Mark my words: yes they will. iPod is getting old. And no, true video iPod is not an alternative to the iPhone. iPod is not a replacement for iPhone. iPhone just MIGHT replace iPod for some users, but not vice versa. And even then, I don't think that no-one is going to buy a $499 - $599 phone just so they could use it as a video iPod. That's why it makes sense to release a true video iPod, based on iPhone-technology (but without the camera, WiFi and phone) and with bigger storage-space.
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Beatles and Apple? Feb 4th Superbowl Announcement?
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Mark my words: yes they will. iPod is getting old. And no, true video iPod is not an alternative to the iPhone. iPod is not a replacement for iPhone. iPhone just MIGHT replace iPod for some users, but not vice versa. And even then, I don't think that no-one is going to buy a $499 - $599 phone just so they could use it as a video iPod. That's why it makes sense to release a true video iPod, based on iPhone-technology (but without the camera, WiFi and phone) and with bigger storage-space.
I believe that The Beatles owns all the rights to the original recordings. What MJ owns is the rights to the new releases. So if someone wants to re-record some Beatles-song, MJ gets the money.
um, how exactly would a music-player sabotage sales of a cell-phone? Do you think that people will rush to buy iPhone for it's music-capabilities? Music-capabilities are a nice bonus for sure, but the iPhone is a PHONE. They are in two separate markets. As a mediaplayer iPhone has some serious shortcomings. Yes, the UI and form-factor is great, but it simply has too little storage-capacity. Some music and some videos and it's full.
iPod is getting old and it's facing increased competition. Apple has the technology they need to take the iPod to the next level, way beyond any of their competitors. I have a 6GB iPod Mini, and I'm ready to move on to more advanced device. iPhone is not an alternative. I already have a company-issued phone and it takes about one year for the iPhone to become available here. And it has too little storage.
I don't doubt we'll see a refreshed iPod soon, just not one that has anywhere near the "wow factor" of the iPhone. The stuff you want to get rid of in the iPhone to make it cheaper, isn't sufficiently expensive. The display and battery in the iPhone make up a big chunk of the cost.
Just think about it this way the 8 GB nano and the 30 GB iPod are the same price, how do you think that comes about? The HDD costs less than the flash, but the larger display and battery offset that difference.
If you want an HDD based iPod with the iPhone's display and UI you'll need a bigger battery than the iPhone which will offset the cost of removing the camera, phone and WiFi, result in making the device cost as much as the iPhone without the Cingular "contribution"/subsidy of the device cost. Or, just wait for the components to come down in price as the iPhone becomes routine.
No one's going to buy a $700 iPod, even if it did have 100+GB of storage.
I hope I'm wrong, but a Powerbook G5 would surprise me less.
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iPod already has a screen and a battery. Are there any indications that the battery in the iPhone is substantially more expensive than the one in the iPod? They both have more or less same playback-time when it comes to video and audio. Screen is more expensive in the iPhone, but the price-difference between the iPhone-screen vs. iPod-screen might not be that huge. However, I do expect the new iPod to be a bit more expensive than the current model.
And yes, cell-phone, WiFi and camera do cost quite a bit of money. And part of the cost in the iPhone is the R%D they invested in it. If they release a similar iPod, they could amortize the R&D sooner, as well as getting economies of scale when it comes to components.
Again: What makes you think that the battery in iPhone costs substantially more than the battery in the iPod? And we have no idea what Apple's margins are on the iPhone.
How can Microsoft sell Zune for the same amount of money as Apple sells iPod, even though it has WiFi, bigger screen and recordlabel-kickbacks? And take in to account that Zune is brand new product and they sstill have to pay for it's R&D, whereas iPod is mostly based on R&D that has been paid for.
So, you think that the price-difference between the iPod-battery and the iPhone-battery is more or less the same as the price of WiFi, cell-phone, and camera? Uh, OK...
Fact remains that it would be quite dumb for Apple to have two mediaplayers in the market with vastly different UI's. Apple has already done the needed R&D, it would be dumb for them to NOT use it in the iPod.
Specifically, MJ bought the publishing rights to the Beatles catalog before 1969, previously controlled by Northern Songs. He outbid McCartney for the rights when they were put up for sale. The Beatles still own the rights to their performance of those songs, but the holder of the publishing rights also gets compensated when anyone sells those songs on an album or performs them in public.
