MiniDiscs just didn’t take off, there were compatibility issues, the hardware was expensive, it wasn’t widely supported by the record labels and recordable CDs were launched around the same time.

SlotMusic

Despite this lesson from history, and the recent format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, Sandisk today launced their replacement for the CD, SlotMusic.

SlotMusic is in effect a microSD memory card loaded with an album of the buyers choice. These 1GB microSD cards will also include pictures and videos and the intro video on the SlotMusic website also implies  that owners will be able to add their own documents and information to the cards, just like any other microSD card.

Pricing

As usual with these new technologies, the price remains the same. Prices are expected to be about the same as a CD, about £8.99, when SlotMusic is launched in the UK later this year. Like the price of downloads, the logic behind this is unclear. MicroSD cards are pretty cheap, Horizon Flash Memory sell 1GB microSD memory cards for just £2.99.

With microSD cards this cheap, it is possible to buy two 2GB microSD memory cards for the price of one SlotMusic album, which means that even at MP3′s highest quality (320 kbps – what SlotMusic is stored at) an owner of a 2GB microSD memory card could fit almost 30 albums of their choice on their own card (and about 60 with their two cards).

Moreover they could fit six albums stored in the far superior FLAC format (equivalent to CD quality) on their card. This does seem to make the SlotMusic format appear to be something of a waste of space.

Recent events regarding DRM in downloaded music and its removal has shown that today’s music lovers do not wish to be tied to proprietary formats, they expect portability and choice. Having just one album per card means having to change the disc over when wanting to listen to another album or when all the tracks have been played; for those used to having thousands of tracks at their finger tips, this will be seen as a major inconvenience. No matter how small microSDs are, carrying around your entire music collection on these cards is just not an option.

So why on earth does SanDisk believe there are people willing to become tied to this new format?

Compatibility

If there is one thing that SlotMusic has going for it, it is compatibility. The music is encoded as MP3s with a 320 kbps bitrate. This ensures compatibility with almost all platforms, from PCs running Windows or Linux, through to Macs. Most mobile phones will also play MP3s and most also accept microSD cards. The USB cable that also comes with the SlotMusic card ensures it can be played on almost anything, with one notable exception. Apple’s iPod/iPhone.

Creating a new music format that isn’t compatible with the world’s No.1 selling portable music player was a bit of a gamble, and to be fair the problem is more of Apple’s making rather than that of SanDisk as Apple’s iPhone and iPod have neither card slots nor USB slots.

Whoever the blames lies with, SanDisk has lost a large chunk of its potential customer base because of it.

The lack of DRM in the music means that owners can transfer their songs to their PC and then to their iPod/iPhone’s internal storage, but then they can already do that using iTunes or CDs.

Over engineering

This is course is probably the biggest flaw in the SlotMusic format. The first thing most users are going to do is copy their music from the SlotMusic card onto their PC so that they have their music collection in one place, and either then use the 1GB microSD flash memory card as spare storage, or put it on a shelf somewhere, just like they would a CD.

As with CDs, sooner or later they are going to realise that they can save time, space and effort by just downloading the music directly to their computer at which point they will stop purchasing SlotMusic altogether.

While SanDisk’s new format is a noble idea, it is in many respects a step backward and has over complicated what is becoming a quick and straightforward process – getting music onto a portable device. 

MiniDisc or sliced bread

It’s unlikely that the SlotMusic format will be the next big thing and the reactions on the web seem to confirm this:

Engadget.com
“…we half-facetiously asked SanDisk’s reps if they expected us to carry around a stack of individual microSD albums, they didn’t laugh when they said yes, and even told us that slotMusic media binders would be available at launch…”

jupiterresearch.com
The success of the format depends upon consumers opting to walk into a participating store (which may well be an issue) chose from a probably limited catalogue (anyone remember the pitiful sight of MD album sections in music shops?) and then remove their existing memory card to slot the album in. Begs the question, why wouldn’t they just download it from an online store and sideload it?

In all likelihood the SlotMusic format will disappear in the same way that SanDisk’s last attempt did back in 2005, the Gruvi TrustedFlash, which was:

“…the first removable flash memory card of its type to be sold with premium music content…”

This format too died a quiet death.

Personally I keep far more on my mobile phone’s microSD card than just music and so taking it out to play an album, which annoyingly entails removing the battery, just isn’t an option. I’d be far more likely to copy the music to my PC and then copy the whole album to my phone’s 2GB microSD card, along with all my other albums.

Of course if I am going to do that, I’d rather stick with downloads or, if I have to have the physical disc, the better quality CDs.

Judging by the reactions to this launch, I am not alone and I wouldn’t be surprised if the launch is the last we hear of SlotMusic.

Technorati Tags: SlotMusic, SanDisk, Horizon Flash Memory, microSD, MicroSD Card, Music, MP3, Flash Memory, 1GB microSD, Music Storage, Sony BMG, Universal, EMI, Warner Music, Mobile Phone