The upcoming iPod; keeping hope alive

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
With the iPhone less than a month away (today is June 1st!) I'm really looking forward with anticipation with how Apple will fare with their foray into the handset market. The internet is rife with many individual's opinions on the iPhone's imminent success (or failure), so I won't bore you with my take on how I think Apple will do with the iPhone, however my attention now turns to much fabled, and eagerly anticipated next version of the iPod.



I very much believe that the "platform" that Apple has been talking about, with the iPhone's software essentially being a derivative of OS X, to be ported directly to the next iPod. I believe the resources Apple has poured into the iPhone will carry over to the iPod, much in the same way automotive companies build many different car models off of a single "body". Unfortunately, I don't think we have nearly as much functionality on next iPod as we will with the iPhone. No safari, no Google maps, no e-mail. I very much hope I'm dead wrong about this, but I can't see Apple including these apps, as they know this would cut into the iPhone's sales.



In any case, I think the question that remains on my people's minds is; when will we see the next iPod? And although it really pains me to say this, I don't believe we will see anything in 2007. Maybe we might get something in the Fall, but Steve's reply on comments at "All things D":



Mossberg: Are you planning some big new iPod model post-iPhone



Steve: So a while means since last September? [awkward silence] This is a fast moving business.





doesn't give me much hope. What about everyone else; thoughts/speculation as to when we will see the next iPod?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    That quotation was badly mangled. Basically the guy interviewing said it'd been a while since the last update. Steve also said that they are working on another model of the iPod and that it's going to be pretty amazing. Most people are agreed that a touchscreen iPod will come out a few months after the iPhone.
  • Reply 2 of 17
    hobbeshobbes Posts: 1,252member
    Well, I think Jobs can't say a word about next-generation iPods until they're ready to release 'em this fall, or iPod sales for the next three months would crater. So I wouldn't worry much about that.



    I agree that we will see a widescreen iPod with OS X Mini released this Sept/Oct before the holiday.



    I suspect, though, because demand for OS X Mini will be so strong, that it will be a very high-end model ($399? $499?) that supplements instead of replaces existing 5.5G models. It will have some wireless features as well (but of course no phone features). It will be very cool, and very pricey. Meanwhile, existing 5.5G models will go all-flash (32 and 64GB?) and become even slimmer.
  • Reply 3 of 17
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hobbes View Post


    Well, I think Jobs can't say a word about next-generation iPods until they're ready to release 'em this fall, or iPod sales for the next three months would crater. So I wouldn't worry much about that.



    I agree that we will see a widescreen iPod with OS X Mini released this Sept/Oct before the holiday.



    I suspect, though, because demand for OS X Mini will be so strong, that it will be a very high-end model ($399? $499?) that supplements instead of replaces existing 5.5G models. It will have some wireless features as well (but of course no phone features). It will be very cool, and very pricey. Meanwhile, existing 5.5G models will go all-flash (32 and 64GB?) and become even slimmer.



    If they can do the iPhone at $499, they can take out all the phone-related stuff and the camera and the flash storage and probably do 40GB and 80GB models at the current price point while still making a healthy margin.
  • Reply 4 of 17
    aries 1baries 1b Posts: 1,009member
    Pshaw!



    Why not a large screen iPod?



    Behold!





    It's inbound. Can't release it too quickly after iPhone.

    From the Book of Making The Plastics by the Mysterious Kormac77:

    [CENTER]" i****v1, i****v2 "

    "i****v2 will be a large version of i****v1"[/CENTER]



    V/R,

    Aries 1B
  • Reply 5 of 17
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Alphy View Post


    With the iPhone less than a month away (today is June 1st!) I'm really looking forward with anticipation with how Apple will fare with their foray into the handset market. The internet is rife with many individual's opinions on the iPhone's imminent success (or failure), so I won't bore you with my take on how I think Apple will do with the iPhone, however my attention now turns to much fabled, and eagerly anticipated next version of the iPod.



    I very much believe that the "platform" that Apple has been talking about, with the iPhone's software essentially being a derivative of OS X, to be ported directly to the next iPod. I believe the resources Apple has poured into the iPhone will carry over to the iPhone, much in the same way automotive companies build many different car models off of a single "body". Unfortunately, I don't think we have nearly as much functionality on next iPod as we will with the iPhone. No safari, no Google maps, no e-mail. I very much hope I'm dead wrong about this, but I can't see Apple including these apps, as they know this would cut into the iPhone's sales.



    In any case, I think the question that remains on my people's minds is; when will we see the next iPod? And although it really pains me to say this, I don't believe we will see anything in 2007. Maybe we might get something in the Fall, but Steve's reply on comments at "All things D":



    Mossberg: Are you planning some big new iPod model post-iPhone



    Steve: So a while means since last September? [awkward silence] This is a fast moving business.





    doesn't give me much hope. What about everyone else; thoughts/speculation as to when we will see the next iPod?



    Derivative of OS X?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hobbes View Post


    Well, I think Jobs can't say a word about next-generation iPods until they're ready to release 'em this fall, or iPod sales for the next three months would crater. So I wouldn't worry much about that.



    I agree that we will see a widescreen iPod with OS X Mini released this Sept/Oct before the holiday.



    I suspect, though, because demand for OS X Mini will be so strong, that it will be a very high-end model ($399? $499?) that supplements instead of replaces existing 5.5G models. It will have some wireless features as well (but of course no phone features). It will be very cool, and very pricey. Meanwhile, existing 5.5G models will go all-flash (32 and 64GB?) and become even slimmer.



    OS X Mini?



    What the hell are you talking about. It is OS X, not a mini, not a lite, not a derivative. How is this possible? Well first they took out all of the image files, all of the sound files, all of the applications, and basically anything that didn't relate to what iPhone was, and they got right to the core of OS X. It's not the Apps, it's not the Shell, and it's not the UI. They took OS X, they ported it to ARM, and they built new phone/ipod related hardware/software features into it. It's still OS X, but with a new face.



