Any future changes being made with iPod? (Price, Storage, etc)

steven palmer · September 29, 2002 4:37PM

Okay, this is probably discussed in the forum below, but I will ask anyway:

Are there any price changes being made on the iPod in the forseeable future? I am considering buying one, but only being 14, and not quite old enough for a job, <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" /> dont have 300 dollars to cough up.

In general, what will happen to the iPod in the future, in terms of price and features?

aquatic · September 29, 2002 4:50PM

In terms of importance and most likely order of occurrence:

MP4 (AAC) support!! C'mon Apple, why the heck blow your horn about MP4 in iTunes/QuickTime when the iPod doesn't have it!?

Recording.

More storage. What's Toshiba or whoever makes the drive mechanism doing?

Better input/more PDA like function (big "?" here.) Things like color screen, new interface/form factor also fit in this category.

miami craig · September 29, 2002 5:41PM

1. More Features (audio format support, PDA-like functionality etc.)

2. Larger storage

3. Same or smaller price points

mac+ · September 30, 2002 6:13PM

[quote]Originally posted by Aquatik:

In terms of importance and most likely order of occurrence:

MP4 (AAC) support!! C'mon Apple, why the heck blow your horn about MP4 in iTunes/QuickTime when the iPod doesn't have it!?

Recording.

More storage. What's Toshiba or whoever makes the drive mechanism doing?

Better input/more PDA like function (big "?" here.) Things like color screen, new interface/form factor also fit in this category.<hr></blockquote>

couldn't agree more - but the wait for a colour screen (to show iphoto and imovie stuff perhaps) could be torturous.

analogue bubblebath · September 30, 2002 6:25PM

Cheaper prices, AAC and Ogg Vorbis support.

matsu · September 30, 2002 7:07PM

Software? They seem to be able to add features and support easily enough. MP3pro, MP4/AAC, I think, before any of the other alphabet soup of codecs out there.

Hardware? Drop the mechanical wheel and move to touch wheels across the board. I'd look for prices to drop a little and specs to stabilize, but features to improve. 20GB is plenty big on the high-end, for a portable player it's really quite a lot and support for a better standard will stretch the life of those GB's that much further. Another 'feature' I'd like to see is improved reliability wherever possible. This is not to say it isn't reliable (I don't know), but where price permits some more RAM wouldn't hurt -- to minimize disk access and also save a bit more battery life. For me, a killer feature would be a recorder (line-in or firewire). I'd have one today if I could use it to record lectures and research notes direct to MP3, a small in-line mic would be perfect!

Next I'd say DAB and FM tuners, but while Europe and Canada have decided on DAB, the US is cocking-up the works with a semi-proprietary modified-FM scheme, so scratch the tuner 'cause that issue won't be sorted for a while. FM only perhaps?

ast3r3x · September 30, 2002 8:34PM

G4 processor, color screen, trippy visuals

aquatic · October 1, 2002 1:42PM

True, I forgot one thing.

Price.

That is MOST important. Make the current lowend really cheap and intro new high-end models.

codewarrior · October 3, 2002 2:59PM

If you want to know about disk sizes, monitor Toshiba's micro-drive announcements since they are used in the iPod. After Toshiba announced the 20 GB drive, Apple came out with an iPod using it in a couple of months.

I suspect the scroll wheel and 5 GB will be phased out on the next update iPods if they add a 30 GB one.

Since the software can up upgraded, I would expect AAC, OGG Vordis, and MP3Pro (and, shudder,WMA?).

I've got a 10 GB (bought in April) and it's been great, but I've just about filled it up and I don't have what I consider a large CD collection (40-50 CDs). I encode at 160k so that explains some of the usuage. I'd buy a 30 GB with a record function built in.

telomar · October 4, 2002 8:01AM

Personally I don't much care for PDA functionality. Some aspects yes but by and large I would rather not see the iPod as anything like a PDA. My phone can already do virtually every job I want out of a PDA.

What I would like is AAC supported and the ability to record. The issue I could see with recording is battery life though.

mavster · October 5, 2002 3:18AM

curious... anybody know if it would be technically possible/feasible to have an ipod firewire powered mini camera attachment (ala the new phone camera attachments)?? being able to snap on a mini camera to the firewire port and using the center button for on the fly pictures would be very cool, and of course, then transferring them using iphoto.. of course they wouldn't be incredible quality, but convenience is nice... would the pixo os and the processors have enough juice to do the task??

luca · October 5, 2002 4:25AM

Steven, you'll probably have to wait until the 10 GB drops to $299. By then, you'll probably see used 5 GB ones going for $150 or less. Right now you could probably get a used 5 GB one for as little as $200. But knowing Apple, they would rather improve their specs before lowering prices. By the next revision, the 5 GB will be dropped and the 10 GB will take its place at the $299 price spot. I doubt that Apple will go below $249 for a new iPod, even if it would mean opening them up to a whole new market of younger people. They just don't seem like the kind of company that likes to sell older products at low, fair prices. I wish they did sometimes... it would give them broader appeal.

junkyard dawg · October 5, 2002 5:54AM

Price.

