I didn't know you had to hit eject in iTunes. On my brother's MP3 player, he just pulls out the USB cable and it ejects itself.
The problem with that and the iPod is that what if you are updating files or reading a file from that when it is pulled? That is why apple does not want you to just pull the plug I guess.
You know, none of these designs are "thinking different", you know?
I mean, back when I used to like doing mockups, I'd get caught in the trap of "ooh, Key Lime is on iBooks now, so this flat panel iMac I'm mocking up should probably have bright green swoops and translucent panels and...".
Same with this rumored "miniPod" (for the record, I'm honestly not quite sure where I stand on it...seems to be a A LOT of talk about it, all at once and out of the blue. That's almost a sure sign it doesn't exist, if history is any guide).
Anyway, let's think about this and how, perhaps, Apple may see it. Any serious Mac user (or PC user too, I suppose) with any sort of music collection is going to a) already have an iPod or b) be saving up - as I am - to buy one. That's just true. The rumored capacity on these rumored "miniPods" simply isn't enough for anyone with a halfway serious collection of digital music.
So...
I'm thinking any new scaled-down iPod from Apple won't look anything like the current one. It doesn't HAVE to. Hell, it probably shouldn't! Instead, I really think it'll be an entirely new, surprising design that does one thing and one thing only: play music.
It's not going to necessarily geared to the current Mac faithful (for the reasons I cited above) and, instead, will be going after teens, students, those on a budget, those not needing/wanting games, Address Book, iCal, etc. onboard.
I mean, if this thing is to be a "miniPod" and the cost is to be in the $99 range or whatever, SOMETHING has to give. I say they'll just concentrate on making it a solid mp3/AAC-playing machine. No frills, no gimmicks, no extras. That way, the current (some would say "real") iPods still stand on their own and remain the king-of-the-hill icon they've come to be.
I think this is where the talk of colors and whatnot come in: Apple going after teens and so forth, most of which are on Windows machines and don't have Address Book, iCal, etc. anyway. Give these teens and college types on a budget (or newbie/hobbyist from either platform) something well-made, affordable and dedicated to simply playing music and interacting with the iTMS.
Anyway, back to my original point and thinking, I think Apple - on this - can afford to "throw the rules out the window" just a bit because they're not having to pack it with all the features of the standard iPod AND they probably realize white and chrome isn't the snazziest, most exciting thing going.
Remember when Jobs said that the Flower Power and Blue Dalmation iMacs were meant to evoke music or something borderline hippie along those lines? Same here. I think these will be sleek, funky-looking little gizmos that simply won't trade on the style or appearance of the iPod as we know it.
It'll simply probably share its name, with some sort of designation after it to give it a separate identity and help it stand on its own and appeal to its target audience. I won't hazard a guess as to what that name will be, but if it has any variation of "extreme" (xTreme, Xtreme, xPod, xTremePod, PodX, PodXtreme, etc.) on it, I'm gonna absolutely puke.
In a nutshell, I don't think ANY of the mockups above are anywhere close to what Jobs and Ive could pull off. Just when you think you've got them pegged, they surprise the living crap out of us. We zig, they zag. We go "translucent colors", they go "opaque white". We say "shrunken-down iPod in white with a modified scroll wheel" and they go "oh yeah, check THIS out, Sparky...".
Anyway, that's just my gut feeling on this (IF it even exists). Taking the current iPod and simply whacking it in half is, to be blunt, the easy, lazy way out. It's not cool and it's not elegant and it looks half-ass, like they don't want to put TOO much effort into it.
I don't think Jobs and Apple want to be that way.
In any case, if these rumors are even true, we'll know in about 4 days, won't we?
I'm just on record as saying "it won't look ANYTHING like the iPod as we know it", that's all.
Yeah, thems good points paul, based on history at least.
Though, I feel they probably wouldn't want to change the design TOO much, because they still want people to see it and thing 'iPod'
whereas when you see a new iMac compared to the old CRTs you wouldn't instantly associate it with 'iMac'
more likely if you saw an eMac you'd think 'iMac'
eh...wait we're all mac-geeks, none of the above applies
while I would like to see a totally redesigned and unexpected pod, because I always love seeing what ive's latest designs are, I don't see them drastically changing it with this minipod.
they worked hard enough crafting the 'image' for the iPod, it's now a recognizable product, people associate with it, and are familiar with it, It'd probably be better for them to keep rolling with that, as opposed to having to do it all over again.
