Poll: What feature would tempt you most to buy a (new) iPod?

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: What feature would tempt you most to buy a (new) iPod? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=247&ref=forums.macrumors.com)

[DeusOmnis]

Even if they raised the price i'd buy if it worked as a PDA too.

[theipodgod16]

If battery life was either longer, or replaceable, i might upgrade. In the meantime, my extra 2 hrs (of battery life) are well worth the extra tenth of an inch size hehe

[MacPhyle]

ditto. If another answer choice had been added that mentioned PDA, that's what I would have chosen, and I would also pay more if the PDA features rivaled/surpassed PocketPC & CLIE

[D0ct0rteeth]

PDA with Bluetooth.

Thats what Im talkin about

-Doc

[macnews]

wireless, wireless, wireless + some PDA features would be nice too.

[MrMacMan]

Awwwww.

I feel so bad, I really just wanted more battery life... I though that was a major minus for the newer iPod's.

Bring back higher Battery life!

I don't care it is is slightly larger!

Battery Life!

Battery Life!

Battery Life!

[/me Leads revolt for poll option]

;)

[Powerbook G5]

Increased PDA capabilities would be pretty cool...but didn't Steve basically say something along the lines of "Apple will never again release a PDA"? But now iPods already have solitaire built in...just a few more steps to go...isn't that the only thing a PC is good for? I remember my girlfriend being upset she couldn't play solitaire when she got her iMac. :)

[tazo]

they need to still have a 5 gig :( a lot of people have and would only want 1-2.5 gigs of music with them.


but sj gets what sj wants...

[neutrino23]

I chose color screen but what I really want is a larger screen (more pixels). It is annoying to scroll through a bunch of titles that only differ in the last few characters. There is no way to tell them apart except by trial and error.

[MacBandit]

Portable Photo Album. So I don't need to get a bigger flash card for my digital camera. When the one I have is full I could just hook the iPod to the camera and download the photos to it and then wipe the flash card so I can continue to shoot without dumping to a computer.

[evilfunkgenius]

what about an option for audio input/recording functionality!? That would make me snatch one up right quick.

[job]

Audio Line-In recording would be nice, although I doubt Apple would update the iPod just for that alone. A firmware update would be better suited for such an improvement.

[MacRumorSkeptic]

Wireless, AM/FM radio tuner, & voice recording.

[Bear]

Originally posted by MrMacman
Awwwww.

I feel so bad, I really just wanted more battery life... I though that was a major minus for the newer iPod's.

Bring back higher Battery life!

I don't care it is is slightly larger!

Battery Life!

Battery Life!

Battery Life!

[/me Leads revolt for poll option]

;) More Battery Life!!!!

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by job
Audio Line-In recording would be nice, although I doubt Apple would update the iPod just for that alone. A firmware update would be better suited for such an improvement.

It's already on the way. If you get into the hardware test area built into the iPod software it lists recording options and can in fact do a test recording simply by putting an input in the headphone jack.

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by Bear
More Battery Life!!!!

Glad someone hears me.


:D

[irmongoose]

Originally posted by Bear
More Battery Life!!!!

I don't know though... I feel my new iPod has a longer battery life than my old one when I sold it. Sure, it's not as much as when I got the old one, but the old one had a different battery which degraded at a pretty fast rate... after one year I was only getting about 1 and a half, maybe 2 hours of battery life, while the new iPods have a battery which degrades much more slowly. Which would you rather have - 9 hours of battery for 2 months, 2 hours after a year, or 7 hours of battery for 2, maybe 3 years?



irmongoose

[j33pd0g]

I still enjoy my 1st gen iPod. I don't really need a new one.

However, I think I would buy a new iPod if they offered an dashboard version that was either stand alone or something like a face plate. Maybe it could open to reveal a spot for you to place your iPod, and connect the audio out and FW power.

