# Do you know what Creative (the company) is without looking it up? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308 "2011-12-15T16:26:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/1 "2011-12-15T16:26:19Z")
This happened in another forum. A poster was asking about a replacement for his damaged ipod. He had found a really nice mp3 player but he was concerned because it was made by an “unknown” company. The company in question? Creative Labs :eek: Older computer users of course knew, since Creative was essentially monopolizing the sound card industry for a really long time. But since the advent of on-board sound cards, Creative lost the hegemony it had in the past. But in my opinion it is a long shot to call Creative an unknown company. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/2 "2011-12-15T16:28:30Z")
Now, if you’d named it “Creative Labs” in the poll, I would have known immediately. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/3 "2011-12-15T16:35:53Z")
For me the answer is somewhere in between the two choices. I knew it was a computer related company and I was thinking it had to do with video or sound, but I wasn’t sure. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/4 "2011-12-15T16:37:10Z")
I had a CL sound card back in the day as well as a couple of sets of speakers. I am familiar. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/5 "2011-12-15T18:26:41Z")
Looking at the title I thought the name was pretty generic and could have referred to one of several different companies, but my first thought was “you mean the sound card guys?” Being older and a bit of a computer geek, I am of course familiar with Creative Labs. I can see how someone in the younger generation might not have heard of them though. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/6 "2011-12-15T18:28:31Z")
Definitely would have been faster if the name listed was Creative Labs absolutely. I’m pretty sure I have several t-shirts in my “free from work” drawer from them 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/7 "2011-12-15T18:29:18Z")
Creative Labs Sound Blaster was pretty much the standard sound card on pre-Pentium computers. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/8 "2011-12-15T18:48:06Z")
I do, but when someone says the company Creative in my line of work they mean this [http://www.creativeassociatesinternational.com/](http://www.creativeassociatesinternational.com/) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/9 "2011-12-15T18:51:45Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Now, if you’d named it “Creative Labs” in the poll, I would have known immediately. 🙂 Yeah, I voted no in the poll. But reading the full names and having a bit of a brain jostle, of course I know who they were. Have you guys ever heard of a company called General? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/10 "2011-12-15T19:11:47Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Yeah, I voted no in the poll. But reading the full names and having a bit of a brain jostle, of course I know who they were. > > Have you guys ever heard of a company called General? Motors or Electric? I voted no, and after reading the replies it’s still a no. I’m not a computer geek. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/11 "2011-12-15T19:15:19Z")
My Creative Zen Vision:M is still going strong. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/12 "2011-12-15T19:18:54Z")
I was nearly certain you were refering to Creative Labs having read the thread title and am glad to see I was right. I’ve owned 3 MP3 players from them and was very pleased with the two I bought new (the third was a refurbished model and kind of buggy, but still did the job.) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/13 "2011-12-15T19:24:45Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Motors or Electric? The. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/14 "2011-12-15T19:37:58Z")
I have a pair of Creative speakers sitting on my desk right now, so yeah. (and they are quite good quality and have been with me a number of years now, although I broke the mesh face that covers the subwoofer some time ago and threw it out, so it’s sitting bare. But still sounds good) BTW, I’m not sure if they are still called Creative Labs officially or not - if you go to [their website](http://us.creative.com/welcome.asp), the title of the page does say “Creative Labs”, but their logo is just the word “Creative” by itself, and all their products are called things like “Creative tablet blah blah”, “Creative speakers”, etc. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/15 "2011-12-15T19:48:49Z")
I still remember the days when a PC either had a Creative Labs Sound Blaster, or no audio capability at all. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/16 "2011-12-15T19:52:46Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I still remember the days when a PC either had a Creative Labs Sound Blaster, or no audio capability at all. Oh yeah, and in those early years, I was doing MS Windows tech support. Fun times, fun times. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/17 "2011-12-15T19:54:07Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Yeah, I voted no in the poll. But reading the full names and having a bit of a brain jostle, of course I know who they were. > > Have you guys ever heard of a company called General? I voted no too, but then realized I have heard of Creative Labs. No to General too (I think). ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/18 "2011-12-15T20:09:17Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Have you guys ever heard of a company called General? Mills? Didn’t know what Creative was, and calling it Creative Labs wouldn’t have helped. Creative _Loafing_, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/19 "2011-12-15T20:09:28Z")
I currently OWN a soundblaster card 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308/20 "2011-12-15T20:21:05Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I still remember the days when a PC either had a Creative Labs Sound Blaster, or no audio capability at all. Or a Gravis Ultrasound, but only if it was owned by someone cool and good-looking. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-creative-the-company-is-without-looking-it-up/606308.md?page=2)