iPod: The Next Generation

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Can anyone estimate when the 2nd generation iPod will ship and what might the specs include?



The second generation always fixes out those kinks in the first release. Also, I would imagine that there would be the orig iPod and a newer iPod. The first generation gets a price reduction to $299 and iPod Senior stays at $399.



Anyone have the scoop on iPod2
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    programmerprogrammer Posts: 3,457member
    Well, Toshiba announced a 20 Gb version of the iPod's HDD, shipping in Feb and a 10 Gb version in March. This would make a logic upgrade, although I couldn't predict a timeframe due to the pricing of those drives.
  • Reply 2 of 24
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Nobody here can estimate but they can guess.



    My guess is the iPod will get a bigger hard disk at the same price. The old one will be discontinued and people who buy the old soon before the new one comes out will whine and complain like there's no tomorrow.



    There may be playback enhancements but I don't think that'll happen next.



    As for when? Probably mid-year.
  • Reply 3 of 24
    g-newsg-news Posts: 1,107member
    I doubt Apple is ever going to exceed 20GB of space on the iPod, after all, it's a music player, not a music archive....Also have you ever calculated how many CDs go onto a 20GB harddisk?



    Given 1 CD is about 60-70MB in mp3 format (roughly)



    that makes about 300 CDs on an iPod. I know very few people who legally own 300 CDs.

    Since Apple doesn't want people to steal music, they'll unlikely exceed storage capacities, that can only be filled by downloading every MP3 file there is on limewire, hotline, napster&co and all the others together.



    actually already 5GB is more than enough for everyone I know. I know I could store all my CDs on that disk and still have space left.



    If they exceed 20GB one day, there will also be extra uses for the space, ie data synching functions to move data on the iPOd as a HD etc, as it is today, just far more advanced, maybe even with an UI etc.
  • Reply 4 of 24
    programmerprogrammer Posts: 3,457member
    [quote]Originally posted by G-News:

    <strong>I doubt Apple is ever going to exceed 20GB of space on the iPod, after all, it's a music player, not a music archive....Also have you ever calculated how many CDs go onto a 20GB harddisk?



    Given 1 CD is about 60-70MB in mp3 format (roughly)



    that makes about 300 CDs on an iPod. I know very few people who legally own 300 CDs.

    Since Apple doesn't want people to steal music, they'll unlikely exceed storage capacities, that can only be filled by downloading every MP3 file there is on limewire, hotline, napster&co and all the others together.



    actually already 5GB is more than enough for everyone I know. I know I could store all my CDs on that disk and still have space left.



    If they exceed 20GB one day, there will also be extra uses for the space, ie data synching functions to move data on the iPOd as a HD etc, as it is today, just far more advanced, maybe even with an UI etc.</strong><hr></blockquote>





    I still think the device is capable of much more than playing music. And several of my friends want more space because they have 20-250 Gb of MP3s on their systems... at higher bit rate encodings for better quality.
  • Reply 5 of 24
    Ya'know G-News, six months ago I would have agreed with you, but not today. Ever since the iPod came out with it's incredibly easy thumbwheel navigation, the portable music scene change. Where a year ago the idea was to carry around a dozen or so of your favorite songs, today the idea is to carry around your entire music collection. There are already 40GB MP3 players out there, so 20GB doesn't seem that excessive. I, myself, have fewer CDs than most of my friends and I know I have more than 150...too many to put them all on an iPod (yes, I'm already feeling the need to put my entire collection in my pocket...although I have no idea why).



    Besides, remember that the iPod doubles as an external HD, so 20GB or more would be welcomed space for our 'digital hub.'



    On a side note, I think I read that the Toshiba 20GB drive uses a double-sided platter, so it is actually a little thicker than the current 5GB drive. This means Apple would have to change the design of the iPod ever so slightly if it wants to use this drive
  • Reply 6 of 24
    pookjppookjp Posts: 280member
    I firmly believe iPod is to be much more than an MP3 player. I think it will sync with iPhoto and function as a miniature photo album. I think it will sync with iMovie and function as a movie album.



