DAP's (Digital Audio Players), are more or less a low-cost iPod, that's what they started as, at least. Around the time the second generation iPod debuted, DAP's made their rise in the technology world, offering a low-cost, gray-scale solution for music on the go. They were small, cheap and could last for hours. At the time, they were a perfect “substitution” for a traditional iPod, but they have since grown to something far more than just a Digital AUDIO player.
The price of an iPod has dropped considerably, despite that, DAP's remain on the rise. They are not only going up in features, but prices as well. The original DAP was small, with a black and white screen; the modern-day DAP is slightly larger, comes in a variety of shapes and colors, and has a full blown color screen. These little gems can be purchased for close to the price of an iPod Nano, and currently pictures, album art, and poorly done games are the only “graphics” features on the device. These Digital “Audio” Players support video, a wide array of sound encoding playback, and games that are both fun and simple.
I am of the firm belief that the iPod has had its day in the limelight, and it is soon gone. The novelty of having one has since left, and there has been an empty space in the media market for the “new black”. Microsoft's Zune project failed to fill this, so other companies are trying their hand at making a media player, and succeeding. The thing with these third-party “iPods” is that they are all repetitive, no matter the company.
A list of features from a Samsung DAP and a Creative DAP both feature video, pictures, PlayForSure and 23 hours of battery. They will both most likely feature a fairly vibrant screen, the only thing differing between them being the controls. Samsung and Creative are not the only ones to generate DAP's from their development divisions, however. There are many foreign companies creating DAP's, even some iPod Nano imitations which support features such as video and multiple playback formats.
With these Digital, dare I say, “Media”, Players on the rise, Apple will have to make a bigger move than a glorified iPod with a phone features and a touch screen to keep their place as the number one media player on the electronics market.
