iPod 'Customers just don't want radios on their iPods' - I do

[geese]

If you're desperate for a radio, get a mobile phone with one built in.

I'd love it if Apple of a mobile phone maker made one with a DAB radio. Fat chance though.

 

[Lau]

Argh, I HATE RADIO SO MUCH!

I can't remember the last time I purposefully listened to it.

If I wanted to hear IDIOTS talk about CRAP, I'd....

uhm...

turn on the radio.

The truest words ever spoken.....

 

[All]

Geez, I've never seen such a lack of interest in added functionality on these forums.

Usually people bitch and moan six ways to sunday about something that's MISSING from the iPod and here's something that adds free and often new music/talk radio to your portable listening experience and you trounce on it like angry children.

I'd love to see a tuner in a future iPod, not just for listening to radio but for transmitting it like my iTrip does now.

And please no flames about getting a creative player...blech.

theres a simple explanation for that: they're fanboys.

A feature only becomes desirable ONCE apple says it is and adds it to the ipod. If an FM tuner is added sometime in the future i'm sure all these clowns will stand up and celebrate the innovative way steve jobs has managed to integrate an FM tuner.

I also love these excuses. Makes you wonder if they're as critical of TV. Maybe they all got PVRs at home.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

Actually, what I did was: I didn't say anything about the radio fuctionality in an iPod; instead I talked about a Video iPod. I think it would be cool to be able to view music videos on your iPod. I also said if it's possible to just have an updater to allow them with out the whole community having to go buy another iPod. [I'm talking about photo iPods and iPods with a color display].

I really don't care about a radio; I never listen to the radio - to many commericals - already have my music that I want to listen to on my iPod

 

[stoid]

Of the 5% of users that want a radio in their 'Pod, it seems that 90+% want it for hearing the TV audio broadcast in the gym.

Maybe I'm being dense, but why would you take a $100+ device to the gym for listening to a radio broadcast?

 

[anonymous161]

I also love these excuses. Makes you wonder if they're as critical of TV. Maybe they all got PVRs at home.

I have a PVR

 

[Blue Velvet]

theres a simple explanation for that: they're fanboys.

A feature only becomes desirable ONCE apple says it is and adds it to the ipod. If an FM tuner is added sometime in the future i'm sure all these clowns will stand up and celebrate the innovative way steve jobs has managed to integrate an FM tuner.

I also love these excuses. Makes you wonder if they're as critical of TV. Maybe they all got PVRs at home.

Clowns and fanboys? Worthless drivel... haven't you got better things to do than come here and flame people?

 

[0098386]

well i used to have an MP3 player with a radio, and let me say when i plugged it into a mac at college (G3 iMac, OS9) it wiped all the songs off it. but i walked home listening to the radio instead.

does have its uses. but i doubt my Mini will get wiped whilst im out and about.

does have its uses, but no radio please.

 

[mrgreen4242]

I'm gonna be a clown/fanboy/whatever you called us and say that adding a radio to the iPod would be pointless and a waste of money, space, and electricity. Radio is teh suck. I only listen to it for NPR, and I can get almost all of that podcasted now anyways.

What I DO think would be cool, and I think there is a good chance of it happening eventually is Apple getting a licensing deal with one of the sattelite providers and then offering a subscription service to those 'stations' as podcasts.

Have sporting events and live talk shows available as podcasts an hour or so after it happens, prerecorded original shows can be available at about the same time they broadcast. Music stations could offer hour long playlists in various genres, something similar to what Apple does with the new music tuesdays... have maybe 5 or 6 good 1 hour playlists a day for a variety of music types.

Charge maybe $7-8 a month for it, free if you are a 'regular' subscriber of that service. You'd probably get some takers. I'd do it if they had NHL broadcasts available. I'm going to try and record the Wings streams this year so I can listen to them at work the next day, but I'd pay to have it done for me.

 

[Redline13]

I find the lack of a radio in the iPod extremly annoying.

