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hmm

This commercial could easily be regarding the ipod mini, not a 4th gen. iPod. The mini hasn't been advertised on tv that I've seen. Thats my guess.
 
If they are shooting an iPod commercial, I'm not surprised that it's in NYC. Every time I get on a train here, there are at least three people in my carriage with those damn white earphones (you can tell I don't have an iPod yet, can't you? ;) ).

They did need to stop with those irritating petit mal-inducing silhouette commercials, too. Let's show real people - not silhouettes, not Hollywood directors, not Moby - using an Apple product for once, shall we? I, for one, volunteer. :)
 
I'm praying it's the new iPods though...
I wanna get one already...!!
Gimme 4G now now now!
Gimme reliable rumours.. I want confirmation that there'll be one released in the next few months... then I can sleep soundly :)
 
personally i wish the ipod had more of a "cult" following
we are elitist when it comes to portable mp3 image, but something about being unique and only the very few owning an ipod feels so good.

I see so many people with ipods now and some of em it's obvious and clear that they don't use their ipod at its fullest potential..

Once I got my ipod i took such great care to re-organize all my music collection with better id3 tags and cleaner encodings.

Some people just dont deserve an ipod if they cant do whats neccesary to REALLY enjoy the "experience" IMO :p it's an image thing for them :rolleyes:

but I'm glad apple is getting SOME mainstream respect...the ipod is a beautiful example of attention to details and apple innovation.

4th gen ipods hurry up dammit so I can distinguish myself from all the "hip" ipod bandwagon crowd :D
 
Nisaea said:
Hello,

Here's my take on the iPods. Apple has to do something, and do it very soon as it is already far behind in the mp3 player race in terms of features. Look at those players:

iRiver iHP-120: 20Gigs, USB2, plays all formats save AAC, Digital line in and line out, Analog line in and line out, voice recorder (direct-to-MP3), volume controlled microphone (direct-to-MP3), FM radio and a 16 Hours Battery. (Very basic mac compatibility, can serve as a hard drive.)
349$

DMC Xclef 500: 40Gigs, same thing as the iRiver except that it has a 20 hours battery, uses an ordinary (i.e. user upgradable) drive, is fully mac compatible and can serve as an external hard drive as well.
Again, 349$.

To get 20Gigs in an iPod, you have to pay 50$ more and you still don't get any line-ins, digital or otherwise, no internal microphone, no radio. You only get AAC compatibility. And you're still far from the Xclef's 40Gigs.

Hmmm... Seems like the iPod, last I checked, supports much more than just AAC. Oddly, "all formats save AAC" apparently means (at least according to the DMC specs page), "MP3 and WMA Music Playback". That's not exactly "all formats". Heck, in sheer format count the iPod has it beat (iPod also plays quicktime lossless and aiff formats). Neither player gets anywhere near "all formats", if for no other reason than that neither supports OGG or FLAC or APE or MP3Plus, etc. In other words, if your beef is that the iPod just won't support your Buy.com WMA library, say that. Don't disguise your partisanship as a general "doesn't support enough formats" complaint.

As for user interface, they're probably not as easy to use as the iPod, but we're not children and it's not rocket science anyway...

Well, that's kind of funny. I generally don't regard myself as an imbicile either, but I had massive ongoing troubles trying to get my wife's RCA Lyra to connect up to our Windows PC (to pull from our MP3 collection). The software was flaky, the connection was tempermental (and if it failed at the wrong spots you'd lose everything on the device and have to start from scratch. Great user design, there.) Moreover, the device itself had a crappy interface and the device itself crashed routinely.

Now, of course, that's not the iRiver or DMC models you're promoting above, but it's silly to implicate that the rest of the industry has come anywhere near catching up to Apple in interface or stability, not even to the "good enough" cash cow market Bill Gates is so good at weaseling into.

And what if they're not as pretty as the iPods? It's not as if I'll be putting them on display at a museum! Most likely they'll spend most of their time in my pockets...

Yeah, if you can fit them! Those suckers are HUGE!

An iPod, on the other hand, fits nicely into my pockets and into my hand, doesn't take any thought at all to control, and, yes, looks nice. Very nice.