Well, a way to counter that might be to - on these miniPods - perhaps make the Apple logo HUGE and unmistakable.
Hell, work it in as part of the design or graphics, even. Do all sorts of neat variations of it, depending on the colors/design scheme: a fuzzy, dotted "halftone" look, a multicolor, swirling one, a hot pink miniPod with a huge stark white Apple logo wrapping around it.
I understand - and agree - about how the current iPod is such a brand and is so recognized and that a lot of work and effort has gone into making that so.
But the groundwork has been laid...the hardest work and foundation has already been done for a couple of years now. If Apple suddenly got a real clue and accompanied this new miniPod with the sort of "everywhere you turn" marketing/advertising they SHOULD be doing on all their crap, then I think it's a safe bet people will, in short order, come to know what's what.
That, along with the upcoming Pepsi/SuperBowl thing.
I think by springtime - if done correctly - there would be no mistaking these miniPods, however different they may look from the current iPod, that these are indeed Apple products. And that they are just as cool and just as much a kick-ass quality product as their big brothers.
Magazine ads, billboards, bus stops, TV spots, the SuperBowl, the latest celebrity "must have" trinket, prominent placement on TV shows, stories on CNN and articles in Time, etc. Hell, get some famous/popular music stars (from ALL genres) to do cool commercials for them. IMO, THAT'S where the secret lies. People are star-struck and always like to know that their favorite musician/actor/celebrity owns and uses the same stuff they can go out and buy...do not doubt this for a second!!!. They (Apple) blew their wad on their idiotic "Rip, mix & burn" commercial with all those stars on stage, and aired about, oh, 3 times and NOBODY remembers it or got any sort of kick from it.. Do it right this time, guys. It's been two years and Apple is squarely in the thick of the whole digital/online music revolution, so get that idiot from Smashmouth, get some boy band idol, get Rueben and Clay and Kelly, get Snoop Dogg or whoever the hell, get some rockers, get Martina McBride and Keith Urban and the Dixie Chicks. Get Yo Yo Ma, John Mayer and Sheryl Crow. Get Sting, Guster, Beyonce. Get Carlos Santana, Wynton Marsalis and Diana Krall. Get Bon Jovi and Barry Manilow and Papa Roach and do something cool and worthwhile.
Now that iTunes, iPods and the iTMS are on the Windows side too, don't you think it's about time they pull out the heavy marketing artillary and stop screwing around? Apparently they've already got very nice working relations with these stars (didn't Jobs talk to Bono and Mick Jagger during the Windows rollout? Aren't Sting and tons of others sharing their "celebrity playlists" and writing about their favorite music? Are people like Sheryl Crow and Matchbox Twenty offering exclusive, iTMS-only tracks? Don't people like Seal, BT, etc. appear in those little product-intro videos? Do you not think TONS of stars would be delighted to carve out a small chunk of an afternoon filming a 30-second spot for something they themselves dig and use and are already a part of? I would...
Anyway...
Doesn't have to be white and square for people to know - and appreciate - what it is. But Apple would actually have to grow a pair and go counter to their apparent aversion to touting any of their stuff...
Around thanksgiving time, I was trekking through boston on the T, every stop had at least 8 iPod ads, one stop, downtown crossing I thin it was, EVERY ad space was taken for the iPod, that was about 32 spots. It was kind of surreal, all those colors and dancing figures...hmm.
Either way, it was excellent to see Apple actually sticking their head out for a change.
Here's to them doing the same with a minipod, should it exist and come around, and look way different
hmm, here's another though, I'd suppose apple would want to keep the proprietary firewire/USB 2.0 port, and keep it compatible with the current dock probably.
yeah, the dock must be compatible with the new miniPods. I think that the new pods should be different but still recognizable as being part of the same family of products. I'm sure Apple will make sure that's the case.
On one side its wise to think they'll be similar to current iPods (after all, you can tell iBooks and PowerBooks are siblings or cousins). I think the same should apply here. While not the exact same design, Average Joe should be able to tell without much effort that miniPods and iPods come from the same company.
I agree with that. I never said they should make them some goofy, swoopy far-out design, for the sake of "looking cool". That's lame too. But I kinda expect more from Apple than to just take a hacksaw to an existing product and slap a color on it.
