Uh, as far as I can tell it IS just a 70mb USB thumb drive. The big rack is the playback mechanism.

So if you wanted to do this NOW you would buy an iPod shuffle, preload it, and then silkscreen it. Wrap an album liner/cover around it, and you have your self contained Audio Stick with track control, volume control, shuffle, etc, etc. If you happen to have a predisposition against the Shuffle, you can always buy another USB mp3 player instead.

Isn't this kind of a step backward? She may have made millions off of this idea if she had thought of it before there were 50 companies out there who managed to put all of her contraption into something the size of an ice cube.

Or maybe this is some kind of stylish thing that I don't get?

Something like this had already been done two years ago by a German punk band called WIZO: http://www.wizo.de/stick/index.htm They weren't too successful with their stick, though ... and didn't have such a cool playing device ;O)

Looks like it came out of Kubrick's 2001, or the original Star Trek TV series.

wont happen

If a blank one was extremely, extremely cheap (like only a few dollars), then sure, it would be a convenient alternative to a cassette tape or cd. I guess they aren't really mp3 players, but just low-capacity usb drives. I don't know, doesn't make too much sense.

Rar, I almost agree with you.
Thing is; not everyone wants "just" MP3 music.
I for one won't ever pay more than the price of a CD (CDA) for the same music in MP3/WMA/AAC format.
Say if a CD goes for $15, I *might* be tempted to pay $5~$7 for a stick with the same music. It'd be nice for those albums you wish you had but don't want to shell out $$$ for 3 out of 10 tracks you like.

A better idea I think would be to sell these sticks CHEAP (like $1.99) with low bitrate MP3 to just sample the music. Say 96kbps/22kHz...then, if I like the music I'll buy the CD.

Another thing worth considering is a CHEAP but complete, self-contained, pre-loaded, pre-printed mp3-playing stick (with headphone jack, AAA or button cell battery not included and NO USB connector) with medium bitrate music for people to sample. I've seen stuff like this. Square, buttons only, one LED, kinda like a keychain, being sold for $5.99 I think.
PLUS for RIAA: the music can only leave thru the headphones (analog) so no digital copies.
NEGATIVE: cumbersome to use because of batt./headphone requirement so potentially a flop.

Ofcourse considering the recording industy's greed the chance of this becoming reality is close to nothing.

She's just imagining something tactile and collectible, like a record, cassette, or cd. There will always be people who are nostalgic for these media, and will continue to utilize them (there are people still toying around with 20 year old computers or older synthesizers). She's oblivious to the fact that people make mixed cd's for friends, family, or lover(s).

In the future, people will have the music saved to the memory of the nanobots swirling about their bodies, and the album cover and liner notes will appear in a virtual personal HUD display in one's mind, or, if you wish to share, on a projected holographic display, or on an OLED or eink display available on any suitable surface.

If your future self wishes to share a mix, you'll command your nanobots to call your friend's inner phone number...

I dont think she was trying to design this to be mass produced.
she just designed a series of scenarios to remind us what values will be lost once music is digitalized.

and I think these sticks would be very very cheap in the future!

and the idea of sticking a cover on ipod shuffle is not the same. the idea of the project is so that you have albums again. that's why the volume of each stick is only big enough for 10-15 songs.

this idea is utterly worthless.

hmm... is your "classmate" more likely to have a cd-rom drive, or a free usb port. yeah, option 1, thanks.

not to mention blank cd-r's cost pocket change if you buy them in bulk.

sorry miss, you're doomed to fail miserably. i'd much rather replace a mix-cd than a mix-wannabe-Shuffle.

-1

Bumble-izzo

Your mind is utterly worthless because it is closed off to other ideas. You are an uncultured little boy who thinks that your way is the only way. Try thinking out side of that closed box of a mind you have. Get out from behind that keyboard seasoned by Hot-pocket crumbs for once and see the rest of the world, i highly recommend it.

Your ignorace is showing...

I doubt very much that she is "oblivious" to the existence of cd-rs and usb players, or that shes is trying to compete directly with them since it is such a niche product.

I agree with junior, the point is that you can physically have albums and a music collection again. Being able to pick up and hold your favourite album gives it a feeling of more worth than a representation on a screen.

I think the Mini SD Card idea that Sans Disk is proposing is a more viable option as flash memory space size is increasing. Still it would require a way to entrench itself into a firmly entrenched CD market. Its the same deal for various lossy formats breaking into the market against mp3.

Though with the space size of flash memory, instead of a lossy CD on a stick, why not a lossless (as in bit for bit, uncut audio goodness) stick of audio?

- Gow

for those of you who thought this was never gonna happen, it's happening now! Keane is releasing their new album on USB sticks which will be out by the end of the month.

hey kid your so cool great idea!

LOL!! It does look like something out of Star Trek... "I'm giving all she's got Captain!!"

Next thing you know, Data will have to organize our music library because our kids thought it would be funny to unplug them all....

Hello!
I have buy a USB release from Immaculate Ibiza Music in summer 2007...
120 songs for 60 euro + 1 gb flash memory...I think is very good idea!!!!!
http://www.immaculateibiza.com/page17/page17.html