What's Wrong with MP3 Players?

MP3 players are a dying breed. This statement may inspire a chuckle or two but I believe it to be true. The simple device designed for the sole purpose of playing MP3 files is being produced less, not more. The replacement for the MP3 player has arrived and it's called the portable media player. Seems like a natural and evolutionary development right? The portable media player is new and better and does more things! Apple, SanDisk (makers of the Sansa line), and many other top companies almost exclusively sell portable media players instead of simple MP3 players.

What is a portable media player? A portable media player is a device that not only plays MP3s it also displays pictures, video content, games, and a mix of other utilities like a calendar and stopwatch functions. These devices are typically larger than a basic MP3 player and include a color screen often with higher resolutions than simpler devices. Portable media players are the replacement and future of MP3 players.

I don't want a portable media player. Actually that's not true; I already own a device that functions as a portable media player in the form of a Dell Axim X50v. In fact I love my portable media player, but I don't use it to play MP3s. My portable media player is fragile. Mostly due to its large screen, and I am very careful with it. I don't think I should have to be as careful with my MP3 player. I want to be able to throw my MP3 player quickly into my bag. If it's convenient I want to leave my MP3 player in my car in freezing temperatures. My needs demand a simple and tough MP3 player. Portable media players are not simple and tough.

Devices capable of playing MP3s are moving away from AAA or AA batteries in favor of Lithium-Ion batteries. As many of you have experienced, Lithium-Ion batteries can lose their ability to charge over time. Fortunately most of the new portable media players are designed to allow the owner to replace the Lithium-Ion batteries. This is a cost most consumers don't think about at the time of purchase. SanDisk used to make an MP3 player that ran on one AAA battery. With this player I used rechargeable NIMH batteries and experienced a little less than 20 hours of listening time on a single AAA. If I was going camping for a week and wanted to spend several hours each day listening to an audio book I could simple bring along a few extra batteries. Lithium-Ion is a step backwards, not forwards.

One improvement I do see in some of the new models is an expansion slot for micro SD cards. Whiles this is a step in the right direction I would prefer the expansion slot accept standard SD or Compact Flash. Standard SD and Compact Flash are much cheaper and come in sizes much larger (both capacity and physical size). This would allow cheap and effective upgrading and also enable me to simply change the storage card to increase capacity even more.

I question whether there is a company currently making a high capacity, simple, and tough MP3 player for a reasonable price? I'm having trouble finding one and I think I know why. If a company sold a tough and simple AAA battery device that accepted standard storage cards (SD or CF), I would never buy another MP3 player. This device would decrease the sales created from all the other Lithium-Ion, non-expandable, and fragile models available. The Company's bottom-line is what's wrong with MP3 players.