Apple-Branded iPod Speakers?

[MacRumors]

According to AppleInsider (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=802), Apple will announce its own brand of iPod speakers in January.Along with the new iMac, reliable sources say the company will also debut its own brand of powered iPod speakers.Currently, the online Apple store offers iPod speakers ranging from $24.95 for lightweight 4-watt Sony personal speakers to $349 for powerful Logitech "THX" 500-watt surround sound speakers. Apple retail stores also showcase various brands and types of iPod speakers. It is not known where Apple's own speakers would fit on the price/performance scale.

Note: This report is a mere sentence in the AppleInsider story about the headless iMac (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/12/20041229012802.shtml) and is on Page 2 because of the lack of further information.

[CTerry]

I would personally assume that any Apple Speakers would be similar to be the Altec Lansing/Bose/JBL sets where the iPod Docks with the Speakers.

[themacman]

im shure anything they make reguarding the ipod will be good

[asif786]

i cant really see this happening after apple's tie-up with Bose..

apple should let the experts do what they're good at (making speaker systems) and concentrate more on designing computers and ipods.

i think :)

[crakly]

This is going to be one hell of a keynote! So far I have:

Hardware
- eMac G5
- Powerbook updates
- Headless iMac
- "Asteroid"

iPod
- iPod Mini updates
- iPod Flash
- iPod Speakers
- Satellite Radio for iPod

Software
- Tiger demo
- iLife '05
- Kenote 2
- "Slingshot"
- "Crossbow"
- "Sugar"

Other
- iPhone - partnership with Motorola

How is Steve gonna fit this into 1 hour? Something has to give!

[swissmann]

I just wish they would get good quality earbuds. I know a lot of people who have earbuds go bad quickly with their ipod - me included.

[Doctor Q]

How is Steve gonna fit this into 1 hour? Something has to give!The keynote is 90 minutes, which might help a little, but then again Steve likes to start with a summary of previous products and some sales figures, e.g., "We've now sold at least one iPod to every human on Earth, and already have 5% of the market on the other eight planets."

I have the feeling he could speak all day if they scheduled it that way, powered only by enthusiasm and an occasional sip of water.

[hob]

How is Steve gonna fit this into 1 hour? Something has to give!

Well the answer is - something WILL give, you could kinda sum-up your keynote speech prediction like this:

Hardware
- eMac G5 sorry, i don't think so
- Powerbook updates will take 5 minutes
- Headless iMac ok, that's a big deal but still could be covered in 5 minutes
- "Asteroid" would only take a while if he chose to do a demonstration like he did with garageband. Still, 10-15 minutes...

iPod
- iPod Mini updates
- iPod Flash
- iPod Speakers
- Satellite Radio for iPod

the ipod section will just be a brief whirlwind "state of the union" lasting 10 minutes tops...

Software
- Tiger demo 10
- iLife '05 10
- Keynote 2
- "Slingshot"
- "Crossbow" These three can all be put into one 15 minute section
- "Sugar" no-one know what this is, so there's no way to tell... 10 minutes
Thats 1h05m, leaving 25 minutes to talk about iPhone, do an Asteroid demo, or talk more about the headless iMac and also for anything else we don't know about yet...

It also is important to note that whilst all these rumours are spreading at the moment, we don't know if they'll actually be ready for MWSF - the iPhone might slip, steve might get annoyed about the iMac and cut it, the new powerbooks might explode just as they're being tested...

[Trowaman]

Hob I jsut want to say that iLife will definately take longer than 10. Put that one down as 30. That's 7 minutes per app. The deciding factor is wether they do anything with iTunes or announce iTMS Australia during the keynote.

I'd also like to note that no one is mentioning anything about the XServes. They are a long shot, but it seems weird they have fallen out of the rumor cycle completly. Personal thoughts, 3 weeks after MWSF with XSan, speed bumps to the XServes. eMacs will be in March or April with a G5. Powerbooks are getting a G4 speedbump soon, expect the G5 at WWDC along with the 3 GHZ Powermac. Afterall, we need something for WWDC, don't we?

