Apple's New Thing (iPod)

[quote]Originally posted by mikedman

---The one on thinkgeek fits in your hand

But it doesn't store 5Gb of music does it? Just like I said. What's your point then?

----Again it works as a USB drive

Ummm... no. It works as a FIREWIRE drive. And it's an mp3 player, not an external HD. THAT'S what is so awesome. And no other mp3 player does this. What's your point then?

----I think apple hit more of a double on this one. Before you pop that vein in your forehead remember this is a discussion forum... and we are discussing the new device. In my opinion this device is not ground breaking, its apples take on an mp3 jukebox.

Oh I thought we were discussing the wat against the Taliban... wtf

In your opinion it's not groundbreaking. But fact is it is, since it brings revolutionary technologies and innovations into the realm of mp3 players.

I like it and if it were $200-$299 I'd buy one. But at $400 you are getting into the price range of a new computer.

That's true. But as every product, it will go down later. The Nomad Jukebox cost $500 when it was introduced and now it's like $250.

My recently laid-off ass can't justify paying that much money for something that is slightly cooler that the competition but with a faster transfer and better design.

-Slightly cooler?- Give me a break. If you can't see the amount of innovation and potential in this thing in the area of portable digital music devices it's no wonder you are laid-off.

Why on earth would Apple get back into the PDA market when the existing PDA companies are losing money hand over fist?

Why jump into a commodity market with a superior product, when all you malcontents will just criticize Apple for being too expensive?

Obviously, this crowd will only be happy when Apple is giving away kick-ass PDAs for with MP3 record/playback and a built-in world phone for free.

Get a clue. Get a life.

[gandalf55]

this forum thread is great!

where else can i read stuff akin to:

"When I train in Ninjitsu, I don't need to listen to music!"... haha... okay Johnny Toughnuts

it's something like what Tony Soprano might say here...

"I don't need la-la music when I'm about to whack some poor Ahole... I just do it!"

hehehehe... man... even when these forums turn sour, something always lightens up my day

$299 and I'm sold. Not a penny more. But I'm not pissed at Apple.

Originally posted by Meetoo
Any way you spin this it is:
1. Not revolutionary. Big capacity mp3 players already exist. With Creative Labs' entrance into the firewire arena, future nomads will have similar specs and better prices.
2. A bad fit. This product is outside Apple's core competancy - computing devices. When many are calling for a pda, they release an MP3 player.
3. Without a future. This Christmas you will see mp3 players be commoditized. Meaning that the players from Korea will be way less expensive tha iPod. The real money is in DRM and distribution (ala Real Musicnet). If Apple were smart they would be focusing on high gross revenue from services rather than a playback device.

You are so blind. It's so sad. Large capacity mp3 players already exist. That's like saying computers already existed when the iMac came out. Sure you can get a Nomad Jukebox, and take 46 hours to transfer your music to it ROTFL... not to mention it's twice as big and heavy. This thing fits in my pocket. Just like a Cannon Digital Elph camera. That's why those babies sell so well.

A bad fit? This is not a computing device? Let's see... it has RAM... it has a HD... an OS... hmmm... who's on drugs here? Apple is not in the market of making boxes to use Word on. It's in the market of improving people's digital lifestyles. A PDA are you nuts?! I won't even go there as your suggesting it shows how ignorant you are about the PDA market and what going into it would involve. Besides, when many are calling for a PDA, should that mean they can't release ANYTHING but a PDA just because people want one? That is so stupid. Everyone praises the Newton but the fact is it didn't sell that well. Why would Apple go into that arena again and risk it. Can't you guys learn a lesson?

Mp3 commoditized? No future? Excuse me, but if there's one thing even Apple's cricits agree on, is that if you want an mp3 player, now there's only one way to go. Boy I sure would love a Korean mp3 player with it's clumsy user interface and it's amazing ability to store 24 songs, which take 5 minutes to get on the damn thing. Woohoo! Open your eyes. What you are seeing is the future of portable musical devices.

Originally posted by ajs
Gee, where can I get a 5 gig MP3 player?

