Flash iPod: 'Life is Random'?

[Zaty]

According to TS, the flash iPod will be name iPod shuffle. Are they pulling our legs or is this for real?

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0501expo6.html

Life is random get an iPod shuffle

[erackattack]

Maybe "random" just refers to RAM (random access memory)??

Or maybe you will be able to insert your own flash memory cards into the device allowing it to be whatever size card you have? Thus making it random sizes... just a thought!

[Yvan256]

Originally Posted by Trekkie

Actually, you're 'those people' or 'the riff raff' they're too high brow to say cheapskate.

Refering to me, or the parent post?!

[bdkennedy1]

ThinkSecret reports that the name is officially the iPod Shuffle. Hence the banner "Life is Random". Contractors were told to take down the banner because it wasn't supposed to be put up until tomorrow. It will only be offered in 1gb.

[Yvan256]

Originally Posted by Trekkie

I'm rooting against you for a XM one so we cancel each other out.

And I cancel you both... Isn't Sirius a star constellation? And as for XM, for me it's a module format (like MOD, S3M, etc).

[Peyote]

Originally Posted by Zaty

According to TS, the flash iPod will be name iPod shuffle. Are they pulling our legs or is this for real?

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0501expo6.html

Life is random get an iPod shuffle

About 15 minutes ago, I submitted a link to Macrumors News submission form. The link was to the Trademark office, showing where Apple filed an Application for "Shuffle".

It would appear that this is the name of the new iPod

[Yvan256]

Originally Posted by gekko513

But what about Think Secrets sources that say it will have a screen that is the same width as the iPod mini's but two lines shorter.

Maybe Apple will go for the whole mp3 player market and announce a 512MB player at $99 with no screen and 1GB and 2GB players at $149 and $199 with screens?

Ok, sure. But they also better have three options for their headless Mac... 299$US with combodrive, no RAM/HD/keyboard/mouse, 399$US with superdrive, no RAM/HD/keyboard/mouse and 499$US with superdrive, 256MB RAM, 40GB HD, keyboard and mouse.

[mcgarry]

Originally Posted by BornAgainMac

How about no screen, no volume control, no next / prev, no on/off switch. It just plays at full blast and you can't turn it off. ha ha

No thanks, I'll buy the Mini.

Sort of a version of the "Everything's OK" alarm ?

[Zaty]

Originally Posted by Peyote

About 15 minutes ago, I submitted a link to Macrumors News submission form. The link was to the Trademark office, showing where Apple filed an Application for "Shuffle".

It would appear that this is the name of the new iPod

Good find! If the evening goes on like this, we won't have to wait until the keynote

[Yvan256]

Originally Posted by nagromme

ThinkSecret's "reliable sources" are wrong. They have been right a lot -- AND wrong a lot! They said the original iPod Mini would start at $100 (Which puts their $499 headless iMac into perspective... Wishful thinking?)

Well, a headless Mac at more than 499$US would look expensive when put next to a 799$US eMac. To me, at least.

And if the eMac really is upgraded to the G5 and still sells for 799$US, this headless Mac better have some nice features to make it different from a regular Mac! (again, IMO)

[Peyote]

Apple also filed for a Trademark for "Pages"


We pretty much knew about that one....but the trademark confirms it.

[Zaty]

Originally Posted by Yvan256

Ok, sure. But they also better have three options for their headless Mac... 299$US with combodrive, no RAM/HD/keyboard/mouse, 399$US with superdrive, no RAM/HD/keyboard/mouse and 499$US with superdrive, 256MB RAM, 40GB HD, keyboard and mouse.

If they offered a $299 with 256 MB RAM and 40 GB HD, they would soon out sell Dell

[Zaty]

Originally Posted by Peyote

Apple also filed for a Trademark for "Pages"


We pretty much knew about that one....but the trademark confirms it.

Like I said, who needs a keynote if the rumour mills are working at full speed

[Mainyehc]

Originally Posted by mcsandy

For my 2 cents... I think Life is Random, has nothing to do with the Shuffle function, but more to the solid state of the flash-based ipod.

In a random world of gym workouts, jogging, biking etc etc there are bumps, falls, scraps and plenty of movement... A Life is Random world would cause a hard disk to skip... but flash memory keeps on goin'

GUYS, GIVE ME A BREAK!!

Look at photos no. 3 and 4

http://www.macitynet.it/artimgs/aA20182/img3.jpg
http://www.macitynet.it/artimgs/aA20182/img4.jpg

The banner CLEARLY depicts a gigantic SHUFFLE ICON. Go check on your iPod screen or on the iTunes window, bottom left corner. Two arrows, left to right, one crossing over the other. SHUFFLE. BINGO!

Those fotos aren't fake. Remember, as a Keynote gets nearer, more and more genuine clues surface, and this is one of those. Now, does this mean that the flash iPod will be screenless and always set to shuffle? Not necessarily, but the shuffle feature will play a big role (no pun intended) in this product's success, which makes that scenario likely.

And I wouldn't buy such a thing!

