Zathura

OK Guys, I have a bit of news for you all. I had the opportunity to ask some questions of some high Sony personnel on a range of things, and I made a point of asking what the deal is with Minidisc. Now, its good news, Sony are continuing with Minidisc in Australia. I could not get complete assurance that the 2nd Gen models would be coming, but "they should be". There is nothing really firm as yet tho, date, models price or anything. However, as I predicted, there is going to be much more emphasis on the huge range of MP3/Atrac players which will be coming out in the next few months, and hopefully sales will be good on those. So hopefully that means I will get my digital camera HIMD in Australia!

Man I hope this pans out, as because this is the model I want. Even if the base models are not released, I hope this survives.

Sefu, without being rude, where did you get this information from? I have not been privy to any of this at all, which means that I question the source. The only information I have AT ALL regarding minidisc in Australia is that the current models will be current until the end of the year. I do hope it turns out to be correct however. In the next week I will hopefully have the opportunity to DIRECTLY talk to some executives from Sony Australia, the decision makers. I will post what I hear.

Yeah, they are good to look back on.

One ad was on the front cover of the Winter O4 Pulse Magazine (the last one). Speaking of which, does anyone have the first issue of Pulse and issue 10? They are the only two I am missing, and no one we know seems to have it.... I would be happy to pay for em :-). Anyone?

Not sure if this has been confirmed for Australia, but I have heard the model number bandied around.

Possibly a 40 GB. Correct!

Ok guys, got a bit more information for you... IF the next generation units will be bought in to Australia, it will not be until January 2006 at the earliest. The current line will be current until the end of this year. Then thats either the end of MD, or a new model. Hopefully the latter, but again, that decision is still to be made. The bonus pack for all models (microphone, bag / charger, bag) will be continuing all this time. Its also noteworthy that many new Sony HDD MP3 Walkmans are going to be released through the year (about a year too late though), and a huge price decrease was put out on Friday for the NWE50 + NWE70. Its pretty obvious this is where Sony is going. Until I hear more...

Thats right- there is no hard facts yet, because the crucial decision is yet to be made. The information that I have been given come direct from upper echelons of Sony portable. My original post simply stated that decisions will soon be made about the viability of MD in Australia - and at this stage its not looking good. At all. To be honest, I would prefer to not disclose too much of my identity, as my ass is very much on the line even disclosing this much information. Without being too melodramatic, I can very easily lose my job over this. Hope you undestand. I will be in occassionaly to see what transpires in this thread, but I doubt I will post anything again until I know a little more what is happening. I hope I can bring you good news.

Well said, Sefu. Wholeheartedly agree.

That was a very good price then. When it first came out, the cost price was $581. I know cause thats when I bought mine :-)

Unfortunately, this is a common perception of many. But its very untrue. I have heard from a lot of retailers, especially lately, copping a lot of shit from people who think that the retailers are trying to screw them with 200% markup. Apart from the retailers who still sell at SRP, most sell for a pretty slim margin. On another point, Sony's Australian market research has shown that Australia is becoming a nation of "cheapskates" if you will, flocking to technology that is cheap, such as $88 DVD players from Dick Smith and Big W. These technologies hide behind the pretext of 3 year warranties, which many consumers feel safe with. But, the thing is, many forget that just because it has a 3 year warranty, doesnt mean its a good piece of technology to start with... In addition, research has shown that the perception of consumers is that there is no real gap between Sony and its cheap competition in terms of quality and that all brands are mostly the same, so price dictates which one to buy. This is very unfortunate. And in the case of portable media, many have flocked to cheap MP3 players, and no longer see the relevance of technology such as MD. Ignorance of consumers in regard to quality will be the death of MD in Australia.

Also remember that even if it was a $100 markup, this has to be shared between Sony, the retailer, and factor in other things, such as freight.

Untrue. Regardless of however much it costs Sony to make, you attempted to broker a deal with a Sony salesman, and he is trying to make money. The cost price of those T mics at the moment are $90 or so. What the guy was trying to do was only give you a $50 discount, so they make more money. You wil find that this has happened on numerous occassions with other retailers, and most are more accomodating that your experience.

It was I who originally posted about the possible death of Minidisc in Australia. As soon as I posted it, I had another think about the repercussions of what I had just done, and when the thread became lost, I thought that it was a good thing since the evidence was now gone... But now that I have thought again, I want it to become common knowledge in the hope that the decision can be overturned... But all Aussie minidisc fans need your support. Cheers.