Paul, I agree because I dont think Jobs will just "glom things on the back" like they decided not to do with the iMac. Of course they wouldnt add anything to the iPod but you know what I'm saying. Apple wont just settle for easy and simplistic Dell thinking, they want to pull a wow factor everytime they do a product launch and I dont think smaller versions of the same would wow anyone.
Gosh, part of me really wonders if this will even come to be Tuesday? We've talked about it and expected it as fact. What if it's just been over-hyped rumors and hot-air?
That's really going to be a downer.
I mean, I just planned out my birthday/Christmas presents for the next year!
In any case, everyone keep an eye on Apple's online store this weekend and Monday...there's always the off-chance that it's "Intern Trainee Week" in the web department and someone may accidentally experience "premature specification" again and we see a dalmation-spotted or Creamsicle Swirl keychain iPod (iKey?) placeholder pic on the site before Tuesday.
Hey, it could happen! Besides, poor Steve has a horrible string of luck in having his new goodies ratted out prior to the keynote (ATi, workerbee, Time Canada, the G5 spec listing, etc.).
Of course thats the one! Minus the colored screen, form factor, and well wait that is just not the one Ive's will carve out for us. I'm seeing...something along the lines of this one. www.apple.com/ipod
They'll create a more consumer looking iPod with a 5 Gig capacity. Look at how some cheap MP3 players have either a really tiny rectangular shape or a weird round shape...,maybe something along those lines. Now Apple has the ability to sell an iPod for either $149 or $99. Thats really what i think because if Apple purchases those drives in mass quantites I think 150 or 99 is not unreasonable.
One last comment...I would rather have Apple just sell the original form factor 5 gig iPod than have them deliver some ridiculous looking half assed product. If they can indeed come up with a smaller but functional version of the iPod then I'm all for it...but I'd rather keep the old one at lower cost than have a new but pitiful feeling miniPod.
What if they simply, as stated above, stuck 5GB hard drives in the current body style and added colors and patterns to the mix?
As someone said the other week, perhaps "mini" isn't referring to the physical size as simply a smaller, no frills (dock, remote control, case) version?
Short of there being a brand new design (which, I know, I spoke about above), here's what I'd love to see:
Ditch the 10GB.
Sell the 20GB and 40GB...BOTH with the dock, remote control and sleeve (as currently packaged). But...drop the price by $100.
20GB - $299
40GB - $399
As I said, anyone with a halfway serious collection is EASILY going to amass more than 5GB worth of music. And it ain't THAT far to 10GB. Then you're stuck! 10GB is too big to be small, too small to be big.
So just make 20GB the new "low end" (but include the goodies that the 10GB lacks).
Now...
Sell a 5GB, sans dock, carrying case and wired remote, for $99 and keep the same case design, since it does pretty much rock! And to ensure compatibility with the dock, sleeve case, etc. that can be purchased separately if the buyer wishes.
But go nuts with colors, patterns (take what they learned from those two freaky iMacs from two years ago) and whatnot. Of course, offer a plain white one as well, just because...
For young people, teens, students, those on a budget, those with a smaller (sub-5GB) music collection, digital music newbies, hobbyists, dabblers, Top 40 buyers, for gifts, etc. is what this $99 5GB model could be.
It would probably take care of TONS of peoples' needs. Anyone "hardcore" and sporting a serious collection can pay a bit more and get the 20GB or the 40GB.
I personally just find the 10GB to be a weird capacity. I've sat at 9.5GB for a good chunk of 2003. BUT, I'm also using the iTMS more and I know that by this time next year I'm going to have A LOT more music and will appriate the 20GB (at least).
10GB (especially lacking the three goodies the 20GB and 40GB models have) just seems to be useless. I honestly don't know why anyone would buy it: why not spend $100 more, get twice the capacity and the three accessories included?
But people would KILL to spend $99 for a 5GB model. Especially if it came looking all cool.
Two distinct lines, but both iPod: a $99 entry/budget model that looks snazzy and hip and two "deluxe" models for those a little more serious about their collections and toting them around.
5GB - $99
20GB - $299
40GB - $399
I'm just speaking from a marketing/line-up standpoint...NOT a business one, so...
