Last minute: iPod nano with sensor, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod shuffle - Page 2

The store is down

S

I apologize on their behalf.

The one in your car works because the force is always applied in the opposite direction to acceleration - it's one dimensional and it's in a fixed position with respect to the force (because it's attached to the source of the force).

Keep in mind that the accelerometer can only measure instantaneous force in three dimensions.

The pedometer could be moving anywhere in three dimensional space. It's going to move in a cycle in (all) those dimensions. The question is how that cycle relates to the running. If you move your arms more you could be running faster or just swinging your arms more and at the same time striding more or less. So it's pretty much impossible to measure distance unless you get a reading on what the legs are doing.

Being on the leg has the big advantage of getting a big jolt when your weight hits the ground. A big spike is easy to measure and recognise and you can then relate that to the acceleration back and forth as you swing your legs. These devices do not have huge computational resources mainly due to battery life and other issues, so they can't be doing huge calculations to analyse patterns.

Are you drunk again?

No, I was being ironic when I said that recently.

They could always offer GPRS like Amazon does with the Kindle on Sprint's network or just let the satellite relay the data when in not connected to a WiFi network. The real issues is that maps would have to be local to the device which take up considerable room and come at a hefty enough cost to affect the price of the unit so I would think it would have to be an App Store app from a 3rd-party like TomTom. Unless Apple is working directly with TomTom on this to supply the A-GPS/GPS (and GPRS) it a catch 22. But they might do it because these map apps would be considerably more than the average App Store price and help push people to the their HW as an added value.

I'm not real thrilled about them adding 3G and then tying the device to a carrier. That and the fact that 3G is only one potential service. That is why I'm a big promoter of Apple addind a USB host port and getting BluTooth up to snuff.

I believe BlueTooth is a better option for portable use but that doesn't exclude the addition of a USB port with the intent of using self powered devices. The thing with USB is that a host port could be added for free by using undefined pins on the dock connector. That might not be the ideal place but allows the facility with out high jacking precious space on the rim.

It is important for people to have choices. One other idea I had was for Apple to add an internal slot. This would be more compact and still offer users choices. Of course that is for specific devices which is why lately I've preffered USB. More so with todays SoC ARM processors a host USB port is more or less free.

Dave

Yes, and I was making a reference to your ironic quip. Do you think I pop Oxy?

An apple event with super hype around slight touches here and there to the ipod or itunes makes me want to scream. The only thing in that bit that would impress me (a little) is if itunes dropped DRM (if they did that retroactively I'd be more impressed) and offered higher quality sample rate for their music. If iTunes offers that, well OK, great but I already get that elsewhere. If not, I'll stick with Amazon for downloading music, they're already offering what I want from a music download store, I have that already.

I don't want a phone with an expensive service agreement, I don't really talk on the phone enough to warrant the cost. If the iPhone suits your needs great, it's there, they just announced the update to it a very short time ago. I already have an ipod, same one I've had for four years, it's a great product. It has 30 gigs of storage and plays music, STILL does exactly what I want it to do. If I want, I can get a similar ipod that also plays videos, could have for quite some time now. It would be cool (I guess) but I don't really want to watch video on a small screen, I have 47" LCD with home theater audio for that. When I'm traveling and want a break from listening to music, I'd rather read a book. I don't give a rat$ a$$ if I can replace my iPod with a new color, or if I can replace it with one that I can shake to activate it, or if it is now a slightly different proportioned rectangle in shape, or if there is a super tiny version with less capacity that is so physically small and light I have to worry about losing it. The iTouch is a great product if you want what it offers (really a different category of product all together). It's been out a while now too. I'll stick with what I have, again it plays music and holds a lot of it. That still works for me. I won't replace it until it dies. Maybe then I'll look at an iTouch so I can surf and check email via WiFi without the overpriced phone service, but I don't really need that. Apple already filled the product niche the iTouch fits into nicely, I don't care if they dance around the edges of the iTouch design and call it "news". WHO CARES already, enough obsessing over the "i" products Steve! You've got them covered quite nicely. I'm not saying abandon them. I'm just saying turn your attention to something else for a bit. How 'bout if Apple concentrates on being a computer company for while? Computers, remember those, Steve? It's time you announced a new model of those, and NO! a refresh to existing machines is not enough.

