Virgin Announces New MP3 Player to Challenge iPod

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The digital audio player space is getting crowded. This week Virgin Electronics unveiled a digital audio player with a 5GB hard disk to challenge Apple Computer’s wildly successful iPod.

The device is called the Virgin Player and weighs 3.1 ounces, supports MP3 and WMA music formats and will retail for $249.

Compared to the iPod Mini, the Virgin Player is bigger, lighter and priced exactly the same.

Virgin Player:

• 3.1 ounces
• 1,200 MP3 songs

iPod Mini:

• 3.6 ounces
• 1,000 songs

Unlike some of the other companies that have attempted to fight Apple’s dominance with the iPod, Virgin is actually an iconic and respected brand.

But will Virgin be able to sway consumers? Our prediction: No way.

Apple creates beautifully designed “must have” products that improve our lifestyles match our personal styles. Is it just me, or is the Virgin Player so ugly that it looks like a medical device?

Sony, Microsoft and even Virgin, can try, but they will never dethrone the iPod. What do you think?