Flash Based Video iPod in September?

[MacRumors]

Digitimes reports that Apple is said to be unveiling a 16GB NAND Flash-based iPod video in late September, according to sources at Taiwan-based component makers.

The new iPod video will use NAND flash as the major storage media, and will have a storage density of 16GB, according to the sources.

This could be consistent with recent rumors which point to a revised iPod nano with video playback capability. Apple's current iPod nano is a Flash-only device that tops out at 8GB of storage.

Apple is holding a media event on August 7, 2007 but this is reportedly a Mac-focused event.

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[RBilRamZ]

This sounds like a great device. Just big enough to carry some music, pics and a movie or two. It just seems like it needs to come out in August, so people doing there back-to-school shopping can pick one up.

[RustyM]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/1C25 Safari/419.3)

sounds great!

[kwood]

That would be awesome especially if it had an LED backlit screen. Does anyone know if the current iPods have LED backlit screens?

[aswitcher]

Would be very nice if true and if it basically has everything the iPhone has but the phone bit.

[raggedjimmi]

A video Nano? I find the current 5.5G screen okay for watching video, but a Nano screen is really pushing it.

I'm guessing-
16gb Nano, no video playback. Improved battery life. Or just a 16gb iPhone.
100gb iPod video with the "Blackberry" dimensions. Smallest capacity to go to 60gb, or just 30, 60, 100 variations. Possible wireless tech for some reason.

[Squonk]

I'm thinking that 16GB is kinda small. Of course, my needs are to carry my full music collection around and not necessarily video...

[gkarris]

I was at AT&T and I found the iPhone screen suitable for watching videos over my iPod. But the iPhone is a whole different thing.

Apple will have to make an iPod out of the iPhone screen in order to have a true Video iPod...

[Derwood]

...let's just hope it brings with it a substantial battery life improvement over and above the existing 5G iPods. I've only had mine a year, have properly conditioned it, and I'm lucky if I get my journeys to-and-from work covered. Actually, that's probably a huge exaggeration. Fairer to say that it runs out on me more than I'd like it to.

[rockthecasbah]

Originally Posted by RBilRamZ

This sounds like a great device. Just big enough to carry some music, pics and a movie or two. It just seems like it needs to come out in August, so people doing there back-to-school shopping can pick one up.

The back to school promotion is used to get rid of leftover stock quickly. Apple usually does this: it gets attention right in time for the start of the holiday season and then they make a bundle.


It wouldn't be for me, but 16GB sounds like the perfect next step for NAND. Now let's see it released with some touchscreen video iPods and that'll really be something

[gusapple]

I just think that there should be more space for this kind of stuff. Possibly this is an iPod Nano?

[ironring2006]

Originally Posted by RBilRamZ

This sounds like a great device. Just big enough to carry some music, pics and a movie or two. It just seems like it needs to come out in August, so people doing there back-to-school shopping can pick one up.

Nah, it's perfect timing to coincide with the iPod rebate. They get rid of their old stock with those who need to buy a computer for school. Then, they have a bunch of people arriving at school to find out their iPod is now outdated, and then have them lusting for the new ones in time for Christmas.

[Tomaz]

Originally Posted by aswitcher

Would be very nice if true and if it basically has everything the iPhone has but the phone bit.

Exactly, but >64GB! I'd buy instantly!

[LinuxGigolo]

Originally Posted by gkarris

I was at AT&T and I found the iPhone screen suitable for watching videos over my iPod. But the iPhone is a whole different thing.

Apple will have to make an iPod out of the iPhone screen in order to have a true Video iPod...

I'm not dissing your comment - in fact, I think it's totally valid - but people say this like there's no way that APple could ever think that people would want an iPhone without the phone. Jobs already said it's the best iPod they've ever made. Of course they have plans to use its form factor and OS for something else. But also, you have to remember that Apple doesn't like to simply do what we expect or what the rest of the industry does. They like to take it a step further, so I wouldn't be surprised if our iPhone-phone ends up having some cool feature that none of us ever thought of.

[LoganT]

Originally Posted by raggedjimmi

A video Nano? I find the current 5.5G screen okay for watching video, but a Nano screen is really pushing it.

I'm guessing-
16gb Nano, no video playback. Improved battery life. Or just a 16gb iPhone.
100gb iPod video with the "Blackberry" dimensions. Smallest capacity to go to 60gb, or just 30, 60, 100 variations. Possible wireless tech for some reason.

It's called making the screen bigger.

[bigmc6000]

Originally Posted by Derwood

...let's just hope it brings with it a substantial battery life improvement over and above the existing 5G iPods. I've only had mine a year, have properly conditioned it, and I'm lucky if I get my journeys to-and-from work covered. Actually, that's probably a huge exaggeration. Fairer to say that it runs out on me more than I'd like it to.

I've got to ask - how far is your journey to and from work? Are you constantly skipping from song to song running the HD? I ask because my iPod lasts the whole working day without a single problem what so ever. Also, I know this defeats your point but you could just take a cord to work with and let it charge over the usb plug in your computer...

[frenchy]

16 GB density ? How can you trust a rumor reporting a 16 GB density...

[macintel4me]

There is no way Apple would regress the iPod (Video) from an entry 30GB to 16GB. I'm sure that instead Apple is providing video playback in the Nano and extending the highend Nano from 8GB to 16GB. This would make sense as sales on the 8GB were far behind the other models. Video would push the demand for more storage capacity, higher prices, and iTunes sales.

If those videos we saw earlier, before Apple legal made everyone pull them down, were accurate then this is a click-wheel device. This makes sense for a Nano which has smaller form factor and touch-screen could be cumbersome.

[regan]

You've got to be KIDDING me.

Video. On THAT screen? Even if they gave the nano a widescreen, it'd still be RIDICULOUSLY small for video.

Come on people. Snap out of it. This smacks of idiocy.

Flash drive yes. Video? No.

[EagerDragon]

Hehe, thats where all the NAND is going to and why there is a shortage.

Assuming there is a shred of truth in this that is.

[Dimwhit]

I wish Apple would stop being so damned stubborn about storage. 16GB would be fine, if they'd put an SD expansion slot so you could swap out cards with different movie files or something.

[EagerDragon]

Originally Posted by kwood

That would be awesome especially if it had an LED backlit screen. Does anyone know if the current iPods have LED backlit screens?

Yes, they had LED backlight for a while now

Originally Posted by Tomaz

Exactly, but >64GB! I'd buy instantly!

Nand is expensive, a 64 Gig version would cost a bundle.

[macintel4me]

Originally Posted by regan

You've got to be KIDDING me.

Video. On THAT screen? Even if they gave the nano a widescreen, it'd still be RIDICULOUSLY small for video.

Come on people. Snap out of it. This smacks of idiocy.

Flash drive yes. Video? No.

My points:
1) Apple would make the screen bigger.
2) The iPod Nano allows for pictures. Why is it "idiocy" to say that something is fine for pictures, but not for video (even with a bigger screen nonetheless)?

[gusapple]

Originally Posted by macintel4me

My points:
1) Apple would make the screen bigger.
2) The iPod Nano allows for pictures. Why is it "idiocy" to say that something is fine for pictures, but not for video (even with a bigger screen nonetheless)?

Well the video takes up so much space that I think that it might be that until the iPhone, they didn't think video would be valid.

[EagerDragon]

Here comes the 16 Gig iPhone.