How about 20 gigs. AND it works with Macs.

http://www.nomadworld.com/products/jukebox_20gb/

AND it's TWICE as big, TWICE as heavy, you CAN'T put it in your pocket, you CAN'T use it as a HD, transfering songs to it takes 40 hours instead of a few minutes, its user interface is CRAP, its battery lasts half as much... etc. etc. etc.

Nice try but no go.



[Smelt]

Lots of hype. Now I gripe.

400 bucks! Is Steve nuts?

Digital hub??? What a flub!

Stupid name. Who to blame?

Come on folks-no more jokes...

Originally posted by mymemory

Apple is selling a bunch of overpriced things like the TiBook that won't be resellable for more than $1300 in less than 6 month because it is not upgredable.

The TiBook is not upgradeable? Weird... I just added 1Gb of RAM and a 40Gb HD to mine... I wonder what that is... I guess that's just "modifying it" and not "upgrading it" in your terms. What an idiot. Overpriced? Have you seen how much PC laptops with similar features as the TiBook or iBook cost? Are you under the influence of halucinogens?

Yeah this thing should cost no more than $90... and a dual G4 should cost no more than $150... if this was a perfect world... wake up dude. You get what you pay for.

Originally posted by JPL

naaah, this isn't a crowded market

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/electronics/mp3.shtml

Since when does that have anything to do. The car market is crowded. The computer market is crowded. The watch market is crowded... big deal

The only way to go for an mp3 player now is Apple's product. It just set the standards that everyone will try to follow/immitate/copy. And it set the standards for what people will now expect for an mp3 player, which at this point only Apple delivers.

[DaveGee]

I agree with many who state that the iPod is pretty impressive.... The size, features and price are right on the mark. In fact no other MP3 player is in the same league (spec for spec). That being said... Portable MP3 players are for 'kids' (a general term I'll use to group those 'under 30' folks). Once you get past a specific age you find yourself on the AM stations more than the FM ones. (sad but often true)... Another 'general rule' is that those 'under 30' folks don't have near as much extra cash floating around as those who are over 30.

Problem... those who can most afford to throw $400 at a digital toy can't see the value any longer (unless it was also say a voice recorder and or an AM/FM radio too) =) and those who can see the value don't have that kinda cash just sitting around...

Maybe if they started out two units, one with a 1GIG player for say $199 (or so) and then a 5 GIG for $399 they would have pleased more people.

Just my .02 cents...

D

[evanmarx]

well .. i was a bit disappointed .. yeah

because i already have bought a nice mp3 player some weeks ago ... and i don't really nee dmore than 1 hour of music at the time ...

but! ...

maybe that thing is not revolutionary ... but it shows best at what apple excels over and over ...
.... DESIGN ....
this thing is so damn beautiful, that i'm already thinking about wanting one (not buying, wanting one!) ... this is almost a sexual thing .. and i'm sure that the marketing campaign will be great to watch on TV ...

same was with the TiBook ... i know so many windoze users that bought the TiBook just for the looks of it ... like moths blinded by light .. zzztap

BUT!!

what intrigues me more .... and no one talks about it in this thread, is ... the software in the iPod!

is it based on MacOSX? or any layer of it! looks cool, no? imagine what other devices could be run by such a system software? just give apple some months and i think we'll some more products of this kind ...

Originally posted by Guest
I have no use for an Mp3 player.

My house has a CD player.
My car has a CD player.
My Mac has a CD player

I don't use headphones.

The iPod requires me to change my lifestyle to meet it's needs...

I need round holes, not square holes.

For $99 I might buy the toy, for $399? Why?

Doesn't a Mac with a CDR undermine the need for most of this? All that's left is the number of songs you can play and the ability to listen to all of them with headphones anywhere. Do I really need ALL my songs ALL the time?

uhm, no.

Won't last. Another Cube.

Woohoo! 13 tracks on a CD! That's all I need! Why $399? Because that's what it costs to have such a cool toy, and it's the INTRODUCTORY price. Just like the first Mac was $5,000 or so. You don't have to change your lifestyle if you don't want to. Just like you could have stuck with audio cassettes if that's what you're into. To each his own. I rather have my music collection in my pocket following me wherever I go along with my data and work on this little device. You can stick with your trusty CD's... eww... and someone like you expects breaktrough time travel PDA's... go back to your LP's!

