i_wolf said:
... I am a little disappointed by this release. I just like to see things move forward and improve constantly.
1) User customizable equalizer...
2) Replacable battery...
3) Better battery life...
4) Get rid of ... scratch-prone chrome ...
5) Sound Improvements ...
6) As for a radio.... why the hell do I want a radio when I can store thousands of songs on a tiny little device !
I think you're right to want these things, but don't expect them in one-fell swoop. Apple has the top-sellling music player and will be for some time to come. The iPod now is so ingrained into potential buyers that Apple doesn't have to give out significant improvements to sell them. You talk about a lot of abilities that other players have that the ipod doesn't have. And I agree that it would be terrific. However, competition HAS to offer more to even sell a few of their units. Remember, the iPod will always have ITUNES and the MUSIC STORE. Without the store, the software intergration is without a doubt the best. No other competitor has the ease-of-use that Apple has when it comes to managing and adding music to their unit. But, couple the ease-of-use of iTunes with the iTunes Music Store and everything is taken to a completely new level of reliability and ... well... fun.
User customizable equalizer - Nice, but expense Apple doesn't have to incur to sell units.
Replaceable battery - I think that with Apple now having a plan in place to replace batteries should really satisfy most people (although I think $99 is too much -- $49 is really about right)... at $99, most people would say to themselves "Well, with $99, I'm 1/3 of the way to a new IPOD at $299" and not even bother replacing the battery. This was done on purposes. Apple would much rather we buy another ipod than spend $99 on a battery.
Better battery life - 12 Hours is good enough. Again, if other players have better battery life, it's because they HAVE to in order to be competitive. Apple could give us a better battery, but it might be at a cost that they don't want absorb unnecessarily. Remember, they've set a pricing strategy that won't change ($299, $399 & $499)... by giving us a much better battery, they have to eat that in order to keep the sale price the same.
Scratch-prone chrome - That's probably there for two reasons: it's really pretty (initially) and when your ipod is scratched-to-hell-and-back, you might consider getting a nice new one. I, for one, have owned six ipods (5GB 1G; 10GB 1G; 15GB 2G; 20GB 2G; 30GB 3G & 40GB 3G) and only the first one got sort of scratched... that was because I wasn't aware of just how easily they could be scratched when one isn't careful. The other 5 were all scratch-free for the entire time I had them because I took very good care of them.
Radio - I'd like a radio. Even with 95GB of music (yes, that's right), there are times when I want to listen to other music OR other types of radio -- I would love talk radio. Weather and Traffic. It really should be there.
Sound improvements - You might have forgotten that Apple recently came up with their Apple Lossless codec. While I understand that you're talking about improving the hardware, I think there's something to be said about improving the song file to a point where it sounds the same as a CD. You have to ask yourself, do you think that Apple needs to improve the sound because you think the sound isn't as good as other players? Or is it for the sake having better specs? I for one, think the iPod sounds terrific and is good or better than any other player on the market. Sure, Apple can make it better, but as the leader, they don't have to. Better to fine-tune other areas and keep selling more and more without screwing up their profit margin. Sure, 3 million ipods is a lot, but it's nothing compared to POTENTIAL customers. Many more millions have never even listened to an ipod and will be glad to buy one tomorrow with the sound exactly where it's at.
