Cute design, but I think you are not focussing on the real advantage of a flash memory based player. A flash based iPod will come someday. The advantage won't be based on making it even smaller, but instead making it more durable with longer battery life. It will be premium priced, not discounted (as flash memory is more expensive than hard disk storage per Gb).
Making an iPod that holds only 100 songs actually defeats the differentiation of the purpose of an iPod over other mp3 players. At 250 songs you may be getting to some good utility because that is a lot of music to choose from if you are careful about what you put on in the first place. At 100 songs you have a few playlists and that is all. If apple wanted to make a 100 song player, they don't need to go to expensive flash memory to do so.
Now, a flash player with 1 GB of storage (250 songs) could probably be made for $200 - $250 today and the differentiation point against the mini would be double the battery life (or thereabouts), a better warranty and a positioning as an "athletic" or "sport" ipod which doesn't skip or break if you jog with it (or take your BMW around hard corners with it flopping about in the glove box).
A "sport" iPod could get away with the premium pricing and storage size trade-off against the performance benefit as that is what sports positioning typically involves. (e.g. the premium performance, price and smaller size of sports cars). Design-wise, it would therefore need a stripe or aerodynamic looking design to communicate speed. It could also be water-resistant because of all of the sweat its users would be perspiring. Lastly, maybe it would have a different earbud design, knowing that earbuds subjected to hard running, cycling, etc. might have a tendency to fall out, and that the cord risks getting tangled around an athlete. Wireless, strap on earbuds might be the right thing.
Nice mockups What program do you use for them? Interested in maybe playing about myself, but i'm not sure where to start.
As far as a micro iPod is concerned, for me it just wouldn't work. I currently have a 3g iPod and it is pretty much perfectly sized, for me anyway. The iPod Mini would be too small for me to operate comfortable, and i don't have particularly big hands.
Weird... when I first saw an iPod Mini, I immediately thought "that thing is too small, people will lose it!" I still think it's too small. I certainly don't want anything smaller. I'd prefer a device the size of the regular iPod, but thinner (flatter).
The twist at the waist will destroy the device's reliability/ruggedness, especially when it's already so small. What would be cooler would be making the entire face a touchscreen/display so an image of a clickwheel could be replaced by an image of a keypad...
Still, in what direction will the iPod evolve? Will it become a phone? I think not. Will it incorporate a radio, a PDA, a two-way pager (news etc. using FM digital subcarrier)? I think so.
Eventually, perhaps it will have a web browser... from which it will develop VOIP capabilities. For as we know, VOIP will replace all of the current telecom infrastructure.
Even if the iPod had cell phone capabilities, you wouldn't need a key pad for it. You would either select an existing number from the address book, or if needed, you could always enter a new number with the rotary dial (aka the wheel).
With the price of flash memory relatively high, why not a portable DVD player with iPod style interface?
DVD-R media is extremely inexpensive now, holds 4.7GBs, about the same as the mini iPod. DVD players for entertainment centers can be had for as little as $39.95, maybe less haven't checked lately.
Because of the size of a portable DVD player, probably wouldn't compete with mini iPod sales too much. The big advantage is changing playlists would be as easy as inserting a different disc. Plug into your home entertainment center and you have 1000 songs sorted by playlist, just as the iPods have.
Question is how DMR would work? This is the big downfall, but if Apple could come up with an acceptable solution, talk about sales. Just dreaming here, but image a $60 to $100 DVD player capable of playing AAC protected DVD's. I think they would sell. a lot.
CF cards are the same size as the hard drive in the iPod mini. Going to flash would not make the iPod smaller. It might give it a little longer battery life.
CF cards are the same size as the hard drive in the iPod mini. Going to flash would not make the iPod smaller. It might give it a little longer battery life.
Maybe we are missing something - maybe we aren't actually getting an iPod Micro, but an iPod Mini Rev B, with longer battery life made possible through less power hungry drive, since the current battery life sucks.
Maybe we are missing something - maybe we aren't actually getting an iPod Micro, but an iPod Mini Rev B, with longer battery life made possible through less power hungry drive, since the current battery life sucks.
I said it earlier up in this thread that it makes sense to position a flash based iPod as a "sports" or athletic iPod, based on ruggedness of the memory. Maybe a Nike or Reebok co-brand is in store.
Comments
Originally posted by ipodandimac
if youve ever used an iPod mini, you know that a click wheel any smaller than the mini's is too small use for a lot of people.