A $200 iPod would be right on. 5 GB, solid-state wheel.

$400 for ANY portable music player is just insane. Sure it can be used as a HD, but please, that's too much money for a gadget.

Also, Apple needs to work on quality control and durability. I've read lots of complaints about the FW port and the wheel. Apple fixed the wheel but then like total idiots they only fixed it on two iPod models, not the third. The FW port is still too flimsy ASAIK. If they are going to charge so much $$$$$ for these things, they should be built like tanks.

big mac · October 5, 2002 9:31PM

I was sort of expecting rumors of future trends more than feature requests in this thread, but it has been illuminating nonetheless. Matsu in particular can always be counted on for insightful posts. I love my less than month old 10GB iPod. It is thankfully more scratch resistant than I heard it was, and there's nothing wrong with the Firewire port cover, IMO. It would be nice to see the 5GB stay around so that it could penetrate the $199 mark. As for feature enhancements, I'd like to see:

1) Built-in mic

2) Radio Tuner (with record functionality)

firehc · October 6, 2002 8:48AM

how about the capability to save photos from DC

matsu · October 6, 2002 9:20AM

That will require USB. USB is well entrenched in consumer digital cameras. As image file size grows, firewire might have a chance, but expect USB2.0 to pick up where 1.1 left off.

ast3r3x · October 6, 2002 9:54AM

[quote]Originally posted by Big Mac:

I was sort of expecting rumors of future trends more than feature requests in this thread, but it has been illuminating nonetheless. Matsu in particular can always be counted on for insightful posts. I love my less than month old 10GB iPod. It is thankfully more scratch resistant than I heard it was, and there's nothing wrong with the Firewire port cover, IMO. It would be nice to see the 5GB stay around so that it could penetrate the $199 mark. As for feature enhancements, I'd like to see:

1) Built-in mic

2) Radio Tuner (with record functionality)<hr></blockquote>

If Apple kept the 5GB and put it at $199 that would probably be a smarter move, and I'd be very impressed.

Built-in Mic is a good idea...it would be cool to have a mic on a device that is OK, all the mp3 recorders i've seen have shi??y a$$ mics, and apple normally goes mediocre or the best.

Radio...why in god's name would you want a radio?! The point of the iPod is so you can listen to your music and not have people designate the crap you listen too.

I know I'm the minority, but 90% of the stuff on the radio makes me sick...give me some good old fashion jam bands! (i'm listening to the recipe right now, and boy does it make you just want to get up and dance)

pbg4 dude · October 7, 2002 11:02AM

[quote]Originally posted by ast3r3x:



[snip]

Radio...why in god's name would you want a radio?! The point of the iPod is so you can listen to your music and not have people designate the crap you listen too.

I know I'm the minority, but 90% of the stuff on the radio makes me sick...give me some good old fashion jam bands! (i'm listening to the recipe right now, and boy does it make you just want to get up and dance)<hr></blockquote>

I would love an FM tuner since the gym I work out at has little FM transmitters hooked up to their TVs. This would allow me to keep up with the game (on Sundays) without having to read the close captioning / having to concentrate on the TV.

IMO you are correct about general radio having almost nothing worth listening to. I'd rather listen to my CDs for the thousandth time then listen to the new poptart of the week.

rok · October 8, 2002 10:19AM

i just held off on some computer upgrades because i get the distinct impression that the ipod is on the verge of becoming "something i cannot live without."

i really want a slick mp3 player to drown out the crazies on my transit ride into work in the mornings (who lets some of these people out of their cages? geez), and being able to consult to do lists is a definite bonus, but...

my wife and i both agree... without an easy way for me to add to my schedule while on the train or bus into work, it doesn't do me much good on the pda-side of things.

i don't NEED a color screen. sure, it's be nice, but i seriously don't need it. nice grayscale is just fine with me.

bigger screen would be nice, but then input would have to resort to stylus input (the jog dial would get annoyingly small, or the ipod would have to get bigger -- both things i do NOT want). inkwell gives me hope (though i cannot see all of os x on an ipod, no matter how "lite" you make it).

and, of course, drop the price a bit. then again, i have been saving my pennies... lots and lots of pennies...

aquatic · October 8, 2002 11:15AM

I have a 5gig but if they add recording, lower price, and a few other mentioned features, I'm buying another one! I guess I won't eat or sleep for a while, but hey, it's worth it!

algol · October 8, 2002 7:03PM

I don't think apple will change much in the iPod besides software updates. It is actually perfect the way it is now. You couldn't really do much to it without raising the price to much of making it bigger. I think they could add some more PDA functions to it and maybe some more games (like snake and space impact). I've been wanting to buy one for a long time but I don't have 400 right now. They are really to expensive! I think all prices should be lowered 100$ at least and I would leave everything else the same. Besides adding MP4 encoding and stuff like that. No real form or function change as far as I am concerned.

Any future changes being made with iPod? (Price, Storage, etc)

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