iPod Ad-Ons Coming Soon!

coscos
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Earlier today I contacted Griffin technology (the makers of the iMic (external USB sound in card) and a handful of other Mac add-ons) to find out what (if at all) their plans are with regard to incorporating a Microphone into the iPod so that I can get digital sound-in.



The answer I got was very telling.



Apparently they (Griffin technology) have in fact been working on a Microphone for the ipod, but because the OS on the ipod is both proprietary and undocumented, companies like Griffin need to get a blessing from Apple to get access to the appropriate hooks into its OS for hardware ad-ons to function as they need to.



Apparently, Apple's response to Griffin after making the request was that they (at least initially) didn't want consumers to be detracted from the primary focal-point of the iPod which of course is to PLAY MP3s, (not record them) and that once companies start adding things like recording capeabilities (and more), apparently, it would would cause the less-tech-savvy iPod users among us to regard it as something more complicated than what it is, and possibly be scared away.



The individual at Griffin implied that Apple has always intended to make gradual steps to increase the iPod's functionality. I can only imagine that this might be necessary once the iPod's user-demographic feels comforable-enough with using its current capeabilities.



The individual at Griffin said that they had to go through the appropriate blessing process to get access to the hooks for the company's new "iTrip" ad-on device for the ipod (unvelied at Mac World this week) which allows the ipod to brodact MP3s over radio waves to a nearby sterio.







He then said that Apple is just now starting to become more open to the idea of iPod ad-ons and said that he expects that they and other 3rd party manufacturers should be given the green light to unveil the ipod Microphone that I inquired about in the near future.



He also said that I could probably expect to see a slew of other iPod add-ons from these third parties (and possibly even Apple) in the next month or two!

:cool: :cool: :cool:



[ 01-10-2003: Message edited by: COS ]</p>
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Cool! Man, by this time next year, there's no telling what the iPod will be capable of or doing.



    You just KNOW (considering Steve and Apple's fascination with the whole "digital hub" thing) this little iPod is destined for more than just playing Smashmouth songs on.







    I see photos, video, input capabilities, etc. When it's all said and done, the iPod will be cooler (and more useful) than the Newton ever thought about being.



    [running to hide from Fran441...]
  • Reply 2 of 28
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Would that I could record lectures/meetings/interviews in MP3/AIFF on the original iPod, then I'd already have one, but I can't, so I don't.



    [ 01-10-2003: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
  • Reply 3 of 28
    stunnedstunned Posts: 1,096member
    The future of the iPod looks promising. Hopefully all these add ons won't cost as much as the iPod itself!
  • Reply 4 of 28
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    I'm still looking for a good FM transmitter attachment so I can listen to the radio.
  • Reply 5 of 28
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    [quote]Originally posted by satchmo:

    <strong>I'm still looking for a good FM transmitter attachment so I can listen to the radio.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    ...either i'm slow or that sentence didn't make sense





    do you mean that you are looking for a FM receiver so that you can listen to the radio on ur iPod



    -or-



    do you mean that you are looking for a FM transmitter so that you can listen to songs broadcasted from the iPod to ur radio
  • Reply 6 of 28
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    also are there any transmitters like that for a regular CD player? I like the size of that, i dotn need vast distance either
  • Reply 7 of 28
    willoughbywilloughby Posts: 1,457member
    [quote]Originally posted by ast3r3x:

    <strong>also are there any transmitters like that for a regular CD player? I like the size of that, i dotn need vast distance either</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I wonder if it would "just work" on a regular cd player. Its connected to the audio out, so you'd think it was just taking the audio signal and broadcasting it on an FM frequency.



