Apple Releases New iPods

[davey-nb]

How do the new colours look????

Anyone else think the new iPod mini's look really cheap in the new colours? At least the old blue, green, and pink mini's looked classy.

Has anyone seen a new mini in the wild yet?
I'm hoping the web photos aren't so accurate, that blue is pretty vibrant in an 80's, Miami Vice sort of way. (eewww)

 

[paulypants]

I see that Apple has subtely changed ads and packaging on the iPod photo to read: PC + Mac rather than Mac + PC.

Nice. I think they are trying to tell me to buy a Dell.

 

[jettredmont]

Since I have never once used my AC adapter, I doubt people would miss it. In fact, I forgot I even had one until you posted this.

lasuther

Don't you need it for every firmware update? My 4G iPod won't take a firmware update until it's been connected to the AC adapter. Again, not including it hopefully means Apple has changed the iPod to update firmware without a wall tether.

 

[LaMerVipere]

Don't you need it for every firmware update? My 4G iPod won't take a firmware update until it's been connected to the AC adapter. Again, not including it hopefully means Apple has changed the iPod to update firmware without a wall tether.

I never charge my iPod through the firewire port on my computer. I can't be the only one! It's AC adapter always.

Plus, that way, I can listen to it in bed when I'm trying to go to sleep, while it's charging, and my computer is asleep.

 

[dmarkman]

FireWire cable

I just called to the Apple support
and complained about absence of the FireWire cable
at first representative told me that there is no way to change
the packaging and I have to buy FireWire cable for $20
so I asked to speak to "higher" authority
she said wait
and after 2 min. she told me that they will send me firewire cable
(together with my order)
without any additional charge
very nice

 

[Squire]

...face it; if you're a Mac user who hasn't updated your Mac in 2-3 years [since USB 2 became standard on all new Macs] then you're probably not going to be spending the change on a new iPod), this makes sense.

Are you suggesting that someone with a non-USB 2.0 Mac could not afford a new iPod? While I understand your reasoning here, I have to disagree. As far as I'm concerned, one of the main advantages of the Mac platform is the longevity of the systems. It's not uncommon for me to read about users here praising their 4-5 year-old machines.

But, as you mentioned, maybe that is the point. Maybe Apple wants to force users of its older systems to upgrade more quickly from now on.

Easy, low-impact cost savings, passed down to you and I, the customers.

The problem here is that a lot of people are using the savings to justify the absent accessories. I can see this to a certain extent. Why they couldn't include one cable (pictured below) for everyone is beyond me.

Anyway, jettredmont, at least you made a well-thought-out response of more than a few words. No wonder the thread is 20 freakin' pages.

Squire

 

[jamdr]

Surely you don't mean THIS monstrosity:

In addition to everything said here, Rio has a long history of making really crappy, unreliable products with terrible customer support. The only good Rio player ever made was the original Rio 300/500. Ever since then, their products have been crap. Believe me, I have used most of them, and have had to send them back dozens of times for replacement over the years. If you don't believe, just go over to Amazon.com and look at the customer reviews. For the Karma, check out http://tinyurl.com/5vk29.

Save yourself the trouble of owning a Rio player, just throw your money away. It's much less of a hassle.

 

[macidiot]

do u really need 20000 songsin ur pocket?

80GB is only about 250 cd's if you use lossless. Or about 3000 songs, give or take.

 

[173080]

I sold my iPod mini last weekend in order to get an updated one today. Needless to say I'm very disappointed. Firewire support is a must. Sure, I could get the cable, but then the iPod mini is not $249, but $270. Very misleading.

I hate USB with a passion.

USB is for mice and keyboards, Firewire is for real data transfer.

I can pass up the missing Power Adapter, but I am NOT going to buy an iPod without an included Firewire cable.

 

[Thataboy]

I sold my iPod mini last weekend in order to get an updated one today. Needless to say I'm very disappointed. Firewire support is a must. Sure, I could get the cable, but then the iPod mini is not $249, but $270. Very misleading.