    Both of these require two upgrades:

    1. A Color Screen

    2. Increased storage capacity



    We shall see.
  • Reply 7 of 24
    [quote] I think it will sync with iMovie and function as a movie album. <hr></blockquote>



    Agreed -

    although I think a color screen would be an expensive mistake. Even if they bump up the screen size to that of a 3x5 or 4x6 photo, it's still not a great way to show your photos/movies to a friend. While I don't know the technical difficulties involved, I think the best solution would be a firewire to AV cable (or maybe some docking device - although I doubt this). You hook the iPod up to the TV to show slideshows of your photographs that way. Geez, my Canon S100 already does this - if I will be able to sync up my iPod with iPhoto, I would expect no less.



    rr.



    [ 01-22-2002: Message edited by: ricRocket ]</p>
  • Reply 8 of 24
    cdhostagecdhostage Posts: 1,038member
    [quote]Originally posted by G-News:

    <strong>I doubt Apple is ever going to exceed 20GB of space on the iPod, after all, it's a music player, not a music archive....Also have you ever calculated how many CDs go onto a 20GB harddisk?



    Given 1 CD is about 60-70MB in mp3 format (roughly)



    that makes about 300 CDs on an iPod. I know very few people who legally own 300 CDs.

    Since Apple doesn't want people to steal music, they'll unlikely exceed storage capacities, that can only be filled by downloading every MP3 file there is on limewire, hotline, napster&co and all the others together.



    actually already 5GB is more than enough for everyone I know. I know I could store all my CDs on that disk and still have space left.



    If they exceed 20GB one day, there will also be extra uses for the space, ie data synching functions to move data on the iPOd as a HD etc, as it is today, just far more advanced, maybe even with an UI etc.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I own about 450 CDs. I'm cureently rip them all at the High QUality setting 192 kbps. My

    MP3 library is about 7 gigs so far, and I'm only partway through my oclection.
  • Reply 9 of 24
    eat@meeat@me Posts: 321member
    [quote]Originally posted by PookJP:

    <strong>I firmly believe iPod is to be much more than an MP3 player. I think it will sync with iPhoto and function as a miniature photo album. I think it will sync with iMovie and function as a movie album.



    Both of these require two upgrades:

    1. A Color Screen

    2. Increased storage capacity



    We shall see.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I think an 8-bit display would be nice. I have heard that the thumb wheel is a bit low and slightly odd to manuevre. It is an awesome design. I think there are more uses to this that music player but then again, that might end up being an iWalk. A combination PDA/MP3 player.
  • Reply 10 of 24
    I had a look at the current iPod in a near shop and found it's got some sharp edges around the top surface, they should make'em more like slightly rounded or something...
  • Reply 11 of 24
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    What is it with people and their obsessions of carrying movies around in their pocket? Pictures too? There's a reason that we have had portable music players for as long as it was feasible. You can listen to music and do other things at the same time. You can't really watch a movie and drive at the same time, nor can you look at a photo album and do anything else. Let me go on record now as saying that having a portable -anything pictorial- is a dumb idea and that there will be little to no market for it.



    Seriously, how many people do you know who are itching to carry around a photo album with them? A home movie or a QT trailer? I know exactly zero. Music, on the other hand, is everywhere. Let's obey the KISS principle and we'll be ok...



    [edit: clarified my point]



    [ 01-22-2002: Message edited by: torifile ]</p>
  • Reply 12 of 24
    [quote] Let me go on record now as saying that having a portable -anything pictorial- is a dumb idea and that there will be little to no market for it. <hr></blockquote>



    Whoa there! You don't actually show people the photos you take? How do you show your parents pictures from your vacation? What about your iMovies that won't fit on your iDisk...or can't be seen by your Grandma who doesn't have broadband internet access? I think there could be a huge market for this!