Maybe I'll make one myself and sell them. I'll make it out of aluminum. The trick would be to get the face plate to interact with the iPod. So that the button functions and the LCD display could be used via the face plate.

[Cuckoo]

Originally posted by MacRumorSkeptic
Wireless, AM/FM radio tuner, & voice recording.

Hear, hear,

I'd buy one instantly if it had a radio, nothing fancy. I ride 20 miles to work and 20 miles back. Now i use some crummy little walkman like radio, but i'd love to use an Ipod.

Sometimes to listen to the radio, sometimes to my own tunes...

[shadowfax]

i would cast my lot in on battery life too. 10 hours would be great. if i got that... with the backlight on, heh. i dunno, battery life was great at first, and now has taken a turn for the worst.

[vrapan]

Bluetooth / WiFi! Death to the cables!!!! oh and longer battery life would be nice

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by vrapan
Bluetooth / WiFi! Death to the cables!!!! oh and longer battery life would be nice yes, death to cables, birth to the 30 minute music update... far out!

[Snowy_River]

The one feature that I was hoping for with the 3G iPods was an FM tuner. The iPod is great, and I love my 20G, but I like to listen to things that can't be put on a portable player (or at least, they become rather pointless if you do). Number one example: THE NEWS!! I like to listen to NPR every day, and I'd love it if my iPod could let me. Oh well, maybe 4G iPods?

BTW, shouldn't there have been a 'none of the above' or 'other' choice for this poll? There was nothing there that I would choose, so I didn't vote at all.

[MacManDan]

I have a 3rd gen iPod, and I love it..it would take a lot for me to suddenly go out and buy a replacement. Battery life hasn't been an issue at all .. 8 hours isn't bad. I've found it extremely difficult to listen to my iPod for 8 hours a day (and it seems pretty painless to charge it every time I go to bed at night).

I voted for "color screen" because that seemed like the next step in the evolution of the iPod that I would like to see (remember that video iPod design prototype from Macbytes a little while ago?). Even though it is a while away, it would be a nice little device ....

[arn]

Originally posted by Snowy_River

BTW, shouldn't there have been a 'none of the above' or 'other' choice for this poll? There was nothing there that I would choose, so I didn't vote at all.

The question is "which feature would tempt you most"... so, no "other" option.

arn

[Megaquad]

Microphone, recording features would be sweet. I'm surprised that option is not in the poll.

Also some more PDA options maybe camera too but I'm not crazy about it.

[matthew24]

Analog input (recording) port.

[mangoman]

PDA functionality AND the ability to survive a drop on concrete.

I'm being serious.

[YWN]

Originally posted by mangoman
AND the ability to survive a drop on concrete.

Well, I guess you can drop it on concrete, it just depends on how high u drop it from.

I would buy an new iPod if it was a lot cheaper... with same stuff it has now...

[Squire]

Originally posted by YWN
I would buy an new iPod if it was a lot cheaper... with same stuff it has now...

Same here. Right now, cash (or lack thereof) is the only thing holding me back.

More PDA features would be cool.

Squire

[vrapan]

I think they should offer a mini one like 5GB or even 3GB for around 200$. It is that it might have very small profit margin that they dont have a smaller one. I think many people dont have more than 1000 songs.

[bignumbers]

Originally posted by MacBandit
Portable Photo Album. So I don't need to get a bigger flash card for my digital camera. When the one I have is full I could just hook the iPod to the camera and download the photos to it and then wipe the flash card so I can continue to shoot without dumping to a computer.

I want to second this. All Apple would need to do is add a software driver for a firewire card adapter to the iPod. The lives of photographers everywhere would benefit. On a DSLR any card fills up quickly - the ability to offload those easily onto pocket-sized storage would be great.

This would lead to some wanting a color screen to review images, but I'd be satisfied with just the B&W. I just want to be sure the images copied ok, and manage them later on my Mac.

