image via Engadget

So let’s ignore the fact that Apple hasn’t officially announced a video iPod and possibly never will and focus on what will happen if they do decide to go that route. Sony’s PSP was supposed to be the portable media player that took over the world. You never hear about it’s staggering sales or how PSP movies are flying off the shelves, all you seem to hear about on the web is it’s ability to be hacked and customized.

What’s Sony’s problem? Well the major problem is that they are using a proprietary format for their discs along with proprietary memory cards alienating many of the people that already purchase memory cards for their digital cameras and mp3 players. They got so caught up in believing that the world would embrace the device and kill Nintendo that they would be willing to fork out a bit extra on memory just to use it. Bad move.

If Apple does come out with their video iPod all they have to do is what they did with the iPod, make sure all the common formats work on it. Plain and simple. Sure it probably won’t use a proprietary disc format or any disc format at all, but it doesn’t need one. Hook it up to your computer, load up the videos and you are good to go. Just like mp3s from the previous generation, people will download more and more videos via BitTorrent and P2P to use on their video iPods and therefore causing the TV and Movie industry to take notice and work more closely with Apple. Brilliant doesn’t describe what is happening.

Sony had their chance, but missed out completely. If Apple is able to stomp them out of the portable video market in one single move, then it is well-deserved. At the very least this should remind Sony to stick with videogames when it comes to the PSP and that’s really what PSP owners want. However, this may also be too late since Nintendo is primed to introduce their Nintendo DS wireless network very shortly.

See Sony, when you put out a device primed for multiple markets, you have to be prepared to get hit from multiple angles. And this time I think you pissed off the wrong people.