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Rio Unveils 4GB MP3 Player

Tuesday January 6, 2004 6:04 am PST by Arnold Kim
Rio today announced a new 4GB version of their Rio Nitrus MP3 player.

The previous version of the Rio Nitrus was a $219 1.5GB device based on Cornice's previous 1.5GB mini hard drive.

The 4GB version is based on the previous design and will have an estimated U.S. street price of $249. No indication is given as to the hard drive technology used in the new version, but readers will note that Cornice just announced a 2.0GB version of their storage device.

Apple has been widely rumored to introduce new mini-iPods.
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Mr. Anderson
106 months ago
Well, if they don't announce mini-pods, these new ones will have some serious competition to offer.

It brings up that old question of whether innovation and market leadership can be sustained over time......

D
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Gimzotoy
106 months ago
So we are now aware that both 2GB and 4GB mini-hard drives, in fact, exist. This is very interesting, indeed.
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amichalo
106 months ago
If you go to RIOaudio.com and look at the 1.5 GB Nitrus, you will see this:
"*1 GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes" - sadly, Rio does not even know how many bytes are in a gigabyte.
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NoVi
106 months ago
Wow, Rio is spoiling the Apple party..Steve Jobs will not be amused.

The Nitrus looks nice BTW.
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bensisko
106 months ago
$250 seems pretty steep for 4gig, especially since I can get a 10 gig iPod for $299.

...especially if Apple refreshs the iPod line to make the 20 gig the low end at $299....
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amichalo
106 months ago

Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
Well, if they don't announce mini-pods, these new ones will have some serious competition to offer.


Depends on how different the 'street price' is from the retail. At $249 - i'd rather spend another $50 and get an iPod with 250% the capacity, Apple engineering, and iTMS compatability.
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AirUncleP
106 months ago
Rio is trying to steal second base when their down by 10 runs. Go right ahead but your still going to lose.

MacWorld announcements will be the topic of discussion in all my classes today.
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robbieduncan
106 months ago

Originally posted by amichalo
If you go to RIOaudio.com and look at the 1.5 GB Nitrus, you will see this:
"*1 GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes" - sadly, Rio does not even know how many bytes are in a gigabyte.


This is standard in the hard drive business. Apple say the same about the iPod.

From the iPod Tech specs page " (2) 1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less."
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Wonder Boy
106 months ago
i like the black shell it has. that being said, keeping with the "think different" mantra, i dont think we'll see mini black ipods despite their probable demand.
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Phobophobia
106 months ago
Although I think Rio is a nice company, I don't think they will last long against the iPod if they are trying to compete with it. The Nitrus is a complete rip-off, and pretty much always has been.
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