McCartney now controls one of the largest song publishing companies in the world because he saw how much money he lost with the loss of control of Northern Songs. Song writers make a little less than a penny for each song they wrote which appears on an album.
As an aside, song publishing can be lucrative. "Happy Birthday" generates about $2 Million each year from performances in movies, etc. And no, you don't need to pay a royalty if you sing it to your kids at home.
1) Microsoft has demonstrated before that they may be willing to lose money or first generation products like the original Xbox. Apple has yet to take this approach.
2) You can't have it both ways, either WiFi is an expensive feature or it isn't. The fact that WiFi enabled Zunes can compete with iPod on price is simple. Same resolution screen, no clickwheel and cheaper case materials. The WiFi is incidental to cost/price.
3) The same goes for the camera and the cell phone module. GSM phones are so cheap and include cameras that the providers can give them away so assume that the whole phone would cost no more than $200 without subsidy. The GSM module is a few relatively inexpensive chips and the camera in most cell phones is a self contained module. Getting everything to work together is the hard part.
Even with the continuing advances in power management and battery tech, the power cost of running a HDD is much harder than flash. This means a bigger and thus more expensive battery.
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It's just as realistic as Apple spending millions of dollars for a commercial about The Beatles.If they do the Beatles during superbowl might as well put it on the iPhone.
I think Apple should spend their money on an ad about Apple Inc., not about one particular product. They rarely if ever have made it clear in a single ad that they make both computers AND iPods, and now they have Apple TV and iPhone to push also. They are to blame for the confusion when casual consumers aren't sure whether "iPod" is a company or what exactly Apple sells.
If they go for a Beatles ad, I think they should focus it on people a few years older than they do with dancing or brightly colored silhouettes. The market for Beatles music includes people of all ages, but it would be a chance to entice more baby-boomer consumers into the iTunes/iPod (and Mac) sphere.
Ironically, some of the iPod ads already border on a psychedelic style that might be associated with the Beatles or their era.
After seeing the ?iPhone I'm sure iPods are in for a change.
Agree with most of what Evangelion says. I expect the HDD based iPods to be like the phone but shorter, no wifi, no phone, same OS, in 40-60GB and 100GB.
I hope the nano changes little- I've had every version of iPod and IMO the nano is perfection incarnate. My red 4GB revB is 4 months old (daily use) and not a scratch on it and no case/cover. Big pods can be visual, smaller ones tactile.
The silhouette ads have always reminded me of 60s psychedelia.
Z
Agree with most of what Evangelion says. I expect the HDD based iPods to be like the phone but shorter, no wifi, no phone, same OS, in 40-60GB and 100GB.
I hope the nano changes little- I've had every version of iPod and IMO the nano is perfection incarnate. My red 4GB revB is 4 months old (daily use) and not a scratch on it and no case/cover. Big pods can be visual, smaller ones tactile.
The silhouette ads have always reminded me of 60s psychedelia.
Z
Let's resurrect the Apple TV monitors rumor for Superbowl
Well it looks like I may be able to attend my first Superbowl party at a friend's home. I'll check out his new HD TV and watch the $$$$$ Apple ad.
My speculation is that Apple may introduce at this classic TV event one or more HD TV models with the Apple TV guts built in.
What brought this to mind is seeing a pitch for HP's new MediaSmart 37" LCD TV which can wirelessly display digital content from a Windows (Vista?)PC.
"The incredible new HP MediaSmart 37" LCD HDTV is equipped with high-speed wired and wireless connectivity* that transmits digital entertainment content directly from your PC. Enjoy all the movies, music and photographs stored in your computer on HP’s stunning high-definition LCD TV. Plus, you can access millions of songs and thousands of movies and videos over the Internet directly through your HP MediaSmart TV and Web media services." HP Newsgram 1/17/06
Of course the HP TV interface appears to be a crude imitation of Front Row but hey it has that simple iconic interface for TV droids to master.
I might buy the Apple version if the 30" iMac does not surface soon.
Well it looks like I may be able to attend my first Superbowl party at a friend's home. I'll check out his new HD TV and watch the $$$$$ Apple ad.
My speculation is that Apple may introduce at this classic TV event one or more HD TV models with the Apple TV guts built in.