[applekid]

I really don't expect many product announcements from this one keynote.

[SiliconAddict]

All I know is I'm waiting for a speaker set that is compatible with my 60GB iPod Photo. Yes they have ones that you directly plug into the headphone jack but I'm looking for one that you simply drop into the cradle. So far natta. :(

[virus1]

glad to see apple joining the big bandwagon of ipod accessories. they should have an advantage obviously, but the ipod socks have been a really unpractical start.

[corywoolf]

This is going to be one hell of a keynote! So far I have:

Hardware
- eMac G5
- Powerbook updates
- Headless iMac
- "Asteroid"

iPod
- iPod Mini updates
- iPod Flash
- iPod Speakers
- Satellite Radio for iPod

Software
- Tiger demo
- iLife '05
- Kenote 2
- "Slingshot"
- "Crossbow"
- "Sugar"

Other
- iPhone - partnership with Motorola

How is Steve gonna fit this into 1 hour? Something has to give!

not all will be announced...

emac g5 isnt happening at least i think so
it will be a headless mac that is for education or consumers

no satellite radio (yet)

slingshot is actually a remote control for airtunes and keynote 2.0

i think sugar maybe the imobile cell phone

[corywoolf]

I really don't expect many product announcements from this one keynote.

same here, it will be bittersweet because it wont be all the products, but it will be a few awsome products, like always

[J-Squire]

glad to see apple joining the big bandwagon of ipod accessories. they should have an advantage obviously, but the ipod socks have been a really unpractical start.

I got a set of iPod socks for Christmas from a friend. I think they are pretty cool, but I would like pretty much any product with the Apple logo on it. It was the reaction of all my non-apple or non-ipod using friends that made me think that perhaps these socks were more tasteful that i thought. Everyone who saw them thought they were "funky", "cute", "awesome" etc, and these are people who are not just won over by the apple logo. So maybe they have more fashion appeal than my apple-bias eyes could see

[vollspacken]

I think they'll be rebranded Bose speakers...

don't bring back the days when Apple had a mish-mash of products

as a previous poster pointed out, stay with the core line of Macs, iPods and software... just rebrand a pair of excellent (new) speakers

vSpacken

[sjpetry]

I know they will look and sound great. :)

[sjpetry]

All I know is I'm waiting for a speaker set that is compatible with my 60GB iPod Photo. Yes they have ones that you directly plug into the headphone jack but I'm looking for one that you simply drop into the cradle. So far natta. :(

I was at a Bose store last week and they said that they will come out with one soon.

[Xtremehkr]

I hope to Chutullu that Apple does not stoop to rebranding a product made by someone else. Cause that is surely done only to cash in on Apples reputation and does not help that reputation as essentially you are making consumers pay more for the same product that you could get from the original manufacturer.

[Mord]

i think the g5 emac will arrive very soon, the emac came out about 4 months after the imac went g4 and near matched it's specs bar the lcd.

it will get an update as it's lagging a bit and i think it will be a g5 one.

[Freg3000]

http://www.apple.com/r/ipodstore/battleofthespeakers/us.html

Pretty strange...I've never seen Apple do anything like this before.

[Manzana]

will they be as good as apple earbuds...hope not as the majority feel they suck. I will try them out in 3 days as part of Best Buy's PSP program.

[ifjake]

true, it'll probably be just a rebranding of a product manufactured by another company. i think it'll probably be something like those sound sticks that i think it is JBL who makes them. it might not be apple branded, but it was designed to match the apple style, so they might as well be. it's like the LCDs. essentially there just samsung LCDs in an apple case. we'll see i guess. i feel like these rumors have given away pretty much all the secrets. is it usually like this? kind of ruins the fun of it. that "one more thing" might not be a surprise like it should.

[Doctor Q]

http://www.apple.com/r/ipodstore/battleofthespeakers/us.html

Pretty strange...I've never seen Apple do anything like this before.How interesting, a "Battle of the Speakers". Where at apple.com are there links to this page?

