Sony’s New Memory Card With Premium Sound Termed As “Stupidest Product”
Sony recently announced a new memory card with unique characteristics, which the company thinks make it worth $155.
What are these characteristics? The memory card is able to provide “premium sound,” according to Sony.
You might be thinking, “what in the name of Pluto does a memory card have to do with sound?” Well, it produces less electrical noise while reading data.
The latest memory card, showing Sony’s boldness on the other hand, has hit the nerves of many. BGR called the memory card as “the stupidest product in the history of the universe,” while The Verge also said that the memory card is not worth anywhere near $155.
“Costing a cool ¥18,500 (roughly $155), the SR-64HXA is a Class 10 microSDXC card, the likes of which Sony already sells for a more reasonable $90 in Japan,” The Verge explains. “If you are willing to go with Samsung, that price falls to $50, and if you’re buying from the US, you could get the same amount and speed of storage for just over $30. Of course, only Sony’s new card is emblazoned with the golden-lettered “for Premium Sound” tagline.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that even Sony is not sure whether they will be able to find market for this type of memory card. “We aren’t that sure about the product’s potential demand, but we thought some among people who are committed to great sound quality would want it,” a Sony spokeswoman told WSJ.
The latest storage device is basically a 64 gigabyte SR-64HXA micro SDXC memory card. Sony believes that producing less electrical noise would result in a premium experience to the music enthusiasts who might use the card in their media players. However, media players read the songs only when reading them into a buffer from where they are played. So there is not much disk accesses during the time songs are being played.
The company also unveiled a $1,200 Walkman last month at CES.
Looks like the cyberattack on Sony Pictures has not only wiped the company’s data clean, it has wiped off Sony’s ability to price the devices as well. While it is struggling to define its new identity as non-electronics company, it is taking odd risks by introducing overpriced devices.
Do you think the SR-64HXA memory card has a characteristic that makes it worth $155? Let us know in comments.