While I love to set my library on shuffle, I also like to hear full albuns, just like its authors wanted them to be heard. So I LIKE to have a choice. And you can fit a few albums in 1GB. Just like I "could" fit a few MiniDiscs in my pockets, back when I used a classic MD Walkman from Sony (with no MDLP or Atrac3Plus compression, meaning that each disk contained only one album/playlist). I actually liked that system, if it wasn't for the fact that it was rendered obsolete.

I wouldn't mind having to choose my music before leaving home, just like in the good ol' days, especially if it could be contained in a small flash player, but damn it, I'd still like to hear full albums!! IMHO, just because some people like shuffling their songs, that doesn't mean Apple should introduce a device that forces people to do so.

This is, at best, a trojan horse for drawing people into iTMS and the full-size iPods (and maybe the Mac platform), but still a lousy one, because if these players can achieve that, they will end up "thrown into a drawer" anyway. Only a small group of people will use this thing regularly, for working out or something...

I'm very, VERY disappointed... I regret that I've been telling people to wait for the flash iPod. Besides being disappointed with the possible failure of Apple with this one, I made a fool of myself

[Yvan256]

Originally Posted by mhouse

I'm with you on this. I like inexpensive stuff as much as the next person but if you financial situation is so tight that 100 bucks or less makes a *big* difference, then you should be spending your money on important things and not something totally optional like an iPod.

It's all relative. Would a 100$ difference matter when I buy a car? Of course not. Would 5000$ make a real difference when I buy a house? Of course not.

Would 100$ make a difference when I buy a 300-400$ device? It sure does, it's 25/33% of the price!

As Einstein said: it's all relative.

[pubwvj]

It could be that the full marketing slogan is something like:

"Life is Random,
but your music need not be."

[Peyote]

Originally Posted by Mainyehc

GUYS, GIVE ME A BREAK!!

Look at photos no. 3 and 4

The banner CLEARLY depicts a gigantic SHUFFLE ICON. Go check on your iPod screen or on the iTunes window, bottom left corner. Two arrows, left to right, crossing over each other. SHUFFLE. BINGO.

We have been over this. The Random Button icon is indeed the most likely graphic represented on the banner.

[AllanMarcus]

Not all players have screens

http://www.virginelectronics.com/is-...ductSku=VF0001

yes, it works with a mac (drag and drop).

[Peyote]

dble post.

man MacRumors it being hit hard today

[nagromme]

Good catch on the "Shuffle" trademark!

Originally Posted by Yvan256

Well, a headless Mac at more than 499$US would look expensive when put next to a 799$US eMac. To me, at least.

O/T, but I agree--IF the eMac goes G5. But a 17" CRT and speakers don't cost that much these days. I can easily see a headless and an eMac, of SIMILAR specs (both G4), being $200 apart or less. That could mean a $599 headless, or a cheaper G4 eMac. Maybe both.

That's if the eMac stays around at all... FWIW, TS now says they doubt the eMac will go G5 after all.

In which case, it will do one of the following, I think: A) drop in price and become more of a niche education product again, B) simply be replaced by the headless iMac, or C) become a sibling to the headless (similar specs, but AIO), rather than a sibling to the flat iMac.

Any of the above could work. A G5 eMac would be a great machine, but maybe the strong sales of the iMac G5 show that there just isn't as much need anymore. (And LCD prices seem to be finally dropping, too.) Oh well, I still like my eMac

[Yvan256]

Originally Posted by erackattack

Maybe "random" just refers to RAM (random access memory)??

Or maybe you will be able to insert your own flash memory cards into the device allowing it to be whatever size card you have? Thus making it random sizes... just a thought!

How about "iPod RAM"? (Random Access Music)

As far as memory cards go, there's too many formats on the market right now, Apple would only piss of 3/4 of the users whatever format they choose... Should they use SecureDigital? Memory Stick? CompactFlash?

Me, I try to buy equipment that uses CompactFlash since it's versatile (you can buy wireless CF cards... how cool is that!). Others only swear by the small size of SD's format (CF is too bulky, they usually say). I have a hard time seeing Apple pushing Sony's Memory Stick format though.

[Yvan256]

Originally Posted by Zaty

If they offered a $299 with 256 MB RAM and 40 GB HD, they would soon out sell Dell

Can you imagine the new ads? "Dude, you're getting a Mac!"

Hehe. I hope it doesn't come to this! (there's a difference between being snobby and having good taste)

[AllanMarcus]

Maybe the slogan refers to a built in radio tuner? The music played on the radio is essentially random.

[TimDaddy]

Originally Posted by j_maddison

No mp3 player has ever been built without a scree to my knowlage

http://www.nomadworld.com/products/MuVo/

I won one of these in a drawing at work last year. It was an ok little player, but we already have an iPod and an iPod mini, so I took it to Sear's and got the fifty bucks! It didn't have to be shuffled. It played the songs in the order that the files were copied to the player. I can't remember if it even had a shuffle button. The picture doesn't look like it does.

Sorry if someone has already pointed out that there are, in fact, screenless mp3 players. I didn't have time to read the whole thread.

[Zaty]

How much will it cost? My guess is $149. As for the shuffle thing, eemember the changed menu on the 4G iPod to place the shuffle function more prominently. A few months later they did the same with the minis via iPod software update. So perhaps the iPod shuffle won't have a screen but a button that allows to switch shuffle on and off.

Also a new slogan could be "Shuffle up you life"