The iPod may be everyone's first choice digital music player, but according to a new survey in PC Pro magazine, Apple's player is actually someway behind some of its competitors when it comes to performance. The techy mag compared 18 different players from a range of manufacturers, including Dell, Digital Networks, Creative Labs and Archos - and they found a number of problems with the industry leader.
PC Pro journalist Nick Ross explains: "The iPod and iPod Mini are the two best known portable MP3 players because Apple has pumped money into a huge marketing campaign, but there are some fantastic lesser-known alternatives. The iPod is over-priced when compared with these competitors. It also falls down on battery life, with some portable MP3 players lasting three times as long, while its lack of support for Windows Media files will upset many PC users."
Apple are yet to comment on the survey but remain buoyant regards the continued success of iPod and the iPod Mini, reporting that Hitachi, who makes the 4GB disk drive for the Mini players, is spending about $200 million to double production at its Thailand factory in order to meet public demand.
However insiders reckon Apple will be watching its competitors increasingly closely as digital music slips into the mainstream. Sony, in particular, are expected to stage a considerable assault on Apple's dominance in this area when they simultaneously launch the next generation of mini-disc players (complete with digital music capability) and their Sony Connect download platform next month.