Apple to Unveil New Flash-based iPods? Digital Radio?

[Loge]

So they went backwards.



Which was bigger and cost more, so it was not really an alternative. The point is that the new device from Apple had LESS capabilities (at least when storage is concerned) than the device it was replacing did. Comparing it to full-sized iPod is comparing apples to oranges, since the Nano was not replacement of the white iPod, it was replacement for the Mini.

The situation with the nano was much different. The 6GB mini had only been out 6 months when they brought out the nano. Relatively few people would be looking to replace a model they had just bought; by the time most of 6GB owners were ready to upgrade there would be an 8GB nano available.

With the main iPod, the 60GB photo model is nearly three years old, the 5G iPod video model is nearly 2 years old. Plenty of owners of these might be wanting to upgrade, and I find it hard to believe that Apple will only offer models with substantially less storage after tomorrow.

 

[viperguy]

Wifi? CMI!

 

[JGowan]

I talked with a friend a couple of years ago when he was in the market for an iPod -- "Are you going to get a black one or a white one? I think video would 'pop' better with a black one." His response was that he didn't care about video that popped, "iPods are white", he told me.

Now it's a couple of years later and I'm thinking about what some/a lot of people consider an iPod:

1) iPods are white
2) iPods have a round click wheel
3) iPods have lots of storage

I really don't believe that Apple is going to abandon the current "top-of-the-line" iPods. There's too many people that want at least something that is very similar to what already exists. While 5.5G iPods are a whole lot thinner, sexier and more capable than the ones that rolled off the assembly line back 2001, but essentially they're same. I equate the '01 version as a kind of "1967 VW Beetle" and today's ipod model as the Beetle 40 years later. While many people won't mind a touch screen OS X iPod, too many (I believe) will balk ... and walk. Perhaps to the MS Zune, maybe the Creative Zen or possibly to eBay for older iPod models.

I truly believe there'll still be your basic white-high storage-click wheel model we all know and love -- it'll be hotter, sexier and more badazz, but it ain't goin' nowhere.

Wow, lol, I don't even know where to begin.... I'm at a loss for words. I think you are so incredibly wrong its amazing. How did the iPod become so recognized??? Its called Apple's marketing. Has anyone ever heard of the iPhone??? Everyone has and its only been out a few months. Now you are telling me that if an iPod like the iPhone comes out that it wont be the talk of every kid on earth before Christmas lol.... Wow how exactly does your thought process work??? The iPod Touch will come out because if it doesn't after everyone has been waiting almost 2 years they will be so screwing themselves over with competition as the market leader its not even funny. The click wheel will still be on the Nanos, but within a matter of maybe 2 weeks every person on earth will know what the iPod touch is and that it is in fact an iPod and is in fact made by Apple and will be willing to sacrifice anything to get it.

Laugh all you want, McFly. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I'm not saying that Apple won't come up with an iPod that's a lot like the phone -- It'll be the new top-of-the-line "iPod HD" or "iPod Touch" or "iPodPro" -- I'm just saying that they're not going to jettison what people have come to know as an iPod. I believe they'll will give the current iPod a makeover and OS X too so it's not just a storage increase upgrade. The lineup will be Shuffle, Nano, WHITE IPOD and the iPod Touch. My argument is that Apple's got 6 years invested in teaching people that iPods are White Decks-of-Card sized MP3 players with a click wheel and they're not going to walk away from that.

You also have to consider all this from Apple's perspective. They've painted themselves into a corner with the VERY NICE, HIGH CAPACITY player that's $300. The 1Gen iPod was $399 and finally got as high as $599. They want that slice again, but they can't get to it because people are now used to $300 ipods that are very cool. So in order to get back to an expensive player, they'll have to offer a new model that does much more.

Enter ipodTOUCH™ or whatever else you want to call it now. Which, you have to admit, would be mostly VIDEO, less music.

They're not just going to abandon the $300 sweet spot which is a $300 model that is mostly MUSIC, less video.

