Apple Developing More In-House Tech?

[narco]

I really don't think the price of the iPod is set by the components-- it's set by the market. As long as Apple clears the warehouse, there's no reason to cut prices.

Besides, unless Apple has decided to start making their own hard drives, I don't think they're going to have a huge impact on the price of the unit. How much can you really save in the click wheel?

Well, I was referring to the actual article that states:
These costs saving measures are likely to be reflected in slightly higher margins for Apple and lower iPod costs for the end consumer.

Fishes,
narco.

 

[lopresmb]

less expensive is a beautiful thing, if apple could retain profit margins and catch up with lower prices (I'm thinking computers) it would be beautiful, their market share would shoot way up...

 

[pubwvj]

Apple is reportedly planning on offering user-replacable batteries in an upcoming iPod line.

The in-house development is nice but what really caught my eye is the above line. Lack of user replaceable batteries is a show-stopper for me on the iPod.

 

[keyMACer]

OMG OMG OMG User replacable batteries???? I think hell just froze over..I mean, honestly...pigs were flying when they released the 3 button mouse, but Ahhhh!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!.

Hasn't Hell frozen over twice already? iTunes for Windows/multifunction mouse.... so what comes AFTER hell freezes? It becomes beautiful?!!?

 

[quackattack]

This is great news. Further vertical integration only means Apple is in better control of its destiny. It should be more profitable in the long run which is good news for AAPL 😀 .

 

[egor]

So how did you fit all your music on a CD player before iPods were around. I am sure you can find a way to put music you actually listen to on your 60. Unless you are going around the world so many times you need 15,000 songs to only listen to each one with out repeating.

I am starting to think your house might have large stacks of magazines and newspapers.

Hmm...

Personally speaking because I like my music to, you know, actually sound decent a 60GB iPod for myself would hold under 2000 songs, not anywhere near 15,000.. yes, its much better than CDs but they're different products.. you want a high capacity MP3 player so you have that song that you need at that moment right there and then.. a 60GB iPod just isn't going to quite cut the mustard.. having said that, anyone who needs one over 120GB has very bad taste, there just isn't that much good music and all of this is pointless because apple making in-house components isn't going to fix the storage capacity problems considering they really won't have the capability to develop and manufacture mini hard drives.

 

[narco]

anyone who needs one over 120GB has very bad taste, there just isn't that much good music

Oh, how I beg to differ. Right now I have over 20,000 individual tracks and have scanned my hard drive on multiple occasions to delete anything that isn't worthy. Truth is, it's very tough. There IS so much good music in the world, I will probably never even come close to listening to all of it in my life time. I am constantly discovering new bands on a daily basis and I become absolutely infatuated with them. It'll be a long while before I'll need 120 gigs, though.

Fishes,
narco.

 

[AidenShaw]

LOL, what a line

...Apple is planning on personally developing more individual components...

Humorous misuse of the term "personally".... 😉

 

[quackattack]

Oh, how I beg to differ. Right now I have over 20,000 individual tracks and have scanned my hard drive on multiple occasions to delete anything that isn't worthy. Truth is, it's very tough. There IS so much good music in the world, I will probably never even come close to listening to all of it in my life time. I am constantly discovering new bands on a daily basis and I become absolutely infatuated with them. It'll be a long while before I'll need 120 gigs, though.

Fishes,
narco.

Here, here!

The amount of good music in this world is staggering! It seems like I am constantly discovering new bands, genres, and styles. Get away from the radio and explore what is out there. You will be amazed.

I can easily imagine filling 120 gigs if a few years. This is especially true now that I am ripping everything in lossless!

 

[Mac Dummy]

User replaceable battery in the Ipod line?

That sounds pretty cool. 😎 Considering since Creative has had user replaceable batteries in its product line for years. 😀

 

[bigandy]

That sounds pretty cool. 😎 Considering since Creative has had user replaceable batteries in its product line for years. 😀

You compare the iPod to all that creative carp? My oh my, what is the world coming to...


Methinks replaceable batteries a la powerbook/ibook would be a great thing, as long as they didn't work loose.. which there's a possibility of if you put a pack on the back of something, in this way.

 

[iMeowbot]

Methinks replaceable batteries a la powerbook/ibook would be a great thing, as long as they didn't work loose.. which there's a possibility of if you put a pack on the back of something, in this way.

It seems to work pretty well for phones already, and the choice of different battery sizes depending on the size/time compromise you want to make would be nifty.

 

[Diatribe]

anyone who needs one over 120GB has very bad taste, there just isn't that much good music .

Some people have already addressed this ridiculously close-minded comment but I want to add something. Not only are there artist you probably haven't even heard of in a particular genre that are awesome but there exist people who actually listen to more than 1 genre or music in more than 1 language, although you may find that incomprehensible.

 

[wdlove]

This just seems to follow along with Steve's desire to be in control. Apple doing it in-house should improve usability. Also continue the ability for the iPod to stay on top of the MP3 market. The idea of cutting costs is good for the investor and consumer.

 

[Analog Kid]

Well, I was referring to the actual article that states:
These costs saving measures are likely to be reflected in slightly higher margins for Apple and lower iPod costs for the end consumer.

Yeah, I know. I don't agree with the conclusion the article reaches...

 

[BGil]

Some people have already addressed this ridiculously close-minded comment but I want to add something. Not only are there artist you probably haven't even heard of in a particular genre that are awesome but there exist people who actually listen to more than 1 genre or music in more than 1 language, although you may find that incomprehensible.

Not only that but some people like to store their music in a lossless or uncompressed format.

 

[JFreak]

Not only that but some people like to store their music in a lossless or uncompressed format.

YES! now if itunes music store only allowed to purchase 24bit/96kHz aiff releases that are not squashed (ruined by overcompression) during mastering 😉

 

[JFreak]

The idea of cutting costs is good for the investor and consumer.

yes it is, but also bad for the company that originally created the chip apple is rumoured to begin manufacturing themselves. granted, they have had more than fair revenues from it, but nonetheless, they would deserve to stay in business even if that meant having to lower prices for apple due to ever increasing volume.

 

[JFreak]

anyone who needs one over 120GB has very bad taste

just the same way 640kB of main memory should be enough for eveybody? man, i have that 120GB of (high resolution multichannel) audio data for a single cd project alone, and i most definetely do not have a bad taste 😉

 

[JFreak]

Lack of user replaceable batteries is a show-stopper for me on the iPod.

there are also people who think that the day ipod receives user-replaceable batteries is the day when the ipod will stop being anything special.

 

[rxse7en]

In it's history, did Apple ever consider in-house CPU design/production?