New iPods

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
As nobody seems to have tackled the hard topic of what new iPods to expect come MWSF or later, I hope you don't mind if I go right ahead.



The past few days, all around the web I've seen very outspoken assertions about the iPod.



One recurring thing seems to be that the iPod will have a color display. I don't know why, and I don't know if this is very necessary.

Also, there are many who seem to think that the iPod will be a bit revamped so as to include more PDA-ish capabilities. I personally couldn't care less, so I won't go into those.

My feelings, opinions if you will, concentrate around two topics: storage and price. As I mentioned in another thread:

[quote] I think they will bump up the hard drives in the iPod, and lower the prices. I don't know how they are now in the us, but I guess they will discontinue the 5 GB model, and sell the 10 GB at its price now. The 20 GB down to the price of the 10 GB and then an all new 40 GB model at the price of the 20 GB.



There are some reasons to say this



* Nomad, or some other MP3 hard-disk player company (which have always been a pioneer) has a 40 GB model for quite some time now.



* Prices for hard disks (even smaller sized ones) have plummeted since the first iPod was released. I mean, you get 120 GB for the same price as you'd have gotten a measely 6 or 12 two, three years ago.



* The price, especially for the 20 GB model is very high for what it is: a consumer electronics device of the Walkman persuasion. Over here, nearly 700 euros, that's more than a month's worth of minimum wages. Now I'm not saying apple should cater it's top end 20 Gig model for minimum wage earners, but it does say quite something if a walkman type device costs more than some people earn in a month.



* Also, I think many people can fill more than 20 GB with MP3's if they try. I have darn near 40 cd's (700 MB ones) full of mp3's, and then some 5 GB residing on my HD (and I haven't even ripped half of my ceedees). You see, that's already (if I know my math well), some 32 GB of indispensible music. - so okay, I guess maybe a top-end 30 GB model might be quite something already, even for me -.



* I have to say: the concept of an iPod is great, I'd love to be able to carry all my MP3's (or at least the a very large selection of the better ones) around with me. I'm sure I'd listen to my albums a lot more than I do now, but they are really expensive (especially so in Europe). It's not that I can't afford one, but they don't sum up in my mind. It resides in small comparisons: the big iPod is the same price as a large television. As the top of the bill clothes-washer. As a fairly-well equipped racing bike. As a more than good-enough hi-fi chain. The amount of money I'd pay for an iPod could land me in Sidney, Australia.

I mean, who can do these small comparisons and buy one without feeling, at least a bit, like bending over and taking it in the hole of the moon? <hr></blockquote>



[link for the 40 GB Nomad player <a href="http://www.nomadworld.com/products/Jukebox3/"; target="_blank">here</a>]



There are other issues with current iPods. Let me try and capture them here:



* the unusability during jogging. Apparently, the iPod reloads its 20 minute buffer only once every 20 minutes: when it is empty. This appears to be difficult when jogging. Wouldn't it be possible to have the iPod reload its buffer more often, say, every 10 minutes? It is true that this would mean the harddrive to work more, and the battery to work less. Anyhow, there are many threads on this topic in Apple discussions (for example, <a href="http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]@.3bbb84b1"; target="_blank">here</a>)



* the ability to record with the ipod, by plugging it into ones stereo, or by attaching a mic. a very nice feature, IMO, one that should be included. The one problem I can think of is the fact that you are not allowed to transfer mp3s from your pod to the mac. Meaning that they would provide a workaround to copy your own files (the ones you recorded yourself) to your mac. This is very necessary as many recordings have to be edited somewhat.



* an AM/FM tuner to listen to the radio on the iPod. I concur. I would like one to be on there, though it is not a conditio sine qua non for me.



* the great battery dilemma, meaning:

_______you cannot replace the battery in an ipod (at least not in a easy fashion).

_______the battery life appears to be on the limited side.

I cannot speak from personal experience, but I do think it at least logical that there would be a solution to 1) give people the chance to buy a back-up battery (it is possible for iBook & PowerBook). 2) provide means to hook up extra juice. I think of the MiniDisc walkman I used to have: it came with a proper battery which you had to buy from Sony if you wanted an extra one (but could easily be replaced), but you could hook up a nifty plastic contraption to the side of the walkman, containing two regular AA batteries, and this would pump up the playtime of the MiniDisc player from 7 to 20 hours (This was proven to be true by myself).



Many ideas. What do you people think/know?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 87
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    The only real use for a color screen would be to fashion the iPod into a combination of MP3-player/digital wallet, for photogs to d/l their images too. They would also need to add USB for this to be in any way practical. USB would also make a good addition for the portable HD users out there. There are plenty of computers without firewire, and USB could enable some sort of mass storage protocol for driverless data swappage between your PC's and macs.
  • Reply 2 of 87
    screedscreed Posts: 1,077member
    Don't forget the admittedly eye-candy feature of Address Book to display a picture for each entry. It would a treat to see those pictures, in color, on your iPod's address book as well.



