Apple iPod Hi-Fi Photos, First Looks

[miketcool]

Whoops!

Heck, the original Mac had a handle...

Hahaha
Yeah, maybe if I took my leather Fedora off of it I might remember that it, too, has a handle.

Man, imagine if Apple had claimed the handle on the original Mac was for taking it to the beach. I'd love to have a Mac Cabana!

 

[theluckyone]

You know what cracks me up?

"Audiophiles" are some of the most miserable and cynical people ever.

B&O has some kick ass stuff. I like that their stuff looks and sounds good to me. Pity for you you think its crap.

Bose has always sounded good to me - I had some oftheir original Acoustimass speakers in the late 80s. Loved the sound. Pity if you think it is crap.

What is most likely to be in our living room and house? B&O and Bose.

I think being and proclaiming yourself and audiophile gives you extremely limited choice. I'm glad my ears can't tell the difference.

Love you iGary, but Bose is total crap. Not only will you tell the difference, but your life will change and you'll have a new obsession the moment you hear McIntosh electronics hooked up to Wilson speakers (audiophiles, back off, just one example). In terms of product selection, there's actually WAY too much out there (check out http://www.moonaudio.com). DO stay away from the truly high-end stuff if you even want to send your kids to college, or buy a new car, etc...

 

[gauriemma]

big output never comes in a small package!

Sounds like someone has yet to be introduced to Tivoli Audio...

 

[theluckyone]

OK guys, I listened to Steve's presentation on Engadget.
1) "We'd like to make some medium-level announcements today" -- not life-changing

2) He said the Hi-Fi would complete with some of the more compact systems (like the Bose wave radio) -- couldn't be that hard to make it sound better for less. Just look at its size next to the Bose -- you KNOW it'll sound better.

3) This is what has me excited: It has the often overlooked components of audiophile quality, i.e. most people think louder is better and that's it. He's saying that even though this is a small system, they focused on things like soundstage, separating the instruments and limiting distortion. WOW! Like decent computer speakers on steroids. And if they've done a good job, putting it in a single unit gets rid of the speaker placement issue. You could tell he was in love with his new product...he's been testing them in his house for months....he did say he would replace his home stereo, but I'm 99% sure he was PLAYING.

 

[thatdarnfish]

Nothing beats....

Not only is my Cambridge Soundworks radio much smaller than the hi-fi, but I can hook it up to my computer and ipod with no problem. It's got a subwoofer, alarm clock, a variety of soundstage options and to be honest, I can't imagine any table top sounding better. It comes with a radio and all for about $200. Apple is totally relying upon name recognition, to the detriment of innovation.

 

[Butters]

Somebody mentioned earlier how compatable this would be with future form iPods. That got me thinking of what the new form might be.. widescreen? like the fake 6G photo.

So if new iPods are going to sport larger displays then they can probably be shared or watched from a distance more easily (depending on how much bigger the displays are really I suppose) now wouldn't this increase the need for a iPod hifi device? watch your iPod like a TV.
Ok so the iPod is never going to be quite TV-sized but seeing as you don't generally take your TV to the beach or you're garden etc. a video iPod sitting on top of the boombox might not be such a bad idea.

 

[Arnaud]

Somebody mentioned earlier how compatable this would be with future form iPods. That got me thinking of what the new form might be.. widescreen? like the fake 6G photo.

So if new iPods are going to sport larger displays then they can probably be shared or watched from a distance more easily (depending on how much bigger the displays are really I suppose) now wouldn't this increase the need for a iPod hifi device? watch your iPod like a TV.
Ok so the iPod is never going to be quite TV-sized but seeing as you don't generally take your TV to the beach or you're garden etc. a video iPod sitting on top of the boombox might not be such a bad idea.

Uh, 10" video screen on top of 20" loud-speakers ? That'd be quite a weird impression, a little Jivaro-head like. And you'd get either deaf of the too-close loud speakers, or blind of the too-distant video screen...

 

[nostaws]

anti piracy device

I think the boombox is kinda cool. I also see this as another tool in anti piracy. All the stuff you can get off the web isn't going to sound great on the Hi Fi (may itunes downloads will be acceptable/maybe the will change their encoding).

So you are going to have to buy CDs and rip them in lossless format to get the ideal sound from the hi-fi. Making record companies happier.

 

[blilly]

Sounds like someone has yet to be introduced to Tivoli Audio...

Good call: but actually I own THREE! Tivoli's are nice and heavy . . . and they do sound great. I run my iPod into one all the time when I'm working in the basement.

Edit: I see you were quoting someone else . . I had written nearly the same thing just before, too. Sorry for the hijack.

 

[Arnaud]

He's saying that even though this is a small system, they focused on things like soundstage, separating the instruments and limiting distortion. WOW! Like decent computer speakers on steroids. And if they've done a good job, putting it in a single unit gets rid of the speaker placement issue. You could tell he was in love with his new product...he's been testing them in his house for months....he did say he would replace his home stereo, but I'm 99% sure he was PLAYING.

