if i hadn't already seen 100 VCR/DVD player button layouts like that, maybe.
i'm telling you, there's nothing that unique about the iPod. it's about as straight forward as it could possibly be. that's what makes it great.
for something else to copy it, it only needs to be standard across the board.
1. standard menu options. (it syncs with iTunes, so of course it's going to be similar there)
2. smallest possible form factor with the internal drive.
again, similar to the iPod, but only because it's the smallest possible design around that HD. not sure what else they could do, other than make their product unusually large, which would be a bit pointless.
3. circular button layout. here it's a little more like copying in my mind, but again nothing unique on the iPod either. basically half of all the DVD remotes i've seen use some combination of a scroll wheel and/or buttons around it for play, pause etc. again, it's a common layout on the iPod, that is also adopted by a competing product. if you can show me the iPod is unique in this layout, i might buy it, but it's not.
again, you are limited by the available space after including the LCD screen. The HD limits total size, the LDC cuts down on what's there, then you only have so much room for controls. standard control sets have to fit within a small area, so anything that's left will have to look similar.
4. well, the ports maybe. again, it's probably a factor of where the internal HD has inputs that's the major factor as to where the firewire or USB 2.0 plugs in. nothing but simple engineering again.
i think the only way you can believe apple has a claim here is if you think they have rights to the internal HD's, upon which everything else is based. i'm sure they don't though.
dunno, i'm just not seeing it. it's as different as it can be while still being compact and functional. don't think apple has a patent on that.
SCREW THOSE PEOPLE. IF this is Priced well enough, Apple is going to lose all the money there were going to make on the PC version of the iPOD <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> <img src="graemlins/surprised.gif" border="0" alt="[Surprised]" /> <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
SCREW THOSE PEOPLE. IF this is Priced well enough, Apple is going to lose all the money there were going to make on the PC version of the iPOD <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> <img src="graemlins/surprised.gif" border="0" alt="[Surprised]" /> <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
$350 for the 20 gig version <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> makes me think twice about getting a new iPod ...
the thing that makes it over the top is the fact that it has the same ehading as the iPod and the screen is the EXACT SAME SIZE and the same backlight, etc... if you saw both of them with the lights off and just the backlights on, you would think they are the same machines... <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> SOMETHING has to be off...
$350 for the 20 gig version <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> makes me think twice about getting a new iPod ...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well don't hold your breath. From slashdot:
Many, many people see e.digital as being nothing more than a pump-and-dump penny stock scam, and there certainly is enough evidence to back it up.
This article barely touches the depth of shady deals this company is engaged in:
They've announced several vaporware mp3 players, which caused a stock pump, and when nothing panned out the 'dump' came and the stock once again dropped. The few units they were able to manufacture are now being liquidated on ebay and various liquidator companies.
Most recently, the company has engaged in extremely questionable financial arrangements in order to stay afloat - they recently took out a $1.5 million loan with 100% of their company's assets as colatteral, to a shady off-shore entity, in a clear case of death-spiral financing.
This company currently has several hundred million outstanding shares, and is still issuing more.
The principals of the company have made something of a career out of pump-and-dump companies - look at the histories of Patriot Scientific (java procesor hype) and ATC (hyped audio technology). They're also involved in promoting movies and solo-flying machines. All the same gang. Decades of scam companies, lies and misleading statements to shareholders, and never once a real product or profits.
E.Digital does not deserve in any way to get this kind of exposure on slashdot.
(Disclaimer: I have never owned any shares, but I do know several people who were hoodwinked into purchasing shares, and lost a huge amount of money.)
Well then, if what Nebrie says is true, it could be very well that their player is merely an iPod gone through some massive photoshoppin'..... if you look closely at it some parts do not look real (though the same goes for the iPod on Apple's site)...
Alcimedes, while the general layout of those remote control buttons are vaguely similar to the iPod's, they are nowhere near as similar to the iPod as the e.Digital device.
On one hand, yes, similar devices that must follow the same size and technical requirements will end up looking very similar, especially if the best solution has already been found. The best solution being the simplest and most elegant. However, one mustn't underestimate the work that goes into creating this solution. Maybe this is something that's destined to go the way of the "industry standard" mp3 player design, or maybe not. A lot of desktop CD players look alike, but no one gets sued over these looks.
In my mind, simple and elegant solutions are often the most visceral. Their designs are so brilliantly simple that their effects are infectious - once you see it, you can't imagine why you'd design an mp3 player that looks otherwise, for example. Still, and I think this is important to note, e.Digital doesn't seem to have tried very hard for originality here.
