Why Sansa Fuze not produced anymore?

hi,

just wanted to say a view words from my opinion about The original fuze.

unfortunately last week my good old Fuze broke, because the wheel does not rotate smooth anymore, so i opened it, but after it does not work at all. SO i only can turn it on but cant do anything because the wheel does not respond anymore!

so far so good.

So i just fired up Google, Amazon & Co. eeaaam ok, no more new Fuze opffers anymore, only crappy Fuze+!

So i just looked at ebay and couldn’t believe my eyes. The old Fuze for more than 100$??

Some are even more expensive, and even used ones are at 60$ +?

Here are a few examples

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151124067934

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300965264453

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221284755772

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141074165179

I finally had luck and got a used one for 50 € here in Germany, but only a 2 GB model.

So my question to Sandisk is why don’t they produce such a popular product anymore?

Imagine a few years later, than these players would cost 500$ or more^^  :smileyvery-happy:

Was this MP3-Player too good for us? Was it too similar to the iPod or what is the problem? Why does the Fuze+ came out, which is in many thing a regress?

I really don’t understand sandisk in this case!

SO maybe we can start a petition, for a new production? What do you mean?

Agreed that the Fuze was a superb player, particularly for the price. But those overpriced, under-featured dopI players already dominated the market. People who had bought their music in Apple’s  formats couldn’t play them on the , Fuze, and the Fuze didn’t always work as well with Windows Media Player as dopI players did with senuTi.

For me, one of the great advantages of the Fuze–along with external storage, FM radio, voice recording, sound quality and price per GB–was that you didn’t need to manage it through a media player–you could just drag and drop with MSC. But people who had been duped into thinking the only way to deal with a player was via Sync and playlists didn’t wrap their minds around the straightforwardness of the Fuze.

Also, Sandisk is known for its memory cards, nothing else, and it was an uphill marketing battle that Sandisk never really put much effort into. Let’s not even mention the misfires of Slotradio and Rhapsody subscriptions.

But a petition isn’t going to bring back the Fuze. Standalone music players are going the way of pocket cameras, paper maps, dashboard GPS units, wristwatches, calculators, voice recorders, etc.–just one more smartphone/tablet  function. Most people see no need for a separate gizmo. 

Personally, I don’t like running down my phone or tablet battery just to play music, so I’ve replaced my faltering Fuzes with a couple of Clip+ that I got on eBay for $20 each refurbished, very nice.  When they go, I’ll probably join the all-in-one smartphone users.  

It’s really good player but all good things must come to an end. Especially as the times change. Though, what’s cool now, is that with the advent of Android, there are not pretty good Android PMPs for at least playing audio. Only thing that gets me is I really prefer the small form factor of the Sansa Fuze as well as having the easy voice recorder. Awww well.

I’m typing on a tablet now, but I have yet to find a player for it that matches Rockbox. Of course, Rockbox is available for Android, butnits so unstable at times (notto mention lacking visual themes, making it ugly AND hard to use) that it just can’t match up.

If Sandisk sees the light, and attempts to breathe life back into the line, I’ll be first in line.

Leeman, 

ASR is a simple free voice recorder for Android.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nll.asr

No idea, but it must have been some fight!  The software failed me in following its own proceedures not mine (like rearranging my alphabetical by author–last name first–to by first. So Bach is not to be found in  B.)  Touch controls that, after days, I could make do what I wanted 15-20% of the time. Inferior battery/charge times.

   I wonder how many engineers went down for resisting.

    I wonder how much it would cost to buy patents, manufacturing specifications, and the like from Sansa and start production.  Under licence?

      There are some Olympus recorders designed to also play mp3.  Most have a micro SDHC slot.  Their software isn’t as good and one can not adjust anything by touch (in the dark).

When I misplaced (and much later washed - different post) my Fuze, I tried to get by with the native player in my Android phone. It was HORRIBLE. Not only does the user interface and control set ■■■■, it does annoying things like turn the volume down when it’s been up for some time - incredibly annoying when I need that gain in my car. I am a dad and have a dad, I don’t need them to babysit my hearing. Anyway, I ended up getting a used Fuze, rather than use that or getting one of the newer models.

I always figured there was a legal fight between Sandisk and Ap-poo over the rotary control, and Sandisk ended up going to the Cartesian stroke system in the Fuze+. Whatever the reason, the advantages of the + are offset by the clumsy navigation, so resale on the Fuze is still high. Small wonder – the Fuze is, in my opinion, the best MP3 player ever produced, especially for the value. It’s everything the mePod should have been - small, versatile, and massively expandable. Another iteration through the computer interface issues would have made it perfect.

Hey, Sandisk! Here’s an idea from a Fuze fan: write a good Fuze emulator for Android. I have a pile of ideas to expand on that, and I’m ready to talk when you are.