I hate USB with a passion.

USB is for mice and keyboards, Firewire is for real data transfer.

I can pass up the missing Power Adapter, but I am NOT going to buy an iPod without an included Firewire cable.

It is 19 bloody dollars. If I really wanted something, I wouldn't let a cable purchase dissuade me.

Just buy the Firewire cable, and sell your USB one on eBay. Or give up your venti mocha lattes for a week. If you can't do any of the above, then get a Zen Micro. I hear they ship with a Firewire cable. nottttt.

 

[chabig]

Don't you need it for every firmware update? My 4G iPod won't take a firmware update until it's been connected to the AC adapter. Again, not including it hopefully means Apple has changed the iPod to update firmware without a wall tether.

I've owned 5 iPods since generation 1 and none of them has ever required the AC adapter to take a firmware update. That's because it has to be connected to the computer to update firmware and power comes from the computer.

Chris

 

[iGary]

I see that Apple has subtely changed ads and packaging on the iPod photo to read: PC + Mac rather than Mac + PC.

Nice. I think they are trying to tell me to buy a Dell.

I just noticed that.

Well we wanted switchers right?

That's effed up.

 

[rog]

I don't get the point of uploading photos directly to the ipod. I mean, don't most digital cameras already have LCD screens which allow you to review pictures, sometimes even larger than the ipod screen. I guess the lack of firewire cable means Apple is abandoning firewire just as they did firewire 800 by not moving to every mac after over 2 years. I guess USB2 won after all. That's depressing. I'm sure they realized the vast majority of sales go to PC owners who use USB and don't typically have firewire cards.

 

[iGary]

I don't get the point of uploading photos directly to the ipod. I mean, don't most digital cameras already have LCD screens which allow you to review pictures, sometimes even larger than the ipod screen. I guess the lack of firewire cable means Apple is abandoning firewire just as they did firewire 800 by not moving to every mac after over 2 years. I guess USB2 won after all. That's depressing. I'm sure they realized the vast majority of sales go to PC owners who use USB and don't typically have firewire cards.

It is so if you are on vacation, you don't have to carry around 4 or 5 1GB CF cards...or your laptop everywhere you go.

 

[Daveway]

Pissed?

Here ya go

http://www.petitiononline.com/firewire/petition.html

Just set it up.

Ha. Your Mac Life just reported on your petition on their live broadcast. They said it was the stupidest petition ever.

 

[Squire]

All-Star Posts...(lengthy)

Great posts below. Just in case some of you missed them while skimming the 20-pages.

It looks like there are going to be no winners and no losers to this debate. So, I figure I'll throw in my last comment and be done with this.

I should preface my comments. I own a 3G15 and I like it. I got it when it was the middle (not the base), so it came with the dock. Anyway, I find that the dock is useful for those that want to have a quick connection to whatever the line out is connected to. I currently have my computer speakers connected to the dock, making my day one long music festival. So, I personally find not including the dock with the Photos to be silly - they are the tope of the iPod line up. It's a luxury thing, if you will. But, not including them is fine.

As for the USB/Firewire debate. I don't have the USB cable. I use the firewire. My fiance uses the Firewire (via my adaptor for her PC) for her 4G because the USB port doesn't like her iPod (but it liked her old mini - anybody think they can figure that out?), but I mentioned that in an earlier post.
What the debate seems to be is why the Firewire cable is not included. To answer those who suggest that a cheap alternative be purchased, I (along with several others) have reminded that the iPod uses a propriatary connection. That makes the generic cable useless. There was that "dock anywhere" adaptor that I saw at the Apple store, but it was $10-15 or so. Anyway, it is an increased cost. Now, the opposition makes a valid point that if you can afford an iPod, you can afford a cable. I agree with that. But, if the iPod is the theoretical BMW of mp3 players, I don't see BMW charging more for vanity mirrors or air conditioning. I mean, you can get by without them, but they are touches that make sense.