WHAT I NEED as a professional designer that cant' afford a super tricked out workstation and needs more than a surfing email machine or a non portable vertical laptop disguised as a desktop is a real midrange mini-tower. I now have software that has been upgraded to require an intel chip so I need a new computer. I spent close to 4 grand on a G5 tower even though I couldn't really afford it because the imac of the day didn't suit my needs, I had no choice if I wanted a Mac. I can't afford to spend that much every 3 or 4 years. Mac mini is too anemic. iMacdon't want the monitor or the lack of upgradeability. I DO want access to the guts without voiding a warranty so I can upgrade the video card later as they improve (if I want), ad RAM as I can afford it to at least 8 gigs when more software starts to use 64 bit, and be able to add a second internal hard drive later when I have the money and need more space. I DON'T want to pay the higher cost of smaller laptop sized components stuck in a non laptop (iMac, what is the point of paying a premium for the miniaturization of laptop guts but with out the portability and with the lack of upgradeability and a monitor I don't need or wantludicrous). PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, Apple step away from the iPhone, iPod, iTunes, iTV, i-anything for just a bit and make the computer myself and a gazillion others have been waiting to hear you announce for so long already. You'll sell a butt load of them and you'll have to higher a ton more geniuses in your retail stores to handle the explosion of switchers that will ensue.

Just give us the modern equivalent of the IIcx/IIci you used to sell, price it at $999-$1500 and watch your shareholders dance with glee as their stock shoots through the roof. I know this has been discussed before, but I hope it will keep being discussed ad nauseam until Jobs fills this ridiculous gaping hole in the Apple lineup. Enough with the i-stuff already!

That's mainly a consequence of not offering a way to store maps on the device itself. I've heard that the map data for the US is about 250 - 500MB on typical GPS devices, which is not a problem to store on a Touch.

Why do you need GPRS or anything else? So it takes about 30 secs longer to get a fix. Any mobile radio hardware in the touch would make it much more expensive, bigger and defeat the purpose.

I for one would like it if I could wirelessly sync my music to any of their devices using either wifi or bluetooth. Sure it may take longer than simply plugging in a cable, but I tend to lose cables in my mess of an office and house.

Another function that I think would be cool is if it could save my marriage.

This would be a good idea but maybe Apple have a licensing issue? You never know what those morons made them do.

As for your marriage, you could try the iPhone, it has a vibrate function.

Well with wifi it could tell you if your closer to the east side of your property or the west side ... the north or south... Yea that's it.. Sorry but epic fail on the GPS for iPod Touches.

Mic and Speaker would be off the hook and the whole community of home brew VOIP geeks would be constantly be buying out the iPod Touch inventory (if the lower price come true). The Touch screams out with all kinds of potential... Apple just needs to add a few little things...

- Mic
- Speakers
- IR Transmitter (receiver would be cool to but not a must have)

The entire high end remote control market would COLLAPSE practically over night... Okay some may still like the larger size of the Pronto but still... adding IR would be insanely beneficial for the few bucks extra it might cost in parts. Heck it might even come in under a buck these days,

I'd be SHOCKED AS HELL if we actually saw even ONE of those features added but that only cause I've known Apple for as long as I have... They DO NOT care one bit about the 'home brew geeks'.

Kinda sad since that's exactly what created Apple in the first place...

Dave

Looks like Engadget's feed is working, sans images.
AppleInsider's doesn't appear to be getting anything from either Ars or Gizmodo.
Gizmodo appears to be full of random, bored, impatient wittering.
Ars had nothing when I looked. (edit: now an update, finally!)

I definitely would love to see IR implemented in the iPod Touch, and possibly RF like the Logitech Harmony. It would make it the Remote killer. Heck, lets see AMX or Crestron develop apps for the Touch / iPhone and let our cooperate offices control everything from their phones/touches. That would be amazing. Full home/office control at your finger tips.

