Best Buy releases first portable HD radio

[DavidEduardo]

Mr. Savage, as usual I think you've hit the nail on the head here.  And given (a) and (b), the designers probably sighed and said "no great loss" because they think that their radio will skew younger than the average AM listener.  They may be wrong about that one - that's what Toyota thought when they came out with Scion and now the average buyer is in his 40s! 

Actually, there is no "average" Scion buyer. There is a youth group, the intended market. And there is a bonus group, which Toyota did not plan on; people in their 50's and above. They buy them because the door swing and the seat height are excellent for people with some mobility issues or arthritis and such... who find conventional sedans uncomfortable to get into.

On the other hand, ALL of AM's audience is concentrated over 50, and there is just about zero interest in younger demos. So if you make a radio for people under 50, why spend money on a feature that will never be used? Sansa MP3 players were the first with radios, I believe. No AM. Now things like the Zune have radio, but no AM.

[MHB]

FMQB turns thumbs-down on the Insignia:

http://fmqb.com/goout.asp?u=http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/07/13/reviewing-the-hd-radio-portable/

No AM, no iTunes tagging, short battery life, not great sensitivity, no album art - just a basic (if "bright") display.  It's not gonna compare favorably with other portable devices.  Consumers picking it up will say, 50 bucks for an FM Radio?  Nah.

A SWINNNGGG.  And a miss.

Interesting comments below the article too!  One of them says that you have to buy the USB charger!  If that's true, it's a deal killer.  I was under the impression that it's included though.  I've read some decent reviews on this thing's reception capabilities - where it's at least OK. 

The USB charger is included. No wall charger, though; I bought one separately.

[radiookc]

Great idea.

Problem is the people that have all these HD
streams have really have not done much when
it comes to developing the product.

I really think HD radio needs to have something
for the consumers to embrace before anything
else. It really does not matter if the tuner is 50$
or 1$. Right now the programing is not there and
these streams are being operated by the same
people that can't seem to get the product right
for the devices that everyone DOES have access
too.


Chris
www.radiookc.com

[BRNout]

Mr. Savage, as usual I think you've hit the nail on the head here.  And given (a) and (b), the designers probably sighed and said "no great loss" because they think that their radio will skew younger than the average AM listener.  They may be wrong about that one - that's what Toyota thought when they came out with Scion and now the average buyer is in his 40s! 

Actually, there is no "average" Scion buyer. There is a youth group, the intended market. And there is a bonus group, which Toyota did not plan on; people in their 50's and above. They buy them because the door swing and the seat height are excellent for people with some mobility issues or arthritis and such... who find conventional sedans uncomfortable to get into.

On the other hand, ALL of AM's audience is concentrated over 50, and there is just about zero interest in younger demos. So if you make a radio for people under 50, why spend money on a feature that will never be used? Sansa MP3 players were the first with radios, I believe. No AM. Now things like the Zune have radio, but no AM.

David, I should have phrased it better.  What I meant to say was the average age of the Scion buyer is 45.  Which was a surprise to Toyota.  Yes, they get the younger group - but those are outnumbered by empty nesters or what you referred to as the "bonus" group.  That group actually buys more of the Scion brand than those in their 20s. 

Another example of how the older demo and its deep pockets was ignored. But I digress as that's another debate, right?     

Given your reasoning about AM's demos (which I do not argue with), why bother with IBOC on the band anyway?  It doesn't attract younger listeners but it does have the potential to piss off the older ones.