(In a perfect world I'd love to see Apple drop a G3 chip into the iPod and run a slimmed-down OS X. Connections, drivers, applications, etc, become open to everyone instead of limited by Apple.)

[eyelikeart]

funny thing...I was just talking about this last night...that I wouldn't likely get one until they were up into 60GB+ in storage...

also...I'm still waiting for an integration of pda-like features or digital camera features...

[LinuxGigolo]

Originally posted by neutrino23
I chose color screen but what I really want is a larger screen (more pixels). It is annoying to scroll through a bunch of titles that only differ in the last few characters. There is no way to tell them apart except by trial and error.

Horizontal scrolling (automatic... kinda like how it does once a song is playing but rather do it if you stop on a title in browse mode) in the titles would be nice, too. Of course, who am I kidding... I have a 10 gigger w/o the dock connector so I'll never see another software upgrade for it, anyway. But yeah... if new iPods came out with a software update that fixed some of the annoyances in the current one, I might upgrade (and downgrade my battery life).

[nagromme]

Neither of mine were listed in the poll:

1. Built-in mic for voice memos

2. Radio tuner

Less importantly, and on the software end:

1. Album art display (it's embedded in the song after all)

2. An Aqua style UI (maybe Charcoal instead of Chicago font).

Those might benefit from a color screen, but wouldn't require one.

[ntg]

Originally posted by bignumbers
I want to second this. All Apple would need to do is add a software driver for a firewire card adapter to the iPod. The lives of photographers everywhere would benefit. On a DSLR any card fills up quickly - the ability to offload those easily onto pocket-sized storage would be great.

This would lead to some wanting a color screen to review images, but I'd be satisfied with just the B&W. I just want to be sure the images copied ok, and manage them later on my Mac.

(In a perfect world I'd love to see Apple drop a G3 chip into the iPod and run a slimmed-down OS X. Connections, drivers, applications, etc, become open to everyone instead of limited by Apple.)

Too right - this is the option I would have voted for on the list, since my 20Gb has good battery and space (and is ideal to travel with) but carrying fewer 256Mb CF cards would be brilliant!!

Then, I suppose, a colour screen would be nice too.....

ntg

[gopher]

1. Digital wallet capabilities for Smartmedia, Compact Flash, Memorystix, xD, and all other digital camera media formats.

2. replaceable battery, though Belkin now offers an external solution.

3. True wireless remote with song and album readout.

4. less sensitive buttons than 3-g iPod.

5. No more elipses in overly long album and song names. I can't see the whole album or song name when I'm trying to pick it from the menu. There has to be a better means of scrolling through these menus.

6. AM and FM radio.

7. Digital MP3 recording capability.

8. If video is added, a tv tuner.

I posted the link to this forum here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipod.html

However if you want additional features I suggest you post above.

[MacFan25]

I think Apple needs to offer a service for changing the battery. It would be great if you could take your iPod to an Apple Store, Reseller, or send it to Apple and have them replace the battery for a fee. I have a 3rd Generation 10 GB, so I haven't really had any battery problems yet, but when I do, I will be willing to pay to get a new battery.

[Lord Bodak]

Originally posted by vrapan
Bluetooth / WiFi! Death to the cables!!!! oh and longer battery life would be nice

How useful would that really be? Bluetooth or WiFi is going to eat batteries and you have to plug it in to charge it anyway, so is there really a benefit?

[bobindashadows]

What you guys don't... err... sorry about that. What you guys aren't thinking of are those incredibly nifty keen search features that Nomad Jukeboxes have! You know, how you can search through all your songs with a find feature! I find that incredibly useful for the Nomads, because the little widget on the side for scrolling goes really slow, and doesn't realize when you let go of it! (If you hold it in one direction for about 30 seconds and let go, it scrolls through about 150 songs. No Joke.) Of course, this is touted as one reason why Nomads are better than iPods - who could live without a search feature?