I really want to buy an iPod to go with my Macs, but these days it's getting harder and harder. I'm not a teeny-gadget type freak, so the boring Mini doesn't do a thing for me. I want a full featured mp3 player / hard-drive / recorder and Apple is lagging far, very far behind.

Apple sells one of those full-featured devices. It even plays movies. It's called an "iBook". If size is not a problem for you (which is obvious given your approval of the iRiver/DMC bricks), then why not just get a notebook to lug around with you?

[Edit: Here's a site trying to sell the DMC, which apparently unwittingly posted a feature-by-feature comparison to the iPod :) . I don't think that the DMC comes out ahead, but that's just my opinion. Of course this doesn't even begin to address ease of use, style, and such, but it's revealing nonetheless. I am little concerned at the recharge time required by the DMC, personally, given it's apparently low-voltage DC line in, but that's also not addressed here; it could require a high current which might make up for the low voltage. The site is:

http://www.digmind.com/store/index.html#Comparison

]
 
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Omg look at the upcoming iriver H300 to be released in northern europe between may-june

http://www.irivernordic.com/products.php?pid=35&PHPSESSID=1ee74daf5f79b0ca9f5fc87754aa3eb7

omg if iriver is gonna incorporate a 2" color lcd with their players then I'm sure apple will be on top of that!!!!
the h300 also supports jpeg and bmp files meaning its probably only used for image display

of course apple will do it 50% smaller and WAY cooler :D

*edit upon further analysis the iriver h300 is just a bit bigger than the 3rd gen ipods but not by much

20 gig ipod = 4.1 x 2.4 x .52 @ 5.6 oz
20 gig iriver H300 = 4.1 x 2.45 x .9 @ 6.53 oz


:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

up to 16hrs playback on the iriver h300...apple needs to do just as good even if they have to make the 4th gen a little bit bigger
 
TrunksGoku said:
personally i wish the ipod had more of a "cult" following
we are elitist when it comes to portable mp3 image, but something about being unique and only the very few owning an ipod feels so good.

I see so many people with ipods now and some of em it's obvious and clear that they don't use their ipod at its fullest potential..


So basically you are looking to be a snob. Beautiful. :rolleyes:
 
Hello Jettredmond,

I'm no partisan, and I have nothing but mp3s and AACs in my collection. As for the other music formats you listed, I've never used a single one of them... Right now mp3 and wma (and a handful of AAC for us Mac people: most PC-users don't even know what AAcs are!) are all that really matter.

User interface: I've used the iRiver iHP-120 myself. If you can't figure it out, there's something wrong with you. How complicated can they possibly make those machines anyway? That's what I always wonder when people praise the iPod's ease of use. My microwave is harder to use than the iHP-120...

Size: "Those suckers are HUGE!" you said. The iRiver is exactly the same size as the iPod. EXACTLY THE SAME SIZE! The XClef is one inch longer and half an inch wider. You call that HUGE? If you can manage a walkman, the Xclef will be a piece of cake... Also, the difference between an iPod and a Xcelf, in weight, is about 10 nickels. Oh dear, what a brick!

As for the recharge time, if you take into account that the Xclef lasts for 2.5 times as long as the iPod, you really shouldn't talk about any kind of off-time.

It all comes down to style (which is quite subjective and more or less relevant). And Price (the iPod has a lot more of that, of course). And Features (the iPod shines once more by its amazing lack of it). And by Battery life (1/2 or even 2/5! of the others).

The choice is quite obvious...

Loa

P.S. As for the iBook, a reality check: the Xclef has more HD space than the base iBook model... Isn't that cute!
 
ebunton said:
I'm praying it's the new iPods though...
I wanna get one already...!!
Gimme 4G now now now!
Gimme reliable rumours.. I want confirmation that there'll be one released in the next few months... then I can sleep soundly :)


Yeah, I am looking at buying an ipod in May...I hope if they are doing a 4thG they get it out soon.
 
