Hi-res: Bose SoundDock Series 2
When Bose introduced the original SoundDock in 2004, no one knew what to make of it. Featuring a glossy white casing (to match the iPod), a single curved silver metal speaker grille and a front-mounted dock, the SoundDock did not look like your typical audio system.
It was also the first iPod-only speaker to sell for more than HK$2,500 - a huge sum at a time when competitors were selling similar items for half the price. Yet the SoundDock has managed to redefine the entire iPod speaker category: competitors spent years trying to duplicate Bose's visually neutral, sonically cosy formula, which helped sell millions of units with only tweaks to the design and price.
Five years later, the playing field has changed entirely. There are now hundreds of all-in-one speaker systems sold in different colours, shapes and sizes, each with a slightly different signature sound and features. Most of them were designed to rival or even surpass the SoundDock's sound quality at lower prices.
However, thanks to Apple's constant hardware changeover, the old SoundDock is not compatible with the iPhone, and cannot even charge the latest iPod or iPhone models. Therefore Bose was forced to release the Bose SoundDock Series 2 (below), which brings the old design up to date with Apple's latest technologies, while retaining most other SoundDock features. The question is whether the new Bose SoundDock is relevant in today's speaker market.
The answer is yes.
Bose has spent millions manoeuvring its products into middle-class living rooms. The company has done its research. Apart from the softer edges, this second generation edition is almost identical to the original, retaining the classic design and footprint small enough to fit in the bedroom or kitchen.
With the addition of playlist control, the remote has been improved, but is still user-friendly and there's an auxiliary-in for hooking up to another MP3 player. But without any other connections, a radio tuner or even an alarm clock, that is as exciting as it gets.
In glossy black or silver, it retails for HK$2,690.