    If you have to call it something Phone OS X or iPhone OS X is probably a lot closer to what you'd want to call it, but it's still OS X.



    Oh and I predict new iPods in September/October, or basically the next Apple event after WWDC. Definitely no Mail and definitely no Google Maps.



    Sebastian
  • Reply 6 of 17
    daffy_duckdaffy_duck Posts: 248member
    Just a tiny correction. When you say, "much in the same way automotive companies build many different car models off of a single "body"", I think you mean they make many car models off a single chassis design.
  • Reply 7 of 17
    daffy_duckdaffy_duck Posts: 248member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slewis View Post


    Derivative of OS X?



    OS X Mini?



    What the hell are you talking about. It is OS X, not a mini, not a lite, not a derivative. How is this possible? Well first they took out all of the image files, all of the sound files, all of the applications, and basically anything that didn't relate to what iPhone was, and they got right to the core of OS X. It's not the Apps, it's not the Shell, and it's not the UI. They took OS X, they ported it to ARM, and they built new phone/ipod related hardware/software features into it. It's still OS X, but with a new face.



    Well, I think Tiny OS X is a fair categorization of it. Look at Tiny XP for example. It is the real deal with all the fluff removed. That's pretty close to what we have with OS X on the iPhone.
  • Reply 8 of 17
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Alphy View Post


    ............ I believe the resources Apple has poured into the iPhone will carry over to the iPhone, .............



    I can believe that.
  • Reply 9 of 17
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by psychodoughboy View Post


    That quotation was badly mangled. Basically the guy interviewing said it'd been a while since the last update. Steve also said that they are working on another model of the iPod and that it's going to be pretty amazing. Most people are agreed that a touchscreen iPod will come out a few months after the iPhone.



    I think the next iPod will merely have the wide screen. It's a music player not an iPhone replacement. But I doubt we'll see it until after the iPhone sales start to dwindle, and that wont be for quite a while. I imagine they will have to update for the X-MAS buying season though. and iPhone sales will still be rocking then. It's going to be a hard to get item.
  • Reply 10 of 17
    easyceasyc Posts: 69member
    Just a thought on New ipods. I plan on buying a MBP when the new models come out and plan on waiting until Apple does the back to school sale or incentive. Last year it was a free nano and im guessing they will keep it the same or have a similar promo. So if they plan on doing the same incentive then I can see them releasing new ipod models to get the attention of their target audience, adolecents and young adults (14-28 age range), which if im nto mistaken make up the core of the current consumers.
  • Reply 11 of 17
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Daffy_Duck View Post


    Well, I think Tiny OS X is a fair categorization of it. Look at Tiny XP for example. It is the real deal with all the fluff removed. That's pretty close to what we have with OS X on the iPhone.



    Is Tiny XP even from Microsoft?



    The creators of that are free to call it whatever they want, but OS X is still OS X.



    Sebastian
  • Reply 12 of 17
    alphyalphy Posts: 4member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slewis View Post


    Is Tiny XP even from Microsoft?



    The creators of that are free to call it whatever they want, but OS X is still OS X.



    Sebastian





    You're really ardent on it being labeled OS X eh
  • Reply 13 of 17
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Alphy View Post


    You're really ardent on it being labeled OS X eh



    More like I wish to keep as much confusion off the web as possible so everyone will stop asking "Is it really OS X?"



    Sebastian
  • Reply 14 of 17
    musltngbluemusltngblue Posts: 303member
    I'm thinking along the lines of it not interfering with iPhone sales, as well. I believe that iPhone will be too much of a draw for holiday season sales. I may be wrong, but I might have heard Apple say something about expecting X-mas sales of iPhone to be great. Maybe it was a market analyst. Anywho, soonest I think a new iPod will be seen is at Macworld in January. It should also have a touch screen, or possibly (though doubtfully) Apple's recently patened opposite-side touch interface.



    --edit--

    I forgot to mention that I doubt the accelerometers will be included with this supposed 'widescreen iPod'; instead to switch things to horizontal view, a button in a corner of the window will switch to and from things like cover-flow mode to list mode, etc. The accelerometers would drive the price up a bit more, and in order to differentiate the iPod alone, they don't want to have the price too terribly close to the iPhone, in order to hit the iPod's target market of teens and college-age people, who might not have the extra dough to pay for iPhone-level prices. The next iPod will also stay away from the iPhone's outer design, and stay very similar to what it looks like today, minus the clickwheel and whatnot.
  • Reply 15 of 17
    kidredkidred Posts: 2,402member
    I was thinking about it today and agree with some here. I think the next iPod is an iPhone minus the phone, internet, camera, crap etc. It will have a large screen, touch screen, have the swivel orientation feature, etc. It's the next logical step, matches Steve's claim that it will be awesome and is Apple's cash cow. If they did do such an iPod, forget anyone ever catching the iPod.
  • Reply 16 of 17
    jupiteronejupiterone Posts: 1,564member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by psychodoughboy View Post


    That quotation was badly mangled. Basically the guy interviewing said it'd been a while since the last update. Steve also said that they are working on another model of the iPod and that it's going to be pretty amazing. Most people are agreed that a touchscreen iPod will come out a few months after the iPhone.



    ...and controlled from the underside!
  • Reply 17 of 17
    seek3rseek3r Posts: 179member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Alphy View Post


    You're really ardent on it being labeled OS X eh



    To be fair, an operating system usually really refers to the kernel, nothing else. OSX branding is the Darwin kernel + Aqua, and as long as the iPhone has the darwin kernel and some form of Aqua, it's OSX :-p
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