(Since I want to be able to view pictures on my iPod (with a color screen of course), I voted for cheaper model)

[theRebel]

According to the poll, a lot of people want iPods to be cheaper, but Apple's pricing seems to be rather competitive already.

Rio introduced new hard drive based MP3 players to compete with the iPod. The new Rio Nitrus has a 1.5GB hard drive and costs $300. Why would anyone buy that when they can get a 10GB iPod for $299?

[wdlove]

There should have been an other option. I would like to see the ability for calendar and information retrieval like the Palm. Specifically medical information!

[Ambrose Chapel]

if they can boost battery life back up while keeping the thinner form-factor, i may have to upgrade from my old 5-gigger.

[Mudbug]

I gotta stick with the wireless being an option - if I could share the library on my G3 and access it over my airport without having to combine the playlists from the laptop and the desktop, then my dreams would be complete. I'd love to be able to share the music from two machines without taking up the space of both libraries on the ipod - i just don't want my wife's music that I don't like to have to be on the ipod.

[rueyeet]

I had to put my vote for "more storage" simply because I'm getting to filling up my 10 GB iPod. Of course, if I wasn't also using it as a hard drive, that wouldn't be an issue quite yet...

But that's not a new-features type consideration. What I'd like to see, just to chip in my two cents:

1. Wireless remote: put the iPod in your pocket/backpack/etc, clip the remote on, plug headphones into remote, and go.

2. FM radio: both an FM tuner AND built-in iTrip-like capability.

Both are a bit impractical with current battery technology, but hey, I can dream.

Good point about the search feature...I can almost always remember title and artist, if not album, so I'd never have thought of that. I don't care for the PDA functionality though; cell phones are better for storing contacts and schedules and such in my opinion.

I haven't had any battery trouble yet, but I make sure that the battery is almost completely discharged before recharging. I know some types of batteries can develop a "memory" if they're customarily only partially depleted before recharging, but I don't know if that applies to the iPod batteries.

[Powerbook G5]

I'd be really happy if they could lower the price on them by a bit. That's the only thing holding me back (that and I don't have OS X yet) But once I get my new PowerBook, it will be solely due to the lack of funds that will be holding me back from buying an iPod.

[granex]

Put me down as another for a few more PDA type functions (doesn't have to be a full service PDA, in fact I don't care that much about input, but full service output/display of info).

If the iPod had a few more general service functions, then people could buy them as a business expense. They are almost there are a portable harddrive.

[Stella]

A colour screen to display photos from iPhoto would really impress me and I would buy it in an instant.

[neutra]

What I want to do is quit carrying my pda around. I could give a crap if i can add a cammer to my pda or my phone which seeems to be the rage. Who needs that at every waking moment? We do however need our address book and calendar most of the time. Unfortunatly I'd have to pay $500+ for a phone that that will sync with palm (plust they are huge). I don't even mind if the info is read only, I just need to access it!!!! Color screen, games, ring tones, who cares. Too bad color screen kills battery life.

Put more apps on the thing. It could be the only pda with a hard drive!!

[usersince86]

About a week ago, I wrote up a few features and saved them for future reference. Here's my 2 cents...

* the iPod features I "need" and "want" *

NEED (before I spend that much money)
===============================
* stereo 44.1MHz analog audio recording (with base or whatever; limited only to HD space remaining)
* FW800
* Price: no more than $499.00

WANT (in addition to the above)
=========================
* BlueTooth
* color screen
* pix and/or some type of video playback (even if only through an output)
* KEYNOTE playback (and/or PowerPoint playback) via BlueTooth or the video out (THAT WOULD ROCK!!!)
* OS X "portable" (let others make apps for it)
* digital/optical recording (dreaming)
* multi-track recording (dreaming)
* Price: no more than $699.00 (still dreaming?)

SUGGESTED NAMES
* iPod AV
* iPod Pro
* iPod 2
* iPod X

[greg6028]

AM/FM Radio - we 'older' folks like to hear talk radio!