Now that I think about it, I'd rather see the above than what I spoke about yesterday (an all new design). I think the current iPod is awesome: slim, small, just feels right in your hand. Small/light enough to be comfortable and convenient, but not so much so that you lose it like a keychain drive or those silly Japanese digital toys that were popular a few years ago. That way, all the accessories (by Apple and third party companies alike) fit and work with these new budget iPods. Don't have to reinvent the wheel, design new accessories, clutter up the works, etc.
Comments
Originally posted by PBG3
I didn't know you had to hit eject in iTunes. On my brother's MP3 player, he just pulls out the USB cable and it ejects itself.
The problem with that and the iPod is that what if you are updating files or reading a file from that when it is pulled? That is why apple does not want you to just pull the plug I guess.
By the way, here's another really good mockup:
Clicky Clicky
(For those that are saying "Well, if you put it in your pocket, it would keep getting hit and changing", hows about a 'hold' button?)
Originally posted by psgamer0921
What about the idea of a touch screen? It eliminates the need for the wheel
Too costly.
Best mockup
I mean, back when I used to like doing mockups, I'd get caught in the trap of "ooh, Key Lime is on iBooks now, so this flat panel iMac I'm mocking up should probably have bright green swoops and translucent panels and...".
Same with this rumored "miniPod" (for the record, I'm honestly not quite sure where I stand on it...seems to be a A LOT of talk about it, all at once and out of the blue. That's almost a sure sign it doesn't exist, if history is any guide).
Anyway, let's think about this and how, perhaps, Apple may see it. Any serious Mac user (or PC user too, I suppose) with any sort of music collection is going to a) already have an iPod or b) be saving up - as I am - to buy one. That's just true. The rumored capacity on these rumored "miniPods" simply isn't enough for anyone with a halfway serious collection of digital music.
So...
I'm thinking any new scaled-down iPod from Apple won't look anything like the current one. It doesn't HAVE to. Hell, it probably shouldn't! Instead, I really think it'll be an entirely new, surprising design that does one thing and one thing only: play music.
It's not going to necessarily geared to the current Mac faithful (for the reasons I cited above) and, instead, will be going after teens, students, those on a budget, those not needing/wanting games, Address Book, iCal, etc. onboard.
I mean, if this thing is to be a "miniPod" and the cost is to be in the $99 range or whatever, SOMETHING has to give. I say they'll just concentrate on making it a solid mp3/AAC-playing machine. No frills, no gimmicks, no extras. That way, the current (some would say "real") iPods still stand on their own and remain the king-of-the-hill icon they've come to be.
I think this is where the talk of colors and whatnot come in: Apple going after teens and so forth, most of which are on Windows machines and don't have Address Book, iCal, etc. anyway. Give these teens and college types on a budget (or newbie/hobbyist from either platform) something well-made, affordable and dedicated to simply playing music and interacting with the iTMS.
Anyway, back to my original point and thinking, I think Apple - on this - can afford to "throw the rules out the window" just a bit because they're not having to pack it with all the features of the standard iPod AND they probably realize white and chrome isn't the snazziest, most exciting thing going.
Remember when Jobs said that the Flower Power and Blue Dalmation iMacs were meant to evoke music or something borderline hippie along those lines? Same here. I think these will be sleek, funky-looking little gizmos that simply won't trade on the style or appearance of the iPod as we know it.
It'll simply probably share its name, with some sort of designation after it to give it a separate identity and help it stand on its own and appeal to its target audience. I won't hazard a guess as to what that name will be, but if it has any variation of "extreme" (xTreme, Xtreme, xPod, xTremePod, PodX, PodXtreme, etc.) on it, I'm gonna absolutely puke.
In a nutshell, I don't think ANY of the mockups above are anywhere close to what Jobs and Ive could pull off. Just when you think you've got them pegged, they surprise the living crap out of us. We zig, they zag. We go "translucent colors", they go "opaque white". We say "shrunken-down iPod in white with a modified scroll wheel" and they go "oh yeah, check THIS out, Sparky...".
Anyway, that's just my gut feeling on this (IF it even exists). Taking the current iPod and simply whacking it in half is, to be blunt, the easy, lazy way out. It's not cool and it's not elegant and it looks half-ass, like they don't want to put TOO much effort into it.
I don't think Jobs and Apple want to be that way.
In any case, if these rumors are even true, we'll know in about 4 days, won't we?
