Apple's Ng talks down video iPod

[AppleInsider]

Speaking at a Macworld press event in Australia last Wednesday, Apple Computer's Stan Ng reaffirmed his company's stance on an iPod with video-capabilities: don't expect one anytime soon.

News.com.au was on hand for the briefing, which took place at the Westin Hotel in Sydney, Australia.

"There is no legal way today of taking a DVD and making it viewable on a portable device. There are issues with video, and no infrastructure for acquiring that content," said Ng, now Apple's director of iPod worldwide marketing.

"For a player with a 3 1/2-inch screen, you have to wonder if it would be worthwhile. You can't watch video while you're jogging or mountain biking," he said

"Fundamentally, at a corporate level, we've been clear about our involvement in music and photos - we'll see what happens with video over time,"

At the event, Ng also previewed Apple's new product offerings including the Mac mini and iPod shuffle digital music player, sans display.

"We wanted to create a whole different way of experiencing music with a small player," he said, explaining that the shuffle should be seen as a portable extension of iTunes, where songs are arranged before being transfered to the device.

"A prime example is someone who will use the shuffle for workouts - they want faster music, so they don't want their show tunes to come up," he said.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[hmurchison]

No video iPod.

This is painfully and blatantly obvious to most people. I don't know why some people feel like this would be a success ; given the tepid sales of portable DVD Players. What makes people think that shrinking the video and player down to iPod size means sales? Perhaps a lack of creativity?

[grabberslasher]

Who says we want to watch video on a 3.5 inch screen? The iPod Photo shows how easy it is to hook up to a TV and play slideshows; why not videos?

[tak1108]

Here is a good alternative if you need video playback.

http://www.g-technology.com/News/pdf...introduced.pdf

[Kickaha]

Originally posted by grabberslasher
Who says we want to watch video on a 3.5 inch screen? The iPod Photo shows how easy it is to hook up to a TV and play slideshows; why not videos?

In that case, why not a Mac mini? Same prices as an iPod *Photo*. Can't stick it in your pocket, but it's certainly portable. I'm sure it won't be long before someone comes up with a battery pack for it.

[Jan Dvorak]

Originally posted by Kickaha
In that case, why not a Mac mini? Same prices as an iPod *Photo*. Can't stick it in your pocket, but it's certainly portable. I'm sure it won't be long before someone comes up with a battery pack for it.

I have an iPod photo. I am also an architect.

With my iPod photo, I can do client presentations (with slides). Just take my iPod with me and the iPod photo AV-cable, and I am all set. And no, Mac mini doesn't do it for me - THEN, I would rather take my iBook (which I did before I got the iPod photo). But I noticed your remark was meant tongue-in-cheek...

Now, why can't I have a short QuickTime clip instead of a slide? And what's more, it would be a QuickTime clip I have made myself (like a flythrough through a design).

THAT'S WHAT an iPod video (or better: iPod QT) would be EXCELLENT for.

As said before:

Originally posted by grabberslasher
The iPod Photo shows how easy it is to hook up to a TV and play slideshows; why not videos?

And those "videos" can be QuickTime clips, "self-made" with iMovie or Final Cut...

Gosh, Sony was so afraid of people "stealing" "their" music into mp3 it missed the whole emerging digital music revolution (witness their Atrac or whatever it is called digital music format). Is Apple trying to do it "Sony-like" with the (soon to be) emerging digital video revolution?

[timmy o'tool]

I have said it before, but if the ipod got video it would be for showing imovies on screen or on tv, not for showing feature length movies. That functionality would be kinda cool, but I am not even sure there would be much market for that. Small screens suck for video. To many legal issues to resolve. Bandwidth to small for most users to download right now. Plus 8 million other problems I'm not realizing. If you need (want) mobile video there are better products on the market that don't fall anywhere near the ipod form factor. I am not talking about any of the new handheld video jukeboxes because they suck and are not selling very well. Portable dvd players or Laptops are just so much better. I really don't understand why anyone would want a handheld video player. What are they going to do watch video while they jog? I would like to remind everyone that video and music are two different mediums. You can look around and see whats happening around you while you listen to music, but when watching video your eyes are fixed on the screen. This really limits the usefulness of a hand-held video player.
Now with all this said I can see limited video being used in a future ipod. This feature would be for sharing imovie the way ipod photo is for sharing photos. I might use something like that, but I would likely be one of the few however.

