Why not Minidiscs in the US?

I have a Sony MD portable and love it. This is my second one in the past four years. I do have to say that IPODs, and other flash and mini hard drive units are attractive, too for portable use.

I used a compressed ATRAC file for listening on this unit and can get 160 minutes of audio on one disc. The sound quality is comparable to higher bit MP3 and very good for music on the go.
As for the home MD units and noncompressed ATRAC-I just think that it never caught on here. The portable units are great though and since they can do field recording also are unique.

I think mp3 players are the problem for the md camp , and cdr as well ,i have 2 minidisc decks MDSJA-30es & MDS -470 with long play , i think the fact that it is a data reduced format is what makes people think it will sound bad , but mp3 is so popular that it must be ok , its all in the mind , i must admit if they reduced md blanks to the same price as computer cdrs i think md would be more popular, its a price per disc issue as well.

I've been using mini discs since 1998 and have appreciated their forgiving nature during recording. I still use the JA20-es and a portable (which helps me ignore the sleep apnea machine I sleep with and sometimes my wife's noise....oops, I mean sounds) They were promising as the previous posters pointed out and I believe while not quite as dynamic as a cd their ease of use is still cool. I copy from cd to mini disc and have built a library that many friends have enjoyed.

I was a huge MiniDisc proponent when I worked for Sony, and few were sadder than I to see the format tank.
I adore my MDSJA30ES but occassionally ponder listing it for sale here. The only thing that stays my hand is that I'm not sure I could get better than a marginal price for it.