[Jerry Spoon]

I want to input information. I don't just want to view my iCal. I want to add to it. I don't just want to look at a list. I want to add to it.

I'd like a am/fm tuner too, but being that Apple hasn't added that in yet, I don't think they ever will. I can't imagine that's a huge thing to add. Seems like there's a lot of mp3 players that have that.

[dstorey]

I voted bluetooth, but there are a number of things I would like to see, probably only on the top of the range model though to keep the prices down on the others..call it the iPod Extreme or powerPod or what have you.

A camera would be nice IF it was a good quality 2-3 Mega Pixel still cam, not a lower quality one like on phones or even the iSight. This would have to fit into the existing form factor, with the lense on the chrome backplate as flush as possible, and extends out when in use. The existing screen would change to the viewfinder/image viewer.

if no camera, which is more likely, then the ability to act as a USB master so that images can be transfered off a cam memory stick away from the digital hub.

Built in mic for audio recording, possibly with voice reconition software to translate voice to text. This would be hidden like on the iMac screen, but probably would use 2 mics like the iSight. This is a very important feature, as would be ideal for students and reporters to take voice memos or lecture notes and for bands to record quick dirty demos.

PDA like functionality. This doesn't require much more than is already there, just needs a way to update the calender and address book details on the move, possibly via a stylus. Only thing to add would be a small note pad for quick notes and possibly a scetch pad for small diagrams.

For most of the above to be useful then the screen would need to be the full size of the iPod except a very thin frame. Being able rt oswitch between colour and b&w to save battery would be nice if possible. A flip down cover would be nice, so that the iPod controls are there when in jukebox mode. You may as well ad Quicktime Lite and J2ME while your at it.

Finally bluetooth. not for music transfer, as that would be dumb, but to sync small bits of data such as the pda stuff. The best use for this though would be to turn your iPod into a 'clicker' like remote control to scontrol your mac from accross the room - access the macs playlists from the screen, control Keynote/Quicktime/DVD player and other such apps, send the mac to sleep and wake it, switch your lights off etc. You carry your iPod around with you anyway so why not use it as your universal remote too?

[mangoman]

Would it be so freakin' criminal to add the PDA input capability? No camera or other battery-suckin' crap. Just basic input via a stylus.

[phgreer]

Satellite Radio, I could care less about music most of the time but I'm a big talk news, radio drama freak.

[NavyIntel007]

Ok, people listen up.

Bluetooth is NOT FAST ENOUGH TO TRANSFER. AS IN SLOWER THAN USB. It doesn't even have the bandwidth to support stereo sound... only mono. Bluetooth would be absolutely worthless. You'd kill your batteries before you synced your songs.

As for PDA-like features... apple should release a PDA with ipod-like features. Otherwise, the calender/address book functions are worthless to me. Just license the Palm OS with some Apple retooling to give it an auqa feel. Add bluetooth, airport, SDIO, a fast ARM processor, firewire sync and slap on a 10-30 gig hard drive on the baby. I'd buy it as long as it was under 6.5 ounces.

Larger than 30 GB drives are probably not in the stars in the near future. Figure the platter size is smaller than a laptop hard drive, which is currently stuck at 80 GB.

Camera? Sure... ok... so I can take pictures of all the ladies and their fake boobs at the gym? That's nice except I can probably already do this with my digital camera, cell phone and PDA. Why do I need another device that takes pictures? Besides, if you want a really great digital camera, you should buy a digital camera.


I definitely like the color screen idea though. Digital photo album, open the SDK for gaming to third party developers, quicktime movie viewing... etc. etc. The ability to copy (and maybe even erase) a memory card when connected would be nice too.

[Fredo Viola]

Audio recording capabilities!!!!!

[Bear]

If a camera is added, it becomes useless to me. A lot of companies have a no camera policy at work.

So, no PDAs with cameras, no Cell Phones with cameras, etc.