[bredlo]

I have a burning question as well...

How do you pronounce "Ng"?

[bryan.fury]

iPhoto now supports movies ...

[soosy]

I'd use a video ipod primarily for displaying small videos that many digital cameras now take... I'd take it over to my parents and hook it up to the tv for a slideshow with photo and video... Heck I do that now with the camera but it can't hold nearly as much (512MB card).

Many of the arguments against a video ipod we have heard before and were applied to a photo ipod: screen's too small... photo jukeboxes are junk and not selling well... use a laptop instead.

Despite all those arguments, Apple did come out with a photo iPod. Yeah it has limited usefulness, but the question remains why not do video too? Yeah limited content and limited usefulness... but it would add some benefit and be somewhat useful.

[BuonRotto]

Originally posted by bredlo
I have a burning question as well...

How do you pronounce "Ng"?

Ng (EHng) Common Vietnamese name IIRC. See also the They Might Be Giants song, "Anna Ng." You're welcome.

Methinks the transport mechanism like Jan is talking about is much more viable than a player per se. I thik that's also true of the photo iPod, and what a lot of people don't get about it and why it isn't such a great seller.

Ideally, it would be more than just a portable HD in that you can display directly from it when hooked up. But the technology for convenience probably isn't quite there yet.

Ng's comments seem to assume the iTMS business model. The trouble boils down to content in any case, where it comes from and who controls it. Maybe Apple just isn't comfortable with Sony making the digicams and Comcast or Netfliks providing the movies. The further the iPod and iLife thing goes, the more Apple feels trapped in a box when others control the content and peripherals for photo taking and movie making, the natural next steps for these things at least in people's imaginations.

[mmmpie]

Originally posted by Jan Dvorak
Gosh, Sony was so afraid of people "stealing" "their" music into mp3 it missed the whole emerging digital music revolution (witness their Atrac or whatever it is called digital music format). Is Apple trying to do it "Sony-like" with the (soon to be) emerging digital video revolution?

The whole MP3 revolution was only possible because in the primary country of innovation ( USA ) it is legal to make a copy of a CD you own.

The problem with video is that the only mass market source for video is DVD. It is illegal in the US to decrypt the video. Sure you could just copy the DVD but who want 4 - 9 GB movies on their iPod? Apple cant realistically offer a tool to copy movies to the iPod, and they arent in the market of catering to very small niches ( people who make their own movies, who cant just write them to DVD ).

Im not sure how Apple manage to justify the iPod in Australia, where any copying of music is illegal ( of course, in Australia you can walk into a 7-11 and use their CD duplicator to copy music ).

[allenhuffman]

An iPod that could show iMovies would be great - tons of uses (showing movies of the kids to their grandparents, etc.) as well as a neat way to review movies taken on digital cameras. That is different than watching the latest DVD movie converted down. (Though we've had small LCD TVs for sale since the 80s, several models aways available at RadioShack, so there must be a market for small TV devices.)

Apple always points out content -- ignoring their own iMovie stuff -- so perhaps that's the deal. An iPod that plays movies, maybe not -- but adding camera movies to iPhoto and such leads to an iPod that can play those kinds of clips.

We'll see.

[nd32k3]

I think it would be awesome if they could work it out. Put the DVD capability on a 40 gig iPod. Work out a deal with companies that it decodes the disc then after one or two times playing it, automatically erases the movie. So you can rent a movie, put it on your iPod and watch it if you are going on a long carride, or just want to watch it on the subway on the way to work. Then when you get home you can plug it into your tv if you don't have a DVD player or it is broken, or if you have already returned the movie. I think it is a great idea and I don't see why it wouldn't be legal if Apple made it so it would erase the movie after you watch it.