    Screed



    [ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: sCreeD ]</p>
  • Reply 3 of 87
    stunnedstunned Posts: 1,096member
    I would really like a radio function in the ipod. It would be a pleasant change from listening to mp3s.
  • Reply 4 of 87
    rhumgodrhumgod Posts: 1,289member
    [quote]Originally posted by stunned:

    <strong>I would really like a radio function in the ipod. It would be a pleasant change from listening to mp3s.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Kinda like XM (satellite) radio? Cool.



    I quite agree to another above post. I was thinking about transferring my pics to an iPod from my Sony digital camera, rather than my Powerbook. It would make a nice additional feature of an already great product.



    [ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: Rhumgod ]</p>
  • Reply 5 of 87
    But if Apple uses the 1.8" Toshiba HDs, then the maximum current size is 20GB. The other HD based MP3 Players may have up to 40GB, but they are using full sized 2.5" notebook HDs (which are also cheaper).



    The only thing I'd like to see in an iPod update is a better shell (think a matte smudge free long lasting Titanium or a magnesium alloy covering the entire chassis) and the option to tweak TREBLE and BASS! Or at least a customizable EQ.
  • Reply 6 of 87
    Digital Hub.
  • Reply 7 of 87
    quickquick Posts: 227member
    [quote]Originally posted by der Kopf:

    <strong>... It's not that I can't afford one, but they don't sum up in my mind. It resides in small comparisons: the big iPod is the same price as a large television. As the top of the bill clothes-washer. As a fairly-well equipped racing bike. As a more than good-enough hi-fi chain. The amount of money I'd pay for an iPod could land me in Sidney, Australia.

    I mean, who can do these small comparisons and buy one without feeling, at least a bit, like bending over and taking it in the hole of the moon? ...

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Very good comparison. This is exactly why I didn't buy an iPod yet. At this price point there are other things queuing up ahead. $269 for a 20gb iPod would be a different story.
  • Reply 8 of 87
    maskermasker Posts: 451member
    I hate to admit it but i would love for the ipod to become more PDA-like.



    Mostly because of my lifestyle (busy and self employed) I rarely have time to listen to music via headphones,,, though i stream iTunes all day at my home office.



    I'm still looking for an elusive solution to my cell phone, palm and firewire capable portable hard drive issues. The issue being why do I need 3 things when i could cram all this into one package.



    I want an ipod with a cellphone faceplate and I''ll be happy. iPod becomes iPhone.



    MSKR
  • Reply 9 of 87
    Colour screen. Aqua-pod interface!



    (like to see colour pics in colour, photos, 3d renders, pics...etc)



    Bigger hard drive.



    Expand the range.



    radio tuner.



    Drive down the prices on all models.



    iphone features?



    Special edition iPod iPhone? Phone attenae. Head set and mike? Insert numbers via iphone app on your computer like the tunes into itunes into iPod route. How to dial? Scroll through numbers on wheel and press fire!



    Lemon Bon Bon
  • Reply 10 of 87
    Two words: Airport. Rendezvous.
  • Reply 11 of 87
    Do you want to listen to the music or have an iPod considerbly morre complicated and expensive? Keep it simple and elegant - as it is now.
  • Reply 12 of 87
    big macbig mac Posts: 480member
    [quote]Originally posted by MacsRGood4U:

    <strong>Do you want to listen to the music or have an iPod considerbly morre complicated and expensive? Keep it simple and elegant - as it is now.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I must agree. . . The iPod is expensive as it is, as noted by a previous poster. I'm still really happy I purchased mine, but prices could certainly come down. And if we ask Apple to add all kinds of disparate features, we're going to have to pay Apple's premium for each feature added.



    I definitely believe there should be some mic in, and AM/FM would be great too. But I personally believe the iPod should deal centrally with audio, with all non-audio features receiving minimal attention and being classified as extras, as they are currently. I too agree with the original poster concerning the missing ability to use regular batteries in the device. I couldn't believe the other devices were getting such great battery life from the addition of normal batteries; the iPod should definitely have that option. With all of that said, however, if we want the iPod to be the end all, be all device, we're going to pay for it in terms of cost, size and complexity. Apple can't do all possible things in one device.



    Of course, on the other hand, it would be wonderful if PDA, phone and iPod functionality were consolidated into one device. For that to happen, though, it would take some awesome engineering, and the resulting product would be quite costly. I think in order for such a panacea to come to market, phone network standards would definitely have to be sorted out, and some compromise would also have to be found between the size of a PDA and that of a phone. All of the PDA-phone cross-overs I've seen are be necessity quite large and bulky, and I really don't want a phone that size.



    So it would ultimately be best to keep the iPod as a music device, IMO, and cut the prices by $100 across the line. Leave iPhone/PDA functionality for a separate device, at least at this time. Perhaps when the basic problems of such a device are solved and market forces lower the initial cost, then we can begin thinking about iPod and iPhone convergence.