[dontmatter]

hmm.... not sure where speakers fall on price/performance scale...

I hate to break it to ya, but there are already a million options all over the price/performance scale-what will sell the apple speakers is where they are on the style scale (particularly apple like simplistic white plastic style scale). That is where they will be excellent, and that is what will sell them.

Probably in the mid range on quality, and a notch higher on price.

[Chip NoVaMac]

I really don't expect many product announcements from this one keynote.

Normally I would agree. Though with Apple delaying so many product updates over the last few months, it would hurt them not to announce all that they can.

As to the eMac, I am now thinking that Apple may drop the line if the iMac mini does come out. For they could come out with a 17" EDU only monitor that allows piggybacking of the cpu to the monitor for the EDU market.

[appleface]

the speakers will be airport express ready.

[Chip NoVaMac]

the speakers will be airport express ready.

Can we also have them make %+1 set available too? :)

[displaced]

A little O.T., but this Satellite Radio iPod thing is confusing me...

Do the rumours point to this being built-in or as an accessory? Last I heard (IIRC), just over 50% of Apple's sales are outside the US. XM, et al... are US only I believe.

I guess I need to do some reading on how satellite radio works in the US . If it's just standard satellite signals, perhaps the 96 free-to-air stations on Astra 2D (using the UK's Sky network) would also be available? I'm presuming not, unless it only works when pointing the iPod at 28.2degE :) What about the 30+ DAB stations broadcast from terrestrial transmitters? (IIRC, the DAB standard is similar across many European nations).

Either way, with analogue radio looking to be discontinued in the UK in 2010-ish, an FM tuner wouldn't be good in the near future.

Surely making iPod hardware which is region-specific would raise manufacturing costs and complicate inventory.


Just looked at the How It Works Flash presentation at the xmradio website. About as uninformatve as it's possible to be: "Look! We use Satellites! And they're Powerful! And See: You can put a radio in your House! And your Car! Oooo! Send Us Money! All said by a voiceover woman who talks so slowly it sounds like someone's slipped a sleeping pill in her mineral water....

Grr. Hopefully google can tell me more...

[Chaszmyr]

I think they'll be rebranded Bose speakers...

Maybe so. They'll have to be a lot better looking than the Bose Sound Dock to deserve an Apple logo though.

[Thomas S]

Ok, this is my first post here and I don't want to sound really negative here, but...

Bose isn't exactly an expert. They are, in actuality, a low-grade, overpriced, brand with low quality and poor components.

Bose is a company that lives off its marketing. Very few, if any, high quality speaker companies can afford the thousands of TV, magazine, and other ads Bose has put out. This alone is why they are considered the finest in the audio world by the uninformed. You will very rarely find their specs for their speakers every published. In fact, Bose sued Speaker Builder magazine for publishing the specifications of a bandpass enclosure that Bose claimed infringed on their patents. Most of those who read Speaker Builder consider this suit unjustified, and many still hold a grudge against Bose accordingly. Everyone knows that this was a bunch of bull that only a self-serving lawyer from Bose could do. (No offense to lawyers out there).

In the example that hits closest to home, after a student posted a negative opinion about Bose on the internet, Bose wrote a letter of complaint and, as a result, the student was called before the Dean, fortunately with no adverse consequences.

In the industry, "BOSE" is considered an acronym for "Buy Other Sound Equipment."

Apple wouldn't have the balls to rebrand Bose equipment. Apple means quality in the eyes of many. This would be a step backward.

To sum it all up companies like Monster Cable and Bose don't have any actual products that stand on their own merits - all they have is a name garnered through aggressive marketing. They are essentially litigation companies, that without a name have nothing.

For your viewing pleasure:

http://home.earthlink.net/~busenitz/bs.html
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html
http://irace.net/joeblog/000110.html
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=343759&highlight=bose

There are tons of others. Of course Monster Cable is no different....

http://www.snowmonsters.com/monstercable/
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/11/08/BUG1J9N3C61.DTL&type=business
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=487733&highlight=bose

I'll be honest with you, this isn't the kind of post I'd like to be my first around here. However, I feel that people should realize that, dollar for dollar, every item Bose manufactures is junk compared to other items at the same, sometimes even less, price. You can do better. In reference to the docks, I think the JBL would be the best, just judging from past experience with the brands involved.

