I love the way you guys sneer "style vs. substance." The thing is a personal accessory. Like clothes, you know? No, I guess you don't.
Pocket-protectors also represent a triumph of substance over style. Good luck selling those to the masses.
creative and sony are big companys, just like apple...well not like apple but you know what i mean. sony players...probably had 1 thing in mind...kill the ipod....same thing goes for creative..kill the ipod...in this case the mini. the mini came out in different colours, creative done 1 better by more colours...then colour coded speakers etc....and now to pull one over apple, a colour screen...obviously not to push the boundry too much(as apple havent) with the use of video playbak. 1 does something...and other follows.
best thing about smaller companies in relation such as the korean peoples...they make something quite different. nice idea though for such a small ass player
what is ugly about this. It has the intuitive touchpad control on the front, similar to the ipod but of course improved upon (up and down makes so much more sense than going around in a circle), it has a beautiful OLED display which should wipe the floor with the ipod photos, and it is a good price to boot.
some actual pics:
http://www.dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.934
As long as companies like Creative are so focused on destroying the iPod's market share, they should take a serious look at useability first and foremost.
It is a given that style is on of the main things that initially attracts a consumer to a product, but the reason why so many people keep buying more iPods (and recommending them to their friends to buy) is becuase the iPod's interface is so well designed.
"if creative ever wants to start gaining on apple, they need to create products that are actually different/better than the ipod."
True! Apple is quite consistant at providing their customers with innovative, beautiful, simple, well-thought-out products across the board. And until other companies understand this, they will just keep churning out sub-standard iterations on the iPod theme and never, ever succeed.
Why has no one pointed out the fact that this player has one HUGE advantage over the iPod photo. It's as small as the iPod mini, which last time I checked cannot show photos and does not have a color screen. :)
Looks like Creative has a killer MP3 player on their hands.
geeks know the iPod interface is easyy cuz they either have one or herar other geeks say it, the average joe blow shopper doesnt know how easy the ipod is to use, they just know everyone else has one and it looks cool.
i seroiusly don't know what you guys are thinking that the zen touch has so much better of a control scheme. yes...up and down is logical, however, it requires you to lift your finger up and you don't get continuous scrolling. with the ipod you can continuously scroll through your music uninhibited. with the zen touch, however, you have to lift your finger EVERY time, and there's no getting around that. for those of you who can't quite grasp the click wheel have serious motor skill problems...
Apple iPod copying Creative when it comes to photo capability? Actually, Archos, RCA, and iRiver all came out with screens with photo/color capability before the iPod did. So you could say Apple copied them. And, all of them plays videos too. Actually, if you count Creative's PMC, Apple is among the last of the bunch which currently have color-screen photo viewing players to get in the mix.
Some of my coworkers considered getting an iPod until they saw the price. When I asked why they did not consider a media player from another company their replies indicated that they were not aware that there were other companies that made such devices. If my coworkers reactions are microcosm's for people in the US as a whole then I can see one of the major reasons that apple has more market share.
If creative is really about to start an agressive advertising compaign then we may see creatives market share increase (though I personally do expect this to result in apple's share diminishing).
hey dude, maybe no one wants to watch movies on that small screen, wuld u want to?
This player is ok... but am I the only one that fell in love with the GigaBeat at CES???
http://www.swedegoingberserk.com/2005/01/ipod-killer.html
I'm as much of a gearhead as anybody, but I really don't get the great demand for video on these devices. I checked out various PMCs and while the idea is cool, you can't see jack on those tiny little screens, so what's the point? Unless it's just to plug the device into a larger display... As for the Apple vs. Creative debate, why is that one needs to suck for the other to be good? The iPod is a great music player with an intuitive interface that sells for a premium. The Zen is a great music play with a somewhat less intuitive interface that sells for somewhat less. There's plenty of market share for both.
CREATIVE NEEDS TO GET CREATIVE! heh
but really, ipod makes everyone else follow, no ones doing a good job at exceeding, and soon another ipod will come out, and top the rest once again.
The OLED display makes a huge difference.
And as someone else mentioned, one nice advantage this player has is that it is more on the order of size of an iPod mini, not the iPod photo.
However, I don't quite think this qualifies as an iPod killer, although it is a step in the right direction.
I also agree that in order to really compete against the iPod, companies must offer a product that is different and better than the iPod, not merely shadowing it.
Areas for improvement, where one might be able to beat the iPod:
1) incorporation of video -- yes, I know it's a small screen, but it's still a killer feature...it would be more for short clips, like The Daily Show, as someone else noted, not full length movies -- and yes, there are video players out there, but their size and form factor just isn't there yet.
2) media card capability -- it would be nice to be able to take your media card from your digicam into a portable player
3) perhaps incorporating satellite radio, like XM or Sirius?
One point to note: right now it seems like nothing will ever be able to effectively compete against the iPod. The iPod is now the love of most gadget lovers.
However, this reminds me of where the original Palm Pilots were in the mid to late 90's.