 

[Blue Velvet]

What I DO think would be cool, and I think there is a good chance of it happening eventually is Apple getting a licensing deal with one of the sattelite providers and then offering a subscription service to those 'stations' as podcasts.

Absolutely no chance if you can't use it in different countries in the world.

Maybe a limited edition for the US only... but not as a full feature for all iPods. It wouldn't work in Japan, the EU, Australasia etc. Who would buy that?

 

[mrgreen4242]

Absolutely no chance if you can't use it in different countries in the world.

Maybe a limited edition for the US only... but not as a full feature for all iPods. It wouldn't work in Japan, the EU, Australasia etc. Who would buy that?

Since it wouldn't be a feature of the iPod, but rather of the iTMS it could be rolled out into which ever countries it was feasible in without any real trouble.

 

[MacDawg]

theres a simple explanation for that: they're fanboys.

A feature only becomes desirable ONCE apple says it is and adds it to the ipod. If an FM tuner is added sometime in the future i'm sure all these clowns will stand up and celebrate the innovative way steve jobs has managed to integrate an FM tuner.

I also love these excuses. Makes you wonder if they're as critical of TV. Maybe they all got PVRs at home.

What a load of crap


Woof, Woof – Dawg

 

[devilot]

I'd like the option of listening to the radio...

I occasionally feel like listening to Howard Stern... other times I'm really intersted in a contest that the local station is running and I would love to be able to tune in and check up every so often (and before anyone scoffs, I have won free concert tickets to see Weezer and Cake, and have won a free video game before, so yessss... it is worthwhile for me to attempt to win from a radio station!). Not to mention, sometimes I really like the singles that are playing on the air and I don't want to shell out a dollar to get it from iTMS.

But I do agree that for the most part, radio is annoying w/ all its ads so the ability to turn a radio function on and off would be nice.

Plus, I know at least 3 people who would get the iPod if it also had a radio built in and that would be a plus because maybe, just maybe, they'd end up switching.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Since it wouldn't be a feature of the iPod, but rather of the iTMS it could be rolled out into which ever countries it was feasible in without any real trouble.

Sorry... shooting from the lip. Missed the podcast bit.

I just get fed up with hearing about Sirius on iPods, that's all. It's just such a minority interest with no global reach that it just won't happen IMHO.

 

[joepunk]

I like listening to the radio, of course it is only a few stations that I like.

However, I don't think that the iPod needs to have a built-in radio function. That is what the third party manufacturers are here for IMO.

 

[Savage Henry]

I try to find a middle ground in the iPod/radio debate. When I am out I listen to my iPod but pay slightly more attention to billboards and advertising hoardings when I walk past them; I then get a loud mouth moron at work to shout something bigoted every six minutes minutes with the precursor "I was reading the paper today ...."

I feel that by doing this I'm saving Apple the unnecssarily expenditure on R&D.

 

[All]

What a load of crap


Woof, Woof – Dawg

I bet it is and thanks for explaining it so well to me.

How many IPOD users use its photo capability? I'd be wiling to bet very few do. BUT SURPRISE! SURPRISE! it still plays music.

the IPOD shuffle's board comes with capability to have an fm tuner, but apple chooses to disable the feature. I'm sure all hell wouldnt break loose if an FM tuner was integrated from its inception. there would a lot of, "if you dont like it (fm tuner), dont use it."

And please dont tell me an FM tuner would ruin the aesthetics of the IPOD cause iGriffin attatchment isnt exactly iPLEASING.

i bet the powerpc cpu was god up till a few months ago as well.

 

[Piarco]

I'd kinda like a DAB tuner, but as BV said, with the differing type of services offered around the globe, Apple will never include a tuner. If there was one universal method of digital radio available, then I would be bemoaning the lack of such a tuner, but as this isn't the case I understand why Apple won't include it - you'd have to produce country specific models, and thats a lot of money flushed down the drain.