I'm just on record as saying "it won't look ANYTHING like the iPod as we know it", that's all.
Though, I feel they probably wouldn't want to change the design TOO much, because they still want people to see it and thing 'iPod'
whereas when you see a new iMac compared to the old CRTs you wouldn't instantly associate it with 'iMac'
more likely if you saw an eMac you'd think 'iMac'
eh...wait we're all mac-geeks, none of the above applies
while I would like to see a totally redesigned and unexpected pod, because I always love seeing what ive's latest designs are, I don't see them drastically changing it with this minipod.
they worked hard enough crafting the 'image' for the iPod, it's now a recognizable product, people associate with it, and are familiar with it, It'd probably be better for them to keep rolling with that, as opposed to having to do it all over again.
but I could be(and kind of want to be) wrong.
Hell, work it in as part of the design or graphics, even. Do all sorts of neat variations of it, depending on the colors/design scheme: a fuzzy, dotted "halftone" look, a multicolor, swirling one, a hot pink miniPod with a huge stark white Apple logo wrapping around it.
I understand - and agree - about how the current iPod is such a brand and is so recognized and that a lot of work and effort has gone into making that so.
But the groundwork has been laid...the hardest work and foundation has already been done for a couple of years now. If Apple suddenly got a real clue and accompanied this new miniPod with the sort of "everywhere you turn" marketing/advertising they SHOULD be doing on all their crap, then I think it's a safe bet people will, in short order, come to know what's what.
That, along with the upcoming Pepsi/SuperBowl thing.
I think by springtime - if done correctly - there would be no mistaking these miniPods, however different they may look from the current iPod, that these are indeed Apple products. And that they are just as cool and just as much a kick-ass quality product as their big brothers.
Magazine ads, billboards, bus stops, TV spots, the SuperBowl, the latest celebrity "must have" trinket, prominent placement on TV shows, stories on CNN and articles in Time, etc. Hell, get some famous/popular music stars (from ALL genres) to do cool commercials for them. IMO, THAT'S where the secret lies. People are star-struck and always like to know that their favorite musician/actor/celebrity owns and uses the same stuff they can go out and buy...do not doubt this for a second!!!. They (Apple) blew their wad on their idiotic "Rip, mix & burn" commercial with all those stars on stage, and aired about, oh, 3 times and NOBODY remembers it or got any sort of kick from it.. Do it right this time, guys. It's been two years and Apple is squarely in the thick of the whole digital/online music revolution, so get that idiot from Smashmouth, get some boy band idol, get Rueben and Clay and Kelly, get Snoop Dogg or whoever the hell, get some rockers, get Martina McBride and Keith Urban and the Dixie Chicks. Get Yo Yo Ma, John Mayer and Sheryl Crow. Get Sting, Guster, Beyonce. Get Carlos Santana, Wynton Marsalis and Diana Krall. Get Bon Jovi and Barry Manilow and Papa Roach and do something cool and worthwhile.
Now that iTunes, iPods and the iTMS are on the Windows side too, don't you think it's about time they pull out the heavy marketing artillary and stop screwing around? Apparently they've already got very nice working relations with these stars (didn't Jobs talk to Bono and Mick Jagger during the Windows rollout? Aren't Sting and tons of others sharing their "celebrity playlists" and writing about their favorite music? Are people like Sheryl Crow and Matchbox Twenty offering exclusive, iTMS-only tracks? Don't people like Seal, BT, etc. appear in those little product-intro videos? Do you not think TONS of stars would be delighted to carve out a small chunk of an afternoon filming a 30-second spot for something they themselves dig and use and are already a part of? I would...
Anyway...
Doesn't have to be white and square for people to know - and appreciate - what it is. But Apple would actually have to grow a pair and go counter to their apparent aversion to touting any of their stuff...
Here's hoping...
Either way, it was excellent to see Apple actually sticking their head out for a change.
Here's to them doing the same with a minipod, should it exist and come around, and look way different
hmm, here's another though, I'd suppose apple would want to keep the proprietary firewire/USB 2.0 port, and keep it compatible with the current dock probably.
On one side its wise to think they'll be similar to current iPods (after all, you can tell iBooks and PowerBooks are siblings or cousins). I think the same should apply here. While not the exact same design, Average Joe should be able to tell without much effort that miniPods and iPods come from the same company.
