Apple Releases New iPods

[isaacc7]

Get over it!

You know, it's not about the 20 bucks...not at all. I have three of the things, and I did go ahead and order the iPod Photo when I heard of the direct camera support coming.

Those of us who have been around the Mac World for quite some time, the very people that provided Apple with the revenue to develop the original iPod are now being considered the minority...people with machines less than a year old have to go buy a cord, or put in a USB card that will not allow their machine to sleep properly. FireWire is Apple's invention...and they put it out to cold?

Just lame.

Bravo, Apple.

WAAAA! You aren't just considered the minority, you are the minority. Why wouldn't Apple do this? All their new machines use USB 2.0, the vast majority of users that are buying iPods have USB 2.0 instead of firewire, and yet you can still use firewire by buying a cable. I have no idea what you are complaining about, Apple did the smart thing and all you can do is act like a jilted girlfriend. The total expenditure is still less than before, especially if you are a previous iPod owner and already have the cable anyway...

Isaac

 

[Yvan256]

yeah, some system where you can upgrade for just part of the cost of the new device.

Oh, wait, there IS such a program: You SELL your used computer, add an incremental amount to what you get for it, and buy the new one! That accomplishes everything you're asking for, doesn't it?

peace
terry

Yeah, that's the idea. After all, he should be glad to sell his used Mac. It's still worth something. On the PC side, unless you always have the latest and upgrade every 6 months, everything you buy is pratically lost (cannot be sold later on, because it's worthless).

 

[iGary]

WAAAA! You aren't just considered the minority, you are the minority. Why wouldn't Apple do this? All their new machines use USB 2.0, the vast majority of users that are buying iPods have USB 2.0 instead of firewire, and yet you can still use firewire by buying a cable. I have no idea what you are complaining about, Apple did the smart thing and all you can do is act like a jilted girlfriend. The total expenditure is still less than before, especially if you are a previous iPod owner and already have the cable anyway...

Isaac

How long have you been using a Mac and what is your current machine?

 

[1984]

ok. I am still confused with all this talk about Firewire.

Is it true that the ipods have a proprietary fw port, rendering generic fw cables useless?

The iPods have a dock connector so you can use either USB2 or Firewire cables.

Apple's computers feature full spec 6-pin Firewire ports which allow power (much more than USB2) for powering/charging devices. Windows PCs on the other hand typically have a half-assed 4-pin Firewire port made popular by Sony which does not carry power at all. Apple has tweaked the iPods enough so that they can now charge via USB2 even though it doesn't carry as much power. Since most iPods are selling to Windows users and most of them have the non-powered 4-pin Firewire (if at all) they decided to go with USB2 support as standard.

Firewire is about 30% faster than USB2 despite the lies (theoretical limits) spread so it's a shame to see this unfold but such is the nature of the industry.

 

[Jalexster]

Just one quick note:

Apple chooses to remove Firewire cable (but not functionality), from new iPods:

5% of people who only have USB 1.1 are angry.
95% of people who hasve USB 2.0 are very happy, because of the price drops.
Dell is pissed (That makes it all worth it).

It's an advantage for apple. The majority wins. Oh, but there is one more thing... Keep the following in mind about Apple and minority (in this case, those who have USB 1.1):

I wouldn't consider it completely unexpected that Apple would do things like this under Steve's leadership. When he first came back, there was a lot of "Steve what about our obligation to these people?"

"F*** 'em!"

 

[Diatribe]

95% of people who hasve USB 2.0 are very happy

Since my Shuffle only allows for USB 2.0... once you have actually used USB 2.0 compared to FW400 to transfer a GB of data, not to mention 6GB we will talk again, until then please hold off those bold statements.

 

[Jalexster]

SNIP
On the PC side, unless you always have the latest and upgrade every 6 months, everything you buy is pratically lost (cannot be sold later on, because it's worthless).

Or you can install Linux on it, set it to fold with it's free runtime, and have it run a file server, unoffical iTunes server, Kai engine, etc...