They too were loved by all and became kind of a gadget status symbol. Just like there is now an iPod economy, there was a Palm economy.
Yet, eventually the Palm was superceded. In fact, it was the Compag iPaq that really was the first Palm killer, that really took the hearts and imaginations away from the Palm, and no one saw that coming.
So the same thing may very well happen with the iPod. I don't think Apple will stop innovating the way Palm did, but competition is inevitable, and eventually, someone will get it right. In fact, the more the iPod succeeds, the more competition it will attract.
One point to note: right now it seems like nothing will ever be able to effectively compete against the iPod. The iPod is now the love of most gadget lovers.
However, this reminds me of where the original Palm Pilots were in the mid to late 90's.
They too were loved by all and became kind of a gadget status symbol. Just like there is now an iPod economy, there was a Palm economy.
Yet, eventually the Palm was superceded. In fact, it was the Compag iPaq that really was the first Palm killer, that really took the hearts and imaginations away from the Palm, and no one saw that coming.
So the same thing may very well happen with the iPod. I don't think Apple will stop innovating the way Palm did, but competition is inevitable, and eventually, someone will get it right. In fact, the more the iPod succeeds, the more competition it will attract.
For shitsake people, the Zen Micro uses a touch sensitive line segment. Line segments have limited length. You move finger down line, lift finger, and then move it back up again. Wheels allow the user to continuously scroll without needed to lift your damn finger off the player. And what is the great functionality of the Zen Micro? Gapless Playback? Is that the best Earth's bravest and mightiest can do?
I hate to say this, but why would anybody want to watch movies on something like this. I agree that there's a need for digital pictures, but movies???? C'mon, I want a single kitchen device that cooks everything (eggs, caseroles, steaks) and makes orange juice and coffee in the morning, but I don't think that's too practical either.
Until a 9"+ flat panel screen can be "rolled up" into a tube, and can contain all the requisite electronics, I don't see too many people watching movies/videos on these TINY little screens.
Steve
Look - this thing is only 5Gb...how much good it is to put photos and songs in 5Gb...something has to lose out.
furthermore, this announcement is probably just to one-up apple as the product is only coming out in wait..JUNE...half a year...in half a year's time..we might not even see the product...by June, Apple might have something else out...
What I want to know is... where's this big marketing blitz Creative is supposed to be waging. And who are they targeting???? I've never seen a single ad for Creative in any non-computer magazines. I was in San Francisco yesterday and I swear no matter where you were in the city you could not turn around without being smacked in the face with an iPod ad. I realize a lot of that is for MacWorld but it just shows that Apple knows how to build a buzz about a product.
Yesterday I gave in to my impulses and ordered a iPod shuffle. I have an older Creative player but I know the Apple will kick it's ass.
Creative's CEO thinks that the Shuffle is a dud. How wrong he is.
- Creative products are pretty generic. I can't tell a cheap Chinese player from the top-of-the-range Creative players. Apple's items are well branded and stylish.
- Creative thinks more features = better player. Nup. I don't care if my player does not have FM radio, countdown timers and frikin' lazer beams! I just want one that WORKS.
- Creative's interfaces are way too hard. It's software sucks donkeyballs. Apple's been writing software forever, and you can see it.
Right now I carry a 128MB USB key with me (on my keychain) and I wanted to upgrade it to 1GB. The Shuffle is perfect for me, since it's small, charges itself, it's Apple and it's not much more than just a 1GB USB key on it's own.
Apple is not making a lot of inroads in the desktop PC arena, but their solid background in it is enabling them to make the consumer electronics of the integrated future.
Creative on the other hand is just one more fish in the pond. Unless they start to realise that regular users (non geeks) don't care about a zillion features and a $2 price difference. We want style, ease of use and hot brands.
1) there's no video support because it takes a more computing power and therefore *battery* power to decode video. that, and there's no legal way to shuttle video from tv > pc > [device].
2) the line segment pad could work like a click-wheel by using the finger's distance from center to drive the scroll speed-- scroll velocity, not position.
I don't quite understand why everyone keeps saying that people buy apple products because of clever style and marketing and coolness etc. The fact is that the majority of non-techies are stupid and apple plays to this stupid majority. While this has helped them sell the most and become the market leader, sadly this does not lead to progress in the music industry. Creative/Iriver recognises this and sells players that advance the market with competitive new features, which unfortunately do not sell well but at least it brings new innovations to consumers. This is why i continue to support iriver/creative players.
We keep saying it because it's true. iPods are not techie gadgets. They are fashion accessories, like a D&G shades or Gucci handbags. Sure that K-Mart handbag is machine washable, has more pockets, is lighter, more durable and cheaper, but that's irrelevant.
Oversized clear Dior sunglasses are pretty pointless and probably does not even block UV effectively, but it looks cool and it's part of the cool culture, whereas your $10 corner shop generic pair is simply functional. They work, but they identify you as someone outside of the in-crowd.
