iPod speakers for the me generation
- Source: Global Times
- [10:48 July 21 2010]
- Comments
Few people would argue that Apple is the technology story of the last decade. And the US electronics giant isn't simply a commercial behemoth to stand alongside the usual Fortune 500 companies. Official launches of new Apple products regularly draw crowds of thousands, with news coverage to match. Through astute marketing and customer interaction, the company has created an Apple 'lifestyle' in which adherents go far beyond the usual retailer/customer relationship. And now Shanghai is being given its own custom-made slice of the Apple pie. After the first store launched in Beijing in 2008, China's second in Pudong officially opened its doors on July 10 (staff put the turnout at well over 2,000). Apple plans to open another 20 China locations within the next two years.
Among the company's biggest sellers, of course, are the era-defining iPod and iPhone. Both allow users to experience music that travels, but among fans they are more than simply MP3 players; they offer a way for consumers to express their personality. And the range of speakers available for these devices is equally diverse.
In the Third Product area in the new store, there are more than a dozen of these speakers on sale. The Philips Fidelio DS 3000 is among them. Silver-grey in color, it is ring-shaped and contains a dock which can be inserted into compatible Apple products. It's light and portable compared to many speakers, and can be battery-operated as opposed.
"I personally love this one and it's very reasonably priced," said Li Mengchen, a fresh college graduate from Shanghai University and a self-confessed Apple fan for the last two years. "And because it's so light I can take it over to my friend's place when we are having a party."
The Philips Fidelio DS 3000 costs 898 yuan ($133) while the similarly styled Philips Feldelio SBD7500, which includes a bag, retails at only one yuan more for 899 yuan.
And there are larger, more robust models available. The Bose Sounddock 10 is said to have a bass sound resembling that of a tank, and is easily the biggest sound system on sale in the Apple store. Its casing resembles a cuboid, with the dock area stretched out along the bottom.
"Its tone quality is the best among all the speakers here, which means it's much more expensive at 6,080 yuan," said Apple shop assistant Collins Lee.
The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin is of similar size to the Bose, but with a far more eye-catching shape resembling a rugby ball, or Zeppelin as its name implies. This design particularly impressed 17-year-old Ding Min who was shopping with her friends. "I like the metal ring around the center – it looks like a bracelet," she said. The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin sells for 5,499 yuan.
Zhu Hejun, from Hi-Fi Home Theater Limited in Metro Plaza, Xujiahui, told the Global Times that even high-end speakers costing millions of RMB can be used with an iPod dock. "But the problem is that the sound files in iPods are small, measuring only 300k which is compressed from high-quality sound files of 1,400k and with only a quarter or a fifth of the sound effect left. To be quite frank it would be a waste to listen to iPod music through this kind of high-end speaker," he said. Customer Shao Feng agreed. "I don't care whether a high-end speaker has an iPod dock or not; a high-end speaker should be able to play high-quality CDs," he said.
While designing iPod-friendly speakers, some brands focus on the shape, while others focus more on the color. The Yamaha PDX- 30 comes in blue, grey and black, and retails at 1,789 yuan.
Although there are many exclusively-made-for-iPod speakers, many other speakers have fused iPod docks as a part of their multi-functional attractions. The Sony ICF-DS11ip is one such example and can receive FM and AM radio signals and be used as an alarm clock, "This product is very well suited for use in the bedroom," said Collins Lee. "It is multi-functional although it doesn't provide as good a sound as those with fewer functions."