Does everything in the Apple universe revolve around superficial appearance? The first several posts in this thread were only comments about the devices appearance. I am still waiting for a relevant discussion about this units features. In order for this thing to be a copy of the iPod, it would have to shed many cool and useful features and raise its price by $150.00.
Some of you rip into the product?s look. Others, the company that designed it. Now the prevalent discussion is whether or not Apple should sue it out of existence. THE SPECS ARE AWESOME!
I am convinced that the main reason that USB 2.0 will not show up on the Mac is to keep products like this one from being able to compete with the iPod cash cow. With USB 2.0, a world of great digital devices opens up for the Mac users. As long as FW remains the only high-speed solution for the Mac, then the iPod, and whatever else Apple releases along those lines, is safe.
This product does have several nice features, I would've loved to see something like an FM tuner (better yet, AM/FM tuner) or microphone for voice recording in the recent iPod revision. It will find a niche I assume in the PC market, if it is marketed properly. However, their past mp3 players looked horrid and I don't think many people bought them. I believe USB 2 products are backwards-compatible with regular USB ports, just that they transfer at the slower USB speed. If that's true, then just about every PC owner could use this without having to spend another $30 on a firewire card.
I think the voice navigation is crap, I still don't quite understand how voice navigation makes things faster/easier for the majority of people. Overall, it's an okay product, looks like crap though, I don't think it'll make too much of a difference whether Apple files a lawsuit or not, I still don't see this Odyssey Jukebox selling well. The iPod is still better in terms of ease of use, and there's other products that already offer mp3 playing and voice recording from larger companies on the PC side. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing Apple try to integrate more features into the iPod, having a radio tuner or the ability to record stuff would be awesome.
Hehe, just noticed that this has already been mentioned....
Has anybody taken a close look at the large product shot at e.Digital's website? <a href="http://www.edig.com/images/logos/Odyssey1000FINAL.tif"; target="_blank">Get it Here</a> I read something about it on a thread somewhere (can't remember where) and downloaded it. After looking at it up close in PS, I'm *quite* sure it is nothing more than a Photoshopped iPod. The Hold button in the top left of the picture is EXACTLY the same as the iPods (even with the orange color underneath when it's not on hold) The other side has the same exact switch but with what looks like a blurry Firewire symbol...
\tAlso, the control ring (or whatever you want to call it) isn't centered very well. You would think that the bottom button would be parallel to the bottom of the case, but the button is just slightly turned. I don't know... This just suggests further that the company is a hoax...
Comments
i'm telling you, there's nothing that unique about the iPod. it's about as straight forward as it could possibly be. that's what makes it great.
for something else to copy it, it only needs to be standard across the board.
1. standard menu options. (it syncs with iTunes, so of course it's going to be similar there)
2. smallest possible form factor with the internal drive.
again, similar to the iPod, but only because it's the smallest possible design around that HD. not sure what else they could do, other than make their product unusually large, which would be a bit pointless.
3. circular button layout. here it's a little more like copying in my mind, but again nothing unique on the iPod either. basically half of all the DVD remotes i've seen use some combination of a scroll wheel and/or buttons around it for play, pause etc. again, it's a common layout on the iPod, that is also adopted by a competing product. if you can show me the iPod is unique in this layout, i might buy it, but it's not.
again, you are limited by the available space after including the LCD screen. The HD limits total size, the LDC cuts down on what's there, then you only have so much room for controls. standard control sets have to fit within a small area, so anything that's left will have to look similar.
4. well, the ports maybe. again, it's probably a factor of where the internal HD has inputs that's the major factor as to where the firewire or USB 2.0 plugs in. nothing but simple engineering again.
i think the only way you can believe apple has a claim here is if you think they have rights to the internal HD's, upon which everything else is based. i'm sure they don't though.
dunno, i'm just not seeing it. it's as different as it can be while still being compact and functional. don't think apple has a patent on that.
[ 07-22-2002: Message edited by: alcimedes ]</p>
APPLE HAS TO SUE! AND MAKE THEIR MONEY!
SCREW THOSE PEOPLE. IF this is Priced well enough, Apple is going to lose all the money there were going to make on the PC version of the iPOD <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> <img src="graemlins/surprised.gif" border="0" alt="[Surprised]" /> <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
<strong>Apple has to sue they just gotta!