That is what I'm planning to do with my old 800Mhz PIII box. My grandad upgraded it to 512MB of RAM, and stuck an 80GB HDD in there, so it's ripe for the picking. It runs XP, Just not as fast as our 2Ghz AMD AthlonXP computer (768MB RAM, and 120GB total HDD), which is the family computer, and my primary games computer.

 

[Apple!Freak]

WOW! What a let down.....

I was expecting an iPod mini with color screen, 5th generation iPod, iMac update and iTunes 5 and NON of that happened. What a let down. I got up early for nothing.

 

[Jalexster]

Since my Shuffle only allows for USB 2.0... once you have actually used USB 2.0 compared to FW400 to transfer a GB of data, not to mention 6GB we will talk again, until then please hold off those bold statements.

You don't change ALL the music on your iPod every time you connect it. You remove a few songs, add a few more, etc... After the inital transfer, the speed diference is negligible. People with USB 2.0 are happy. They get cheaper iPods, with only a very small difference. Anyway, 1.1 is fine for basic syncing, after the inital transfer.

And if you don't like it, well, don't you think it's time for an upgrade? If not, just buy a $19 cable. Simple and clean.

 

[Yvan256]

Instant gratification? It's been over a year dude.

I think you proved what he was saying. One year is hardly a long time to let a company innovate, even Apple.

Even if the new iPod mini had a color screen, I wouldn't call that "innovation".
Would've been nice, though.

 

[Lacero]

I dont think the speed of USB 2.0 is the problem here, I think it's the speed of the compact flash card inside your shuffle. Would you have preferred Apple give the shuffle a Firewire interface, so that it is thicker, draws more power, and requires a chipset? If it had firewire, would it have made you more loyal to the Apple brand?

 

[geese]

i only have usb 1.1 in my imac. these ipods are useless.

I've only got an Apple Serial Connector on my LC II. These iPods are hopeless.

 

[Diatribe]

You don't change ALL the music on your iPod every time you connect it. You remove a few songs, add a few more, etc... After the inital transfer, the speed diference is negligible. People with USB 2.0 are happy. They get cheaper iPods, with only a very small difference. Anyway, 1.1 is fine for basic syncing, after the inital transfer.

And if you don't like it, well, don't you think it's time for an upgrade? If not, just buy a $19 cable. Simple and clean.

Have you ever done it? It takes about 15 minutes to fill my Shuffle. Changing 1/6th of your songs on your iPod should be common. At least it is for many people that own a mini. 15 minutes may not sound all that long but if you do it regularly it's annoying. If you change the half or more songs it is even more annoying. I won't even talk about using USB 1.1 for a 6GB iPod, I feel sorry for everybody that has to use it.
Yeah, I could buy the cable if I buy the iPod, but why pay $20 more for a USB 2.0 cable that I have no use for?
Oh, and time for an upgrade? Upgrade what?

 

[nagromme]

Don't forget the discounts

If you're comparing the current lineup to competitors, don't forget:

* Engraving is still free

* Education discounts apply to a lot of iPod's market:

iPod Mini now starts at $179! or $229 for 6 GB.

60 GB Photo is $419!

30 GB Photo is $319!

1 GB Shuffle is $139.

 

[Evangelion]

stupid apple. . .
no firewire cable?!?!!?! what are they thinking? my rev A PB doesnt have USB 2.0!!!!!

Like I already said: if you can afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a frigging mp3-player, surely you can afford to buy a Firewire-cable? You guys are REALLY blowing this whole thing out of it's proportions! If you bought a third-party FW-cable (or Apple-branded one), your new iPod would STILL cost less than it did before this upgrade! And still, all you do is whine about some missing firewire-cable!

Give it a rest already!

 

[chabig]

Signing that online petition is just silly. It claims that Apple is dropping support for Firewire, which just isn't true. All of the iPods support Firewire just like they always have. Come on, people. It's just a cable!

 

[whiskeybravo]

Firewire

This firewire thing is ridiculous. So out of the box the mini and the photo are unusable on a 6 month old iBook or G4 iMac. I guess we know who butters the bread of the iPod business unit. Windows users. Sad indeed

 

[nagromme]

Changing 1/6th of your songs on your iPod should be common.

