SanDisk & Big Four Labels Unveil microSD 'slotMusic'

Honestly, I have to wonder - how did this idea make it out of the door at SanDisk? I mean, they're obviously smart people, but this seems completely doomed to fail. Anyone comfortable with technology enough to make the jump from CD to microSD is also going to be comfortable with downloading, and I know which one I'd choose. Those who aren't, will just stick with CD. Sony tried with MiniDisc and had incredibly marginal with success, and it only had CD and cassette to compete with. Replace cassette with downloading, and lose the might of Sony's marketing department, and, well, to my eyes what you've got is a complete failure.

No, Just no. I couldn't stand carrying around CD's with me on a regular basis because simply put it's completely pointless carrying around 20 CD's when you can carry around 200 in your pocket cheaply. Making them physical media 1/10 the size doesn't change that, I don't want to carry around lots of little bits of physical media when an mp3 player does me just fine.

Instead of pouring money into this, what about being able to buy lossless albums off sites like 7 digital? It's a better idea then this at least.

How is it that projects like this get signed off? Has anyone of the 'Big Four' heard of market research? Presumably SanDisk are in this because they will be paid to manufacture the 'slotMusic' format so no real risk for them. The labels will pick up the cost of promotion, distribution etc... If I were the CEO of troubled EMI I would have the whole division responsible for this idea on gardening leave tomorrow morning.

Yep, i can just see people fumbling for whichever album they want to play next, dropping the back cover of their phone/mp3 player which they had to remove to switch cards. This combined with squinting to read the identifying marks on the tiny cards, which will need to be carried separately. Of course, these people won't mind not being able to enjoy the benefits of playing a random selection, or a playlist of the albums that aren't currently plugged into their player. Just the kind of aggravation one would seek on a crowded train!
One of the great things about MP3 players is their ability to reproduce decent quality music from compressed files. What is the point of playing a lossless audio album in a humble portable player? I would have thought that a lossless recording would only really be necessary on a system capable of revealing such detail, like a proper high end audio system. To hear such detail would require the system to be situated in a proper listening environment. A quiet place where the detail and refinement can be appreciated, not a noisy train! Maybe these clever guys know stuff we don't! Any comments appreciated.