Sony Corp. has created a buzz with the unveiling of a new digital music player, but analysts say it has a long way to go before it challenges the industry dominance of Apple Computer"s popular iPod.
Sony unveiled the new portable music player on Monday along with a slew of new VAIO-brand computers. Dubbed "Vaio pocket," it features a hard-disk drive capable of storing 13,000 songs and can store digital camera images too. The "VAIO pocket" will be the first portable music player with an embedded hard-disk drive to be sold under the Sony brand name when it hits stores in Japan next month.
Sony said that overseas launch dates have not been set. Industry watchers say Sony will struggle to gain a stronger footing in the fast-growing industry now dominated by Apple. The U.S.-based company has nearly 50 percent of the market for digital MP3 music players thanks to the iPod"s success. "In terms of actually attacking Apple it"s only a start. I don"t see any major shake down in the industry right now," said Standard & Poor"s equity analyst John Yang.