I would go so far as to say that (for a mac user) it is like not including a tire with the car. I mean, your old Bimmer had a spare tire. You could just use that, right? Or else, you could just plunk down the 300 bucks for a tire. I mean, if you can afford a BMW, you can surely afford a tire.

Point: For some Mac users, it's not operable out of the box.

This leads to my proposed solution. Apple can sell with the USB cable. But, be willing to exchange within 14 days. Allow the end user to bring in a reciept and the USB cable and swap for the Firewire. I also believe that if Apple was willing to give one power adaptor, of users choice, to the purchaser of an iPod, it would eliminate much of the griping that we are seeing today. The benefits of this plan are that USB users can do what they want, but those who seek Firewire are satiated. This should eliminate the need to make a change right now to the packaging. As soon as reasonably possible, I would propose that the iPod cease to have a cable included in the box, and that both the cable and adaptor be chosen at the time of purchase. There are problems that may need to be worked out, but this is a broad plan. Worst case scenario, with the power adaptor, if Apple chooses not to give it away, it could be made available for a significantly reduced (think just above cost) price.

Any thoughts?

Good idea. But it would be easier to just include the Firewire-USB cable (pictured in my previous post) with all iPods.

Dock never came as standard.

I don't know which iPod you're referring to here but a dock came as standard on both I've owned-- a 20 gig model and 40 gig iPod photo.

on this whole FW/USB2 thing--

I agree with iGary & co. in Mac-nerd (or Mac-intelligentsia, if you prefer) principle. Apple should not appear to diminish their support for FW. I am personally disappointed to see this happen. But as has been said, we are the minority here in iPod-land.

BUT from a business standpoint-- and Apple is a business, not a treehouse club-- this makes perfect sense. The only people they are leaving out in the cold are Mac users who don't either already own this cable from a previous iPod, or don't have a USB2 Mac. That's a niche of a niche. But even then, the cold they're left out in isn't that cold. It requires $19 or so to come on back into the FW warmth.

So while in principle I don't think this is ideal, I can't really fault Apple for it, and I do not think it's the end of the FW-world. No true Mac-nerd would let something this small actually diminish their faith in all things Mac; if it helps Apple sell more iPods/make more profit to be re-invested back into the Mac side of the business, that's a good thing.

Now, as for not including the power adapter ...

I paid $499 for a 40GB iPod Photo with the Firewire Cable, dock, AV cable, and case. I've never used the AV Cable (use the dock with S-video on my TV) and I'll definitely never use the case. I would gladly have paid less than that $499 for a 60GB iPod Photo without that stuff.....and I would probably have just added the dock.

I've been using Macs for years and iPods since close to the time they were released. I've been paying premium Apple prices for years.....and all I've ever heard was make this .....faster, better, smaller, cheaper. And what has Apple done:
-They released an iMac with a G5 processor that takes up almost no room on your desk (I love mine).....but now people complain about the video card and screen quality and no dual-layer dvd burner, etc.
-They released a $499 Mac (iMac Mini)....but people are upset about how much RAM it can hold or it doesn't come with a keyboard or mouse or there is no Apple LCD screen that's cheap enough to go with it.
-They released a flash iPod at $99 and $149 for the masses......but people are upset with it not having a screen or that it takes away from the appeal of the iPod line
-They give more options for the iPod with ALOT better battery life on the iPod Mini's: $99 $149 $199 $249 $299 $349 $399 $449.....but people complain about there being too many options or not enough accessories included or they should all have color screens

Coming from someone who has spent lots of time and money on Apple products over the years.....all of these steps look like they can only help Apple get their high quality products and AWESOME Operating System into more homes.
Damnit, why did they have to decrease the price of the 4GB iPod Minis and increase the battery life from 8 hours to 18 hours while giving you an option to get an extra 2GB's on the iPod mini for the usual price? Why did they have to give you the option to pay a lot less for an iPod Photo? This makes absolutely no sense to me

Another good one. Yeah, people seem to complain about everything. It seems that the whole argument is revolving around the Firewire cable, though. Give people the choice to buy the dock, A/V cable, even the AC adaptor. Just put in the Firewire-USB cable.

