New video iPod rumor

[bankshot]

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050727-5141.html

I personally hate the idea of a video iPod - even if it hooks up to a TV for viewing I would have no use for carrying video content around with me like I do with music. Music goes with just about any activity, but watching a video is an activity in itself, and therefore in my mind doesn't automatically make sense to do anywhere, anytime. And I've always hated that Apple stuffs more and more features into iTunes and iPod without fixing or caring about their glaring deficiencies in basic music playback (*cough* gapless playback *cough*). If true, this is yet more evidence that Apple doesn't really care about the little details in their music products!

Enough ranting, thought I'd post the link for those who like to spread rumors, as it appears to be new info.

[paperinacup]

A video iPod is a WASTE of money. Who wants to sit there and stare at that small screen. My cell phone screen is twice the size and that would be annoying. They would also have to up the resolution of the screen from 176x220.

[SiliconAddict]

Originally Posted by paperinacup

A video iPod is a WASTE of money. Who wants to sit there and stare at that small screen. My cell phone screen is twice the size and that would be annoying. They would also have to up the resolution of the screen from 176x220.

I do. My iPaq 4705 Pocket PC has a 4" display on it. Easily good enough for video viewing. I also have a Hitachi 4GB microdrive and a 1GB SD card for storing more then enough video to last me a plane trip from coast to coast. You are acting no different then the people who claim the iPod is a "waste of money". What happened to think different?

[GFLPraxis]

Originally Posted by paperinacup

A video iPod is a WASTE of money. Who wants to sit there and stare at that small screen. My cell phone screen is twice the size and that would be annoying. They would also have to up the resolution of the screen from 176x220.

I highly doubt a video iPod would keep the same size screen. It would have to have a larger screen.

[DarkNetworks]

Originally Posted by GFLPraxis

I highly doubt a video iPod would keep the same size screen. It would have to have a larger screen.

I do think that Apple would just take the current ipod and let it play videos which means no larger screen...shall see when the real video iPods are out...

[SiliconAddict]

Originally Posted by DarkNetworks

I do think that Apple would just take the current ipod and let it play videos which means no larger screen...shall see when the real video iPods are out...

Which makes it next to useless. try using an iPod Photo sometime and bring up a photo. The screen is next to useless trying to pick out details. Great for just viewing a pict but forget trying to see what that person has in her hands. Or name of the bar in the background.
Its too small and too low res. Video would be just as bad on a 2" screen Realistically you need a 3"-4" widescreen to make it anything other then a joke. If Apple simply integrates video into the current form factor of the iPod they may as well write the thing off before it ships. The whole point of an iPod video is to play video. Otherwise you will just go out and get a normal iPod. If Apple does a half***ed job by just slapping video playback in the thing they are screwed. If nothing else the PSP will eat them alive. Again the point of an iPod video is to play video. If that is what a buyer is looking into they are going to glance over at the PSP look at the iPod's smalls screen and say screw that. The only thing that would make the iPod Video better then the PSP is if there is a video store. (Which is also what makes the iPod itself so attractive.) But that would mean Apple is making a major effort into video which to me means they wouldn't do a half***ed job putting video into an ipod.

[madmaxmedia]

Has the PSP eaten the iPod or iPod Photo alive? They're completely different devices.

Apple could release a product specialized for video. But the problem is the market size just isn't there. People have been listening to portable music players for years, so the iPod makes sense. A portable video player would be a cool geek toy, but not be a big seller like the iPod.

The alternative route is to add video to existing iPods. It really doesn't add much to the cost, it's just adding new features like they added contacts, games, photos, and now video. The point is not to sell a video player, the point is to further develop the iPod product.

They're going to keep the current lineup, and slap in a 80GB iPod Video at the top. It will be priced relative to the other iPods. So if you want an 80GB iPod for music, or a video iPod you will buy that model (just like the original iPod Photo.) Later, the video feature will trickle down to the other models, and in a year and a half the $299 iPod will have video too. Don't like video? It doesn't matter, it doesn't negatively affect you because the iPod still has the same great form factor and usability as always.

