View Full Version : Very Disappointed in Cowon Thus Far
Nearly every other manufacturer has either released there next generation player or has released information, the X5 has been out for over 2 years and there hasn't even been mention other than speculation of a successor. The X5 is an excellent player, although in today's standards the screen size and design is out of date it supports the most formats and is an excellent sounding player. There never seems to be a perfect choice though. I'm really hoping for an X7, to improve on what the x5 succeeded at. The Zune stepped up dramatically with this years model though it doesn't include flac or ogg support. I Just hope Cowon gets there act together
Mr. Black
10-24-2007, 17:59
By nearly every other I guess you mean apple and MS because we've seen nothing from iriver, nothing from creative, nothing from samsung, nothing, except flash players, and Cowon have an abundance of those.
yes but at least creative has kind of made it clear that the Zen is the replacement. The U5 i pray is not the replacement.
the U5 isn't going to replace anything. i have a F2 and by the looks of the specs. so far on the U5 and isn't really anything compared to the F2 nor... the U3.
Mr. Black
10-25-2007, 06:00
yes but at least creative has kind of made it clear that the Zen is the replacement. The U5 i pray is not the replacement.
The ZEN is pretty much a D2 so I'm not to sure what you are now getting at..
Hasn't Creative has specified they aren't going to make any more hd based players
Mr. Black
10-25-2007, 07:26
That's sort of a grey area, they officially said they are reducing their involvement in the HDD sector, but what we do know is that a new Creative player (possibly touchscreen) will be unveiled at CES 2008. Of course this all depends on Creatives R&D department getting the aforementioned product finished
I hope they are focusing in audio quality
for me it's the main thing
if they can win the trophy of the best sound quality player (sounding even better than X5), the wait WILL worth :jamming:
marmitt thats a good point, we won't know until it's released. I am hoping so, the x5 sounds great but it could sound even better.
globiboulga
10-29-2007, 06:25
Mmh... But then again... No words from Cowon on any new product... despite repeated comments on this forum.
U5 was an utmost non event. A3 and Q5 are already out of date...
Little hope of another X5 (you would need a 100+ model)...
Just have to look how the frequentation on this forum has plummeted.
This is the end...
Just curious...where are you getting information that suggests there are fewer users/posts here than there were before? Speaking as a mod...not really seeing it, but maybe you know something I don't.
Mr. Black
10-29-2007, 12:40
By far the most popular Sub Forum here is the D2 area, many many post there....
......but anyway this has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand... no point in dwelling on it really, *hint*hint* :D
well if cowon will make the x7, i think at the very latest it would be announced at CES January of next year. it's all Speculatory for now
Mr. Black
10-30-2007, 11:08
The most up to date word on the X7 is that it has been shelved, pending review in the 1st quarter of 2008...
I wrote this somewhere before but I cannot find my post.. meh... I'm sticking with my theory that the D3 = X7
Boy, that is extremely disappointing. I plan on checking out a Zune Then. Despite the fact it doesn't support flac or ogg. an imod with rockbox might work as well.
globiboulga
11-01-2007, 06:29
I went to an Apple shop the other day and played with a Touch. Well, I was baffled. The GUI is simply AMAZING. The flow effect is simply brilliant. Too bad that the player is otherwise crap and lacks capacity.
I would not mind the X7 to be the D3 as long as the screen is descent and the interface is kept as is (not a front end of windoz). 32GB and I would be satisfied since I can put 50% of my Flacs on it. Add a SD slot for movies and we're all done...
if it is the d3 i want tv out at 480p and videos supported in XviD and DivX at all resolutions. not to mention the warm audio of the x5
COWON is so sloooooooow. The last news post was 2 months ago :(
Mr. Black
11-03-2007, 05:30
Yep, nothing has been happening so we've had nothing to report on...
Mayby cowon has realised that HDD is yesterdays technologi. So they mayby are waitng for the SSD prices to drop to make a X7 with a SSD.....
i agree if cowon can make a flash x7 at 32gigs with an sd slot and 40 hour battery life it would be awesome. But no touchscreen
zaphanathpaneah
11-05-2007, 08:23
i agree if cowon can make a flash x7 at 32gigs with an sd slot and 40 hour battery life it would be awesome. But no touchscreen
Must have a touch screen.
Must have a touch screen.