If Apple were to join with anyone, I'd pray to god it was Altec Lansing or JBL....

Hopefully I've shed some light on Bose...

Also, I've quoted some information from sources I've cited.

[Sol]

I feel that people should realize that, dollar for dollar, every item Bose manufactures is junk compared to other items at the same, sometimes even less, price.

Do you have an agenda against Bose? It looks like you have spent a few hours putting together a case against the company, as if they have wronged you in some way. If you are employed by a competitor then you should say so and if you are not then you certainly sound like you are.

Bose did for hi-fi audio what Apple did for computers; they made all-in-one systems that were better than the sum of their parts. Sure you can buy components and put together a technically superior hi-fi but a Bose system will sound great out of the one box. Bose also have some unique technologies that allow them to design speakers that are much smaller than they sound. They also have their own style which cheaper systems try to imitate.

If you want to read specifications then there are countless audio companies that will cater to your needs. Bose are for people who want great sound without the complexity of a component system.

[displaced]

Do you have an agenda against Bose? It looks like you have spent a few hours putting together a case against the company, as if they have wronged you in some way. If you are employed by a competitor then you should say so and if you are not then you certainly sound like you are.

Bose did for hi-fi audio what Apple did for computers; they made all-in-one systems that were better than the sum of their parts. Sure you can buy components and put together a technically superior hi-fi but a Bose system will sound great out of the one box. Bose also have some unique technologies that allow them to design speakers that are much smaller than they sound. They also have their own style which cheaper systems try to imitate.

If you want to read specifications then there are countless audio companies that will cater to your needs. Bose are for people who want great sound without the complexity of a component system.

I'm by no means an audiophile, but I've heard many, many people (who certainly aren't audio snobs, but whose opinion I trust) say that Bose have lost their edge. They have the benefit of a very recognisable brand name, and a big marketing budget. However, they're certainly outclassed by other less expensive brands.

Check out some Tannoys for example. Good technical heritage, value for money and nicely designed.

[macaudiodj]

I realy do not think this wil hapen any time soon!

[Thomas S]

Well Sol, it was about 20 minutes....
(This took about 15)

You want the small profile speakers? There are dozens of other companies
that manufacture better speakers for the same, or less price.


Tannoy
KEF
Energy

Oh heck, heres a link...

http://www.intellexual.net/speaker5.html
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_4/htib-roundup-intro-12-2003.html

Sol, please do not compare Apple to Bose. That's foolish. The Apple products are good, high quality. Now while I do agree that the iPod has been promoted nearly to the point of Bose, one must admit that it all has good build quality. Bose does not.

Sol, I am not employed by a different company. However, this is a viewpoint shared by thousands of audio experts and audiophiles. You get what you pay for in some cases, certaintly not with Bose. People aspire to own Bose, even though it costs less than you could imagine to manufacture.

As for their own technology? Yeah, right....

BOSE AND THE PATENT SYSTEM:

To quote from Michael Wong, a visitor to this site: "...a casual perusal of their website reveals that they have used money and lawyers to repeatedly abuse the patent system. They have patents for the Acoutimass (Helmholtz resonator), the Direct/Reflecting technology (multipolar speakers), their Acoustic Waveguide (transmission line), and their JewelCube technology (amalgam of transmission line and other old ideas). In each and every case, their patent is a joke; an obvious example of the all-too-common trick of making one minor alteration upon a pre-existing idea and then using an army of lawyers to get it patented... And why all the bother? Because it looks good to write "patented technology" on the box...". For a company that emphasizes cutting-edge research so much, I'm curious as to why their flagship 901 speakers have not seen any signigicant mechanical changes in the last 15 years. Where is the "better sound through research" going?