You're right. I was fooled by the wheel/iPod dimensions ratio on the other models and the wheel will have to be at least has big as the iPod mini one.
... Back to the drawing board.
Originally posted by nsousansousa
You're right. I was fooled by the wheel/iPod dimensions ratio on the other models and the wheel will have to be at least has big as the iPod mini one.
... Back to the drawing board.
Take 2 !
Originally posted by nsousansousa
The Micro iPod.
My Take ! Enjoy ! :-)
[
[nitpick]Wouldn't µPod or iPod-µ look nicer tough?[/nitpick]
Originally posted by slughead
If that screen detached, that'd be insanely crazy.
\\
In fact , I have a surprise for the iPod micru.
Hint: The bottom part rotates revealing the BACK ! Surprise.
Making an iPod that holds only 100 songs actually defeats the differentiation of the purpose of an iPod over other mp3 players. At 250 songs you may be getting to some good utility because that is a lot of music to choose from if you are careful about what you put on in the first place. At 100 songs you have a few playlists and that is all. If apple wanted to make a 100 song player, they don't need to go to expensive flash memory to do so.
Now, a flash player with 1 GB of storage (250 songs) could probably be made for $200 - $250 today and the differentiation point against the mini would be double the battery life (or thereabouts), a better warranty and a positioning as an "athletic" or "sport" ipod which doesn't skip or break if you jog with it (or take your BMW around hard corners with it flopping about in the glove box).
A "sport" iPod could get away with the premium pricing and storage size trade-off against the performance benefit as that is what sports positioning typically involves. (e.g. the premium performance, price and smaller size of sports cars). Design-wise, it would therefore need a stripe or aerodynamic looking design to communicate speed. It could also be water-resistant because of all of the sweat its users would be perspiring. Lastly, maybe it would have a different earbud design, knowing that earbuds subjected to hard running, cycling, etc. might have a tendency to fall out, and that the cord risks getting tangled around an athlete. Wireless, strap on earbuds might be the right thing.
I wonder if you would take a crack at that.
As far as a micro iPod is concerned, for me it just wouldn't work. I currently have a 3g iPod and it is pretty much perfectly sized, for me anyway. The iPod Mini would be too small for me to operate comfortable, and i don't have particularly big hands.
Anything smaller would be a real problem.
Originally posted by nsousansousa
\\
In fact , I have a surprise for the iPod micru.
Hint: The bottom part rotates revealing the BACK ! Surprise.
Why?
Originally posted by Guartho
Why?
The twist at the waist will destroy the device's reliability/ruggedness, especially when it's already so small. What would be cooler would be making the entire face a touchscreen/display so an image of a clickwheel could be replaced by an image of a keypad...
Still, in what direction will the iPod evolve? Will it become a phone? I think not. Will it incorporate a radio, a PDA, a two-way pager (news etc. using FM digital subcarrier)? I think so.
Eventually, perhaps it will have a web browser... from which it will develop VOIP capabilities. For as we know, VOIP will replace all of the current telecom infrastructure.
With the price of flash memory relatively high, why not a portable DVD player with iPod style interface?
DVD-R media is extremely inexpensive now, holds 4.7GBs, about the same as the mini iPod. DVD players for entertainment centers can be had for as little as $39.95, maybe less haven't checked lately.
Because of the size of a portable DVD player, probably wouldn't compete with mini iPod sales too much. The big advantage is changing playlists would be as easy as inserting a different disc. Plug into your home entertainment center and you have 1000 songs sorted by playlist, just as the iPods have.
Question is how DMR would work? This is the big downfall, but if Apple could come up with an acceptable solution, talk about sales. Just dreaming here, but image a $60 to $100 DVD player capable of playing AAC protected DVD's. I think they would sell. a lot.
Originally posted by neutrino23
CF cards are the same size as the hard drive in the iPod mini. Going to flash would not make the iPod smaller. It might give it a little longer battery life.
Maybe we are missing something - maybe we aren't actually getting an iPod Micro, but an iPod Mini Rev B, with longer battery life made possible through less power hungry drive, since the current battery life sucks.
Originally posted by G_Warren
Maybe we are missing something - maybe we aren't actually getting an iPod Micro, but an iPod Mini Rev B, with longer battery life made possible through less power hungry drive, since the current battery life sucks.
I said it earlier up in this thread that it makes sense to position a flash based iPod as a "sports" or athletic iPod, based on ruggedness of the memory. Maybe a Nike or Reebok co-brand is in store.
Originally posted by Rhumgod
Digital Hub...digital hub...
Moving there now...