That seems, I don't know, cheesy.
Gosh, part of me really wonders if this will even come to be Tuesday? We've talked about it and expected it as fact. What if it's just been over-hyped rumors and hot-air?
That's really going to be a downer.
I mean, I just planned out my birthday/Christmas presents for the next year!
In any case, everyone keep an eye on Apple's online store this weekend and Monday...there's always the off-chance that it's "Intern Trainee Week" in the web department and someone may accidentally experience "premature specification" again and we see a dalmation-spotted or Creamsicle Swirl keychain iPod (iKey?) placeholder pic on the site before Tuesday.
Hey, it could happen! Besides, poor Steve has a horrible string of luck in having his new goodies ratted out prior to the keynote (ATi, workerbee, Time Canada, the G5 spec listing, etc.).
Originally posted by pscates
...there's always the off-chance that it's "Intern Trainee Week" in the web department...
Ah one of my favorite desktops, comes to mind:
Click Here
Originally posted by PBG3
Gyro-scroll concept:
Click Here
Of course thats the one! Minus the colored screen, form factor, and well wait that is just not the one Ive's will carve out for us. I'm seeing...something along the lines of this one. www.apple.com/ipod
They'll create a more consumer looking iPod with a 5 Gig capacity. Look at how some cheap MP3 players have either a really tiny rectangular shape or a weird round shape...,maybe something along those lines. Now Apple has the ability to sell an iPod for either $149 or $99. Thats really what i think because if Apple purchases those drives in mass quantites I think 150 or 99 is not unreasonable.
Originally posted by PBG3
cool looking [/B]
Wonderfull ... an iPod that can double as a tampon applicator - that's what I've always wanted!
As someone said the other week, perhaps "mini" isn't referring to the physical size as simply a smaller, no frills (dock, remote control, case) version?
Short of there being a brand new design (which, I know, I spoke about above), here's what I'd love to see:
Ditch the 10GB.
Sell the 20GB and 40GB...BOTH with the dock, remote control and sleeve (as currently packaged). But...drop the price by $100.
20GB - $299
40GB - $399
As I said, anyone with a halfway serious collection is EASILY going to amass more than 5GB worth of music. And it ain't THAT far to 10GB. Then you're stuck! 10GB is too big to be small, too small to be big.
So just make 20GB the new "low end" (but include the goodies that the 10GB lacks).
Now...
Sell a 5GB, sans dock, carrying case and wired remote, for $99 and keep the same case design, since it does pretty much rock! And to ensure compatibility with the dock, sleeve case, etc. that can be purchased separately if the buyer wishes.
But go nuts with colors, patterns (take what they learned from those two freaky iMacs from two years ago) and whatnot. Of course, offer a plain white one as well, just because...
For young people, teens, students, those on a budget, those with a smaller (sub-5GB) music collection, digital music newbies, hobbyists, dabblers, Top 40 buyers, for gifts, etc. is what this $99 5GB model could be.
It would probably take care of TONS of peoples' needs. Anyone "hardcore" and sporting a serious collection can pay a bit more and get the 20GB or the 40GB.
I personally just find the 10GB to be a weird capacity. I've sat at 9.5GB for a good chunk of 2003. BUT, I'm also using the iTMS more and I know that by this time next year I'm going to have A LOT more music and will appriate the 20GB (at least).
10GB (especially lacking the three goodies the 20GB and 40GB models have) just seems to be useless. I honestly don't know why anyone would buy it: why not spend $100 more, get twice the capacity and the three accessories included?
But people would KILL to spend $99 for a 5GB model. Especially if it came looking all cool.
Two distinct lines, but both iPod: a $99 entry/budget model that looks snazzy and hip and two "deluxe" models for those a little more serious about their collections and toting them around.
5GB - $99
20GB - $299
40GB - $399
I'm just speaking from a marketing/line-up standpoint...NOT a business one, so...
Now that I think about it, I'd rather see the above than what I spoke about yesterday (an all new design). I think the current iPod is awesome: slim, small, just feels right in your hand. Small/light enough to be comfortable and convenient, but not so much so that you lose it like a keychain drive or those silly Japanese digital toys that were popular a few years ago. That way, all the accessories (by Apple and third party companies alike) fit and work with these new budget iPods. Don't have to reinvent the wheel, design new accessories, clutter up the works, etc.