[robodweeb]

When I can buy an iPod that supports recording ambient audio is my first requirement.

My second requirement is Bluetooth support (though I could live with WiFi support, that's actually disavantageous for my needs).

Actually, I really want the ability to record from 2-4 Bluetooth microphones (omni-directional and shotgun). I already attend a lot of meetings with others who, like me, record the meeting via digital audio recorders (in my case, an Olympus DM-1 ... 15-20 hours audio on a 128Mb SmartCard). Some of us typically excahnge recordings afterwards so that we have a recording from multiple positons and are less likely to miss anything. We are aware of the legal issues and they are taken care of separately from the technology.

Unlike a wired microphone, a Bluetooth iPod system like this would not be effective for recording live concerts, performances, etc. ... BT's bandwidth is too low. However, for spoken contexts (eg meetings, presentations, classes etc.), it's perfect. The range limitations also generally preclude its use to pirate events.

Conference rooms could have permanent, AC-powered microphones (or clusters of them to handle mutliple targets) in place and meeting participants could sync up to one or more to record to their iPods (and laptops?).

Presumably, folks with BT cellphones could also record - with required notices to all involved - their phone conversations to their iPods.

The business/educational market potential is pretty large, I believe ...

[vrapan]

adding a few pda capabilities ok but making iPod a icampdaphoneohandmp3player is a bit extreme. i like it the way it is. it is its simplicity and cool looks that made it no 1 i hate to think how much more complex it can become by adding camera pda and whole lots of stuff on it. i for one would stay away

[TEG]

My Idea

Blue Tooth for a Remote and Headphones ONLY!
Airport might be nice if it is only in the Dock, not the iPod propper
A larger screen, or the ability to scroll along the long file names.
The Ability to connect to Unix/Linux Systems with out third-party developers
I'd like to see a 40G to 80G version for those who want to use it as a backup for your computer or a portable hard drive with MP3 playback.

TEG

[Mudbug]

Originally posted by TEG
My Idea

Blue Tooth for a Remote and Headphones ONLY!
Airport might be nice if it is only in the Dock, not the iPod propper
A larger screen, or the ability to scroll along the long file names.
The Ability to connect to Unix/Linux Systems with out third-party developers
I'd like to see a 40G to 80G version for those who want to use it as a backup for your computer or a portable hard drive with MP3 playback.

TEG

but if you bluetooth the remote, then I'll give you a week before you lose the remote because it wasn't attached - and if the bandwidth in bluetooth isn't enough to support stereo sound, then I don't think it will work for headphones. I'd like to see airport (for the reasons I noted earlier), and I'd like to see larger versions of the current ipod, with a color screen attached. Too bad there wasn't an "all of the above" section to pick from

[Wonder Boy]

If it could be turned into a walkman type device, that would be sweet.

[shadowfax]

you know what would be neat is a firewire device that could plug into the iPod and act with it standalone. the device would be a CD ROM drive for importing audio, with its own optimized chip and some kind of wireless internet connection for on the fly importing...

[Dahl]

The iPod needs to be so cheap, that people will buy it, even if they don't need it. I want one, but I don't have use for one. If they had a cheap model ( $100 ) they could probably sell even more. I am a huge music fan and would not attempt to put all my records on an iPod since they wouldn't all fit. I would rather have a cheaper model and replace the tracks now and then.

[NavyIntel007]

Need I repeat myself for the people who take the short bus to school....

BLUETOOTH WILL NOT SUPPORT STEREO SOUND!

and...

THE LARGEST HARD DRIVE IN THE 1.8" SIZE IS 40 GB

now have a good day at school junior :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[NavyIntel007]

Originally posted by Dahl
The iPod needs to be so cheap, that people will buy it, even if they don't need it. I want one, but I don't have use for one. If they had a cheap model ( $100 ) they could probably sell even more. I am a huge music fan and would not attempt to put all my records on an iPod since they wouldn't all fit. I would rather have a cheaper model and replace the tracks now and then.