No touch screen [toungue] (This is gonna be a real constructive thread.)
Let's not turn this into a ping-pong match folks...
Arachnophilia
11-05-2007, 22:16
are we debating what features we'd like a company that doesn't listen to us to add to a product that doesn't exist?
seriously, is there any news? or is the idea of an x7 just plain dead?
Mr. Black
11-05-2007, 22:25
are we debating what features we'd like a company that doesn't listen to us to add to a product that doesn't exist?
seriously, is there any news? or is the idea of an x7 just plain dead?
I'm guessing you skipped ahead and did not read this thread?
globiboulga
11-06-2007, 04:07
Bah, I've given up on the X7... It's too late for Cowon... They've missed the boat.
The X7 has been killed by the classic and it's even now too late for a x5.1 model that would be a simple improvement.
The A3 and Q5 destroyed by the Touch and iPhone, both in term of design and UI... Only extra codecs supports and SQ are left, but the price point and the 'bulky' factor compared to the Apple products just kills these. I mean THE PRICE!!!! If only they boosted a large HDD to make it worth compared to flash... But no, they've got pathetic capacities...
Kudos to Apple, they once again redefined the market. There's no gap left. And given the habit of other manufacturers to quickly follow Apple, what's left for Cowon? They don't have the size or the means of Sony, LG and the likes, they're gone.
Cowon is too slow. I love my D2 but it's already too old and the Touch UI just kills it... If it wasn't for iTunes, I would have had an Apple product long time ago.
RIP
Bah, I've given up on the X7... It's too late for Cowon... They've missed the boat.
Yes, but hopefully they are working to geat ready for the next boat. And when that comes, COWON will be more prepared than apple and all the rest of them. I would rather wait 6 month and get a X7 with a ssd, newer battery techologi, a resently develpoed screen e.t.c. Than get one know and then have to wait 2 year to get a COWON player that can compeet with the apple products that will be out in 1 year....
Seriously, i would never go to apple, i still love my D2 and think that it kicks the apple touch ass. Better battery, SD, better screen(not bigger though), better sound, no iTunes...well you get my point.....
I just wish that we could get some sign that there is a X7 in progress. I dont need to know any specification or design, i just want to know that there still is hope....
The iPod Touch is worlds ahead of the d2 design wise. Not to mention it supports wifi and is extremely thin. Now i'm pretty sure the D2 is superior in Sound Quality, even though i am not totally pleased with the D2's SQ, but Cowon has dropped the ball, The Q5 and A3 are outdated before even being released and we haven't heard anything about an x5 replacement, im assuming it wont happen. the only thing thats keeping Cowon alive is there codec support and sound quality. but most people don't use ogg and flac to begin with.
Mr. Black
11-07-2007, 16:24
the only thing thats keeping Cowon alive is there codec support and sound quality. but most people don't use ogg and flac to begin with.
Can't you see that it's extremely clear that Cowon are not targeting "most people", they are targeting a very niche market and by the looks of things they seem to be happy enough with their position in this market.
In regards to the A3 being outdated, I truly do not understand how you could justify that statement, it is the PMP, it plays anything (nearly) and even supports Hi-Def playback @ 1080i . It doesn't do wifi, big freakin wup [laugh] the only two aspects of the A3 that disappoint me is the Capacity and battery life.
The only thing keep cowon alive are teh customers who want their products, as long as there is demand for their sorts of products then they will supply them.
---rant off--- [thumbsup]
Arachnophilia
11-08-2007, 00:08
I'm guessing you skipped ahead and did not read this thread?
on the contrary, i used to follow this forum very intently, waiting for news. but all i've heard are rumors with fake pics, debate over what we want, and hints that cowon simply does not ever plan on having a replacement for the x5, opting instead for PMPs and flash-based players.
it's just... kinda ridiculous at this point. there's no real activity on this front, and the dyed-in-the-wool x5ers are themselves slowly resigning to the idea that there will be no more x-anything.
if they come out with a new one, whatever. maybe i'll buy one. but i'm not gonna hold my breath. my x5 is fine (if a little jam-packed) for now.
Mr. Black
11-08-2007, 04:54
I said this thread, not this forum.
So did you read this thread? it doesn't seem like you have.
I Can't believe I might be zune, I never thought I would say it, but it looks like Cowon doesn't plan on making a successor to the x5.
