Seoul, Korea'”April 16th 2003: Samsung Electronics expects its new YP-55 MP3 players to take the 2003 Korean market by storm. The new products are available with either 128MB of onboard memory or 256MB built in. Though very small, they feature SRS Lab's WOW, MP3 encoding, FM radio and sound recording capability. In a strategic tie-up with SRS, this is the first flash memory MP3 player that supports WOW, which offers greatly enhanced bass tones and 3D sound.
The direct MP3 encoding allows music from various sources'”CD players, cassette tape players or FM radio'”to be directly stored as MP3 files, without having to connect the MP3 player with a personal computer. The player can operate on a single AAA battery for up to 15 hours; the FM radio can select 20 different channels, and an auto-search function is included. The aluminum exterior and aesthetic design are aimed at the youth market yet provide a high-end, sophisticated look.
Samsung Electronics has greatly expanded its Yepp homepage (www.yepp.co.kr) as part of a W1 billion marketing campaign in conjunction with the launch of the YP-55. Advance orders are already being take on major online shopping sites in Korea, including the CJ Shopping Mall. Samsung is also planning a road show to promote its hot new product. More than 1,000 orders a day are now being received.
The Korean market for MP3 players (flash memory type) is estimated to be around 400,000 units in 2003, and Samsung Electronics expects to grab at least a 50% market share.
Reference Data
SRS Labs: This US-based company specializes in sound reproduction. SRS technology is now found in a wide range of products from many manufacturers. SRS WOW (SRS + Trubass System): The Sound Retrieval System (SRS) reflects the music in two stereo sound sources for a realistic 3D sound. The Trubass System improves the quality of low frequencies to make the 'large speaker sound" possible small speakers.
Source: Samsung