    [ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: Big Mac ]</p>
  • Reply 13 of 87
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Full-screen QT video out through the headphone jack. That's all I want. 1000 songs in your pocket? Nah. 20 or 30 home videos, captured episodes of television shows, and VCDs? Playable on just about any television set made? That's the ticket. And it's all software-based. No need to make it thicker or wireless or bulletproof or to add a toaster to it.



    The iPod is the perfect example of where things need to go: get rid of the media. No more CDs and floppies and videotapes and DVDs. Dump it on your iPod and play it back anywhere.



    Cheers

    Scott
  • Reply 14 of 87
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    [quote]Originally posted by midwinter:

    <strong>The iPod is the perfect example of where things need to go: get rid of the media. No more CDs and floppies and videotapes and DVDs. Dump it on your iPod and play it back anywhere.



    Cheers

    Scott</strong><hr></blockquote>



    this is a great idea... but i don't think the cpu in the iPod can handle video, let alone all different types of formats of video.... the best we could hope for is vanilla QT .mov files.. not even mpgs...
  • Reply 15 of 87
    bigcbigc Posts: 1,224member
    [quote]Originally posted by Quick:

    <strong>



    Very good comparison. This is exactly why I didn't buy an iPod yet. At this price point there are other things queuing up ahead. $269 for a 20gb iPod would be a different story.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    One advantage of the 20 gb is having the ability to backup my main files (10 gb) and carry them when I'm on the road. It's already saved me when my PB died. I had access to another DT mac and could get all my files off the ipod to work on (FW speed is nice). Copied everything back onto the ipod when I was done, took it home and synced the ipod with my DT.



    So it's mainly a backup drive I can leave in my car, but 8 gb of mp3's don't hurt when i'm working near ski-land.



    (edit: Tax write-off too)



    [ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: Bigc ]</p>
  • Reply 16 of 87
    g-newsg-news Posts: 1,107member
    I'm not sure about the 40GB model.

    after all the iPods use PC-card or PCMCIA form factor harddrives, while the nomads use normal 2.5" HDs as you find them in notebooks/powerbooks.

    2.5" HDs go up to 60GB by now, while PCMCIA cards maxed out at 20GB the last time i checked, wich was admittably a long time ago.

    maybe someone could check and see if there's a 30 or 40GB version in the meantime.



    G-news
  • Reply 17 of 87
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    [quote]Originally posted by Paul:

    <strong>



    this is a great idea... but i don't think the cpu in the iPod can handle video, let alone all different types of formats of video.... the best we could hope for is vanilla QT .mov files.. not even mpgs...</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Hmm. I would be surprised if the processor in the iPod couldn't do video out, considering that an mp3 is just an MPEG. At any rate, Archos has beat them to the punch with their new multimedia jukebox unit?and although I'm doing some serious coveting of this thing, I don't think I could bring myself to dole out $400 for the base unit and then some as-yet-undisclosed price for the video capture/playback add-on.



    I don't know why, but I suspect apple could make this happen and keep it within the $400-$500 price range. Didn't someone remark at some point that the iPod's headphone jack was curiously long? As if to indicate that there was room for some other kind of signal on it?



    Cheers

    Scott



    [ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: midwinter ]</p>
  • Reply 18 of 87
    [quote]Originally posted by apple.otaku:

    <strong>Two words: Airport. Rendezvous.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    hell yeah! AP or BT (or both!) this with the ability of the MWNY Rendezvous iTunes demo but iPod to iPod... hmm i2i has a nice ring to it



    on another note, i have no idea why people are asking for AM/FM receivers. i personally think that the components of the ipod are crammed in enough and extra size to accomodate a radio receiver is definitely too great a sacrifice. with all that music in your pocket, why listen to somebody elses choices WITH regular adverts???



    how about your own personal DJ? in the menu, select personal DJ. it prompts you for your mood/situation. you enter 'bored/driving' it then

    plays back genre and BPM that keeps you entertained without regular words from the sponsors.



    no? oh well, just a thought
  • Reply 19 of 87
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    [quote]Originally posted by midwinter:

    <strong>Didn't someone remark at some point that the iPod's headphone jack was curiously long? As if to indicate that there was room for some other kind of signal on it?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I believe that it was a metal connection on the outside ring of the headphone jack... and this was used for the remote... but i believe the 2nd generation Dual USB iBooks had the port that you are referring to, it was used as a headphone port and a video out port. It is also present on many camcorders.



    what i was getting at before was that there will probably be a VERY limited video format if that ever becomes an option. maybe MPEG-1, maybe MPEG-4 who knows... (probably not MPEG-2 due to licensing issues...)
  • Reply 20 of 87
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    also, for all of you who want to add Wi-Fi to the iPod... that would KILL the battery life to about 3 hours... not even... not going to happen... I don't know about Bluetooth, but the transfer rates are so slow, why bother?... only advantage i could think of is a wireless headphone... i hate how the white wire is so damn visible...
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