USB 2.0 Introduction - Q4 2001

PowerMac G5 - 6/2003
iMac G4 - 9/2003
Powerbook G4 - 9/2003
iBook G4 - 10/2003
eMac - 4/2004

I would say USB 2.0 is fairly "new" to the Mac.

All those that say, "Apple is finally not charging us for things we don't need." Thats a fine argument, but to be fair, Apple should not include ANY cables with the iPod mini or iPod Photo and knock $17 off both of their prices. Then the "USB 2.0 fans" will have to go through the same process as the "Firewire 400 fans."

Cheers,

Squire

 

[trtam]

Firewire?

No firewire cable included?!

 

[bcegi]

Just came home from the Apple Store in Chicago

Needed to see the NEW iPod minis in person.. I agree with the poster earlier.. The blue which I ordered online is way too vibrant.. Prefered the pastel blue which I sold on eBay.. Don't get me wrong,. I have been a die hard mac user for years and can honestly say that the wind was taken out of my sails this morning when I saw the new mini on apple's website.. Will have to wait for the next mini revision and hope that the colors improve..

 

[Daveway]

Needed to see the NEW iPod minis in person.. I agree with the poster earlier.. The blue which I ordered online is way too vibrant.. Prefered the pastel blue which I sold on eBay.. Don't get me wrong,. I have been a die hard mac user for years and can honestly say that the wind was taken out of my sails this morning when I saw the new mini on apple's website.. Will have to wait for the next mini revision and hope that the colors improve..

What about the green?

 

[neoelectronaut]

I always thought that Apple told iPod users to charge their iPod fully the first time through use of the AC Adapter.

Oh well, seems that my iPod purchase will be delayed until the 5Gs get here. Perhaps we'll see some of these problems fixed by then.

 

[BigDogg]

No, you're not the only one, there are about 1300 other people unhappy as well. Click the link in my sig.

I signed the petition.Everybody click on the link in iGary's sig and join the fun!

I was the 1,367th person to sign - yay

 

[chabig]

I always thought that Apple told iPod users to charge their iPod fully the first time through use of the AC Adapter.

Nope. They never said that. The iPod doesn't can't tell whether it's getting power from an AC adapter or from a computer.

 

[bcegi]

Response to Daveway

The green and pink are also vibrant.. Thought I would go for the NEW green mini, but it seems that Apple went back a couple of decades in the color scheme.. Just got off the phone with Apple and cancelled my order for the Blue mini..

 

[ghostee]

I also just got home from the Apple store, but in the Chicago suburbs (Woodfield). I picked myself up the 60gig iPod Photo as well as a refurb firewire/usb->dock cable, which I grabbed for $9.95 ($10 is always good). I stopped at school on the way there and had an updated ID made so I got the student price as well. 30 mins later I'm home and opening my first iPod ever. It's been an expensive week as this weekend I also picked up a Bluetooth Apple KB and Logitech MX1000 mouse, as well as an Airport Express.

So far so good, I have 2 cables for connections, as well as a power adapter brick, headphones, and a nice shiny new iPod. Although they were out of photo docks and I didn't see any kind of Evo skin that would fit this fat sucker either. I'm super excited to have all these new toys, and I'm very happy that I had some money saved for this kind of thing. If you'll excuse me, I have to go fiddle with this thing!

 

[neoelectronaut]

You know, as much as I dislike it, I can certainly see where Apple's coming from.

I'm sure 80% of the people that own and use an iPod are PC users. 90% of computers don't have Firewire but almost all have USB 2.0.

What's the safer business plan? Making the 80% buy a separate cable or the 20%?

The 20%, obviously.