Coursework_2 Sample Report

8/9/2019 Coursework_2 Sample Report

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Contents

1. Introduction of discontinued product

1.1 Concept

1.2 Design

1.3 Operations

2. Primary users

2.1 Target user

2.2 Market share

3. Reasons why product was remove from market3.1 Advantages of product

3.2 Disadvantages of product

3.3 Problems

3.4 Decline

4. Future of this product (able to re-introduce?)

4.1 Comeback?

4.2 Conclusion

5. References


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1 Introduction of discontinued product [2]

1.1 Concept

With the concept of becoming the next generation portable audio playing device, the

Minidisc was created. Minidisc was aiming to replace the older generation of portable

CD (Compact Disc) players; this was the reason that prompted Sony the company to

develop the Minidisc technology. Of course another reason was to diminish the failure of

the Betamax video recording system.

1.2 Design

From the name Minidisc people will now the concept and design will be small and

portable. The Minidisc is house in a cartridge of size (68 x 72 x5 mm). Conventional

audio CD is either premastered or recordable when its blank. Recordable Minidisc does

not record as audio format but as data (ATRAC format). Minidisc is able to record up to

80mins of songs in a single blank cartridge it early days, after some time later the

Minidisc is able to record up to 320mins of songs in a single blank cartridge.

1.3 Operations

Minidisc operations method is very similar compare to a hard disk drive of a computer,

majority of the space of the Minidisc is used to store the data (Songs), and a small part

of it will be for the TOC (Table of Contents). Table of Contents will be providing

information about the songs played, example: Track number, artists, name of songs etc.

Minidisc can be played using either by a Portable Minidisc player or on Minidisc Hi-Fi

Systems or Minidisc Decks. For recording people can also use a Portable Minidisc

player with recording function or Minidisc Recorder. By connecting the Minidisc portable

player to a Hi-FI system using a cable, customers will be able to record the songs.


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2 Primary Users

2.1 Target Users

Minidisc was launch in September 1992 by Sony in their bid to replace cassette tapes

and become the next-generation of portable audio devises. Primary target users would

students and working adults who needs to commutate everyday from home to work,

schools or vice versa. In short those existing users of Portable CD player or cassettes

players will be the primary targets. Sony vision or aim is to replace CD (Compact disc)

and Cassettes. Alternatively the secondary targets will be recording or broadcast radio

stations.

2.2Market share

Sony aim wasnt just domestically but globally. Thus marketing was done globally and

domestically before it was launch in September 1992. It was met with great success in

Japan and some part of Asia but response wasnt as good as in the United States or

European countries. Only around an estimated 50,000 sets was sold in the other part ofthe world compare to Japan. To counter this issue, Sony launches several major but

unsuccessful marketing campaigns, like reducing the prices.

3 Reasons why product was remove from market

Before we come to the most likely reasons that Minidisc was remove from the market,

lets take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of the Minidisc. This way we

would all have a much clearer picture of the reasons why it was taken of the shelves

altogether.

3.1 Advantages of product

Strength


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1. Small and compact - As mention before the Minidisc cartridge size was (68 x 72

x5 mm) relatively small compare to a CD (Compact Disc). The Minidisc portable

player was a small compact and lightweight.

2. Able to hold more songs than Compact Disc or Cassettes Since Minidisc is

using data compressing to record songs for playback. The ATRAC format was

used initially to hold the same amount of songs an audio CD can carry but at a

smaller size of CD. But later Sony came up with MDLP (Minidisc Long Play),

where a new codec is used in the form of ATRAC3, depending on the song

quality you want by using this format it store up to more than four times the

recording time of the Minidisc (around 320mins in a 80mins Minidisc). What it

means here is that if customer wants a higher sound quality, they can choose to

increase the quality but the Minidisc can only store maybe half the amount of

songs instead of the 320mins, the Minidisc maybe can only store 160mins of

songs data.

3. Flexibility in recording Minidisc can be recorded and erase easily, be it on a

portable Minidisc player, Minidisc deck or Hi-Fi system with Minidisc functions.

4. Anti-skip function Unlike the normal Compact Disc player which prone to mis-

tracking from vibration or shock to the Compact Disc player. Minidisc is able to

withstand most shock and vibration unless under very severe conditions. Thus

normal playing of the Minidisc player wont be affected by vibrations cause while

walking.

