iPod Flash Early 2005?

[MacRumors]

According to sources close to AppleInsider, the previously rumored (thread, thread, thread) flash memory-based iPod variant should go into production in December, and is expected to make a debut in early 2005. A production stockpile of 2 million units is expected to be produced prior to worldwide distribution in an effort to keep pace with demand. Interface and controls should be similar to the current click-wheel iPod and iPod Mini, and is expected to be in a storage capacity range of 256 Megabytes to 1 Gigabyte. Pricing is now expected below $200.

Steve Jobs introduced the iPod Mini at last year's MacWorld San Francisco to overwhelming success. It could be expected that the new iPod Flash could debut worldwide at the January MWSF 2005 show.

[encrypt3d]

Ill stick with my 20GB one. What can you do with only 1GB?

[anubis]

too little storage for me. i think i'll stick with my mini.

[theROZ]

I think a ipod flash player is a dumb idea....

[Bear]

Again with a Flash based iPod rumor?

Actually, except for making a slot for a flash card, it could be basically the same guts as the iPod mini. So it isn't that much of a design change.

[mccoma]

wish they had made Christmas.

oh, well I guess they will have to catch all the "I got money" for Christmas crowd

[Lord Blackadder]

I might get one. I tend to destroy my MP3 players (mountain biking), so hard drive based ones are no good for me, besides the $$$. Anyway I'm only riding for 1-4 hours, so I don't need all the space. Good deal Apple, a logical step anyway.

[Veldek]

I still can't believe it. At the introduction of the iPod Photo, Steve Jobs said that the huge market share of the iPod includes "all those flash players that people received as presents and never use".

[Lord Blackadder]

Originally Posted by encrypt3d

Ill stick with my 20GB one. What can you do with only 1GB?

The same thing you do with a 20GB iPod, for a shorter length of time.

[oingoboingo]

Interesting that Steve Jobs has publically derided small capacity flash-RAM MP3 players on a number of occasions, and now is planning to offer one of his own. The Jobs quote that keeps coming to mind is "the flash player that someone gave you as a gift that is now sitting in a drawer somewhere unused". A 1GB flash player might be useful, but I can't see how a 256MB flash player, with a capacity of only a handful of albums, is going to be anything groundbreaking.

Oh well...I suppose we all should know better by now. There were plenty of people who believed the original iPod was a stupid idea, and of course the amount of negative feedback that the iPod mini generated upon its launch looks ridiculous in hindsight, given the success of the product. Maybe we should just shut up and wait and see what happens with the iPod Flash

[oingoboingo]

Originally Posted by Bear

Again with a Flash based iPod rumor?

Actually, except for making a slot for a flash card, it could be basically the same guts as the iPod mini. So it isn't that much of a design change.

For a flash-RAM only player, somethign the size of the iPod mini would be way too big. Flash-based MP3 players are tiny these days...not much bigger than inline remotes on headphone cords, or the form-factor of USB memory keys. An iPod mini-sized flash player would look like a dinosaur.

[Freg3000]

Originally Posted by mccoma

wish they had made Christmas.

oh, well I guess they will have to catch all the "I got money" for Christmas crowd

I think they are quite happy with this.

Everyone buys iPods and iPod minis for the holiday season, and then Bam! January rolls around and there is another version to get.

Why eat some of your holiday sales if you can delay a new product release by a few months? Enough people will buy both to make it profitable.

[evilgEEk]

Originally Posted by theROZ

I think a ipod flash player is a dumb idea....

Just like everyone said the original iPod was a dumb idea and would never sell and was horribly over-priced and was just a waste of engineering...

riiiiiight... I respect your opinion, I just think you're wrong.

I think a flash-based iPod will be hugely successful. It's basically the last market Apple has yet to reach with the iPod brand, and I know of a lot of friends that will be buy a flash 'pod in a second. They all love my iPod but don't want to spend 3-600 bucks on one. For that matter, had I not done the cram 'n' jam I wouldn't have got my iPod, just too much money without the rebate.

I guess time will tell.

But regardless... Go Apple!

[jgp]

A flash iPod makes sense. But the rest of the original blurb seems off. First, I would hope that Apple would sell it very cheap without a flash card (less than $75). Second, by time it is introduced a 4Gb micro drive may be feasible at less than $175. If the total is less than $200 and the whole thing is smaller than an iPod mini, it should be a good seller.

[wilburpan]

Two observations:

1. Regardless whether you think a 1 GB Flash-based iPod is a good idea or not, the market clearly shows that there are a lot of people who like the idea, implying that for those people, 1 GB of storage is enough. If these people get the FlashPod, and then start using iTunes, and then learn about Macs, that will be a good thing.

2. Doesn't MacRumors get their own rumors anymore? For a while now, MacRumors seems to be just a summary of AppleInsider and ThinkSecret articles, with little original content of its own.

[Daveway]

I think we will also see the mini bumped up to a 5gb and better battery life. Flash is a great idea because there is a huge market there.

[akboarder24]

sandisk just came out with 4gb and 8gb cf cards...how 'bout them apples? does that throw a wrench into your guys' nay-sayin' gears?

[Daveway]

I think we will also see the mini bumped up to a 5gb and better battery life. Flash is a great idea because there is a huge market there. Remember all the contradictions Steve has made in the past like no windows software, no pizza box imac, etc.

[Will Curran]

i like my ipaq 2215 for flash media right now my cheap-o 128mb sandisk holds 20 songs cost me 40 then theirs the price of the ipaq

well...whatever it takes for apple to make money i say...im still waiting for the clothing line

[kainjow]

Maybe they'll make it so you can attach it to your keychain

It's not a dumb idea. It's a brilliant idea. Just because Steve Jobs doesn't like flash-based MP3 players, doesn't mean his company shouldn't sell them. If they want to make more money, they will sell a flash iPod. It only makes sense.

[Zigster]

I don't own an ipod, but for 99 bucks I'll buy a flash version.

And that's why they are making them. For people like me.

[Steamboatwillie]

Originally Posted by theROZ

I think a ipod flash player is a dumb idea....

My friend the engineer once said to me, on the topic of software engineering "When there are more than one good ideas, implement them all"

1) Big iPods for storage hungry users
2) Mini iPods for midrange users and the fashion conscious
3) Flash iPods for budget users and to fill the only niche of the mp3 market that Apple hasn't entered as of yet. (and joggers, bikers, etc)

If this rumor is true then there may be some hope yet that a low end G4 or G5 headless box/cube/sphere/whatever may also be a possibility?

[macridah]

this really affects my xmas shopping this season.

[jholzner]

Originally Posted by Veldek

I still can't believe it. At the introduction of the iPod Photo, Steve Jobs said that the huge market share of the iPod includes "all those flash players that people received as presents and never use".

Which is 65%. Why not go after that other35%?

[Inkmonkey]

Originally Posted by oingoboingo

For a flash-RAM only player, somethign the size of the iPod mini would be way too big. Flash-based MP3 players are tiny these days...not much bigger than inline remotes on headphone cords, or the form-factor of USB memory keys. An iPod mini-sized flash player would look like a dinosaur.

Great Maniacal Macaques! I think a lot of those flash players are way too small to be useful. I think they still need to implement the click wheel into an iPod Flash. But I'm sure Apple will figure out a way to balance the two.