Well, unless he thought "this is a regular piece of electronics, which we ended up overpricing because that's the first time we engineered and designed one; it was supposed to be small and cheap, but now it's small and expensive, so I'd better find arguments for that, like quality and stuff; myabe we can say that the compactness makes it great, although we obviously lose the stereo; I've never listened to it, besides when the engineering chief showed it to me yesterday, because I've got this massive, brilliant stereo system home, but maybe I can say I've used it for months, to impress the target... Oh yes, I've got to look excited too."

My questions are:
- what stereo system is (really) in Steve Jobs' living-room ?
- with such a preofessional experience as his, how much distortion of the truth can be expressed without flinching ? (come on, I didn't say "lie"!)
- Theluckyone, do you really believe all that's said in commercial events ???

Oh well, my opinion anyway

 

[TheMasin9]

ipod hi-fi

i think its honestly the wrong way to go for apple. I think its big and fairly ugly (especially by apple standards). They need to focus on the actual hardware and let the 3rd parties work on these kind of accessories.

 

[aricher]

Is it me or is Apple's Design Group slowly regressing to the plastic-y 70s? The first thing I thought of when I saw the new "Hi-Fi" was...

Funny how the Weltron GEC 2007 has the white plastic smooth line style - Apple-esque in a way - or is the iPod "Weltron-esque?" To me Apple's Hi-Fi also looks like a Bang & Olufsen rip-off.

 

[sishaw]

I just think that this was not priced competitively. $350 makes it the absolute most for the iPod "high quality" one speaker systems.

The original iPod was deemed priced too high on this board.

The shuffle was thought $50 too high by hundreds on this board.

Millions of those products have been sold. In fact, if Apple priced the hi-fi lower than the Bose Sounddock, how many people here would be saying, "for x dollars more, I can get a Bose, why should I buy Apple?" The fact is, the threads on this board, while always interesting and fun, have historically done a TERRIBLE job of predicting what's going to be popular among the iPod-related items. I believe it is because the board is populated by a self-selected sampling of the uber-Mac-faithful, but these products sell to the public at large, who have different expectations.

 

[cxny]

I love the idea of three kids walking down the street listening to their iPod Hi-Fi. One kid on each handle and one kid guarding the precious iPod from potential grab-n-run attack!

 

[Flying Llama]

The original iPod was deemed priced too high on this board.

The shuffle was thought $50 too high by hundreds on this board.

Millions of those products have been sold. In fact, if Apple priced the hi-fi lower than the Bose Sounddock, how many people here would be saying, "for x dollars more, I can get a Bose, why should I buy Apple?" The fact is, the threads on this board, while always interesting and fun, have historically done a TERRIBLE job of predicting what's going to be popular among the iPod-related items. I believe it is because the board is populated by a self-selected sampling of the uber-Mac-faithful, but these products sell to the public at large, who have different expectations.

Yeah, check out MacRumors' reaction when the iPod first came out, it's absolutely hilarious:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/

After reading that I think the iPod Hi-Fi will do well

I'd call it the Cube 2.0 as it wont sell, and be killed off in a short time...and it's not really functional.

All that hype for an MP3 player? Break-thru digital device? The Reality Distiortion Field™ is starting to warp Steve's mind if he thinks for one second that this thing is gonna take off.

just a few examples.

 

[theluckyone]

Well, unless he thought "this is a regular piece of electronics, which we ended up overpricing because that's the first time we engineered and designed one; it was supposed to be small and cheap, but now it's small and expensive, so I'd better find arguments for that, like quality and stuff; myabe we can say that the compactness makes it great, although we obviously lose the stereo; I've never listened to it, besides when the engineering chief showed it to me yesterday, because I've got this massive, brilliant stereo system home, but maybe I can say I've used it for months, to impress the target... Oh yes, I've got to look excited too."

My questions are:
- what stereo system is (really) in Steve Jobs' living-room ?
- with such a preofessional experience as his, how much distortion of the truth can be expressed without flinching ? (come on, I didn't say "lie"!)
- Theluckyone, do you really believe all that's said in commercial events ???

Oh well, my opinion anyway

Sorry, but to me, this isn't just any ol' company's marketing. I trust Steve after years and years of following his keynotes, and then seeing the products. People hear things like "3 times faster" but forget that he also said "just the processor, the actual computer won't be 3 times faster." Sure, he puts it in the best light, but the folks who pay attention know what he expect.

As for the price, Apple ALWAYS charges a premium that's right at the edge of what I'm willing to pay for the product -- to the point where it's like they read my mind. I mean, the iPod is really expensive, and EVERYONE has one. It's not the features list, it's the experience. The Hi-Fi will be no exception. It's not meant to replace the $1k systems, it's meant to replace the Bose sound dock. And it'll probably kill it in terms of the integration, sound and little Apple-esque details.