[Ervino]

400 bucks for a MP3 player on steroid? That's a real breaktrought, but in appl... ied stupidity!

Anyway, what can you really expect from the man that killed the Newton because it was "without a keyboard" (cfr Jobs himself words, ca Feb. 1998).

Bah!

My Two Bits...

Ervino

Originally posted by tfaz1
5 gigs of storage - an mp3 player - firewire connectivity - Apple simplicity. But...

OPTICAL OUT? I mean, this is a digital device...

CD players are digital devices too, and they have been digital devices since they were introduced about 20 years ago. They don't come with optical out either, and I never saw anyone complain.

[Traveler]

It's called the pocket zip and it came out about a year ago. Granted, it doesn't hold 5gigs but it is expandable with original-gamboy-game-sized cartriges of 30mb each (smaller actually). It's sleek and even tinier than the ipod (half the size) and it is an mp3 player that also functions as a portable file drive for BOTH mac and pc. I was really impressed when I first saw it. I'm psyched about the advances in the ipod but so far there's no pc compatibility and it's essentially just a rip off. It's the claiming of a revolutionary product that dissapoints me. One could argue from the standpoint of combining new technologies the ipod is "new" but definitely not revolutionary and worse still, deep down I feel that Apple has done a little bit of plagiarizing.

Well, it's rather evenly split over how great / not great this device is.

The problem with it is this, Steve Jobs is a showman, so when he says "groundbreaking" he means something that is really cool and puts current technology to good use.

But of course everyone then assumed, oh yes Apple is bringing back the Newton - yeah, that's a good idea isn't it. Can anyone say psion? - NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO ENTER THE PDA MARKET.

Some ridiculous claims of it being a PS2 emulator - I was in tears when I heard that, extremely humorous. Then, to hear people suggesting it as being Ginger, which is rumoured to be a hydrogen powered scooter - that was just stupid, I mean you have to question the sanity of some people.

But the main rumor going round was that it was a souped up mp3 player - and a darn good one at that. Well, that's exactly what it is.

In my opinion the iPod is very cool, I want one. Oh and let's see (I'm in the uk) a RIO 800 with 128mb costs £299 - directly converting $ > £ of the iPod is somewhere near the £249 mark - which is fantastic value.

Guys, MP3 players aren't cheap! - Nobody has made one that can hold enough songs and be as portable as the iPod - I say it's pretty revolutionary.

For those of you bitching about how Apple should stay making computers - get a life! Apple is never going to make it big just making Mac's all it's life. I am really excited about Apple entering the consumer electronics market - this is obviously only step 1.

As for the price being too high, duh this is apple we're talking about, Mac's are overpriced, all their products are overpriced, but there's allways those HUGE glorious price slashes to look out for.

Good job on a cool little device Apple!

[kingleon]

But will it also work as a hard drive with my firewire digital camera? That kind of portable storage is worth something.

Well, Apple products strenght has always been design. Cool looks and killer ease-of-use, resulting in a better user experience.

That is the reason I always bought macs, even if they are more expensive and have smaller hard drives than the competition.

I look forward to try it!

[Traveler]

Originally posted by kingleon
But will it also work as a hard drive with my firewire digital camera? That kind of portable storage is worth something.

Way to think out of the box!

Originally posted by Traveler
It's called the pocket zip and it came out about a year ago. Granted, it doesn't hold 5gigs but it is expandable with original-gamboy-game-sized cartriges of 30mb each (smaller actually). It's sleek and even tinier than the ipod (half the size) and it is an mp3 player that also functions as a portable file drive for BOTH mac and pc. I was really impressed when I first saw it. I'm psyched about the advances in the ipod but so far there's no pc compatibility and it's essentially just a rip off. It's the claiming of a revolutionary product that dissapoints me. One could argue from the standpoint of combining new technologies the ipod is "new" but definitely not revolutionary and worse still, deep down I feel that Apple has done a little bit of plagiarizing.

You guys just expect that revolutionary will mean "using technology from outer space" or something.

Ok, it combines technologies that are out there. So did the first Mac ever. So did the iMac. So? That's not what makes a product revolutionary.

