|
Samsung Electronics¡¯ new MP3 player Z5 was designed by the same man who created Apple¡¯s runaway success iPod, the New York Times reports. The daily said industry watchers are curious to see if Paul Mercer will be able to challenge his own creation with the new product.
Mercer, a software designer put in charge of the Z5 project, is a legendary figure in Silicon Valley. His company Pixo designed the original iPod, and Apple commercialized the MP3 player to enormous worldwide success. It is said to owe everything to the attractive design and ease of use of Mercer¡¯s making.
Apple had failed to develop a user-friendly interface on its own and only succeeded after it acquired Pixo. Mercer emerged as the no. 1 in designing portable devices but reportedly left Apple despite the company¡¯s pleas because he wanted to carry out research on his own. Colleagues say Mercer is an unusually detail-oriented software engineer who can work wonders with tiny bits of code.
The Z5, like Apple¡¯s product, promises to provide a seamless connection between player and download service. Just as the iPos has iTunes, so the Z5 will have Microsoft¡¯s PlaysForSure. In short, the two combos will be in head-to-head competition when the Samsung player hits the shelves on March 5 -- priced, just like the iPod nano, at between US$199-249.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