Heck if Apple could find a way to use a battery that had 12 hours of battery life while still retaining the same size or smaller I would be so happy! Maybe drop the price by $50 would be nice, Apple should try and add support digital audio, however I see a lot of people who brag about having it on their MP3 player, but they never use it.
 
Nisaea said:
Hello Jettredmond,

I'm no partisan, and I have nothing but mp3s and AACs in my collection. As for the other music formats you listed, I've never used a single one of them... Right now mp3 and wma (and a handful of AAC for us Mac people: most PC-users don't even know what AAcs are!) are all that really matter.

User interface: I've used the iRiver iHP-120 myself. If you can't figure it out, there's something wrong with you. How complicated can they possibly make those machines anyway? That's what I always wonder when people praise the iPod's ease of use. My microwave is harder to use than the iHP-120...

Size: "Those suckers are HUGE!" you said. The iRiver is exactly the same size as the iPod. EXACTLY THE SAME SIZE! The XClef is one inch longer and half an inch wider. You call that HUGE? If you can manage a walkman, the Xclef will be a piece of cake... Also, the difference between an iPod and a Xcelf, in weight, is about 10 nickels. Oh dear, what a brick!

As for the recharge time, if you take into account that the Xclef lasts for 2.5 times as long as the iPod, you really shouldn't talk about any kind of off-time.

It all comes down to style (which is quite subjective and more or less relevant). And Price (the iPod has a lot more of that, of course). And Features (the iPod shines once more by its amazing lack of it). And by Battery life (1/2 or even 2/5! of the others).

The choice is quite obvious...

Loa

P.S. As for the iBook, a reality check: the Xclef has more HD space than the base iBook model... Isn't that cute!

I'm not quite as 'foaming at the mouth' as the above but it's interesting to see that the Apple hardcore (meaning those who use the word Job's like the religious use the word Jesus) seem to think that Apple's lead in the portables market makes them unaasailable.

A lot of the reason people have bought iPods is because that's the only MP3 player many are aware of.

It's like the car industry circa 1910. People back then associated the word 'car' with 'Model T' and that's what they bought. As the market grew competition increased and people realized that the Model T was 'a' car and not 'the' car.

Apple has two product offerings. The iPod - expensive, sleek and simple, and the mini...er... expensive, sleek and simple.

This is great for people who want expensive, sleek and simple. However others will rise (and are) to make products for those who want cheap, tough, chunky, feature laden, multi-media devices.

Apple can take it's lead and do one of two things:

1) Diversify the line (a $99 player on one end and a multi-media machine on the other) and grow.
2) Stay with the expensive, sleek simple niche and fight increasingly hard against companies who want a chunk of every secotr (look at how many portable music devices (CD and Tape included) Panasonic and Sony make - that's how you dominate a market).

I hope Apple open up before the iPod becomes the Mac of the music world and Apple have no more leverage, share or respect than they do today. I sold my 30 Gig because it crashed at least once a week, didn't hold my entire collection and had a sub 4 hour battery life after 9 months of use. I want to buy another iPod but it has to be bigger, badder and improved in some way. I'm not 100% sure Apple are going to offer me something though.
 
for all people saying there are better things than iPods...

Yest there are better players out there, the iPod does lack certain features (recording being it, really, but is available from Belkin I think?).

BUT (biiiiiiig but), most people who buy a music player buy them as an accessory that plays music, it has to look really good (remember those great looking Sony Walkmans in the 80s that were slightly larger than the cassette that cost a fortune??? That's why Sony was it with cassette players).

If a really good music player was released that was ugly as sin, nonoe would buy it. if a crappy music player was releaseed and looked lie the latest greatest fashion accessory, well, what do you think?

The other players I've seen have all been ugly. I don't want an ugly accessory, I went and got myself a pretty iPod.
 
How long does it usually take to air a commercial after it is filmed? I don't really know anything about producing commercials but I would guess by the time Apple approved the commercial it could be at minimum 6 weeks.
 
njmac said:
How long does it usually take to air a commercial after it is filmed? I don't really know anything about producing commercials but I would guess by the time Apple approved the commercial it could be at minimum 6 weeks.


I wonder if there are any big TV events happening anytime soon they might use to launch it???

