SanDisk’s Sansa: MP3 player with 2,000 songs

For the more practical and less style-conscious among us, there’s Sansa, another iPod alternative, this one from SanDisk, otherwise known for its storage-emboldening capacity. The news this week is that SanDisk has used its primary technology to increase the attractiveness of its new venture, at least in practical terms. Translation: The new Sansa has 8GB of storage on it, meaning that you can store, on average, up to 2,000 songs. And you can get that 8GB MP3 player for just US$250.

Those numbers should get the attention of the penny-counting public who are still looking for their first portable music player or who are tired of the eponymous iPod. The design is familiar, of course, as are the inner workings and the basic functionality. What is different is how much you can carry around with you.

SanDisk also makes players with 2, 4, and 6GB of storage, and the company has recently slashed prices on those models, by up to 30 percent.

All of these moves are designed to increase the company’s music player market share, which is about 10 percent. For those keeping score at home, that’s a far cry from Apple’s dominating share, which hovers around 75 percent. Believe it or not, SanDisk, with its Sansa, is second in market share, with that paltry 10. Other MP3 player manufacturers, especially those with far flashier ads and far deeper pockets, have even less of the market.