Same with iPods and all other players. Sure there's more technical innovation and blah blah in other players, but most people out there it does not matter what the feature / price gap is. They would rather not have a player at all if they can't afford an iPod.
It's ALL about image. Apple 'gets it'. Power to them. I'm buying stock.
I really think that the Zen Micro is a better looking device than the iPod, i guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
REMEMBER that the iPod Photo is the size of a regular iPod, while the Zen Micro Photo is slightly smaller than an iPod Mini!! Creative is truly setting the bar higher, also especially with the quality of an OLED screen.
And by the way, the Zen Micro comes in 10 different colors (solid colors too, not the 5 girly metallic ones of the iPod mini) (i chose orange!)
As for movies, on the Zen Micro Photo or iPod Photo... who is really going to do any movie watching on a tiny 130x130 screen!! Get a media center if you care about that!
I was personally impressed by the Zen Micro Photo. 5 and 6 GB capacity with that awesome OLED screen. Creative scores another winner!
"The reason why people buy apple products is because they are cool and different..."
If Apple claims 65% of the market share, how are their products different?
Isn't it funny how the more "iPod killers" there are on the market the more Apple's market share goes up? Despite there being 'better' players from a price/storage/features perspective for like 2 years now a smaller percentage of people are buying competing players.
This isn't rocket science people. The fact is that design matters. It matters a whole lot. I'm not just talking about what the player itself looks like but the whole thing from the physical design, size, name, marketing, packaging, and most importantly in MP3 players focus on simplicity and ease of use.
I'm just glad I bought Apple stock at 45. You guys can keep wringing your hands and gnashing your teeth all you want, that won't make any of the competitors more successful until they come out with something that's better in every way, not just one or two.
Since when is a white stick of gum a representation of style? Apple is all hype. They brainwash their fanactics into thinking bland, white boxes are the ultimate in cool. Suckers.
I hope someone, ANYONE, can break through this BS acceptance of "anything Apple is god" mentality. Be it Creative or Rio or iriver or Microsoft. ANYONE.
CTracy
It's all about branding. Since when is a white tracksuit with a black swoosh on it a representation of style? Since Nike made it so.
That's how branding works. Apple releases the iPod. Signs up one of the biggest and most respected bands in the known universe to help promote it. Bono is one of the coolest people on the planet. He's practically cool personified.
Add to all this hype a product that actually delivers - one that looks sleek (not 942 buttons and sliders and shit) is easy to use with good software, and you have a hit. The initial hype made people buy it, and the fact that it's interface and software is the best on the market made people say 'Hey check it out, I bought and iPod and it's the dog's bullocks!'
Pretty soon every high-school kid must have one. If you have some cheaper generic player, nobody will make a fuss about you. But if you have the latest iPod mini or iPod photo or iPod shuffle everyone wants to see.
You can call it brainwashing if you like, but if you have a Rio with a K-Mart t-shirt and a $10 pair of sunglasses, strangers will judge you as someone that's not part of the 'in-crowd'.
Dude, it's a freakin' white box. Get over yourself. And just because you don't buy the bland, white box doesn't mean your some trailer trash hick buying $10 sunglasses at Kmart But Apple has spent millions convincing you otherwise. I'm sure they are glad to see it's working. Funny how Apple has become the model of conformity it used to make commercials against. Think different? Why bother? I go this COOL WHITE BOX!
hahahaha shut up CTracy and get back in that locker!
Hey JK! Check out my new iPod shuffle. It exudes more coolness in one day than CTracy will in 9 years!
I don't usually post on this website but i'd like to say to JK that you are an abusive idiot. Every post i've seen of yours here has been verbally assaulting someone who doesn't sit at the feet of steve jobs and worship him. WHO CARES if someone doesn't like apple, its not a problem and CTracy has a point that apple has done an awesome job marketing to make you think their products are cool but their image has changed. They used to be a non-conformist type company but they just aren't any more.
But every single post i've seen you say here has been something like "haha shut up and get back in that locker" this is a tech website and i'm constantly amazed how people like you manage to use something even vaguely considered technological. How does someone like you get internet access.... Can you go for more than 10 seconds without abusing the person on the other end of the phone line confirming details?
My thoughs on this topic:
*Its nice to see someone who wants to compete with apple, they are doing an almost plausible job but aren't quite there yet because the ipod is a good and well marketed product that is entrenched in society now.
*If i wanted something i'd go buy an Archos Gmini.. Because that is (imo) probably the best combination of features and form.
hahahahahaha shut up #50 and get back in mom's basement!
I don't quite understand why everyone keeps saying that people buy apple products because of clever style and marketing and coolness etc. The fact is that the majority of non-techies are stupid and apple plays to this stupid majority
----
Uh, that's what Mac users say about their mediocre PC marketshare (!)
So.. iPod users buy this slick player that works with the best store and they're idiots. But those same idiots won't buy Macs because ... what.. Windows is easier to use and more user-friendly?
Back to the drawing board.