    <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
  • Reply 8 of 28
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    [quote]Originally posted by Willoughby:

    <strong>



    I wonder if it would "just work" on a regular cd player. </strong><hr></blockquote>



    It's powered by the Firewire port so I can't imagine it would work.
  • Reply 9 of 28
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    Have all of the iPod announcements been outside of MacWorlds? My guess would be that late Feb. or March would make a great time to announce the latest iPod accessories and forms, letting the Windows crowd get theirs by August.
  • Reply 10 of 28
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    [quote]Originally posted by ast3r3x:

    <strong>



    ...either i'm slow or that sentence didn't make sense





    do you mean that you are looking for a FM receiver so that you can listen to the radio on ur iPod



    -or-



    do you mean that you are looking for a FM transmitter so that you can listen to songs broadcasted from the iPod to ur radio</strong><hr></blockquote>



    No, I'm slow. Sorry I meant a FM receiver so I can listen to the radio on my iPod.
  • Reply 11 of 28
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    Great news! When the iPod gets sound-in, Griffin (or whoever's working on this) should bundle the mike with a good voice-rec app. (iListen?)



    Then the iPod's market increases from youth oriented music lovers to:



    1. Business people dictating letters, documents etc.



    2. Journalists doing media interviews (Finally good press coverage for the platform!)



    3. Business people lugging around Keynote.app presentations.
  • Reply 12 of 28
    coscos Posts: 99member
    [quote]Originally posted by ast3r3x:

    <strong>also are there any transmitters like that for a regular CD player? I like the size of that, i dotn need vast distance either</strong><hr></blockquote>



    There are several. (This one wouldn't work simply because itutilizes the Firewire port... but these types of devices are fairly common... I'm sure you can find something on e-bay for pretty cheap.



    [ 01-11-2003: Message edited by: COS ]</p>
  • Reply 13 of 28
    Im curious how good the sound quality will be from that fm thing...whoever get's it let's have a review.... ideadlly it would be nice if you could either connect the firewire port directly to the radio or stream it wirelessly via bluetooth or 802.11...



    IM also hopeing the iPod will develop into a streaming hardisk device for video camcorders it's possible that firewire 800 is required for this as it let's you connect digital device together without the need for a computer...
  • Reply 14 of 28
    merlionmerlion Posts: 143member
    Perhaps Kormac could chime in here. He was always good at giving us the dirt on the whole Apple digital lifestyle.



    Come back K-Man!!!

    :cool:
  • Reply 15 of 28
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Exactly what did kormac ever dish the dirt on except some sci-tech wet dream of his? In the first thread for which he gets way too much credit "good better best" he stated that they'd be LCD machines with different sized LCD's at each point. Please, according to kormac we'd have been using FP imacs for over almost 3 years already and you'd have a raycer powered G5 newton in your pocket. Kormac



    Go Kormac Go, away.
  • Reply 16 of 28
    willoughbywilloughby Posts: 1,457member
    [quote]Originally posted by bunge:

    <strong>



    It's powered by the Firewire port so I can't imagine it would work.</strong><hr></blockquote>





    Woops, didn't know that. I probably should have read the specs.
  • Reply 17 of 28
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    yeah i know there are some, i want to get one from canakits but the are all so big because they need a battery to power it...blasted iPods superior design and price (its not that much for what its worth but i'm piss-ass-poor right now)
  • Reply 18 of 28
    murkmurk Posts: 935member
    I'm not sure the iTrip uses the FireWire port since Griffin mentions that you can swivel this while in use and plug in FireWire to charge the iPod. iTrip does, however, use software in the iPod to control the FM channel it outputs to, and because of this probably can't be used with any other device.
  • Reply 19 of 28
    [quote]Originally posted by murk:

    <strong>I'm not sure the iTrip uses the FireWire port since Griffin mentions that you can swivel this while in use and plug in FireWire to charge the iPod. iTrip does, however, use software in the iPod to control the FM channel it outputs to, and because of this probably can't be used with any other device.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Look at the freaking tip of the iTrip, it definately uses the headphone jack.
  • Reply 20 of 28
    That iTrip will oonly work with the 5 Gb iPods, the new ones have firewire covers that would not work witht that.



    I was thinkin earlier... what about text2speech support in the iPod, you simply load on a text file (already possible with pod2go) then you select it as a song and the Mp3 player reads it to you as you are driving to work/working out/doing anything else that would not let you easily look a the screen.
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