Sony has apparently stopped worrying that producing peipherals and accessory’s for Apple’s ubiquitous iPod portable media players will cannibalize sales of its own portable digital media products—instead, the company seems to be happy selling iPod-enabled products, today taking the wraps off new boombox and clock radio units aimed at the already-crowded iPod add-on market.
"Consumers are treating the iPod as a format, like the compact disc, which is why Sony is now delivering audio products to support it," said Andrew Sivori, director of personal audio products in the Digital Imaging and Audio Division at Sony Electronics, in a release. "High-quality sound, unique features, and exceptional design set our new boombox and clock radio apart."
The Sony ICF-C1iP clock radio sports a charging iPod dock with an adjustable backstop mechanism to ensure the iPod connects securely to the unit. The unit offers a full-function alarm clock which will wake users with music from their iPod, radio, or a buzzer, and the unit also offers automatic Daylight Savings Time adjustment and adjustable LCD display brightness—perhaps even more welcome for the sleep-addled, the unit comes with a wireless remote which offers full access to the iPod’s menu system, as well as radio tuning and volume adjustment.
Sony’s ZS-S2iP iPod boombox offers an integrated AM/FM tuner, CD player, and can operate off both an AC adapter or batteries. The unit incorporates Sony’s MegaBass Sound system for improved low-end response, and sports a retractable iPod dock tray: charge your iPod with the dock, or tuck the dock away out of site when you just want to listen to CDs or the radio. The boombox comes with a wireless remote which offers full iPod menu access, and users can also hook up other audio devices via an auxiliary line input.
Both the ZS-S2iP boombox and ICF-C1iP clock radio should be available in August for about $100.
