As nobody seems to have tackled the hard topic of what new iPods to expect come MWSF or later, I hope you don't mind if I go right ahead.
The past few days, all around the web I've seen very outspoken assertions about the iPod.
One recurring thing seems to be that the iPod will have a color display. I don't know why, and I don't know if this is very necessary.
Also, there are many who seem to think that the iPod will be a bit revamped so as to include more PDA-ish capabilities. I personally couldn't care less, so I won't go into those.
My feelings, opinions if you will, concentrate around two topics: storage and price. As I mentioned in another thread:
[quote] I think they will bump up the hard drives in the iPod, and lower the prices. I don't know how they are now in the us, but I guess they will discontinue the 5 GB model, and sell the 10 GB at its price now. The 20 GB down to the price of the 10 GB and then an all new 40 GB model at the price of the 20 GB.
There are some reasons to say this
* Nomad, or some other MP3 hard-disk player company (which have always been a pioneer) has a 40 GB model for quite some time now.
* Prices for hard disks (even smaller sized ones) have plummeted since the first iPod was released. I mean, you get 120 GB for the same price as you'd have gotten a measely 6 or 12 two, three years ago.
* The price, especially for the 20 GB model is very high for what it is: a consumer electronics device of the Walkman persuasion. Over here, nearly 700 euros, that's more than a month's worth of minimum wages. Now I'm not saying apple should cater it's top end 20 Gig model for minimum wage earners, but it does say quite something if a walkman type device costs more than some people earn in a month.
* Also, I think many people can fill more than 20 GB with MP3's if they try. I have darn near 40 cd's (700 MB ones) full of mp3's, and then some 5 GB residing on my HD (and I haven't even ripped half of my ceedees). You see, that's already (if I know my math well), some 32 GB of indispensible music. - so okay, I guess maybe a top-end 30 GB model might be quite something already, even for me -.
* I have to say: the concept of an iPod is great, I'd love to be able to carry all my MP3's (or at least the a very large selection of the better ones) around with me. I'm sure I'd listen to my albums a lot more than I do now, but they are really expensive (especially so in Europe). It's not that I can't afford one, but they don't sum up in my mind. It resides in small comparisons: the big iPod is the same price as a large television. As the top of the bill clothes-washer. As a fairly-well equipped racing bike. As a more than good-enough hi-fi chain. The amount of money I'd pay for an iPod could land me in Sidney, Australia.
I mean, who can do these small comparisons and buy one without feeling, at least a bit, like bending over and taking it in the hole of the moon? <hr></blockquote>
[link for the 40 GB Nomad player <a href="http://www.nomadworld.com/products/Jukebox3/" target="_blank">here</a>]
There are other issues with current iPods. Let me try and capture them here:
* the unusability during jogging. Apparently, the iPod reloads its 20 minute buffer only once every 20 minutes: when it is empty. This appears to be difficult when jogging. Wouldn't it be possible to have the iPod reload its buffer more often, say, every 10 minutes? It is true that this would mean the harddrive to work more, and the battery to work less. Anyhow, there are many threads on this topic in Apple discussions (for example, <a href="http://discussions.info.apple.com/WebX?50@22.NeOcad2Yfeq.4@.3bbb84b1" target="_blank">here</a>)
* the ability to record with the ipod, by plugging it into ones stereo, or by attaching a mic. a very nice feature, IMO, one that should be included. The one problem I can think of is the fact that you are not allowed to transfer mp3s from your pod to the mac. Meaning that they would provide a workaround to copy your own files (the ones you recorded yourself) to your mac. This is very necessary as many recordings have to be edited somewhat.
* an AM/FM tuner to listen to the radio on the iPod. I concur. I would like one to be on there, though it is not a conditio sine qua non for me.
* the great battery dilemma, meaning:
_______you cannot replace the battery in an ipod (at least not in a easy fashion).
_______the battery life appears to be on the limited side.
I cannot speak from personal experience, but I do think it at least logical that there would be a solution to 1) give people the chance to buy a back-up battery (it is possible for iBook & PowerBook). 2) provide means to hook up extra juice. I think of the MiniDisc walkman I used to have: it came with a proper battery which you had to buy from Sony if you wanted an extra one (but could easily be replaced), but you could hook up a nifty plastic contraption to the side of the walkman, containing two regular AA batteries, and this would pump up the playtime of the MiniDisc player from 7 to 20 hours (This was proven to be true by myself).
