Dell To Re-Enter PMP Market?

Remember Dell's ill-received DJ Ditty? News reports have Dell thinking about re-entering the digital media player market.

Hey, anyone remember the DJ Ditty, Dell’s ill-received (and ill-named) entry in the personal media player market from way back in 2003? Dell may have given the Ditty an unceremonious burial in 2006, but now news reports in The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Reuters, and elsewhere have the computer maker contemplating getting back into competition with Apple’s iPod with a new line of portable media devices.

Leveraging the company’s somewhat unexpected acquisition of Zingnearly a year ago, Dell’s players will reportedly sport prices less than $100 and offer Wi-Fi connectivity. However, the company seems to be considering a tactic other than launching a PlaysForSure device—because, obviously, that hasn’t really helped anyone compete with Apple’s iPod juggernaut. Instead, the company plans to support the device with media software that enables users to organize and download music and movies from a variety of online sources, and transfer that content seamlessly to the portable device.

Given the reception granted Dell’s previous foray into the PMP market, it’s possible that Dell may just be floating the idea of re-entering the market as a trial balloon: reports indicate the company has not made any final decision about whether to launch the new player. If Dell were to launch a new player, it’s hard to see what a low-cost, Wi-Fi enabled player would bring to the market that hasn’t already been tried by other players…although, for the most part, they have not had Dell’s name recognition, marketing muscle, and (newly established) retail presence. (Except, maybe, for that one company that does those non-iPod, Wi-Fi-toting players with their own DRM scheme…who was that? Oh, right. Microsoft.)