WWDC/July 4th has to be the latest. Anything Earlier?
 
a mini problem

You could be right, but then again I don't think Apple would need to be advertising the mini at a time when demand is already way outstripping supply in the U.S., let alone the rest of the world!

Couple with the job that Apple recently had on their website for an engineer with video codec experience to work on a new generation iPod, and the new features of iTunes 4.5, I think we could be seeing a 4th Gen iPod very soon, and probably before WWDC.

PS - First post! :)


afields said:
This commercial could easily be regarding the ipod mini, not a 4th gen. iPod. The mini hasn't been advertised on tv that I've seen. Thats my guess.
 
coattaker said:
You could be right, but then again I don't think Apple would need to be advertising the mini at a time when demand is already way outstripping supply in the U.S., let alone the rest of the world!

Couple with the job that Apple recently had on their website for an engineer with video codec experience to work on a new generation iPod, and the new features of iTunes 4.5, I think we could be seeing a 4th Gen iPod very soon, and probably before WWDC.

PS - First post! :)

Welcome to the forum coattaker! I wouldn't be surprised if you were right either.
 
Mini-Ipods starting at $149!!!!

Remember that rumor? :) I put off buying an iPod so I could buy one of those dirt-cheap minis that were supposed to come out at $200 or even less. Then the mini was released... at $249. Ouch! But i bought a 10 gig refurb for $236 a week later and am really happy with it.

Well, to stay on-topic, my guess is that it'll have an FM Tuner. there were rumors of that a while back. And maybe a battery that's easier to replace. (There's no reason Apple couldn't make something that just slides in.)
 
mkaake said:
because it *is* technically impossible for apple to work on any two projects at the same time... :rolleyes:

matt

Two projects at the same time? No, not impossible. But how about working on iPod updates, PowerMac revisions, Aluminum displays, new form-factor G5 iMacs, and a new OS (10.4), coupled with what they have obviously been working on as of late - FCP HD, Shake 3.5, DVD Studio Pro, Motion, PowerBook updates, iBook updates and eMac updates. Yah, Apple's not busy at all - what are they doing with all their time and idle resources? :rolleyes:
 
wrldwzrd89 said:
Who is expecting iPod updates at WWDC? As far as I know, nobody is. I'm certainly not, at least not until rumors of iPod updates are posted. Besides 46 days is more like 1.5 months, and for me it would actually have been 54 days till the end of an average update cycle (I bought mine on Wednesday, April 21, 2004).

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the Buyer's Guide and time between updates - if you play the waiting game, you'll never be satisfied. Buy the system (or whatever) that you want, when you want it, and you'll never be disappointed. If you try and do calculations and rely on previous trends, you'll just keep on waiting instead of enjoying your new purchase. I think you're smart to have just gone out and bought yours, wrldwzrd89 - enjoy!
 
d_jk said:
The last iPod update was simply a hard drive capacity increase in the bottom of the range model (along with the iPod mini release). It's been over a year since the iPod was redesigned. I expect an iPod redesign, to some extent, before the end of 2004. I'm hoping it will include line in recording.

Why doesn't Griffin make some iRecord-device? Theyve got the microfone recording thingy. Whish they could make a iLine-in.
 
I would like to see Apple move to digital audio outs on all of their products, especially with them going off so much lately about how music-oriented they are -- how about being sound quality oriented too? The G5s already have it (finally). The Powerbooks should definitely have it. And I have committed myself to waiting until the iPod gets an optical out until I buy one. Asking me to listen to my entire music collection through a mini-plug to RCA adapter into an analog-in on my receiver is preposterous. Just my $0.02CDN.
 
aswitcher said:
I wonder if there are any big TV events happening anytime soon they might use to launch it???

WWDC/July 4th has to be the latest. Anything Earlier?

On many occasions Steve has debuted new commercials during his Keynote. Which would mean WWDC.
 
wdlove said:
On many occasions Steve has debuted new commercials during his Keynote. Which would mean WWDC.
That's very true. I could see WWDC being pretty big this year. New PowerMacs are a given (if not sooner), possibly these new iPods, and we're all hoping for new iMacs.
 
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