Take a cell phone/ multimedia device – the Nokia 3300 which can be expanded through MMC cards and add a pre-packaged MMC card to the mix, but charge $28.95 for the privilege. Don’t forget that unlike a Palm, Pocket PC or Gameboy, this phone uses the same convenient system for changing cards which requires the user to remove the back panel, remove the battery and then wrestle with the chip holder to remove and replace what might already be inside.
Who thought that was a good price?!!?!? Oh that’s right the record label, lords of convenience and early adopters that they are. This is way more than the cost of a CD forgetting of course that you can download your own tracks, either illegally or by purchase and transfer ONCE to a larger card through which you can leave in the unit. Don’t forget you look like you have a Taco on your head when talking directly into the phone without a headset…
You can read more about this in Advertising Age
This is an interesting experiment in stupidity in my humble opinion and based on pricing and lack of convenience is sure to fail. I am prepared to eat some crow on this if someone can prove this is a fantastic success months from now…
We’ll see soon enough. I bet nothing more than a few press releases will happen here. Have to see what happens when AT&T launches their download service in 2004. Should be interesting to see if there are more than just enhanced ring tones after this test.