Their technology has been in use for decades, before Bose repackaged it. It's a well known fact in audio forums, and with audiophiles. They claim that their research allows them to do so much, but they spend more on marketing than all the high-end audio companies combined together.

Don't be fooled by the hype, and popularity. For instance, we use macs. Now, going by the logic set forth, they're inferior because they're not as popular. Why, let's ditch and go to Windows/Bose!!!

Also, many home theater in a box systems(ugh!)actually sound better. Many in the $500 range. I linked to a variety of systems up top.

How about when they sued Consumer Reports for a rating of 62/100 for 'unscientific testing' when they used a double blind test, perhaps the most neutral one could get. They lost, but still instilled a sense of fear in reviewers....

Again, I don't want to erupt a flame fest, or get in a pissing contest. Hopefully this doesn't go that way and remains civil.

Off topic: Chip, do you use Leica equipment?

[CTerry]

How interesting, a "Battle of the Speakers". Where at apple.com are there links to this page?
It may be found in Apples shiny new Online iPod Store.

[wdlove]

If Apple does decide to enter the speaker market they will be of high quality. Personally I will be surprised if they enter the market.

[JonMaker]

IMHO, it would be rather stupid, time consuming, and expensive for Apple to "make" it's own line of speakers. Rather, I think Apple will re-brand the speakers of an already respected brand. IIRC, Apple's "Pro Speakers" used Harman Kardon guts.

[Sharewaredemon]

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/71907/wo/6b1YPLQY7aeh2eoXmDymIUtb2oq/0.0.11.1.0.6.21.1.3.1.1.0.0.1.0

In case you wanted the link
How interesting, a "Battle of the Speakers". Where at apple.com are there links to this page?


It may be found in Apples shiny new Online iPod Store.

[McVicar]

In my opinion, the Henry Kloss/Tivoli PAL is the best-sounding, best-made self-powered portable speaker out there. It is also marketed as the iPAL in White & Silver to match the iPod. I noticed the other day at the local Apple Store that it was no longer in stock. Coincidence?

My hope/guess/hunch/prediction is that Apple has commissioned Kloss/Tivoli to make a Pod-specific version of the PAL, sold under the Apple brand as a stereo pair, without the radio but with an integral dock and USB. Price $199.

[DougJrS]

not all will be announced...
slingshot is actually a remote control for airtunes and keynote 2.0


That is really cool. What a great idea.

Wait - really cool would be a touch screen remote that can sync via the AE and have a listing of all the songs and playlists in iTunes. Then you could use the remote to do almost everything that you can do in iTunes.

[jimsowden]

There are some serious things contradicting apple releasing iPod speakers. For one, they've never really entered the speaker market, their only stand alone the propritary iMac g4 speakers. Apple comissioned Bose, JBL, and Altec Lansing for all the iPod speakers, and made contracts of exclusivity to sell only to them for a time. Why do this is they were planning on releasing their own? It's not making sense.

[Sir_Giggles]

There are some serious things contradicting apple releasing iPod speakers. For one, they've never really entered the speaker market, their only stand alone the propritary iMac g4 speakers. Apple comissioned Bose, JBL, and Altec Lansing for all the iPod speakers, and made contracts of exclusivity to sell only to them for a time. Why do this is they were planning on releasing their own? It's not making sense.

They could license speaker technology or I don't think it's beyond Apple to invent their own speakers. They could forego speakers and have sound emanating from the case, if so be it. Not nearly as impossible as one may think.

[wdlove]

I was at my local Apple Store today. It was amazing to see all the variations of speaker that the store offers for the iPod and Mac. Won't be easy to improve the current offerings.

[Sir_Giggles]

I've looked in some of the audiophile magazines and you wouldn't believe some speakers cost $20,000 each. Crazy stuff.

[Sol]

I've looked in some of the audiophile magazines and you wouldn't believe some speakers cost $20,000 each. Crazy stuff.