The other huge benefit for Apple is to maintain current pricing levels. If they don't add new features, the price points will erode over time due to competition. Apple doesn't want to be selling $149 regular iPods in 2 years. Actually, neither does anyone else, but either you come out with a cheaper product or you come out with a better product than everyone else.

Originally Posted by SiliconAddict

Which makes it next to useless. try using an iPod Photo sometime and bring up a photo. The screen is next to useless trying to pick out details. Great for just viewing a pict but forget trying to see what that person has in her hands. Or name of the bar in the background.
Its too small and too low res. Video would be just as bad on a 2" screen Realistically you need a 3"-4" widescreen to make it anything other then a joke. If Apple simply integrates video into the current form factor of the iPod they may as well write the thing off before it ships. The whole point of an iPod video is to play video. Otherwise you will just go out and get a normal iPod. If Apple does a half***ed job by just slapping video playback in the thing they are screwed. If nothing else the PSP will eat them alive. Again the point of an iPod video is to play video. If that is what a buyer is looking into they are going to glance over at the PSP look at the iPod's smalls screen and say screw that. The only thing that would make the iPod Video better then the PSP is if there is a video store. (Which is also what makes the iPod itself so attractive.) But that would mean Apple is making a major effort into video which to me means they wouldn't do a half***ed job putting video into an ipod.

[pubwvj]

Originally Posted by paperinacup

A video iPod is a WASTE of money.

Agreed. What I would really like to see is Apple bring out a iPal. A hand held Macintosh. Tiny but useable so I can take my data with me. It would also serve the function of the iPod and play music. Video though is not as interesting. I would rather watch a video on a much larger screen.

[skipjakk]

How about a video Ipod with a larger OLED screen (not sure if this is possible yet), that has all the functionality of the regular Ipod plus video playback, (and higher price tag of course), plus revamped iPods with video out so you can carry a few movies, plug into a video out source......

[DarkNetworks]

I do believe that the main purpose of releasing the video iPod is for it to play music videos or clips or short trailers...
HD Movies? Maybe later, i don't think that is Apple's Main purpose of releasing the video iPod...

[Elektronkind]

I really doubt that the LH7A400 is the chip to be used.

For one, the in-built USB controller on this chip is only USB 1.1-compliant, not 2.0. USB 1.1 is too slow for transferring video from a host computer.

Unless they're using USB 2.0 controller that's separate from the SOC, but I doubt it. That would make for more power consumption

/dale

[oskar]

Yay another video iPod rumor!
I bet those that say they don't like the idea of a video iPod already own an iPod Photo or maybe any other iPod. Video is going to be the next big thing in iPods and many probably don't like that their iPods will never have the processing power to do the same stuff new iPods could.
On the other hand, maybe people are imagining too much and the video function wouldn't really be advertised as for playing back full-length movies. Maybe Apple would use small animations to simulate an OS X feel and maybe let you see small video files and trailers. But that would probably mean that you could see any video file on the iPod anyway, the difference beeing that Apple doesn't say it's meant for that.

[madmaxmedia]

Apple is not going to release a brand new device for video, the market is way too small for it. And they are not going to use a touch screen display to replace the clickwheel, people like real controls with clickable buttons.

In all likelihood Apple will gradually add video capability to the existing iPod line, just like they added photo. It's not a 'killer' feature, but is a nice value added feature to further develop the overall iPod line, especially in a year and a half when even the cheapest iPod has video capability.

What they might do is increase the screen size a bit (there's a little bit of room), with higher resolution. They're not going to increase the physical size of the iPod, as most people are still going to use the iPod primarily for music. They're not going to sacrifice overall usability to increase video playback functionality.

It will of course have video out, just like the iPod Photo currently has. For those who really want a bigger portable screen, some company will come out with a decent portable screen that has a similar footprint, with an integrated battery that will work good with a 'iPod Video'. It will also be white.

[DarkNetworks]

Originally Posted by madmaxmedia

They're not going to increase the physical size of the iPod, as most people are still going to use the iPod primarily for music. They're not going to sacrifice overall usability to increase video playback functionality.

Totally agree with this one...