"Blinds go up. Blinds go down. Blinds go up..."


And yes, Apple does like to kill the "home brew geeks". It makes a really easy system if you use all their own hardware, but to be honest, its only scratching the surface of the potential, especially in full-home automation.

iBrator? (marital aid for the boudoir—and plays music)

iLator? (universal translator from Martian to Venusian and vice verse—and plays music)

iLidder? (automatically puts the toilet seat down—and plays music)

iSitter? (intravenously administers apple juice and Ritalin to kids—and plays music)

iCork (attaches to spouse during sleep to prevent snoring—and plays music)

iBanker (WiFii online banking device that caps shopping spree spending—and plays music)

iBlinder (causes temporary blindness initiated by souse's wandering eye—and plays music)

iStrator (the iBlinder but in Spinal Tap-eese, "goes to 11" and enables male spouse to sing soprano—and plays music)

iBelt (similar to iBlinder but for wife and comes with auto Midol dispenser, wings for added security, and digital lock only accessible by husband—and plays music)

Shh, Mass is about to begin. We should all genuflect and say Steve's prayer:

Steve, who art at Apple, hallowed by thyne design sensibilities.
Give us today our new product and
deliver us from temptation to buy another brand,
for yours is the look, the feature and the price,
for ever and ever.

Amen.

Does anyone else think they might launch the Beatles catalogue on iTunes today as well? Haven't they been sitting on the rights for quite some time?

No, GPS consists of a group of satellites that the US military put into orbit about 2 decades ago. These satellites broadcast a signal that the GPS receivers use to triangulate positional information, no contract necessary to either the receiver company or the US military is necessary.

Although real time updates of maps would require a data connection, there is way past enough memory on an average ipod to handle a good sized map... I think the map for my Nuvi 200 is something like 16GB... and that includes every street in the US, restaurants, sights, businesses, etc etc. You can probably load a map of all California streets onto a iTouch with GPS with about 1GB...

I hope they're all touch screen!

You don't, hence my parentheses around GPRS, but the cost to value may be worthwhile so i included it as a possibility. My standalone GPS units can take several minutes to get an initial fix so I don't know about the 30 second difference. In poor weather conditions GPRS would be far more reliable and faster than GPS.

I'm liveblogging the liveblogging, check this comment for updates.

- iTunes 8: more ways for Apple to flog stuff to you.
- Apple boasts that it has an MP3 player monopoly.
- iPod classic is semi-cancelled.
- iPod nano, no suprises.
- Shake to shuffle! Who's idea was that again? The epileptics among us will be hearing a lot of half-songs.
- iPod touch: no GPS, bit of a price drop.
- Phil Schiller is a bit fat.
- iPhone 2.1 software to squish bugs.

I pray to Cupertino 5x a day.

GPRS is a pretty poor way of getting a position, and I think you mean GSM since GPRS is the IP data protocol. Anyway the point of the touch is for people who don't want a phone.

By their CDs, import to iTunes, enjoy them at a bit rate that does them justice, no need to worry about DRMproblem solved ;-)

Way ahead of you

However, I just thought it was a theory I could throw out there...

It's very slow compared to EDGE compared to UMTS compared to HSDPA, but it's faster than GPS data retrievable and more reliable in bad weather. I;m not suggesting a phone in the Touch, but what Kindle has done. I'm not even suggesting it as likely, just speculation what could happen based on other products (read: Kindle) offering an extra added value.

Well, I was wrong - shake to shuffle - he actually just said it! Colour me surprised.

I stand corrected. Shake-to-Shuffle is in... I am not too pleased about that. Will annoy many exercisers...

-Clive

Null.

it's called an OhMyBod....


*coughs*

They needed an event for this? Was there one thing earth shattering here? Did I miss it? It's beginning to look like the boy who cried "Wolf"!

fixed

I don't think Apple claimed it was earth shattering.

is that all? that's really a "big deal"

I don't think so. You have to do a vigorous shake.

Some people exercise vigourously.

It's not supposed to be. It's a press event showing off new, or updated products. What do you expect these things to be?

If people weren't interested, the press wouldn't show up.