Many ideas. What do you people think/know?
The past few days, all around the web I've seen very outspoken assertions about the iPod.
One recurring thing seems to be that the iPod will have a color display. I don't know why, and I don't know if this is very necessary.
Also, there are many who seem to think that the iPod will be a bit revamped so as to include more PDA-ish capabilities. I personally couldn't care less, so I won't go into those.
My feelings, opinions if you will, concentrate around two topics: storage and price. As I mentioned in another thread:
[quote] I think they will bump up the hard drives in the iPod, and lower the prices. I don't know how they are now in the us, but I guess they will discontinue the 5 GB model, and sell the 10 GB at its price now. The 20 GB down to the price of the 10 GB and then an all new 40 GB model at the price of the 20 GB.
There are some reasons to say this
* Nomad, or some other MP3 hard-disk player company (which have always been a pioneer) has a 40 GB model for quite some time now.
* Prices for hard disks (even smaller sized ones) have plummeted since the first iPod was released. I mean, you get 120 GB for the same price as you'd have gotten a measely 6 or 12 two, three years ago.
* The price, especially for the 20 GB model is very high for what it is: a consumer electronics device of the Walkman persuasion. Over here, nearly 700 euros, that's more than a month's worth of minimum wages. Now I'm not saying apple should cater it's top end 20 Gig model for minimum wage earners, but it does say quite something if a walkman type device costs more than some people earn in a month.
* Also, I think many people can fill more than 20 GB with MP3's if they try. I have darn near 40 cd's (700 MB ones) full of mp3's, and then some 5 GB residing on my HD (and I haven't even ripped half of my ceedees). You see, that's already (if I know my math well), some 32 GB of indispensible music. - so okay, I guess maybe a top-end 30 GB model might be quite something already, even for me -.
* I have to say: the concept of an iPod is great, I'd love to be able to carry all my MP3's (or at least the a very large selection of the better ones) around with me. I'm sure I'd listen to my albums a lot more than I do now, but they are really expensive (especially so in Europe). It's not that I can't afford one, but they don't sum up in my mind. It resides in small comparisons: the big iPod is the same price as a large television. As the top of the bill clothes-washer. As a fairly-well equipped racing bike. As a more than good-enough hi-fi chain. The amount of money I'd pay for an iPod could land me in Sidney, Australia.
I mean, who can do these small comparisons and buy one without feeling, at least a bit, like bending over and taking it in the hole of the moon? <hr></blockquote>
[link for the 40 GB Nomad player <a href="http://www.nomadworld.com/products/Jukebox3/" target="_blank">here</a>]
There are other issues with current iPods. Let me try and capture them here:
* the unusability during jogging. Apparently, the iPod reloads its 20 minute buffer only once every 20 minutes: when it is empty. This appears to be difficult when jogging. Wouldn't it be possible to have the iPod reload its buffer more often, say, every 10 minutes? It is true that this would mean the harddrive to work more, and the battery to work less. Anyhow, there are many threads on this topic in Apple discussions (for example, <a href="http://discussions.info.apple.com/WebX?50@22.NeOcad2Yfeq.4@.3bbb84b1" target="_blank">here</a>)
* the ability to record with the ipod, by plugging it into ones stereo, or by attaching a mic. a very nice feature, IMO, one that should be included. The one problem I can think of is the fact that you are not allowed to transfer mp3s from your pod to the mac. Meaning that they would provide a workaround to copy your own files (the ones you recorded yourself) to your mac. This is very necessary as many recordings have to be edited somewhat.
* an AM/FM tuner to listen to the radio on the iPod. I concur. I would like one to be on there, though it is not a conditio sine qua non for me.
* the great battery dilemma, meaning:
_______you cannot replace the battery in an ipod (at least not in a easy fashion).
_______the battery life appears to be on the limited side.
I cannot speak from personal experience, but I do think it at least logical that there would be a solution to 1) give people the chance to buy a back-up battery (it is possible for iBook & PowerBook). 2) provide means to hook up extra juice. I think of the MiniDisc walkman I used to have: it came with a proper battery which you had to buy from Sony if you wanted an extra one (but could easily be replaced), but you could hook up a nifty plastic contraption to the side of the walkman, containing two regular AA batteries, and this would pump up the playtime of the MiniDisc player from 7 to 20 hours (This was proven to be true by myself).
Many ideas. What do you people think/know?
