CREATIVE Technology CEO Sim Wong Hoo has sold two million shares for $20.6 million to the company's co-founder Chay Kwong Soon, the company said yesterday. The shares, equivalent to a 2.4 per cent stake, were sold at an average price of $10.28.
Microsoft's new Zune media player, which goes on sale today, is aimed
directly at Apple's wildly successful, music industry-changing iPod.
But how does it stack up?
The main innovation is WiFi-based sharing of songs and digital photos
wirelessly between two or more nearby Zunes. There's also an integrated
FM radio tuner, something the iPod lacks. The display of the Zune is
bigger, and the screen automatically shifts to a wide, horizontal view
for videos and pictures.
Battery life of the Zune is about the same as the video iPod, as is the
cost (the Zune costs $250. A comparable 30GB iPod with video costs
$249) The Zune Marketplace uses a point system in which most songs cost
79 Microsoft Points each - the equivalent of 99 cents - the same that
iTunes charges for most songs.
Microsoft explains that this Zune is just the first of what will be an
entire family of media devices. Will the Zune eventually become a Voice
Over IP phone? Will it be able to download music wirelessly from the
Zune Marketplace? Will smaller, flash memory-based Zunes -or Zunes with
larger storage capacity emerge any time soon? Only Microsoft knows. For
now, though, the questions are: Should you buy a Zune? Should you
switch from an iPod?
I've been testing a couple of Zunes along with the online Zune
Marketplace, Microsoft's answer to Apple's iTunes music and video
store. Here is how I think they measure up against Apple.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. doesn't expect the iPod media player to be hurt by Microsoft Corp.'s Zune, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a magazine interview.
Microsoft has touted Zune, a portable media player due to be launched in the United States in time for the holiday shopping season, as a potential threat to the dominant iPod because of its ability to share music wirelessly.
"It takes forever," Jobs told Newsweek in an interview posted on the magazine's Web site on Sunday. "By the time you've gone through all that, the girl's got up and left."
Jobs was equally unconcerned about the prospect of the iPod losing its cool factor as it becomes increasingly ubiquitous.
"That's like saying you don't want to kiss your lover's lips because everyone has lips. It doesn't make any sense," said Jobs.
Creative's money making biz is the sound blaster systems which propel the company to fame initially. So long as it focuses on audio entertainment, it is 'sound' - instead of wasting money on MP3 biz. With iPod and Zune .... Creative's Zen is soundless!!!
It is higher on hopes that the company's new product, XMod, will boost its sales, dealers said.
XMod is an interface that promises to help improve the sound output of personal computers and MP3 players.
"As the Xmod is a new device, it is hard to gauge the initial impact, as users will probably need to be educated first. However, given its ease of use, and relatively affordable price of US$85, the XMod may throw up an interesting surprise for Creative this year, " Credit Suisse said in a note to clients.
Credit Suisse expects Creative to make a net profit of US$19.5m in the year to next June, the company having made a net loss of US$118.2 in the year to last June, and that its net profit will rise to US$39m in the year to June 2008 and to US$49.4 in the year to June 2009.
Credit Suisse has an "outperform" rating for Creative Technology, with a target price of $12.90.
Hi Puntit, i dont own any MP3 players, only Creative shares. Can't advise you much but the latest gadget by Creative sounds like a very good device for listening to MP3 music.
With today's cheap cheap flash memory, MP3 hi-fi fans never had it so good! I mean MP3 music at 256kps is enough to satisfy any music fan. Anything better is hardly discernible to the ears and therefore of diminished interest. But I always look first for the audio chip's frequency range whenever I buy an gadget. Many players' specs show a range of 20H-20khHz. I believe there are audio chips giving better low-end specs. eg. down to 5Hz? Is the new player one of them? Do you have the specs? Sub-bass sounds like what you get from home a theatre system is such a joy to behold on a set good headphones.
got strong support and unwilling sellers!Less selling and more buying = higher price! I believe vested holders are holding it for medium to long term so there is less trading vol.
Post Reply