[MacHarne]

Originally Posted by madmaxmedia

They're not going to increase the physical size of the iPod, as most people are still going to use the iPod primarily for music. They're not going to sacrifice overall usability to increase video playback functionality.

I'm not so sure on that guess. Look at how the original iPod has evolved. iPod > iPod mini > iPod photo > iPod shuffle. There is a great difference between the original iPod and the iPod shuffle, granted they do serve the same proper function, that of playing music. But they are targeted to different consumer crowds. And that is likely going to be the case with a video iPod.

I would expect some kind of form-factor modification for a video iPod, but nothing that would heavily stray from the ubiquitous white design. The earlier submitted concept from gizmondo seems a bit too large and awkward to serve as a portable video player. Viewing photos on an iPod looks great, so the resolution quality really isn't an issue; more so, I would expect the screen to be only slightly larger than the existing screen size we are used to. Probably something to perfectly fit the music videos now being sold on the iTMS.

Overall, I am very excited about a video iPod. Having something to quickly watch on my daily bus commutes will be fantastic. I don't expect myself to watch a movie on one, but television shows and music videos will certainly fill my video iPod library. I'm getting anxious to retire this 3G iPod of mine

[madmaxmedia]

i'm guessing i'm not the first person to see this as i'm no mac sleuth by any means but possibly itunes is already ready for music videos and the like.

Not only that, but there are some video podcasts now too. I suscribed to one (didn't know it was video), and since I have podcasts set to auto-update I got a message from iTunes saying that the podcast wasn't going to be transferred because my device wasn't video-capable.

It doesn't automatically mean that a video-capable iPod is coming, but it was interesting. I guess iTunes can manage PDF's now, I wonder what happens when you try to copy a PDF to your iPod. Maybe a very similar message...

I do believe that the main purpose of releasing the video iPod is for it to play music videos or clips or short trailers...
HD Movies? Maybe later, i don't think that is Apple's Main purpose of releasing the video iPod...

Another great app would be for playing TV content captured by an Elgato or similar device. I am positive that if and when an iPod Video is released, within 2 months Elgato will release an EyeTV software update that provides iPod Video compatiblity with full iTunes synchronization.

A small screen would be fine IMO for watching sitcoms, last nite's Sportscenter, etc...Since the content is free and very easy to capture, it's less of a big deal than say ripping a DVD.

I just bought a $200 Plextor box that uses the EyeTV software, it's really a nifty device. It encodes to Divx or MPEG4 in hardware (so no PC overhead to convert video), and links to TitanTV.com for full Tivo-like functionality.

It's not a killer feature by any means, but would be really cool IMO.

[Fabio_gsilva]

A 512 mb iPod shuffle costs around US$ 280... So, if Apple starts selling Ipod Video's for. lets say US$ 599, it'll probably cost around US$ 1.600 or more here in Brazil... For instance, it's high unlikely that someday i'll buy a iPod Video, because it's price will be prohibitive for me...

I'm dying to buy an iPod shuffle, but for now prices are a shame! I'll have to wait a little longer to get one... maybe next year...

[tacojohn]

I think they're going to cover the front of a standard iPod with a widescreen and implement a touch screen scroll wheel thingie.

The video iPod will support H.264 video playback of HD content that is sold through the iMovie store on the internal screen as well as be able to hook it up to a HDTV via a dock connector HDMI connection.

Thus totally bypassing Blueray and HD-DVD and making the iPod for video (storing content without the physical media) and bringing HD to the mass market faster.

[Plecky]