Changing 1 GB of songs means 250 songs. No reason to swap out songs unless they've been listened to, so that doesn't sound like it needs to be a daily occurrence. If I had a Mini, it would only dump the songs I've LISTENED to and replace them with new. (Smart Playlists to the rescue!)

 

[lasuther]

Now where exactly is the dramatical price cut? The $50 on the 4GB? They could've done that with the option to choose a cable too.

Ok now, where is the point against having the option to have the FW instead? What about the huge amount of Mac users that have made the iPod what it is today?

A 25% cost reduction is a dramatic price cut on the 4GB. Sure they could have given a FW cable for free. They could also sell an iPod Mini for $10. Just because you think they should include stuff for free doesn't mean it makes good business sense.

Apple provides everyone with a FW cable option. It's called buy a FW cable. At $200, the 4Gig iPod Mini is the same price as an iRiver 1Gig flash player. How in the world can you complain about the value of the Mini? If you are to much of a snob to use USB then buy a FW cable for $20. If that is too difficult for you, leave me a message and I'll sell you my Mini for $250 with the FW cable included.

lasuther

 

[chabig]

I have to say i really dont like the look of the new pods. The colors aren't as nice and I really dont like that the writing on the click wheel is the clour of the ipod. It makes it really hard to read.

You have to read the labels to use your iPod? I would have thought you'd figure it out within about a minute of first use.

 

[Jovian9]

Just ordered a Blue 6GB iPod Mini. Sold my 4GB iPod Mini on eBay for $240 (including shipping). I'm impressed with the 18 hour battery life....that was my main complaint for the 4GB minis. A color screen would have been nice but I'll be okay since I have one of those on my now DC'd 40GB iPod Photo. Sure wish I hadn't paid $500 for the 40GB now....considering the 60GB's are less than that

 

[Yvan256]

Or you can install Linux on it, set it to fold with it's free runtime, and have it run a file server, unoffical iTunes server, Kai engine, etc...

That is what I'm planning to do with my old 800Mhz PIII box. My grandad upgraded it to 512MB of RAM, and stuck an 80GB HDD in there, so it's ripe for the picking. It runs XP, Just not as fast as our 2Ghz AMD AthlonXP computer (768MB RAM, and 120GB total HDD), which is the family computer, and my primary games computer.

Believe me, after more than 20 years with computers, there comes a point where you just want to get rid of your old machines. Linux isn't an option for 95% of users, folding is unknown to 99.9% of users, servers are pointless for 99.999% of users, etc.

I know my old PC still works, but I was talking about resale value anyway. You can think about selling an old Mac, but you can barely get any money back for an old PC (you'll end up selling an empty system and keeping the HD, RAM and peripherals since they're now worth more than the rest of the tower).

 

[nagromme]

This firewire thing is ridiculous. So out of the box the mini and the photo are unusable on a 6 month old iBook or G4 iMac. I guess we know who butters the bread of the iPod business unit. Windows users. Sad indeed

Usable, yes. Faster if you buy another cable? Yes. You'll want that.

Sold more to PC users than Mac users? Of course, there are more of them. Many, MANY more owners of PCs and newer Macs, then there are owners of older Macs. (And subtract older Macs who don't need a new iPod.)

I'm glad I got both cables with my iPod, but the decision makes sense.

 

[Zaty]

This firewire thing is ridiculous. So out of the box the mini and the photo are unusable on a 6 month old iBook or G4 iMac. I guess we know who butters the bread of the iPod business unit. Windows users. Sad indeed

I understand the problem with the missing FW cable. However, please don't exaggerate. The last Mac to get USB 2.0 was the eMac (in April '04). So except for the eMac, all Macs have come with USB 2.0 ports for more than a year now.

 

[iGary]

This firewire thing is ridiculous. So out of the box the mini and the photo are unusable on a 6 month old iBook or G4 iMac. I guess we know who butters the bread of the iPod business unit. Windows users. Sad indeed

Yes, out of the box, in order to use Apple's own FireWire tecnhnology, which they have been putting into their machines for eons, you have to buy a $20.00 cable. Otherwise you use USB 1.1 or USB 2.0, an Intel technology.

Nice, eh?