[dlg1967]

I still think Apple is missing something here. I said the exact same thing when Nicolodeon came out with videos on the GameBoy Advance. Now I take my kids SpongeBob and Fairly Odd Parents videos with on long car rides(OK, to watch during lunch at work). Do I think movies should go over? I can not see watching movies on here due to space on the hard drive. But having SpongeBob or have Cartoon Network put out Justice League, Teen Titans and TMNT on here would be cool.
My guess is that it is not being looked at this way, but for me to download an episode for $3.99 (equivalent to what a SpongeBob on Gameboy breaks out to) and take that with would be super. I know I am not the only adult who watches some of these shows, so I think there would be a market. And to be able to plug into the TV at a hotel and watch these instead of other stuff, I would actually consider the video iPod. Maybe soon.

[trtam]

iPhoto

As you saw at the MWSF 2005, you can see that they added video clips to iPhoto. Do you think they'll add support for the iPod Photo to show video?

[onlooker]

Originally posted by hmurchison
No video iPod.

This is painfully and blatantly obvious to most people. I don't know why some people feel like this would be a success ; given the tepid sales of portable DVD Players. What makes people think that shrinking the video and player down to iPod size means sales? Perhaps a lack of creativity?

In total agreement with hmurchison. Nuff said.

[Macaddict16]

Well... Apple said no video iPod. Which in reality we will see one in less than a year. Same thing with the G5 PowerBooks. The new Apple has a thing for saying one thing and then going against it and doing it anyway. Examples are flash mp3 players too small (iPod shuffle) and We will not compete in the sub-$800 catagory (Mac mini).

Macaddict16

[Vox Barbara]

Originally posted by Macaddict16
Well... Apple said no video iPod. Which in reality we will see one in less than a year. Same thing with the G5 PowerBooks. The new Apple has a thing for saying one thing and then going against it and doing it anyway. Examples are flash mp3 players too small (iPod shuffle) and We will not compete in the sub-$800 catagory (Mac mini).

This is a common marketing instrument: declaring
a certain product untrue and then surprise costumers.
No news here.

Apple for sure knows there is a strong demand (and
probably a huge costumer base) for the rumored
iPod video. That device is so glaring obvious, - it is
just a matter of (little) time.
Though i've got that feeling that this particular
iPod video will be designed to play only Videos.
A whole new Pod family member.
No music iPod with additional facilities to play
Videos ala iPod Photo.

my2c

[User Tron]

Originally posted by mmmpie
The whole MP3 revolution was only possible because in the primary country of innovation ( USA ) it is legal to make a copy of a CD you own.

But you know that mp3 is developed by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany?

End of Line

[Vox Barbara]

Originally posted by mmmpie
The whole MP3 revolution was only possible because in the primary country of innovation ( USA ) it is legal to make a copy of a CD you own.
...

hört hört

[jido]

Originally posted by mmmpie
The whole MP3 revolution was only possible because in the primary country of XXXXXXXXXX consumption ( USA ) it is

Thanks for "EHng" by the way...

[TednDi]

The sony PSP is set to be the ipod video solution.


Perhaps it will utilize the itms to download games and video and music

[JeffDM]

Originally posted by TednDi
The sony PSP is set to be the ipod video solution.

Perhaps it will utilize the itms to download games and video and music

Has Sony started permitting consumer UMD writers? So far, UMD is for games and the occasional commercially pressed video discs, there have been a few that were announced.

I'm not buying the legal argument, unless the video devices that connect to Windows Media Center are illegal. That said, WMC involves PVR functionality, something that currently requires third party hardware and software to add to the Mac.

While the iPod's hard drive is slow, file sizes wouldn't be so bad if transcoded to the display resolutions, but that won't look good on a TV. MPEG-2 transcoded to MPEG-4 would help a lot. Heck, Jobs was bragging that H.264 can scale down to video in cell phones resolutions. Why would the protocol designers scale make it down that far if no one is going to use it?