Tech Trends
PC audio stagnates, dies
Karl Schulze, WH '02
Issue date: 11/6/00 Section: Undergraduate
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Last year at this time, computer audio technology was zipping along with improvements and new product releases that actually mattered. The two big players were Creative and Aureal, and they looked to have a long battle ahead of them for the title “King of Computer Audio.” Computer game developers hedged their bets by offering support for both Creative and Aureal’s 3D audio standards, or swore allegiance to one and made gnashing noises in the general direction of the other.
Pure science seemingly reigned supreme, with each company whipping tired scientists in the labs to improve their respective spatial-positioning algorithms. The world was grand for audio enthusiasts, and investors had some fun tossing in their bets as well.
Fast forward to the present: Product releases are few and far between, they are insignificant, and even the die-hard audio zealot has wandered into a skulking depression. Aureal is dead, Aureal’s technology is dead, and Creative is mongering over the audio landscape with a market segmenting hatchet in one hand and a monopoly profit vacuum in the other. A few would-be competitors gallop up and make bleating noises, attracting one or two curious pigeons to alight atop their technologies or pay visit and sod on them at least. Creative tosses them a wayward glance and reminds itself to hack these competitors dead with its hatchet or at least give them a good shearing when it next has a respite in mongering profits from naïve customers.
Okay, okay I have exaggerated a little bit. But the PC audio market has truly stalled out, and if I were looking to invest in this area I’d be stumped. Creative seems intent upon generating meaningless little spin-offs of its current product offerings, resulting in little generation of new profits. Competitors have impressive offerings on the market for one reason or another, but they do not enjoy the glitch-free operation that Creative’s monopoly affords its cards. Let me explain …
Pure science seemingly reigned supreme, with each company whipping tired scientists in the labs to improve their respective spatial-positioning algorithms. The world was grand for audio enthusiasts, and investors had some fun tossing in their bets as well.
Fast forward to the present: Product releases are few and far between, they are insignificant, and even the die-hard audio zealot has wandered into a skulking depression. Aureal is dead, Aureal’s technology is dead, and Creative is mongering over the audio landscape with a market segmenting hatchet in one hand and a monopoly profit vacuum in the other. A few would-be competitors gallop up and make bleating noises, attracting one or two curious pigeons to alight atop their technologies or pay visit and sod on them at least. Creative tosses them a wayward glance and reminds itself to hack these competitors dead with its hatchet or at least give them a good shearing when it next has a respite in mongering profits from naïve customers.
Okay, okay I have exaggerated a little bit. But the PC audio market has truly stalled out, and if I were looking to invest in this area I’d be stumped. Creative seems intent upon generating meaningless little spin-offs of its current product offerings, resulting in little generation of new profits. Competitors have impressive offerings on the market for one reason or another, but they do not enjoy the glitch-free operation that Creative’s monopoly affords its cards. Let me explain …