Fortunately for the companies that make these speakers and components, there are thousands of gullible rich guys who would pay for their over-priced products. So-called 'audiophilles' think that they are some kind of authority on hi-fi because they subscribe to magazines that put sand-filled speakers stands and rubber balls on their covers (stop those warmth-spoiling vibrations) but the sad truth is that they are snobs with more money than sense. They claim to hear things that mere mortals do not but they usually have the most dull taste in music; namelly, Jazz, Opera and Sting.

[Bengt77]

For one, they've never really entered the speaker market, their only stand alone the propritary iMac g4 speakers.
I believe those speakers were harman/kardon speakers, (re)packaged by Apple.

See here (http://www.apple.com/speakers/).

[Sir_Giggles]

I believe those speakers were harman/kardon speakers, (re)packaged by Apple.

See here (http://www.apple.com/speakers/).

I believe he's talking about the speakers underneath the new iMacs.

[Platform]

I believe he's talking about the speakers underneath the new iMacs.

Those speaker would notbe able to fit in the iMac

[jimsowden]

Those speaker would notbe able to fit in the iMac
we are talking about those speakers. THe ones under the iMac G5 are nothing noteworthy. (bad, bad pun)

[Sir_Giggles]

License wave-technology from Bose's wave radio into the G5 iMacs. Would get more people interested in them computers.

[FelixDerKater]

Apple will probably charge somewhere between $50 and $100 for their speakers.

[verozov]

while on the sound subject, does anyone know how good the in-ear headphones apple has out now are?

i was thinking about getting some and didn't know whether they were worth the money...

[McVicar]

Consider investing in the Etymotic in-ear monitors. You'll throw the stock iPod white earbuds in the drawer and never use them again. With all the competition from Shure, prices are dropping....

http://store.earphonesolutions.com/index.html

http://www.etymotic.com/

http://www.shure.com/personaltech/default.asp

gm

[aesth3tic]

while on the sound subject, does anyone know how good the in-ear headphones apple has out now are?

i was thinking about getting some and didn't know whether they were worth the money...

I got my first pair of in-ear headphones and they are really worth it. very comfortable, nice sound (just make sure you stick them in all the way)....i got em and i love them....40.00 is kind of steep...o well.

[Flying Llama]

guess its not ging to be january... maybe february!! ;) :rolleyes:

[fanbrain]

I've looked in some of the audiophile magazines and you wouldn't believe some speakers cost $20,000 each. Crazy stuff.

FYI: Wilson Audio Alexandria X2 speakers cost $125,000 a pair and weigh 2286 lbs combined.

Also, I think Apple should stay out of the speaker category. It's a cutthroat market, and they would do well to steer clear of it. There are far too many manufacturers out there to make it a lucrative and profitible market. I wouldn't buy speakers just because of the Apple name. I'd want a pair from a reputable well-established company who's specialty is speakers.

[RealDeal]

Bose has won few awards for sound quality (in a recent email reply, they couldn't indicate one!), and has a "novel" sibiliance method for 3D soundstage that distorts sound badly.

I had a Bose in a new Mercedes and it sucked badly!

They are the MS of the speaker world relying on bombardment marketing rather than a quality product to achieve sales sucess.

Go to any high-end hi-fi shop for confirmation (Bose is not sold..)

If looking high-end (especially for compact speakers) - the UK market is acknowledged award-winning world's best for about 3 decades...the UK range available in NorthAmerica unfortunately not the full set available in Europe.

Hopefully Apple will go for quality rather than marketing.

btw the hi-fi is TAG-Mclaren Audio, Rega (yup the turntable still whips a $5k CD and separate DAC), with high-end Mission speakers (used to work at sister co. McLaren Formula 1), as well as Linn Classik (bit edgy, but super compact). Got a cheapo Yamaha/ wharfedale surround sound TV (maybe cdn$1k) that whipped a Bose setup 5x the price. A *nice* snob :D

[tveric]

guess its not ging to be january... maybe february!! ;) :rolleyes:

Or maybe March! or maybe April! Or maybe later this year! Or maybe 2006! Or maybe never!

I'll bet you any amount of money that I'm right on one of those guesses!