As for ye olde FM, its coming to the end of its life within the next 5 years or so. IIRC the FM transmitters were supposed to be switched of in the UK by 2007, but have since been moved back to 2010. As its DAB or nothing, and due to the points above, Apple will keep the iPods tuner-less for the forseeable future...

Oh, and All - everyone I know with a Photo (only around 8 people) uses the photo function. This ranges from people whose first iPod is the photo to power users.

 

[dops7107]

As a global product, radio functionality would be limited to FM. Now, I haven't been to the states in a long time, but I understand that the choice of radio out there is abysmal - do correct me if I am wrong. But if true, I can understand why you wouldn't want a worthless radio. Personally, I quite like DAB as a portable means of listening to the BBC here in the UK, which does do decent radio (I can leave the commercial rubbish though). Why carry three gadgets - radio, iPod, phone - when conceivably one can do the trick. Technology isn't quite there yet, or battery power isn't anyway.

As for video iPod... now I don't see the point of that unless it can pick up transmissions. Does anyone actually pay to download music videos and watch them? The wonderful thing about music is you can do other stuff whilst listening; watching takes your attention away.

 

[dops7107]

As for ye olde FM, its coming to the end of its life within the next 5 years or so. IIRC the FM transmitters were supposed to be switched of in the UK by 2007, but have since been moved back to 2010.

I'm willing to bet that we still have FM in the UK by 2010. DAB hasn't been anything like the success the UK government has hoped for. It is a crippled technology, and most digital radio is listened to through cable, satellite or freeview. I can't see people getting rid of the tens of millions of FM receivers in 5 years time, and nor can I see manufacturers stopping making them.

I have a DAB hifi tuner and I like it for 5Live, but it sounds worse than FM for BBC1, 2 and 4. BBC3 is the only exception, which benefits from high bitrates.

 

[dejo]

Why carry three gadgets - radio, iPod, phone - when conceivably one can do the trick. Technology isn't quite there yet, or battery power isn't anyway.

And why have a separate spoon and fork when a spork will do the trick? The problem with convergence is it tends to nullify the strengths of the individual products when merged together. The reverse of the ol' "The sum is greater than..." adage.

 

[Piarco]

I'm willing to bet that we still have FM in the UK by 2010. DAB hasn't been anything like the success the UK government has hoped for. It is a crippled technology, and most digital radio is listened to through cable, satellite or freeview. I can't see people getting rid of the tens of millions of FM receivers in 5 years time, and nor can I see manufacturers stopping making them.

I have a DAB hifi tuner and I like it for 5Live, but it sounds worse than FM for BBC1, 2 and 4. BBC3 is the only exception, which benefits from high bitrates.

I agreed that it'll be around after 2010 - its just thats the current target for the government. Digital TV has had a huge uptake, but even the turn off of the TV analogue signal has been moved back. I only know 2 people with DAB tuners so far, although I am looking at getting a small add-on unit for the stereo in my bedroom.

I would have thought the reception in Oxford would have been pretty good - rather than that seemingly of a fringe area? Is the Freeview signal as weak?

 

[dops7107]

I would have thought the reception in Oxford would have been pretty good - rather than that seemingly of a fringe area? Is the Freeview signal as weak?

Reception for DAB is excellent - the transmitter is about 5 miles away. I haven't tried Freeview but I assume it is transmitted from the same site. I've been toying with the idea of getting that eyeTV thing, but I'd hate to find out that the crappy aerial won't be up to the job. And anyway, I can't quite justify it at the mo. i spend enough time at the computer without using it to watch telly!

 

[dops7107]

And why have a separate spoon and fork when a spork will do the trick? The problem with convergence is it tends to nullify the strengths of the individual products when merged together. The reverse of the ol' "The sum is greater than..." adage.

This is, admittedly, very true. Camera phones are rubbish for this very reason. Nevertheless, I fail to see why (in theory) a circuit for DAB radio should really compromise a circuit for playing MP3s/AAC. It's a cost/space thing. If the right manufacturers collaborated, it could be achieved. Assuming anyone would want to buy it, that is...