Digital Trends

2004 Trends

With the dawn of each new year, trends in a given product market change to reflect the assumed desires of those who buy the product. Manufacturers, in trying to anticipate what consumers wanted for 2004, are introducing or sprucing up features on their MP3 players. Some of the more notable changes include:

Players the size of pendants which you can wear around your neck.
Players which can be recharged through a USB port.
Players with built-in speakers.
Players which are actually headphones with built-in flash storage.
Players which are water resistant and can be used in the shower.
Players which sport video screens so you can watch movies.
Players which can serve as temporary storage for digital camera photos when a compatible memory card is used.
Players with built-in wireless connections for sharing files and syncing with your computer.
Players with smaller form factors which sport micro-hard drives, ala Apple's iPod mini.

OK, So What do I buy?

So, what should you buy? It all depends. Portability is obviously the most important thing, but all the other factors make this a very tough decision. Stylish choices abound in both hard drive and flash memory units, so if you want to look good you can.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider is this: what exactly are you going to do with this thing?

Do you want a device you can bring to the office each day, hook up speakers to and listen to your 50 CDs worth of techno? If so, one of the larger hard drive units maybe the way to go. Are you planning on running the New York Marathon and need to hear Jock Jams as part of your training regiment? You will probably get the most out of a flash memory player if this is the case. Or, do you want the best of both worlds – large storage capacity and small form factor? If so the mini hard drive or microdrive based players may be the way to go.

From the on the go set to those who want to use extremely high capacity models as their primary stereos, a multitude of choices abound. A buyer's paradise awaits those who take the time to research and truly determine what they need the most. Shopping around, both virtually and in the stores, is a must. With careful planning, you'll soon be on your way to portable digital audio nirvana.