 

[Arnaud]

Sorry, but to me, this isn't just any ol' company's marketing. I trust Steve after years and years of following his keynotes, and then seeing the products. People hear things like "3 times faster" but forget that he also said "just the processor, the actual computer won't be 3 times faster." Sure, he puts it in the best light, but the folks who pay attention know what he expect.

As for the price, Apple ALWAYS charges a premium that's right at the edge of what I'm willing to pay for the product -- to the point where it's like they read my mind. I mean, the iPod is really expensive, and EVERYONE has one. It's not the features list, it's the experience. The Hi-Fi will be no exception. It's not meant to replace the $1k systems, it's meant to replace the Bose sound dock. And it'll probably kill it in terms of the integration, sound and little Apple-esque details.

Well, you got your points, but I also have my memory of the marketing by Apple:
- I bought my "whisper-quiet iMac G5" and regret it to that day, because of the vibrations and noise,
- "easy-to-use and revolutionary iWeb" and I'm still waiting for the update to 1.0.2 so that it actually uploads correctly.

I was not commenting on the features of the iPod Hifi in that post, but on your comments based on Apple's marketing arguments. The line about Job replacing his stereo had me seriously smile.

But if you're convinced all is true and everyone will buy one, well, fine with me.

 

[ijimk]

I just think that this was not priced competitively. $350 makes it the absolute most for the iPod "high quality" one speaker systems.

At least it does have inputs for other things, if you didn't HAVE a stereo at all this might be worth looking at.

i agree i think $149 would be perfect but defiantly no more than $200.

 

[m-dogg]

I know this has been said before, but why did they make it white with a black speaker cover? It would be like making the face of the iMac black but keeping the rest of it white. Ugly - That's the type of thing PC makers do.

 

[cyberddot]

Hmmm...even without a stereo...I'm not sure if we can convince ourselves that this is much better than the powered speakers that currently do this job. The price definitely suggests that there must be more than speakers and a charger in this box...or that there should be anyway.

I think I'll hold out for the MacMiniBoomBoxHomeTheater.

 

[theluckyone]

Well, you got your points, but I also have my memory of the marketing by Apple:
- I bought my "whisper-quiet iMac G5" and regret it to that day, because of the vibrations and noise,
- "easy-to-use and revolutionary iWeb" and I'm still waiting for the update to 1.0.2 so that it actually uploads correctly.

I was not commenting on the features of the iPod Hifi in that post, but on your comments based on Apple's marketing arguments. The line about Job replacing his stereo had me seriously smile.

But if you're convinced all is true and everyone will buy one, well, fine with me.

I have an iMac G5 -- I think they did have to replace some fans due to noise, but it's silent. I have yet to try iWeb...

You're right, tho -- he HAD to be joking. Or maybe he realized that the superior sound of his $100k Wilson Audio system isn't worth it? It certianly wouldn't be if you're listening to compressed music through the iPod's less than audiophile internal amp...

But that was CERTAINLY a mistake. Because, yeah, right...

 

[ITR 81]

I know this has been said before, but why did they make it white with a black speaker cover? It would be like making the face of the iMac black but keeping the rest of it white. Ugly - That's the type of thing PC makers do.

Well if most are like me they like to see the speakers..not the grill.
I only have grills on speakers on the floor for protection against feet and whatnot...but on the shelf I don't care.

I want to see it compared to the Klipsch IFI. If it can perform close or the same as it then I'm buying because the IFI is like $30 bucks more then the Hi Fi and doesn't fit all iPods either.

 

[Arnaud]

I have an iMac G5 -- I think they did have to replace some fans due to noise, but it's silent. I have yet to try iWeb...

Yeah well, I drank from the words of Steve Jobs and ordered the iMac G5 (rev. A) as soon as possible, got it after 2 months of waiting... and discovered the noises.
On the rev. A, they are due to the fan tunnel AND the fan itself AND the hard drive AND the CPU fan. I had it checked by my store and all. Conclusion: the iMac G5 rev. A cannot be whisper-quiet, I've had to shunt the internal HD. (I think they lost this marketing line "whisper quiet" later, btw; I suppose all newer versions were and are quieter though).

But well. We'll see how the iPod HiFi succeeds on the market.

 

[theluckyone]

Well if most are like me they like to see the speakers..not the grill.
I only have grills on speakers on the floor for protection against feet and whatnot...but on the shelf I don't care.

I want to see it compared to the Klipsch IFI. If it can perform close or the same as it then I'm buying because the IFI is like $30 bucks more then the Hi Fi and doesn't fit all iPods either.

and the iFi is 3 parts and it's REALLY ugly. Who wants all those cables for a compact system?

Plus, does it have a remote?

 

[motiua]

iPod Hi-Fi

I