Is there gonna be a tough screen regular iPod?

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 39
    rickagrickag Posts: 1,626member
    If the iPod goes touch screen, where will they put the scroll wheel?
  • Reply 22 of 39
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Here's the way the iPod line up will go for Christmas I think:



    1. 32GB Flash 6G iPod (with WiFi) $399

    2. 100GB Hard Drive 6G iPod (with WiFi) $399



    3. 8GB nano $199

    4. 16GB nano $299



    5. 2GB shuffle $79 - $89



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    I'd like to see this



    Code:




    $599 120 GB HDD iPhone w/3G

    $499 16 GB flash iPhone w/3G

    $399 8 GB flash iPhone w/3G

    $349 120 GB HDD iPod w/OS X

    $299 80GB HDD iPod w/OS X

    $249 40 GB HDD iPod w/OS X

    $249 16 GB iPod nano

    $149 8 GB iPod nano

    $99 4GB iPod shuffle

    $ 69 2 GB iPod shuffle









    Just a couple of slight modifications



    Neither of those is going to happen, specifically the HD based iPhone...particularly for reasons of battery life.



    My take:



    iPhone 8GB $599 (eventually 16GB with 3G)

    iPhone 4GB $499 (eventually 8GB with 3G)



    iPod Video 80GB $399 (possibly 100GB) (see below)

    iPod Video 40GB $299 (possibly 60GB)



    iPod Nano 16GB $249

    iPod Nano 8GB $199

    iPod Nano 4GB $149



    iPod Shuffle 2GB $79





    Next, the Video iPod capabilities:



    1. Multi-touch, widescreen capable.



    2. Bluetooth



    3. No Wi-Fi. No OS X. Obviously no cell.



    4. Possible touch keyboard interface for mod of calendars, contacts, et al.
  • Reply 23 of 39
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rickag View Post


    If the iPod goes touch screen, where will they put the scroll wheel?



    A few things:



    The iPhone's music library is navigated via the alphabetized list.

    Apple has patented this technology.

    The scroll wheel navigation paradigm was patented by another firm.

    Apple pays a license fee to that firm for every iPod sold.

    Steve Jobs is none too pleased about paying the license fee.



    Do the math.
  • Reply 24 of 39
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    Neither of those is going to happen, specifically the HD based iPhone...particularly for reasons of battery life.



    In my proposal, I mentioned that an HDD iPhone would have to be thicker to accommodate the HDD and a larger battery. Something on the order of 15 to 16 mm thick giving it enough volume for the HDD and 2x the battery capacity. It'll be 1 to 2 mm thicker than the 80 GB iPod.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001


    My take:

    iPod Video 80GB $399 (possibly 100GB) (see below)

    iPod Video 40GB $299 (possibly 60GB)



    You're proposing a price point increase for the HDD iPods?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001


    Next, the Video iPod capabilities:



    1. Multi-touch, widescreen capable.

    2. Bluetooth

    3. No Wi-Fi. No OS X. Obviously no cell.

    4. Possible touch keyboard interface for mod of calendars, contacts, et al.



    Obviously, I disgree on the Bluetooth and the no OS X.



    I'm not sure what the true usefulness of BT is to the iPod other than wireless headphones. I can imagine Apple debating it and saying no. The wired white earbuds are part and parcel of the iPod brand, can't imagine Apple doing something to hurt that.



    For OS X. Make no mistake, Apple is in a war with multiple battlefields and competitors. OS X is one. Music file formats, video file formats, all kinds of format and platform battlefields. Having as many boxes with OS X inside is very important to winning those battles. I didn't imagine it 5 years ago, but in 2008, Apple could sell 20+ million "Macs". 8 million Macintosh PCs, 10 million iPhones, 4+ million iPods w/OS X. That's a lot of potential Cocoa developers and Cocoa apps.



    One other interesting thing I think is whether a speaker is or out for the iPod. I'm thinking no...
  • Reply 25 of 39
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rickag View Post


    If the iPod goes touch screen, where will they put the scroll wheel?



    You've probably seen the patent pictures. Apple definitely looked at using a virtual scroll wheel for scrolling through lists. It's seen in all of their tablet patent pictures. They could have done it for the iPhone, but chose not to.
  • Reply 26 of 39
    sc_marktsc_markt Posts: 1,401member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by toad-esque View Post


    basically the iPhone ability of having a touch screen except having it on a regular 80 gb ipod? that seems to be the next logical step.