You and I are talking about 2 separate markets. You're talking about kids who are swayed by every marketing gimmick that exists and I'm talking about adults. There are people (such as my 40 year old friend) who didn't care for (nor fall for) Apple's new hype 2 years ago ("It does video!!/It's finally in BLACK!!"). He's a family man who had been taking care of his family's needs/wants and had never bought an iPod for himself. He finally was in a position to treat himself and he thoughts were the iPod was defined by its color. Call him old-fashion or out-of-touch. But there are millions like him who just want what they've come to know and love... an Apple music player that's white.

You know... they're called iPods.

 

[Yateball]

The good news for all these heated debates is that we now only have 1 more day before we find out... I personally... cannot wait

 

[zub3qin]

I typw wxy more quckly on my iPhome thzn I did on any wiNDows Mabile or BlaxkBwrry that I oened. The auto corraction on the iPjone is simply amwzing.

 

[morkens]

HHD Inevitable

I'm really hoping for an iPod which can handle my entire music collection and be a viable option for backing up my portable's HDD. That was the primary reason I purchased the first generation so many years ago, and I'd like to be able to do that again - but that would require a "bit" more than 80GB.

 

[zub3qin]

Lots of predictions being made.
Lots of debate.
Who knows what's coming tomorrow.

One thing I am sure of is that we have all gotten into a frenzy, and have gotten all our hopes up. Be prepared to be disappointed tomorrow. Disappointment is the key word with every keynote/Apple launch since iPhone.

Lower your expectations, and all will be ok. Expect a slightly larger storage ipod with coverflow. Forget touchscreen, forget wifi, forget kiosks (!), forget HD radio, forget on demand itunes purchasing while sitting in a 7-11, forget aiming the ipod at your AppleTV to control it, forget a Zune-like sharing device.......
If you forget all these things, then you can only be impressed with whatever SJ chooses to release.

 

[supermacdesign]

Kiosk is not genius

So stop talking about it. Do you really want to wait in line to plug your iPod in?

If it's WiFi then the iPod itself is a Kiosk.

Apple would never invest in an expensive physical Kiosk that requires maintenance and wrestle with the airports just to distribute some very inexpensive digital content.

Wake up people use your noggins.

 

[izzle22]

Tomorrow

The way I see it is as always we have a 50/50 chance of being disappointed. All these years of events and announcements I have been wowed half the time and disappointed the other half. I'm really hoping for a wide screen touch iPod with wifi that I can use for a remote with airtunes/tv. Buttttttttt I don't think that's what we will get, I hope so but don't think so.

 

[Mike Teezie]

Man, what I would give for a touch control iPod with WiFi and iCal.

It can't be much more than the iPods now, can they? At some point such a device would cannibalize iPhone sales right? Even though the iPhone has less storage, it's a phone.

I don't know, we'll see tomorrow.

 

[beer.coffee]

I cant believe it, the day is nearly here. I've been using some dog mp3 player for a year and a half now, waiting for a touchscreen iPod.

Unfortunately this could be the biggest disappointment since that time i lost my virginity.

Please Steve...Give me some love!

 

[Evangelion]

The situation with the nano was much different. The 6GB mini had only been out 6 months when they brought out the nano.

Irrelevant. The argument was that "Apple does not go backwards". And with the Nano they introduced an iPod that had 1/3 less storage than the model it replaced did.

Relatively few people would be looking to replace a model they had just bought

Irrelevant. We are talking about progress of iPods as time goes on. Some people probably decided to not buy a Mini, since "new model is just around the corner", only to find out that the new model had LESS capability than the old model did!

Why is it so hard to admit that as far as storage was concerned, iPod Nano was a step backwards when compared to the Mini?

 

[Cloudane]

Let's put it this way, if they don't release a decent iPod then I'll be switching to Creative. I'm sure I can't be the only one. Whether it'll be an "iPhone" type thing is certainly questionable, but I'm sure they know that they'll have to do something good. A downgrade with a slightly prettier interface does not count as "good".

 

[scharf10]

I must admit I have been pretty excited about this because I do need a new iPod (for once im not just upgrading so I can have the latest gadget). I'd love if apple released a touchscreen model, whether that be 16GB or 120GB - I get on by with my 2GB Nano just now so anything will be fine.

