For some reason, there seems to be something about people singing along to recorded music that makes manufacturers want to take things to the logical conclusion. Such seems to be the case with Griffin Technology's iKaraoke, a device that for $50, plugs into the dock port of your iPod, fades out the main vocal track of your favorite music and broadcasts the result via line-out jack or FM signal to the nearest compatible set of speakers. Why is this the logical conclusion? Well, I'm sure the device works well enough (except for those older tunes - engineers liked to do things liked to fade vocals to one side and instruments to the other in the early days of stereo technology, as I was reminded this past weekend when listening to the Beatles, so cutting out the center won't work), but how many people do karaoke in their houses, rather than just turning on the stereo and singing along with real musicians to help make household chores pass a little quicker? On the performing side of things, performing can be fun, but there's a reason why adults feed the need to drink first: it's a little nerve-wracking to expose yourself to ridicule, even if you're a good singer. Bringing karaoke to the home seems like such a specialized market that I can't see the value of the product.

Via Net Music Countdown