Arachnophilia
11-09-2007, 02:18
I said this thread, not this forum.
So did you read this thread? it doesn't seem like you have.
this thread is a subset of this forum. and i have read this thread, as intently as i have read the rest of the forum. here are some excerpts from this thread.
Mmh... But then again... No words from Cowon on any new product... despite repeated comments on this forum.
The most up to date word on the X7 is that it has been shelved, pending review in the 1st quarter of 2008...
I wrote this somewhere before but I cannot find my post.. meh... I'm sticking with my theory that the D3 = X7
Yep, nothing has been happening so we've had nothing to report on...
now, maybe i've misunderstood you, but the indication seems to be "postponed, possibly cancelled" and that you think they will be scrapping the high-capacity HDD players in favour of flash-based players, with presumably slightly more memory than they currently have. in other words, a D3, but not an X7. did i misunderstand your statement?
now, my statement that cowon "doesn't listen to us" is one that was voiced earlier in this thread. elsewhere in this forum people have considered writing to cowon to explain that, yes, we want an x7. we will pay money for it. here are the things we want. i gather there is a growing perception in this forum that cowon is abandoning this particular part of the market, thus the need for this thread where people have voiced their disappointment "so far." my other statement that the x7 "doesn't exist" is also so far true. we are discussing vapor-ware. until we hear anything official, it will remain vapor-ware. maybe they're working on an x7 somewhere in their R+D offices. maybe not. but until they say "we're going to be selling an x7" it effectively does not exist, and we are just fighting over a fantasy. which seems completely pointless.
Culverin
11-11-2007, 03:06
from what i've seen of cowon's products.
they have the engineering expertise to make an ipod killer.
but whether it's financially feasible or not is another story.
i've been seeing X5s sell for 500 bucks now.
that's insane.
so obviously the demand is there.
i will be buying i new player with the next 10 months, i just hope cowon gets on the ball and not left behind.
I lost my faith in Cowon. I almost bought another X5 last year after thrashing mine accidentally but managed to get free servicing for it.
And now with off/on/hold switch getting loose is slowly making my X5 a big paperweight. If that doesnt kill my X5L, the decreasing battery life will.
Anyone knows a modern player that has SQ of the X5 and the capacity of the ipod classic?
emperorjvl
11-11-2007, 22:09
Anyone knows a modern player that has SQ of the X5 and the capacity of the ipod classic?
No... that's the whole problem.
Its like you get addicted to the SQ, once youve tried a COWON player, youre stuck..... So im praying for a X7 or i have no idead what brand i should buy...
Its like a drug... Once you try something stronger, you don't want to smoke the weak shiat...
Konechiwa
12-06-2007, 22:14
this thread is ridiculous. The OP is should have just searched and found the countless other "i'm disappointed cowon has had 3 years and has sat and done absolutely nothing" spheel.
Just sit back and wait and gobble up other products as you do so.
micah356
12-08-2007, 04:30
I think that there will not be a decent replacement for the X5 - from Cowon or anyone else - until flash memory is cheap enough that we see 32gb and 64gb becoming commonplace. The first of these devices are here/just around the corner, so I feel that there's a pretty good chance of an X5 successor coming around before mine dies - hopefuly (if not probably) within the next year.
ProjectHybrid
12-29-2007, 12:05
This may be a little late in pointing out by now, and I don't know if this concept has been explored by any of you... But would it not make sense that Cowon would refrain from making any mention of a high capacity dedicated audio player until they've at least made a profit from their A3 and Q5? As far as I can tell, many people who are thinking of getting these really just want a good DAP, not a PMP. A cheaper audio dedicated device with a large storage capacity would probably take a serious bite of their sales.
Considering Cowon isn't quite as well known as Apple, for instance, and doesn't have a snazzy download service to fall back on, My guess is that they have to be extra careful about their timing when they release certain products. Especially in this case where there is a chance one would hurt the other.
Seems Cowon have moved over to Navigation/PMP devices as well as small flash devices, which seem to be the craze in korea from my understanding. I waited for a X7, although not really convinced they would ever re-enter back into that type of market i went off and purchased the Kenwood HD30GB9, and would certainly never turn back.
I still think that they are waiting until they can create a SSD player. Cause thats what apple will do when they can, the different is that apple can afford to devolep a HDD player today AND a SSD player tomorrow, COWON can only afford one of them.
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