Gizmodo was given the hot tip that the much anticipated Slacker Portable player will be coming sometime between October and December.
That's quite the spread. It's pretty much anyone's guess that the Portable would be coming out sometime before the Holidays, especially since they originally expected it to be out in the summer. But hey, that's how it works. At least we know it's coming.
To keep the juices flowing, Slacker support gave slightly more deets to the boys over at Giz: "The portable player is scheduled to be released within the next month or two. At this time it is the final steps of production."
Hope you've been saving your lunch money kids.
[Gizmodo]
Thanks Luke!
You know, the Zune had this long, rumination period, and I bet this one will suck just as much. I love the stupid Internet/MP3/Free/Paid/Playlist/Radio/Maybe-Satellite model.
I have to admit I have not beena supporter of the merger, but it has become increasingly obvious since the merger was announced that is necessary. I am a subscriber to XM primarily for the music and Slacker really has made me think hard about whether I will choose to continue with the service once the portable player is released (and I am sure there are others who have had the same thought). That makes me wonder how many people will make the choice to never go with Satellite at all.
Satellite radio gives users a large variety but Slacker offers personalization.. Basically the choice is between the most choice or your choice. There is also the factor that Slacker offers a free service vs. Satellite's subscription service. It seems to me Slacker is a larger threat than I would have initially thought especially when lumped in with the rest of the competition. If the merger is allowed a la carte may help combat with the cost of Slacker's premim service cost, but then the choice of personalization will still be a huge attraction. With the premium service you will be able to skip an unlkimited number of songs and store your facvorites on the device I hope Satellite can eventually make a device to allow a similar concept.
I never thought I would say this, but I do truly hope the merger is approved for the sake of Satellite Radio. If not, and sadly even if it is, I am not sure it will be here much longer (at least not as it is now).
There's no question about it, if the merger doesn't go through, Satellite Radio is dead.
@ Elmo - I may be wrong, but I think Slacker's free service does not allow downloading to the device -- I believe you can only do this with a subscription service.
I have played with Slacker and it's quite nice. But one of the many advantages of XM (and Sirius) is that you can change what type of music, talk, etc. you are listening to on the fly. You never know what is coming next. The problem I have with an MP3 player/CD player is that I'm limited to what I've chosen. The ability to say "hey, I'm tired of Top Tracks, I want some Comedy 150" is what makes XM so great. When I'm on the beach or at the pool, I'm not stuck with my own content -- I just grab the Helix and change the channel to whatever the mood calls for.
Of course, the Slacker unit looks sweet, so I'll have to get one to supplement my XM, not replace it.
@ banff21
Nothing says dead like millions of paying subscribers and a base that's growing everyday.
I think it's becoming increasingly obvious that satellite radio needs subscribers more than subscribers need satellite radio. There are a lot of shiny new toys coming out that, regardless of whether or not you consider them competition, will lure current and potential satrad subscribers away.
It's devices like this and the iPod that are changing the entertainment industry. It's no longer about media or content because you can carry nearly unlimited content on them already. With increasing storage size, I give it 6-10 years before you can literally carry around every song in existence on one device.
The only use for radio at that point will be for live content, such as sports games or traffic/weather broadcasts.
Satellite has to make sure they corner the discovery aspect of music and music artists in order to stay alive in this digital era.
>> Nothing says dead like millions of paying subscribers and a base that's growing everyday.
No, nothing says dead like a continued lack of profitability. These companies can't even break EBITDA. "One-time non-recurring costs"? C'mon, that's the same crap we heard during the dotcom bubble.
There's just too many choices for consumers now. They don't need to make the decision between "XM vs SIRIUS" anymore... its now "XM vs SIRIUS vs Slacker vs iPod vs HD Radio vs Internet Radio vs iPhone vs Voyager vs Ford SYNC vs MyGIG vs Zune vs AT&T vs Verizon vs Sprint vs Pandora vs Rhapsody vs etc etc etc"
CalgoldenBear: "@ banff21
Nothing says dead like millions of paying subscribers and a base that's growing everyday."
Subscribers are still coming, yes, but the growth is SLOWING, not increasing.
Why is that? Because of devices like this.
I don't think it's devices like this that are slowing SatRad growth. We're a bunch of techie nerds, considering we're reading a SatRad blog. The average consumer has no idea how to use Slacker. It's a great idea, but the problem is, my dad, my wife's parents, my wife and her friends, they won't use it. They can use XM. Find a channel, tune in. The iPod's success didn't lie in it's limited capabilities compared to other players, it was the easy to use interface. That and great marketing.
When I talk to people about XM, they are interested. Why aren't they subscribers? Because they haven't used it, they haven't experienced it enough to know that it's worth the subscription price.
Get a Satellite Radio in the hands of your average consumer with some free subscription time and you'll see subscriptions increase.
The sky is falling under the weight of Slacker. What will we do?
Until I can get one factory installed in my new car, I'm not sure why I'd want it. All I need is another box hanging on the dash.
I think I figured out what my problem is with the merger.
I've been self employed for 30 years, and I've always had to compete with everybody for my living. Big companies who have multi-million dollar products. Small companies who will give the product away for free just to pick up a little cash. Companies which crap on their customers. Companies which overrun them with excellent service. Tons of competitors.
And I don't remember once ever saying, "Shit, life is so unfair because I have competition". In fact, one of the reasons I think my companies have been successful is that we know what it is to be hungry against great competitors.
It is just whining. "We can't take all this competition. What are we going to do? Let's wring our hands. Maybe Mel can get us a monopoly."
I'm sure XM & Sirius are shaking in their boots at this "competition". Please. I think all of us on this blog follow this stuff very closely and still don't really know what the hell Slacker is even offering. I don't think Slacker has figured it out yet. And as for the average Joe/Jane, they're only just learning about XM/Sirius. You think anyone outside of this little community has ever heard of Slacker?
I don't remember how I learned of SLACKER, but I can tell you this; my children don't need to buy anymore songs from ITUNES or any more CD's to hear their favorite genre of music. Even I found artists whose cd's no longer sell; like OREGON and Eddie Daniels. I'm not sure this is SatRad competition as much as it is content sales competition.