 The Register. >>>Apple saw a 50 per cent drop in demand for the Mac-only MP3 player, the iPod, launched to great fanfare, and to mixed reviews only last October. Apple CFO Fred Anderson defended the figures, and said other MP3 manufacturers had seen steeper declines.<<<
This isn't good news for the emergent personal storage device market. What they need to do is:
1) Rev the product faster (as noted by The Register, a 20 Gb model should already be out). Perhaps this should be modular? Trade up every 9 months to double your storage (cost $200). It could even be coupled with a service that transfers your old files to the new drive for you.
2) Connect and bundle new devices with it: a new camera that handles video and stills using Foveon's X-3 chip is one idea. With massive storage, you could easily capture video for hours at a time without messy memory sticks, etc.
3) Preload exciting portable apps that can be launched when you connect to any PC. I love the idea of "borrowing a computer's processor" to run my apps without leaving any residue. If done correctly, you could take your personal life with you to work with you and vice versa.
10:16:00 AM 
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