"You know how every once in a while you buy the $40 bottle of wine instead of the $8 one, thinking you’re gonna have a special dinner or something?" Senior Reviews Editor Lee Hutchinson wrote over instant message. "And you get home, and you make the salmon or the pasta or whatever and you light the candles? And you pour the wine, swirl it like they do in Sideways so that it looks like you know what you’re doing… you bring it to your lips and after smelling it–it smells like wine–you have a sip? And it’s like yeah, I guess this tastes good or something, but really it just tastes like wine?
"The Pono Player is kinda like that, but for music."
Ars Technica on Pono; they nail it.
via Pono Player review: A tall, refreshing drink of snake oil | Ars Technica.
The Ars Technica article asserts that they could hear certain musical advantages, rarely, if they paid attention. They conclude that this is a fairly capable, high capacity audio player, and a worthy replacement for the iPod Classic, with some version 1 limitations and annoyances. The article mentions a few hardware and connectivity upgrades that they hope to see in version 2, which would make it an attractive product. They also point out that the price is a third of the new Sony Walkman.
Considering the insults, criticisms, and slanders that the Pono has received in many places (most of which have remained silent on the Walkman), I was surprised to find so many positive statements in the Ars Technica article. I guess it shows the dangers of overpromising. Given the vitriol being poured on Pono, it’s surprising that Microsoft, politicians, Faux Noise, or any of the corporate and other major liars of our times, haven’t awakened a much stronger negative reaction.
Yes, I agree that there is a lot of criticism, but I think it has a lot to do with Young’s dismissive attitude toward people who don’t agree with him, and his egregiously false statements about music and sound.
I was surprised that the Ars review compared it to a MacBook Pro, and not to an iPhone.
Also, see David Pogue’s review where he got a panel of listeners to do blind listening tests.
“a worthy replacement for the iPod Classic”
…unless you want to put it in your pocket or in your bag – there’s no lock switch?!?!
The Ars Technica article asserts that they could hear certain musical advantages, rarely, if they paid attention. They conclude that this is a fairly capable, high capacity audio player, and a worthy replacement for the iPod Classic, with some version 1 limitations and annoyances. The article mentions a few hardware and connectivity upgrades that they hope to see in version 2, which would make it an attractive product. They also point out that the price is a third of the new Sony Walkman.
Considering the insults, criticisms, and slanders that the Pono has received in many places (most of which have remained silent on the Walkman), I was surprised to find so many positive statements in the Ars Technica article. I guess it shows the dangers of overpromising. Given the vitriol being poured on Pono, it’s surprising that Microsoft, politicians, Faux Noise, or any of the corporate and other major liars of our times, haven’t awakened a much stronger negative reaction.
Yes, I agree that there is a lot of criticism, but I think it has a lot to do with Young’s dismissive attitude toward people who don’t agree with him, and his egregiously false statements about music and sound.
I was surprised that the Ars review compared it to a MacBook Pro, and not to an iPhone.
Also, see David Pogue’s review where he got a panel of listeners to do blind listening tests.
“a worthy replacement for the iPod Classic”
…unless you want to put it in your pocket or in your bag – there’s no lock switch?!?!