What do music "consumers" without an interest in geeky / techy solutions want from a music system these days?
In order of importance as I see it: 1. The ability to play music from their iPod (unfortunately I think it will be necessary to concede Apple's dominance here) 2. A portable solution with an amplifier and built in speakers 3. The ability to use streaming services (Napster, Spotify etc) 4. Internet radio 5. Local file storage, or the ability to plug in storage to play local files 6. Multiple native file formats. Eliminate the need for any transcoding. 6. Player synchronisation 7. No need for a PC to be switched on to run distributed music. I think there are a few product opportunities in there for Logitech Squeezebox. You could tick most of these boxes with a merged Boom and Touch with added iPod dock. It would have server firmware that will enable the player to use a memory stick or portable hard drive to play content. This could also act as a "server" for other players in the house to provide synchronisation via Wi-fi. Because this will bypass computer installation hopefully this will eliminate problems caused by firewalls and other network or software conflicts. No reason these days why it should not have a simple Web interface either. That would still leave room for the Touch which is pretty much a perfect match for its niche. It just needs better marketing and possibly a better implementation of the built-in server software for those not willing to run a server full time. Personally I think a Touch / server combo with a built-in hard drive and the ability to install a full copy of SBS/LMS would be a real coup. This would do away with the need for a PC, NAS or plug computer and all the issues that surround that. It should use "N" class wi-fi which nowadays is reliable enough to eliminate the need for the server to be wired permanently to the router which is too much of a physical tie. The Radio needs to go touch screen to keep up, but otherwise it is OK. -- TheLastMan Matt http://www.last.fm/user/MJL-UK *SqueezeBoxes:* SB Duet (Controller + two receivers) *Server:* Synology DS107+ NAS (with firmware 2.3-1157) running Squeezebox Server 7.5.1 on Synology Package Manager *Network:* Netgear DG834GT ADSL modem/router, 2 x Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 as access points *Livingroom:* Receiver into Naim 42/110 amp, B&W CM2 speakers *Kitchen:* Receiver into Denon DM37 mini-system, B&W 686 speakers *Study:* Linn LP12, Naim 72/Hi-cap/Headline. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TheLastMan's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16021 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=91532 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