3.2 Disadvantages of product

Weakness

1. Price The price of the Minidisc was expensive, for a normal portable Minidisc

player would be around $300 USD and for one with recording function would cost

around $400USD. This is very pricey for a portable audio player. Not only

portable Minidisc player was high, even the blank media cartridge is expensive.


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2. Album [1] Lack of pre-recorded album available in the market, as not many

record labels embraced this new technology during the 1990s.

3. Portability [1]Ok the Minidisc is small and compact, so it should be portable,

but when more songs are being recorded the more Minidisc blank cartridges is

needed, meaning that customers has to carry more Minidisc cartridges in order to

have their favorites tracks with them.

3.3 Problem [2] and [3]

Actually there are more advantages of the Minidisc than disadvantages like the sound

quality is good, portable and compact but why did it still get phase out by the market.

The reasons I could think of would be maybe, (as stated below).

1. Market share Unable to capture the users from the other side of the world like

the United States and Europeans countries.

2. Timing of release The Minidisc was introduced to the market when there were

other competing formats such as Digital Compact cassettes, Recordable

Compact disc and Flash memory etc.

3. Poor Marketing - Yes, the Minidisc was a success in Japan and some part ofAsia but over in the United States and European countries. Sony tried to promote

the Minidisc player and recorder more at the United States, instead of trying to

promote the Minidisc portable player as a replacement for the Walkman or

Discman. Sony even tried to target the MTV industry was a marketing error, as

MTV industry at that time during the 1990s couldnt afford the Minidisc player or

recorder. This shows poor marketing research was done; knowledge of

customers needs wasnt there.

4. Overpricing of Players and Blank Media The price of the Minidisc and blank

cartridges was simply to expensive, a 74 minute Minidisc blank cartridge costs

around $24, the Minidisc portable player itself would cost around $500 USD.

Threats


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5. Better competitors - Introduction of Re-writeable Compact Disc, MP3 players I

believe was the main reason of the Minidisc being removed from the market. Re-

writeable CD was made much more affordable during around 1995, and the MP3

player was better and faster without the use of any media and is much more

portable and compact than any Minidisc player.

3.3 Decline [3]

The decline of the Minidisc I suppose should be during around in the late 1990s when

better and faster portable audio player surfaces. When the first MP3 player (Diamond

Rio PMP300), appeared during 1999, the Minidisc is losing even more of its limited

market share. But I believe it was when the release of IPod around October 2001, the

fate of the Minidisc portable player was seal. The Minidisc existence was slowly

disappearing away from the market.

4 Future of this product (able to re-introduce?)

4.1 Comeback?

Question of the Minidisc if its can still be re-introduced back into the market, in my

opinion I think it is still possible but maybe for the music industry as sound quality is very

important, but not as a portable music player or home audio system. Which MP3 players

are dominating now, like IPod and Creative to name a few brands, even Sony is

producing MP3 players now. Even the recording part is much easier now, with the MP3

customer can just drag and drop the MP3 files from their computers into their portable

MP3 players.

Reason why the music industry is still a possibility is because as I mention the sound

quality is important, despite MP3 being the most commonly used format this days but the

MP3 sound quality may not be as good and clear as the Minidisc. I think nowadays there

will still be record label company still using the Minidisc recorder or player.

4.2 Conclusion


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I myself was a Minidisc portable player user around 10 years back; I have more good

than bad things to say about this Minidisc technology. The Minidisc enables me to record

all my favorite tracks into a small Minidisc, the remote control earpiece that I can use to

control my Minidisc player, which was also cool. But one thing, which I mention above in

the disadvantages, was the many Minidisc media I have to carry around wasnt just so

as portable anymore when I recorded more and more songs.

Back to the failure of the Minidisc technology, maybe with better research into what the

customers requirement is, timing of release, marketing and targeting of customers is

done, the Minidisc technology would have been a success not only in Japan and some

part of Asia but in the United States and European countries as well. And of course last

but not least overpricing of the product, which I believe, is a major factor contributing to

the failure. A good product doesnt necessary means it will be successful in the market,

good researching and marketing is also essential to a product success. In short we have

to know what the market needs, what the customers needs.

5 References

Internet Reference

[1] Customer review - http://www.reviewcentre.com/products27.html

[2] Minidisc concept and design - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc

[3] Background of Minidisc - http://www.ehow.com/facts_5156892_history-sony-

minidisc.html

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