But im starting to get to the stage where im worried that i'll be disappointed if they release a poor product, so i'm going to go by what zub3qin said and just expect a poor release, then i won't be as disappointed.

I would normally try to contribute to the whole wifi/flash/hdd/radio debate but I think basically everythings been covered so far.

Thanks, Scharf.

 

[thats nice]

Laugh all you want, McFly. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I'm not saying that Apple won't come up with an iPod that's a lot like the phone -- It'll be the new top-of-the-line "iPod HD" or "iPod Touch" or "iPodPro" -- I'm just saying that they're not going to jettison what people have come to know as an iPod. I believe they'll will give the current iPod a makeover and OS X too so it's not just a storage increase upgrade. The lineup will be Shuffle, Nano, WHITE IPOD and the iPod Touch. My argument is that Apple's got 6 years invested in teaching people that iPods are White Decks-of-Card sized MP3 players with a click wheel and they're not going to walk away from that.

You also have to consider all this from Apple's perspective. They've painted themselves into a corner with the VERY NICE, HIGH CAPACITY player that's $300. The 1Gen iPod was $399 and finally got as high as $599. They want that slice again, but they can't get to it because people are now used to $300 ipods that are very cool. So in order to get back to an expensive player, they'll have to offer a new model that does much more.

Enter ipodTOUCH™ or whatever else you want to call it now. Which, you have to admit, would be mostly VIDEO, less music.

They're not just going to abandon the $300 sweet spot which is a $300 model that is mostly MUSIC, less video.

You and I are talking about 2 separate markets. You're talking about kids who are swayed by every marketing gimmick that exists and I'm talking about adults. There are people (such as my 40 year old friend) who didn't care for (nor fall for) Apple's new hype 2 years ago ("It does video!!/It's finally in BLACK!!"). He's a family man who had been taking care of his family's needs/wants and had never bought an iPod for himself. He finally was in a position to treat himself and he thoughts were the iPod was defined by its color. Call him old-fashion or out-of-touch. But there are millions like him who just want what they've come to know and love... an Apple music player that's white.

You know... they're called iPods.

You have some good points my friend, and i am also having more and more doubs of a iPod 'touch'. For some reason i still have a feeling they will screw me again and just bring out another 'refresh' of the current iPod, by making the HDD bigger and better screen. I could see the wide nano happening. I can honestly say that i would be over the moon to see an touch screen iPod, but i just cant feel it, as i say it could just be because about two years ago i was all ready for this and I actually had my money ready to order! And what happened...they brought out new colourful iPod nanos.

I think if they brought out a touch screen iPod they would end up making more money with having that and the iPhone rather than just the iPhone. They will make heaps of money on all the videos, a lot of people would replace their 1-5.5 Gen iPods, and of course end up buying more music!

Here's to hoping!

 

[Unspeaked]

I'm just saying that they're not going to jettison what people have come to know as an iPod. I believe they'll will give the current iPod a makeover and OS X too so it's not just a storage increase upgrade. The lineup will be Shuffle, Nano, WHITE IPOD and the iPod Touch. My argument is that Apple's got 6 years invested in teaching people that iPods are White Decks-of-Card sized MP3 players with a click wheel and they're not going to walk away from that.

This argument may have held up in 2004, but as we rapidly approach 2008, an iPod is simply a music player from Apple. I don't think people think of a color when they think "iPod." Heck, I don't even think they think of a shape. iPod and Apple go hand in hand, but an iPod is no different than a "Mac" at this point. What's a Mac? Heck, let's be more specific: what's an iMac? An all-in-one bondi colored computer? I don't think so - and that was just as iconographic as the iPod!

You and I are talking about 2 separate markets. You're talking about kids who are swayed by every marketing gimmick that exists and I'm talking about adults. There are people (such as my 40 year old friend) who didn't care for (nor fall for) Apple's new hype 2 years ago ("It does video!!/It's finally in BLACK!!"). He's a family man who had been taking care of his family's needs/wants and had never bought an iPod for himself. He finally was in a position to treat himself and he thoughts were the iPod was defined by its color. Call him old-fashion or out-of-touch. But there are millions like him who just want what they've come to know and love... an Apple music player that's white.

If anything, you're proving that your friend was swayed by marketing, not the kids.

