Meizu thinks small, copies Apple again with Music Card

Sure, there've been props all around for Meizu's M6 Mini Player, but that still doesn't alleviate those concerns of iPod "homage." Now that we've spotted this upcoming "Music Card" nano foe, who's design was apparently inspired by a user submitted competition, it's pretty clear where Meizu is getting its design ideas, but we're not sure we'd have it any other way. With a shiny metal back, "reminiscent" of the original nano, along with that glossy plastic metal front and familiar screen size, the Apple references are hard to skip. Meizu mixes things up with its scroll strip and that little button on the bottom left, along with what we're assuming is expansive codec support and probably even video playback. Dimensions are familiar as well, at 6.9mm thick and 39mm wide, but enough about similarities: we're looking forward to a bit more info on this player to see just what Meizu has planned for us on price, availability and features.

[Via dapreview]

[tabascoishot @ Jan 12th 2007 9:06PM]

Nice, smart guy. Throwing around racial slurs totally mitigates getting our asses kicked in autos, consumer electronics, shipbuilding, and steelmaking in the last 30 years.

Let's stop with the bs and actually think about holding onto and improving upon our own ideas - what a concept!

[Blackster @ Jan 12th 2007 5:09PM]

you suck at geography!

[chezzo @ Jan 13th 2007 12:29PM]

How can you look at the Wii and then say the Japanese aren't innovative?

[Frank @ Jan 12th 2007 2:21PM]

why would you want a knock off?

iPods are so damn cheap these days...

[zzz @ Jan 12th 2007 7:39PM]

Yeah, cheap my ass.

[kev @ Jan 12th 2007 7:39PM]

Because it's not a knock off and it actually does more.

[blaQ @ Jan 12th 2007 2:23PM]

serves Apple right for trying to bully Cisco

[Adam @ Jan 12th 2007 2:37PM]

The background looks just like one of Apple's desktop patterns also.
imitation = flattery (or lawsuit depending on what you are imitating)

[Heike @ Jan 12th 2007 2:52PM]

The reason for getting a Meizu over an iPod is: No proprietary software needed and a standard Mini-USB connector.

[joshua conti @ Jan 12th 2007 2:53PM]

oh, originality! you languish, dying in the shadows...

[umrain @ Jan 12th 2007 3:03PM]

oh no they copied apple's rectangle shape!

[Yami @ Jan 12th 2007 3:31PM]

Seems they've also been looking at iRiver's products. H10 anyone?

[Mike @ Jan 12th 2007 4:56PM]

Well, GioNYC, since Meizu is a Chinese company, I'm not sure what you're "japs copy everything" comment has to do with the conversation at hand.

[whiskey @ Jan 12th 2007 3:39PM]

So here we are again right? tsk, tsk! Why, you should all know by now that Apple patented the color white in 1996 and then the shinny white finish in 1998, followed by patenting the color black, the square, the round corners and even using metal as a part of any consumer electronics...
Once they created the ipod they decided to expand their list of patents by patenting touch and circles. They seemed to go somewhere when they patented cubes but it rapidly fell apart as a scheme to make fishtanks not so cuby.
Now they have reinvented TV and Phone and will not let us down by patenting useful things as Signal, Nemo's father, Marlin (wait a minute! OMFZG! they have already that patent... they are Disney + Pixar after all) and the way you order numbers when you make a numpad for a phone.

Apple, Inc. one inch closer to patenting your ass.

[kyle @ Jan 12th 2007 4:08PM]

Heike @ Jan 12th 2007 2:52PM

"The reason for getting a Meizu over an iPod is: No proprietary software needed and a standard Mini-USB connector."

- I do not agree, since the iTunes software is amazing! It organises your podcasts, gets cover art for you, and updates your iPod whenever you connect. It's so simple. Much more simple than a file tree mp3 player, or to drag and drop them in there, and when you want podcasts you need to find them, argh I can't even think of leaving my iPod again.

[Heike @ Jan 12th 2007 6:16PM]

"- I do not agree, since the iTunes software is amazing!"

But maybe I use another kind of amazing software and don't want that thing on my computer? I don't buy online DRM-crappy songs, I don't like the way how iTunes went from version to version. Way too much options I don't want to use.

And additionally I don't like to carry that proprietary cable with me if I want to drop or get some mp3s at friends.

[peshue @ Jan 12th 2007 4:13PM]

Huh? Apple copy? All I see is a Creative style scroll bar and a button in the corner just like the Sansa.

[Richard Lai @ Jan 12th 2007 4:24PM]

This is just a love child of Apple's iPod Nano and Creative's Zen Touch.

[The S @ Jan 12th 2007 5:09PM]

The 'Japs' are the most technologically advanced race in the entire world. Besides Meizu are Chinese.

[amy @ Jan 23rd 2007 4:54AM]

The design of Meizu's products is from korea.

[LostCarcosa.net @ Jan 12th 2007 5:52PM]

Hey GioNYC, Why don't you drop the ol' "N" bomb while your at it. The "J" word ir just as bad a racial epithet.

I sort of like the look, but that interface and background is definitely trying to look like Apple's. The vertical scroll might not be as nice as the wheel, however, since you can't do a continuous scroll without lifting your thumb.

[E Malave Jr @ Jan 12th 2007 6:19PM]

Umrain, you forgot to mention Apple also owns the colors "black" and "white".

If it does more, works as well and it's cheaper--that's innovation. There should be more of that kind of originality around.

[Richie Twice @ Jan 12th 2007 6:27PM]

"why would you want a knock off? iPods are so damn cheap these days..."