    One problem with this that I wouldn't like and this is you won't be able to find the buttons to change tracks or volume when you're sitting on your back relaxing without having to look at the iPod. I have to admit I like being able to find the buttons on my 30Gig video iPod without looking for them.
  • Reply 27 of 39
    kenaustuskenaustus Posts: 924member
    I see a few problems for the near term.



    The first is the display. Apple is going to need every one produced for the iPhone - especially with the holiday buying season starting in a few months. Think about the extra million or so Phones that will be needed for that buying season.



    The second is a possible clause in the ATT agreement that limits how close an iPod can be to the iPhone. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if Steve J bullied that one out of the contract.



    WiFi will be a much debated issue within the company and I think it is a flip of the coin as to which way it goes.



    Then there is the big question about SDKs for developers. Do they make it available for the iPod and not the iPhone? Hopefully, but there will be a lot of developers wanting to get on the iPhone that will be pissed. It might, however, be a good testing ground for future iPhone apps.



    Hopefully it will come early next year at the latest. It would be wild for Christmas sales, but the iPhone generates more profits. Since this is the iPod I'm waiting to buy next I'm gonna just sit back and wait.
  • Reply 28 of 39
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kenaustus View Post


    The first is the display. Apple is going to need every one produced for the iPhone - especially with the holiday buying season starting in a few months. Think about the extra million or so Phones that will be needed for that buying season.



    I really don't think there will be a parts shortage. The screen isn't really that high tech or hard to mark. It's DPI while high compared to PCs, is probably mid-range for phones. If you take the iPod 2.5" screen and put two of then side by side, you have the iPhone screen with the exception of the touch layer, and glass is glass. They've been shipping screens like this for a long time.



    If for example, it was a 3.5" 800x533 or 640x427 screen, that's when you should start worrying because high volume manufacturing for those sorts of screens aren't ramped up (though some are available)



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kenaustus View Post


    The second is a possible clause in the ATT agreement that limits how close an iPod can be to the iPhone. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if Steve J bullied that one out of the contract.



    This would be an interesting clause, indeed.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kenaustus View Post


    Then there is the big question about SDKs for developers. Do they make it available for the iPod and not the iPhone? Hopefully, but there will be a lot of developers wanting to get on the iPhone that will be pissed. It might, however, be a good testing ground for future iPhone apps.



    I think having it available for both would be the best option. I think there are quite a few reasons for not having an SDK for the iPhone, and by the time a prospective iPod video w/OS X ships, it may be ready.
  • Reply 29 of 39
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Here's another wild thought.



    One potential vector for future iPods is to give it camera and camcorder abilities. Apple would be making a converged iPod, camera and camcorder device. This is one way to get it back to the $500 territory, and iPods could have some potential benefits.



    Take everyone from the iPhone except for the radios, improve the camera to 5+ MP, add flash, add 3x to 6x zoom lenses with image stabilization, and give it the ability to do 720p HD recording. With an 80/120 GB drive, people can actually record real minutes of HD video! It'll be worthy of the name iPod video.
  • Reply 30 of 39
    shanmugamshanmugam Posts: 1,200member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by THT View Post


    Here's another wild thought.



    One potential vector for future iPods is to give it camera and camcorder abilities. Apple would be making a converged iPod, camera and camcorder device. This is one way to get it back to the $500 territory, and iPods could have some potential benefits.



    Take everyone from the iPhone except for the radios, improve the camera to 5+ MP, add flash, add 3x to 6x zoom lenses with image stabilization, and give it the ability to do 720p HD recording. With an 80/120 GB drive, people can actually record real minutes of HD video! It'll be worthy of the name iPod video.



    it will work well on Macs (iLife) because of software, but in windows???
  • Reply 31 of 39
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shanmugam View Post


    it will work well on Macs (iLife) because of software, but in windows???



    I suppose a port of iMovie could be done, but I'll ask the question. Does Apple need to support Windows with all of its apps? No I don't think so. The idea is to control the formats. I'd propose Apple dumps a Quicktime H.264 movie with an MPEG converter on windows machines.
  • Reply 32 of 39
    hobbithobbit Posts: 532member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by THT View Post


    Does Apple need to support Windows with all of its apps?