The one thing I'm afraid of with this "video iPod" is the one of the most important factors for portable devices IMO, battery life. I feared what adding a color screen and photo-viewing to the orignial iPod would do for its Battery Life and amazingly it got more battery life playing music then its monochrome counterpart, although I think thats just due to a increase in technology. If the current iPod line was monochrome I'm sure it would get well over 15 hours, not to mention it only gets 5 hours when using it for a slideshow. The same will probably happen with a video iPod, 5 hours for video and 15 for audio. So far the only iPod model I like where its going by keeping its roots (if I wanted a photo viewer, I can do that in my digital cameras screen, or a video viewer I can do that on the screen of my DV Video Camera) but if I want something solely for music, the iPod mini seems the best deal with 18+ REAL WORLD hours of battery life, quicker recharge times, but only offers up to 6 gigs (and I hear the next models going to be 2 gigs of flash? That's nice but can they still release a 8 gig or some bumped up storage model especially if the iPod line is just going to the way of video and probably less-battery life as well). I'm sorry but I highly value battery life, much more then photo/video viewing capabilities in my portable audio player. If wanted a portable media player I probably would've got a Creative, iRiver, or Sony PSP. But I don't need a 2-in-1 or even a all-in-one solution, I just need what the iPod was originally meant to be. Stop working on adding new features (like someone mentioned above) and fix the current problems like gapless-playback and although 18+ hours of battery life in my Mini is plenty, I'd have no argument asking for more - especially the full size iPod's which I would love to see have as much battery as the new Sony's (which get 35+ hours I believe) or the Creative Zen Touch (which is rated at 24+ hours I believe). If not, the only other solution I would support is the possibility for more battery life away from a USB/Firewire/AC-adapter port is user-replaceable or swappable batteries! Although this seems common knowledge and probably should already be offered, but if there not working on increasing the battery life and probably decreasing it with all these new battery-draining features. At least give us a user-replaceable battery that can be switched as easily as they are on iBooks and PowerBooks...

[Dr. Dastardly]

What is everyones problem with a video iPod? If you don't want to watch a video on an iPod then don't move a video to your iPod! It will still play music and whatever else you want it to. Its a given (well to me at least) that the iPod will at some point play video. To say that there is no market for it is just plain stupid. There was really no market for mp3 players until the iPod came out. And go back and look at the archives when the iPod was introduced, everyone thought it was going to be a HUGE flop and now...

Here is just one example that people want a "vPod" and want it bad. Not only would they go through all those steps to have a make shift video iPod but then use the wheel like a 1920's picture show crank.

And I'm willing to bet that the ipod dimmensions will not change very much. They might be able to make the screen a little bigger but I don't think we will see anything different like a whole screen to view vids or a much longer iPod to support wide screen.

[brians.account]

i'm guessing i'm not the first person to see this as i'm no mac sleuth by any means but possibly itunes is already ready for music videos and the like. when i opened a native quicktime file with itunes it played the video where the cd coverart is usually located and had a little camera icon beside the file's name.

[Porchland]

Originally Posted by paperinacup

A video iPod is a WASTE of money. Who wants to sit there and stare at that small screen. My cell phone screen is twice the size and that would be annoying. They would also have to up the resolution of the screen from 176x220.

I'm convinced it will be a different form factor than the iPod and that Apple will market it as another brand extension:

iPod shuffle > iPod mini > iPod > iPod U2 > iPod video

Particularly since the iPod U2 was initially branded the U2 iPod Special Edition. (BTW, I'm surprised there hasn't been another special edition. Dave Matthews Band?)

[iMan]

How about, instead of a big screen, the vidpod will use retina projection - i.e. you put on your goggles and there you are - in the middle of the frigging movie. That would be cool!

[MacHarne]

Apple's core is "Think Different". The company has made several moves that initially were confounding or frustrating for some users, but ended up being brilliantly successful.

While there currently isn't a vocal demand of movie players on-the-go, there certainly is the beginning of a healthy market for such. Think: DVD players in autos; portable widescreen DVD players. Granted both of those types of devices use the actual media. But I think it was Apple who, as a digital music market began to form, announced a device that would let you "take your entire music library with you".

Yes, there are still questions about how encoding will be accelerated, because right now H.264 or the other methods are still tedious. But, Apple has been making moves with the availability of music videos in the iTMS. The iPod made the move from showing track info to showing album art. Still (well... scrolling) Monochrome to still Color. What would be a logical next step, even if it requires you to Think Different?

[DarkNetworks]

Yeah i kinda agree with this one ... "I personally hate the idea of a video iPod - even if it hooks up to a TV for viewing I would have no use for carrying video content around with me like I do with music.Music goes with just about any activity, but watching a video is an activity in itself"