The kids see innovation, your friend was so brain-washed by Apple in 2001 that he can't see something that's identical or in many cases better than the original deck of cards iPod as being worthy of a purchase...


I think what I'm getting at is you're focusing too much on design and not on the fact that though Apple is a company heavily associated with branding and unique design, they're also a company whose design changes rapidly to keep up with things and in no way wants to be pigeon-holded into being forced to release products of a certain color, size, shape, material, etc, etc, etc... *especially* when it would prohibit innovation!

 

[Derwood]

iPhone II?

For me I would love to see the iPodtouch brought to market as a competitively priced iPhone equivalent, off network, with 16/32gb storage, that could handle web-browsing, email and occassional Skype calls.

If you can't pop a SIM in it, it ain't competition for the iPhone. No?

Never gonna happen. Sadly.

 

[Zukum]

I hope no wi-fi.

So far, everyone else hoping for no-wifi are iphone owners who want to maintain their elite status among the rest of us non-att customers.

I'm stuck in a Verizon contract, and hope there will be a new touch screen ipod without wi-fi. The reason? I want to get my fingers on that oh-so-sweet touch interace and keep the price under $350!

 

[Loge]

Irrelevant. We are talking about progress of iPods as time goes on. Some people probably decided to not buy a Mini, since "new model is just around the corner", only to find out that the new model had LESS capability than the old model did!

Why is it so hard to admit that as far as storage was concerned, iPod Nano was a step backwards when compared to the Mini?

Yes it was a (small) step backwards. What happened to the mini is irrelevant as far as whether Apple move to an all flash line up tomorrow or not.

 

[morespce54]

I would rather see Apple announce kiosk's then a radio function on an iPod.

Just think how cool that would be, you are at the airport about to catch a flight, you see an iTunes kiosk and go over and dock your iPhone or iPod and then download a movie or two for the flight.

Genius... I hope this becomes reality.

But why would ya need a kiosk? Most Airports I been too lately offer a free WiFi connection.

Yes. In this case, the kiosk is your laptop... So you have your own kiosk!!!

 

[Trishul]

my 5G 60GB iPod got stolen from my hotel room a few months back, so i'm pretty much definately buying something tommorow.. whether it be a 120GB 'normal' iPod or a 32/64(?!)GB NAND iPhone minus phone. Whatever.. all i want to know is how soon am i going to be able to get hold of one? have previous iPods had good supplies on opening day? or have they experienced iPhone like shortages?

it's bad enough the new wireless keyboard has been delayed twice! i want to order the new iPod tommorow and have it within the next few days... my car journeys have been hell without a large capacity MP3 player

 

[cuztheyrefast]

Don't know if this has been mentioned. (Haven't read all the pages yet.)
But... along the lines of the radio/buy-it now feature.... how about if you are in a store or watching TV and hear a song you like but don't know who sings it or what it is called, you can have the iPod/iPhone 'listen' and then connect to the iTunes store with that artist and song so you can buy it. The iPod would obviously need a mic and wi-fi, but definately do-able on the iPhone.

 

[Unspeaked]

I hope no wi-fi.

So far, everyone else hoping for no-wifi are iphone owners who want to maintain their elite status among the rest of us non-att customers.

I'm stuck in a Verizon contract, and hope there will be a new touch screen ipod without wi-fi. The reason? I want to get my fingers on that oh-so-sweet touch interace and keep the price under $350!

You don't think they could have a low end model without it and a high end model with it...?

 

[Unspeaked]

Don't know if this has been mentioned. (Haven't read all the pages yet.)
But... along the lines of the radio/buy-it now feature.... how about if you are in a store or watching TV and hear a song you like but don't know who sings it or what it is called, you can have the iPod/iPhone 'listen' and then connect to the iTunes store with that artist and song so you can buy it. The iPod would obviously need a mic and wi-fi, but definately do-able on the iPhone.

Isn't that a Verizon feature?

 

[Evangelion]

Yes it was a (small) step backwards. What happened to the mini is irrelevant as far as whether Apple move to an all flash line up tomorrow or not.

The argument was that "Apple does not take steps back". And they did with the Nano