    If you're referring to a mini color screen on the thing, then yes - that's stretching it a little, it'd be too expensive to sell well - might as well create an iWalk. However, a simple TV interface and sync with iPhoto and iMovie would add a TON of functionality that I'm sure there would be a market for.



    rr.
  • Reply 13 of 24
    The new disc drives from Toshiba are reportedly more expensive then the present one used in the iPod. Also, since they are dual layer drives, there is a question as to whether they would fit into the current product. They are thicker. Don't look for a new model until later in the year, the current one is selling well and there's no need at the moment. Also any "kinks" are mostly in the firmware.
  • Reply 14 of 24
    The 20GB drive is something like 3mm thicker. I haven't seen the internals close up, but It wouldn't require that much of a redesign.
  • Reply 15 of 24
    I would suspect that Apple knew that future drives might be thicker and there will be room in the current design for one!
  • Reply 16 of 24
    scadboyscadboy Posts: 189member
    Certainly, there is plenty of room in the iPod for the new drive, and if not, it would be easy enough to add the 3MM depth difference to the metal shell. The real problem right now is price. The Toshiba 20GB 1.8" currently sells for a suggested retail price of 90,000 yen...



    To put this in perspecitve, apple sells the iPod in Japan for less than 50,000 yen, so the new harddrives are almost twice as expensive as the iPod itself. The 10GB drive will go on sale for about 70,000 yen when it becomes available in March. RIght now, Toshiba still sells the 5Gb drive in the U.S. for $399, same as the iPod, so Apple would have to get one helluva deal to cram those 10 or 20GB drives into the iPod any time soon. Maybe in six-nine months.



    As far as being able to carry photos/movies on your iPod, I think it's pretty obvious that this is where the device is headed, and I recall a discussion about this on the boards about... oh, three months ago. And I also think the addition of a color screen would be a costly mistake, just give it an iBook style A/V port for connecting to a TV.



    ciao,



    michael
  • Reply 17 of 24
    geobegeobe Posts: 235member
    How about the ability to scroll through the data files and not just the MP3's. That would be useful.
  • Reply 18 of 24
    g-newsg-news Posts: 1,107member
    I said I know ver few people who legally own more than 300 CDs. That doesn't mean I claim that there is a: nobody with more than 300, or b: only thieves with more than 300. Of course there are people like you who have a whole record store at home, but I don't think there are that many (even including the DJs), that it would eventually justify the release of an MP3 player beyond 20GB, which is what my point was. No need to call me a kid, and poor I probably am not too (as most Mac owners are not).

    No offense intended, none taken. I migrated over to CDs around 1992 or so, that is rather late indeed, but doesn't mean I couldn't have gotten more than 300 CDs in the mean time, yet I guess I barely own 100 atm, and that's not going to change anytime soon. Some people get Cds whenever a single track is to their liking, other, like me for example, threat CDs more like LPs back in those days where a certain percentage of tracks had to be good in order to justify the buy. That may be old-fashioned, but certain more economic



    G-News
  • Reply 19 of 24
    jobesjobes Posts: 106member
    1/ No offence, but I own 2000+ CDs. I have also built up an extensive collection of MP3s, which I always rip @ 192Kbps or higher. Mind you, I've had CD decks for 5 years, so I buy everything on cd ...



    2/ I like the idea of an iBook style A/V cable, but I think it is the most that Apple should do you help present photos. It's a dumb idea to want to play movies, and it contradicts what apple want you to do with Disc Burner / iDVD / iPhoto in trems of showing off your material. Upload to your free mac.com homepage, burn a DVD or CD-rom of your work, or order a book or prints.



    3/ Is everyone else here forgetting that the iPod is a portable bootable FW HD? Forget the photos & movies per se, think more about bringing a complete boot diagnostic HD t work, or carrying the latest warez round to your mates, or whatever else you want to do. It's a storage medium for all media, not what Jobs called the shoebox approach for photos IMHO
  • Reply 20 of 24
    g-newsg-news Posts: 1,107member
    I'm not forgetting the 3rd point, but you're forgetting, that Jobs is likely not going to focus on the ability to move your warez over to your friends, as he has VERY little interesting in people doing that.



    The iPod is still mainly an MP3 player, not a FireWire HD, I - and I'm sure Apple too - see this rather as a nice side effect of the device.

    Of course that doesn't mean that may not change over time.



    G-news
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