The MP3 player market is definitely a hot one, and Disney (NYSE:DIS) has decided to try to get into the action. Whether music players for tykes will be a smart move is anybody's guess, though. There's tons of competition out there, and it seems that it might be hard to convince parents to pony up for a player that their kids might soon outgrow.
Disney Mix Sticks are elementary-level MP3 players that target tech-forward kids ages 6 to 12. Mix Sticks allow kids to download music from the Internet and import music from CDs, just like their more grown-up counterparts. However, they also allow kids to use memory cards called Mix Clips to utilize the plug-and-play musical experience.
Mix Sticks have a price tag of $49 and enough memory to hold 60 songs; The Wall Street Journal showed a picture of the device, which features a picture of Tinker Bell and the slogan "Sassy Pixie." Such branding seems like it's one of Disney's strong points, given that it has the brand and clout with kids, and it's arguable that kids are possibly an underserved market.
It's easy to disregard the notion of electronics for kids until you ponder some of the data at hand. For example, recent Foolish coverage keyed me into the fact that a lot more kids have cell phones than I would have imagined in my wildest dreams -- 40% of 12- to 14-year-olds -- and that's obviously a big part of the reason why Disney is getting into mobile content.
However, competing against all the other MP3 player options out there might be difficult, to say the least. It goes without saying that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has the ultimate brand in MP3 players at the moment; its low-end Shuffle retails at $99 for a player that stores 120 songs, by way of comparison with the pint-sized Mix Sticks. It's no secret that tons of other companies are trying to peddle MP3 players: Sony (NYSE:SNE), Creative Technology (NASDAQ:CREAF), Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), and SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) all provide competing music players, for example.
To my way of thinking, though, there are definitely some questions here. Does a 6-year-old really need an MP3 player? Meanwhile, it seems to me that more frugal parents of 10- to 12-year-olds would likely want to hold off on a gadget that might quickly lose its cool factor as their child teeters on the edge of teenage years. Although one has to give Disney credit for having some pretty innovative ideas that mix its brand well with new trends in digital media, this example of child's play may not be Disney's best bet.
For more similar content, please see the following Foolish articles:
- Disney's ESPN goes mobile.
- Do Disney's studios need some magic?
- Disney goes toony.
- Disney looks to kids with mobile deal.
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Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.