Will you say the iMac was a ripoff too because it's just another computer with parts made by other companies? That's mumbo jumbo.

The way I see it, it's a device that does what mp3 players did, and MUCH more. There has never been a device that combined mp3 playing, data storage, firewire data transfer, automatic software synchronization, all in one small package. NEVER! And that "NEVER" is what makes it REVOLUTIONARY and GROUNDBREAKING. Look up those words in the dictionary.

You guys expect that everytime Apple says "breaktrough" it means they will come up with some time travel life reinventing miraculous technology. NOBODY can appeal to your expectations! Why don't you just let them be and try out new ideas and products instead of always expecting them to bring another personal computer revolution? That is just NUTS!

Revolution: A fundamental change.

Breaktrough: A sudden advance in technique.

Groundbreaking: Markedly innovative.

Say what you want, the iPod is all of this, in as small way as you may see it.

Originally posted by kingleon
But will it also work as a hard drive with my firewire digital camera? That kind of portable storage is worth something.

No because (AFAIK) digital cameras are not smart enough to record directly to a firewire HD. You need special software to be able to import the video FROM the camera to the HD.

That's a great idea though and digital camcorder makers should think about implementing it.

[myassmuh]

i just marvel at the squandered potential of such design and thought at the hands of junior college marketers and accountants. doesn't anybody over there ever look at a price tag!?

the painful reality is that the market wants to move down on price and up on features [exactly what is causing the current bloodletting in the 'wintel' world] and if apple could just come out with a product that was appealing [which they do every three months] and priced well out of the gate [which never happens] then the market might recognize the innovations for what they really are. but that initial sticker shock will forever keep people away. or at least at bay until mikey or billy repackages it and cuts the price in half. thereby hamstringing the funding for future innovation.

Everyone here seems to take a side. I’m here just to say that, while it may Jobs hasn’t reinvented the wheel, he has come up with a compelling product, even at the price offered. I like it.

Ok, so it's not 100x better than the competition, but I'll put my money that they'll push a couple of units (provided they're pushed through mass-merchant channels).

I'm a gadget freak, and even as a PC user (The truth comes out. PC's are my roots, but I constantly get M.I.S., Mac Envy Syndrome, and I'd be the first to tell anti-macs they're full of ****. Pardon my French.) I think the iPod is awesome, and, besides the price, it sticks up heads above the rest.

To the Sony clie freaks:
I have a Sony Clie, and it sucks. period. Who wants to wait an hour to load up a $499 player with a $200 memory stick, only to leave the house with the gargantuan in your pocket and end up getting a cracked screen? not me.

To the Nomad and RioVolt freaks:
I own a RioVolt, and I've gotten a lot of bang for my buck out of it. But what I've always wanted was a player that didn't murder my wallet with the cost of media, didn't devour my schedule when I wanted to download songs, and a player that could fit in my pocket and take the stresses of everyday biking and walking.

The only cons I see:
1) As I stated before, I'm a PC user, and compatibility may be an issue, especially since I don't have a FireWire card. I think that is a small price to pay for such a cool device.
2) Since I don't know that many people with Macs, or firewire cards for that matter, I probably won't get much use out of the portable HD feature, but I'm still intrigued.

So, in conclusion: I'm sold.

The iPod: Smaller, faster, maybe not cheaper, but definitely better.

Responses appreciated.

[myassmuh]

i'm not expecting a $200 time machine, but damn, why can't i have a $200 ipod. or even better a $50 or $100 dollar product that can expand userbase and introduce people to the apple product line. want people in the stores? try offering a deal, steve.

[arn]

Someone posted a price list early in the thread... :

>20GB hard drive: $199 from APS tech.
>MP3 player: $50 from Best Buy.

But he forgot to integrate the two in a soze smaller than the hard drive alone.

Go look at the links/UI of the device. It's pretty sweet - and it interfaces with your mac/itunes seemlessly.

A nice package - plus it's SMALLER than the other HD MP3 players.

You can waste $200 for a 20gig MP3 player that is too bulky to carry around... or you can spend $400 on one you will actually take with you. (and will work on your mac and itunes)

arn