    No. But then you have an expensive iPod (due to the camera) offering features no one on Windows can really use well. So most Windows buyers will then just think that the high-end iPod's an expensive MP3 player. And likely go for cheaper alternatives.



    Or in a nutshell, those camera iPods would not sell well.
  • Reply 33 of 39
    sc_marktsc_markt Posts: 1,401member
    Don't know if anybody has said this but I hope Apple starts adding an AM and FM radio into the next gen iPod. Maybe even an HD radio tuner as well.



    - Mark
  • Reply 34 of 39
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hobBIT View Post


    No. But then you have an expensive iPod (due to the camera) offering features no one on Windows can really use well. So most Windows buyers will then just think that the high-end iPod's an expensive MP3 player. And likely go for cheaper alternatives.



    Or in a nutshell, those camera iPods would not sell well.



    I think you make a good point here. So, some sort of iLife type package appears to be a must. However, that seems like a very expensive proposition. Who knows, maybe Safari 3 is Apple's test bed for the Yellow Box.



    I do think it is inevitable that DAPs will become commoditized, and Apple's iPod strategy will become susceptible to Dell syndrome. The ground beneath them (shuffles and nanos) will be eaten away from cheaper competitors, so, they'll have to increase the size of their top end market. They'll need to continue to expand and converge various functions on the iPod. Larger and larger HDD iPods is something Apple should continue on doing instead of switching to flash. Large screen, Multi-touch and OS X is a must.



    Converging to another market is another possibility. iPhone is obviously one. Cameras and Camcorders are another.
  • Reply 35 of 39
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by THT View Post


    Who knows, maybe Safari 3 is Apple's test bed for the Yellow Box.



    Well, it appears Apple hand ported Safari to Windows. Not evidence of Cocoa in it. iLife on Windows would seem a monumental task...
  • Reply 36 of 39
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sc_markt View Post


    Don't know if anybody has said this but I hope Apple starts adding an AM and FM radio into the next gen iPod. Maybe even an HD radio tuner as well.



    - Mark



    Never happen. Apple has a radio/remote dongle, that's as far as they're going to go.
  • Reply 37 of 39
    spindriftspindrift Posts: 674member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shanmugam View Post


    it will work well on Macs (iLife) because of software, but in windows???



    I don't think Apple would do that. It would reduce the number of people buying Macs. A lot of people buy Macs because of the excellent integrated software - recently (the last couple of years) all new Macs have come with iLife.
  • Reply 38 of 39
    First off: Being the bad bullies that they are, M$ will be launching a new version of the Zune this fall, in both hard drive and flash models, and there's no doubt in our minds that it's aimed squarely at the iPod and iPod nano.



    That said, I think that Apple's repsonse will be:
    • A new Mac OS X-based multi-touch hard drive iPod

    • A new, smaller, multi-touch iPod nano

    First off, the new iPod would run Mac OS X and have a iPhone-esque screen. It would have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as well: The Bluetooth support would be for music sharing and new, optional Apple Stereo Bluetooth Headphones. Likewise, the Wi-Fi support will be for downloading songs from the iTunes Store over a Wi-Fi hotspot using the same iTunes account as your computer. Also, a version of Safari would be included for browsing the Internet while at Wi-Fi hotspots. 40 GB and 80 GB models would be available at $249 and $349 pricepoints.



    Then, the new iPod nano would also run Mac OS X. It wouldn't have Wi-Fi, but it would have Bluetooth for music sharing and headphones. It, too, would have a multi-touch screen, albeit within the 2"-2.5" range. 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB models would be sold for $149, $199, and $249. Also, the iPod shuffle would get a capacity upgrade to 2 GB while remaining at the same $79 price tag.



    And here's a good ad idea for Chiat/Day: "We just crashed the social." (A play on the Zune "Welcome to the social" ad campaign, obviously.)
  • Reply 39 of 39
    shanmugamshanmugam Posts: 1,200member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpinDrift View Post


    I don't think Apple would do that. It would reduce the number of people buying Macs. A lot of people buy Macs because of the excellent integrated software - recently (the last couple of years) all new Macs have come with iLife.



    thats why it is difficult choice, make one more software for Windows (iTunes, QT, Safari then iLife now)



    The question really is how many make videos compared to normal still photos.
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