What if they made a mini-ipod with only 1 GB capacity for $100? Would you buy it?

[mc2man]

I own a 10GB iPod - First Gen? (non-moving wheel). Love it. There is one, and only one feature that would make me upgrade. Recording. Nuff said.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by NavyIntel007
What if they made a mini-ipod with only 1 GB capacity for $100? Would you buy it?

Make it 5GB and $150 and you have a deal.

[NavyIntel007]

Originally posted by MacBandit
Make it 5GB and $150 and you have a deal.

I was thinking more on the line of the Hitachi 1 GB microdrive in a 1.5" X 1.5" X ?? enclosure with a smaller display and controls. The biggest drive they make is a 4 GB drive. I would buy a 1 GB player just for the gym personally.

[scem0]

Cheaper cheaper cheaper.

If apple's were less expensive I wouldnt be typing this on a PC... Macs are great, but so is escargot - but unfortunately both are too expensive for me to have all the time ;).

scem0

[Snowy_River]

Originally posted by scem0
Cheaper cheaper cheaper.

If apple's were less expensive I wouldnt be typing this on a PC... Macs are great, but so is escargot - but unfortunately both are too expensive for me to have all the time ;).

scem0

But there really is something to 'you get what you pay for'. If Macs were cheaper, then they wouldn't be so great...

[gopher]

Originally posted by scem0
Cheaper cheaper cheaper.

If apple's were less expensive I wouldnt be typing this on a PC... Macs are great, but so is escargot - but unfortunately both are too expensive for me to have all the time ;).

scem0
Macs more expensive? Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, Apple's laptops compete head to head with PC laptops very well. And considering you get a machine that lasts 3 times longer than an average PC, you save three times as much money as an average PC purchase in the long run.

[Dahl]

Originally posted by NavyIntel007
I was thinking more on the line of the Hitachi 1 GB microdrive in a 1.5" X 1.5" X ?? enclosure with a smaller display and controls. The biggest drive they make is a 4 GB drive. I would buy a 1 GB player just for the gym personally.
That's not a bad idea at all. It could be a chic little thing that doesn't have to compete with the iPod models. Almost like a ( big ) keychain ?

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by NavyIntel007
I was thinking more on the line of the Hitachi 1 GB microdrive in a 1.5" X 1.5" X ?? enclosure with a smaller display and controls. The biggest drive they make is a 4 GB drive. I would buy a 1 GB player just for the gym personally.

Okay then, keep the TFT screen with at least 4lines of display and have a remote with 2GB for $100 and you have a deal hell make it $150 I'm feeling generous.

[wdlove]

For the sake of scem0, I would hope that increase sales would bring prices down. The G5 may just be the machine that will begin the process.

Firewire would be a nice addition to the iPod. The main need is for data like the Palm!

[eclipse525]

I already have one (15g) but I'd get another one if they intergrated a serious color screen and PDA. Much like the new Sony Clié (PEG-UX50). Now that's a sweet little machine and with the new memory sticks available up to 1gig. How could you not love it.

~e

[scem0]

Originally posted by gopher
Macs more expensive? Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, Apple's laptops compete head to head with PC laptops very well. And considering you get a machine that lasts 3 times longer than an average PC, you save three times as much money as an average PC purchase in the long run.

I know nothing of laptops.

That may or may not be true.

But as for desktops - a $600 mac doesnt even begin to compare to a $600 PC - especially a custom built one.

scem0

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by scem0
I know nothing of laptops.

That may or may not be true.

But as for desktops - a $600 mac doesnt even begin to compare to a $600 PC - especially a custom built one.

scem0

You can't compare custom built pcs to non custom built computer mac or x86. You don't have customer support or a system warranty along with a number of other things like labor time involved in building it. As for a $600 PC I think macs stack up very well. Maybe not in overall performance but definitely in cost of ownership and overall quality.