APPLE HAS TO SUE! AND MAKE THEIR MONEY!
SCREW THOSE PEOPLE. IF this is Priced well enough, Apple is going to lose all the money there were going to make on the PC version of the iPOD <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> <img src="graemlins/surprised.gif" border="0" alt="[Surprised]" /> <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
$350 for the 20 gig version <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> makes me think twice about getting a new iPod ...
<strong>
$350 for the 20 gig version <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> makes me think twice about getting a new iPod ...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well don't hold your breath. From slashdot:
Many, many people see e.digital as being nothing more than a pump-and-dump penny stock scam, and there certainly is enough evidence to back it up.
This article barely touches the depth of shady deals this company is engaged in:
<a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/bauder"; target="_blank">http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/bauder</a>; /20020707-9999_1b7bauder.html [signonsandiego.com]
They've announced several vaporware mp3 players, which caused a stock pump, and when nothing panned out the 'dump' came and the stock once again dropped. The few units they were able to manufacture are now being liquidated on ebay and various liquidator companies.
Most recently, the company has engaged in extremely questionable financial arrangements in order to stay afloat - they recently took out a $1.5 million loan with 100% of their company's assets as colatteral, to a shady off-shore entity, in a clear case of death-spiral financing.
This company currently has several hundred million outstanding shares, and is still issuing more.
The principals of the company have made something of a career out of pump-and-dump companies - look at the histories of Patriot Scientific (java procesor hype) and ATC (hyped audio technology). They're also involved in promoting movies and solo-flying machines. All the same gang. Decades of scam companies, lies and misleading statements to shareholders, and never once a real product or profits.
E.Digital does not deserve in any way to get this kind of exposure on slashdot.
(Disclaimer: I have never owned any shares, but I do know several people who were hoodwinked into purchasing shares, and lost a huge amount of money.)
On one hand, yes, similar devices that must follow the same size and technical requirements will end up looking very similar, especially if the best solution has already been found. The best solution being the simplest and most elegant. However, one mustn't underestimate the work that goes into creating this solution. Maybe this is something that's destined to go the way of the "industry standard" mp3 player design, or maybe not. A lot of desktop CD players look alike, but no one gets sued over these looks.
In my mind, simple and elegant solutions are often the most visceral. Their designs are so brilliantly simple that their effects are infectious - once you see it, you can't imagine why you'd design an mp3 player that looks otherwise, for example. Still, and I think this is important to note, e.Digital doesn't seem to have tried very hard for originality here.
Some of you rip into the product?s look. Others, the company that designed it. Now the prevalent discussion is whether or not Apple should sue it out of existence. THE SPECS ARE AWESOME!
I am convinced that the main reason that USB 2.0 will not show up on the Mac is to keep products like this one from being able to compete with the iPod cash cow. With USB 2.0, a world of great digital devices opens up for the Mac users. As long as FW remains the only high-speed solution for the Mac, then the iPod, and whatever else Apple releases along those lines, is safe.
[ 07-23-2002: Message edited by: Mac Voyer ]</p>
I think the voice navigation is crap, I still don't quite understand how voice navigation makes things faster/easier for the majority of people. Overall, it's an okay product, looks like crap though, I don't think it'll make too much of a difference whether Apple files a lawsuit or not, I still don't see this Odyssey Jukebox selling well. The iPod is still better in terms of ease of use, and there's other products that already offer mp3 playing and voice recording from larger companies on the PC side. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing Apple try to integrate more features into the iPod, having a radio tuner or the ability to record stuff would be awesome.
[ 07-23-2002: Message edited by: serrano ]</p>
Has anybody taken a close look at the large product shot at e.Digital's website? <a href="http://www.edig.com/images/logos/Odyssey1000FINAL.tif"; target="_blank">Get it Here</a> I read something about it on a thread somewhere (can't remember where) and downloaded it. After looking at it up close in PS, I'm *quite* sure it is nothing more than a Photoshopped iPod. The Hold button in the top left of the picture is EXACTLY the same as the iPods (even with the orange color underneath when it's not on hold) The other side has the same exact switch but with what looks like a blurry Firewire symbol...
\tAlso, the control ring (or whatever you want to call it) isn't centered very well. You would think that the bottom button would be parallel to the bottom of the case, but the button is just slightly turned. I don't know... This just suggests further that the company is a hoax...
[ 07-29-2002: Message edited by: mbezzo ]</p>