There are a lot of people who don't want to give Steve Jobs - assisted by his audience of embarrassing whooping idiots - any money.

[Joshua Ochs @ Jan 12th 2007 6:41PM]

Anyone who doesn't see the blatant rip-off here is troll or a completely irrational Apple hater. Let's see, same form factor, color scheme, menu system, song display, a Mac OS X background - what more does it take? The ONLY differences are the strip vs wheel (because it's cheaper) and the ugliness of the body construction (again, because it's cheaper).

Seriously - you don't need to be a complete sheep in this market - Creative has managed to have similar features without ripping off Apple wholesale.

[kev @ Jan 12th 2007 7:39PM]

Or you're actually smart because you've seen their stuff in action before. Dumbass.

[moksha @ Jan 12th 2007 7:08PM]

Lol, the desktop background is one that Apple provides, called Panther Aqua Blue.

Compare this: http://media.arstechnica.com/images/tiger/aqua-blue-panther-small.jpg
to the desktop on either of them.

[kev @ Jan 12th 2007 7:41PM]

Look, you can claim all you want that this is an iPod knockoff. Only in America will we patent designs, certain functionality and usage and claim it as a companies and for no one else to use. The era of (more often that not) patents actually meaning anything is long gone.

Meizu has done a fine job--the firmware is a bit quirky but you know what, they actually listen to their users. So to all the retarded Apple fanboys or ignoramuses out there, go drink a nice mug of STFU.

[kev @ Jan 12th 2007 7:42PM]

company's*

[Kip HT @ Jan 12th 2007 8:05PM]

Yeah, apple now owns the patents to white, black, pink, blue, green, round, square, small, large, shiny, metal, corners, fingers and displays. yes i can see how it is a copy of the nano's shape, but anyway, why complain about a better product

[mels @ Jan 12th 2007 11:07PM]

I have the M6 Mini player and it is awesome.
It plays mp3, ogg, flac and windows media and has an FM tuner.
It also plays my videos on a nice crisp clear screen.
Meizu has also created a videoconverter so you can modify your movies.

It is recognized as a flash drive on my PC so there is no need to install any drivers

I use it at the gym all the team. When I ride the bike I watch episodes of the Chappelle show.

You can't beat this thing. I paid $144 shipped (4 gb version) on eBay and it was brand new.

[S.A. @ Jan 13th 2007 12:08AM]

I really dont see how this is an Ipod nano knockoff. Because it has a screen and it is a rectangle? If anything, it looks like they copied the vertical scroll pad from the Zen Vision M, which is much better than any Ipod.

[jaalin @ Jan 13th 2007 12:46AM]

i have a meizu miniplayer, and while i love it for the format support and small yet manageable size (not to mention the fact that windows sees it as a portable hdd), the software is quite weak compared to the likes of cowon (the software on my old iaudio m3 was vastly superior) - the shuffle doesnt really work and the menu setup is quirky... that tactile strip isn't nearly as good as the ipod's either. that said, the meizu hardware is very well-built (there is also a factor-applied anti-scratch film applied on both sides of the player) and the audio chip puts out good sound, so together with the video and ogg/flac support (as well as not needing itunes... simple drag and drop from explorer is fine), the meizu plays out to be a better overall DAP than the ipods.

knock-offs are typically inferior versions of what they are copying... while the meizu falls short in several areas, i believe it more than covers up for them with a lot of extra features not found on the ipod.

[tekdroid @ Jan 13th 2007 1:08AM]

flac? ogg vorbis? drag n drop upload and download?

If this is a knock-off from the RIAA-approved devices like iPod and Zune and Walkmans (who are scared of royalty-free open formats because independents and independent art should be crushed), I say give me more where these came from.

Now if they add removable battery & flash...

[Keyth Halloween @ Jan 14th 2007 2:10PM]

It must give certain people some kind of sexual satisfaction to bash Apple at every turn. Personally, I think it's an extension of their homophobia or political bias, as- for some reason- certain people seem to equate Apple products with being homosexual and liberal.

It's obvious this is a rip-off, as they're using Apple's own wallpaper! How can you not admit this?

And I like my iPod and iTunes. If you're such a pirate that you insist on everything being in .ogg format and downloaded from bittorrent or Usenet or some other P2P, then I say more power to you: Enjoy your cheap import counterfeit devices. I won't stop you!

Don't suggest, however, that I don't get what I paid for with my iPod. It does what I want, how I want, and has great support from Apple. When your Meizu player craps out on you, be sure to tell us how that customer service call to Asia works out for you.

[Cristobal Negrete @ Jan 15th 2007 10:21PM]

This isn't the winner of the contest, the contest hasn't ended yet. Meizu has a funny concept of how a "contest to design the musicard, our next mp3 player" should work.

[lukey @ May 31st 2007 12:43PM]

The design of Meizu's products is certainly NOT from korea. In fact, the M3's design was chosen from a design competition based in China.
But anyway, I certainly have high respect for Meizu, as they are one of a few Chinese DAP companies that's been making huge progress in churning out excellent quality music players that matches the best in the competition today.

[mailto:jeffdm @ Jan 31st 2007 11:17PM]

All this shows me is that the far-east manufacturers really don't have anything like a visual design team worth anything. It seams that the culture simply one of duplication and mass production and that's it. This isn't a clone of the nano, but too many details are just visual knock-offs to be a coincidence. They can use any aspect ratio for the case, use any color, use any radius, chose different corners to radius, but they don't do that. Just changing the controls on the front doesn't involve much creativity.