What brought this to mind is seeing a pitch for HP's new MediaSmart 37" LCD TV which can wirelessly display digital content from a Windows (Vista?)PC.
"The incredible new HP MediaSmart 37" LCD HDTV is equipped with high-speed wired and wireless connectivity* that transmits digital entertainment content directly from your PC. Enjoy all the movies, music and photographs stored in your computer on HP’s stunning high-definition LCD TV. Plus, you can access millions of songs and thousands of movies and videos over the Internet directly through your HP MediaSmart TV and Web media services." HP Newsgram 1/17/06
Of course the HP TV interface appears to be a crude imitation of Front Row but hey it has that simple iconic interface for TV droids to master.
I might buy the Apple version if the 30" iMac does not surface soon.
Cirque du Soleil pregame, LOVE album, Valentines Day...
Considering that Cirque du Soleil is doing pregame entertainment, I'm betting the announcement will some tie in with the new Beatles LOVE album (and possibly Valentines Day). And who knows? Or maybe Apple Corps Ltd will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple, Inc., too.
Considering that Cirque du Soleil is doing pregame entertainment, I'm betting the announcement will some tie in with the new Beatles LOVE album (and possibly Valentines Day). And who knows? Or maybe Apple Corps Ltd will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple, Inc., too.
Didn't MS state that it was selling the Zune at a loss in order to establish a position in the market?
Um, Love came out just a few months ago. The nineties and eighties saw several releases. Sir Paul toured and put out albums. Yeah, people get excited about the Beatles, still. Each one of their releases in the past two decades have required midnight openings for the masses of people wanting to get the albums/CDs (yes there have been limited vinyl editions). It is no small thing to have exclusive distribution of their catalog.
Not to mention Let It Be... Naked, which was a perfect way to revisit the album! More raw... rock & roll! I'm just hoping for the combination of Mono, Stereo and Dolby 5.1 versions of all of their albums...
Visualize...
The PeeCee guy and the Mac guy standing there in front of you,the only difference is it's Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr dressed in Sgt.Pepper uniforms.
The PeeCee guy and the Mac guy standing there in front of you,the only difference is it's Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr dressed in Sgt.Pepper uniforms.
Who would want to be the PC guy? I imagine something like the Mac guy introducing his friends to PC.
I sure hope they do this. It would be great. I listen to a podcast called MacBreak Weekly and they are speculating that it will be a Beatles edition true video iPod. I'm getting excited just thinking about it!
To run with the idea of Mac/PC guys dressed up as Beatles, this is the commercial I envision. It crosses Apple's advertising messages, but heck, just run with it!
We see a white room, like the Mac/PC guys. Instead of the typical characters, however, we see Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.
Paul: Hi, I'm a Mac.
Ringo: And I'm a PC.
Paul *looks over at Ringo* : No, you're not, you're Ringo!
Ringo *looks away from the camera, at Paul*: Then what about you?
Paul: I AM a Mac, I'm Paul *Mac*-Cartney (*spelling here just to indicate the sound made*)
Ringo *looks downcast* : I wish I were a Mac.
*video image cuts to a tinted background, with white Apple font popping up. The text reads: "You can be, Ringo." *
*revealed beneath the text: the iconic image of the Beatles crossing the road, done iPod-style. I've seen a great example of this on one of the Mac forums online. Text then pops up: Announcing the Beatles on iTunes.*
We see a white room, like the Mac/PC guys. Instead of the typical characters, however, we see Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.
Paul: Hi, I'm a Mac.
Ringo: And I'm a PC.
Paul *looks over at Ringo* : No, you're not, you're Ringo!
Ringo *looks away from the camera, at Paul*: Then what about you?
Paul: I AM a Mac, I'm Paul *Mac*-Cartney (*spelling here just to indicate the sound made*)
Ringo *looks downcast* : I wish I were a Mac.
*video image cuts to a tinted background, with white Apple font popping up. The text reads: "You can be, Ringo." *
*revealed beneath the text: the iconic image of the Beatles crossing the road, done iPod-style. I've seen a great example of this on one of the Mac forums online. Text then pops up: Announcing the Beatles on iTunes.*
Ringo will do anything for a paycheck. You've seen "Caveman" right? FWIW I actually really enjoy that movie.
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