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Flash-based iPod by Christmas?

You people are ridiculous. Once flash gets to a point of high capacity at a cheap price, hard drive MP3 players are going to be a thing of the past. Just think of something the size of those little 256 MB flash players with 10 GB of storage.

Yea, cheap 10 GB flash cards are still a ways off, but it will happen eventually. I mean it was just 3 years ago that we only had a 5 GB iPod, now look where we are.

If Apple does go through with this, I bet it will be an update to the iPod Mini. This would make sense...

iPod = harddrive/high capacity
iPod Mini = flash based/small as heck

I'm sure the tech for cheap 5 GB flash cards isn't far off.
 
Why did Jobs smile???

here's another article with more info:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=671


"SigmaTel's D-Major portable audio system-on-a-chip (SoC) currently ranks atop the flash-based MP3 player market segment with over nine million units shipped last year. The chipmaker claims battery life in excess of 50 hours with high-speed USB 2.0 capability.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has stated that he believes the cost of Apple's iPod remains too high for the average consumer. During an exclusive interview at June's Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital conference, Jobs said Apple was working very hard at reducing the price of the iPod. When asked when to expected a price-drop, Jobs just smiled."
 
I think this should be called something different than ipod. they should keep hardrive based music players ipod and flash ones seperate. Call it iflash or icard something like that.
 
Le Big Mac said:
the same thing can be said for hard-drive based players too.
Click to expand...

True, but the difference is that in the case of HD based players, Apple was one of the first out there and is the current market leader. In the "cheap" memory based player segment, Apple would look like an "also ran" and it would be much harder to achieve the kind of profit margin they are used to with the current iPod + mini line-up. There are so many CHEAP memory players out there, it would be tough to convince someone to pay a premium for that kind of techonology.

I'm one of those who does not think Apple would enter into that market, but I guess anything is possible :)
 
Under $100 Ipod Flash Player

For under $200, I would buy one for my niece and nephew, but can't kick out $400-$500 for ipods

TRUST ME - It's a status symbol with kids - They would ask for it for Christmas and for under hundred dollars they could load ... eh ... 128 songs at 4 meg each into a 512 flash player

IT WOULD BE HUGE - Bigger than BIG :D
 
Whenever Apple talks about their market share in the MP3 player market, isn't it usually like 70% or something and then they always comment that most of the remaining 30% is from all those small, flash-based players?

Well, this would be a good way to grab even more market share.
 
Gherkin said:
You people are ridiculous. Once flash gets to a point of high capacity at a cheap price, hard drive MP3 players are going to be a thing of the past. Just think of something the size of those little 256 MB flash players with 10 GB of storage.

Yea, cheap 10 GB flash cards are still a ways off, but it will happen eventually. I mean it was just 3 years ago that we only had a 5 GB iPod, now look where we are.

If Apple does go through with this, I bet it will be an update to the iPod Mini. This would make sense...

iPod = harddrive/high capacity
iPod Mini = flash based/small as heck

I'm sure the tech for cheap 5 GB flash cards isn't far off.
Click to expand...

I think you are assuming the price of small HD devices will not drop right along with the price of memory. The price per MB on tiny HD devices is going down constantly. As someone else pointed out, the highest capacity CF cards available today are actually HD based. I agree the price/MB of memory devices will drop (as it does for most technology) but I think it will be quite a while before it qapproaches that of HD devices (if it ever does).
 
For those of you saying that CF will completely replace HDs in MP3 players, don't forget how bloody slow CF transfer speeds are right now.
 
Rod Rod said:
those 8 GB "flash cards" are actually hard drives (not flash memory) in CF enclosures.
Click to expand...

No, it's compact flash.

As I stated before, people who don't follow this industry closely have outdated views about Compact Flash.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0409/04092805sandisk_ultraII.asp

The demands of photographers shooting 7 frame per second digital cameras is driving the compact flash industry, and innovation (and investment) is quite breaktaking.

Here's another link about 20 MB per second transfer, just to save a second posting ...

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0409/04092806sandisk_extremeIII.asp
 
Sigmatel wouldn't be at all surprising as suppliers to Apple. They are a direct competitor to PortalPlayer.

Sigmatel's current chipsets support both flash and HD, including Cornice drives.

iPod isn't necessarily married to PortalPlayer. All the compatibility stuff is in file and directory formats. The only software is the Apple-supplied firmware, so that leaves lots of flexibility to change the innards with abandon.
 
Chaszmyr said:
For those of you saying that CF will completely replace HDs in MP3 players, don't forget how bloody slow CF transfer speeds are right now.
Click to expand...

WRONG.

The slow transfer speeds of Compact flash have to do with bad USB connections, or with poor implementations. As I just posted, the transfer speeds on high end cards are now pushing 20 MB per second - don't tell me THAT is too slow for audio playback.
 
Flash memory has many advantages over HDD and whilst the prices of HDD will of course fall as well as the price of flash memory once you reach a certain capacity it won't matter. I mean who wants a 20 Gb music device the size of matchbox? Most people would prefer this to a 80 or even 100 Gb one the size of a fag packet. The majority of the public do not have vast music collections and even fewer are hugely bothered about carrying them all around with them. They want something pocketable that can carry a handful of CDs. I would argue the iPod sells because of style and marketing not capacity.
 
Slow?!

Using a USB 2.0 reader with a SanDisk Ultra II CF card is very quick. 8-10MB/sec read and write. Let me tell you, loading large files onto that card is quite fast. Smaller 3-5MB files, I don't even get a status bar or dialog box, the copy is so quick. The card performs very well in high resolution cameras too, as one would expect.
 
ijimk said:
I think this should be called something different than ipod. they should keep hardrive based music players ipod and flash ones seperate. Call it iflash or icard something like that.
Click to expand...

This whole thread is silly, 'cause pkradd has already pointed out that SigmaTel isn't making Flash cards, it makes chips/controllers for players. This thread headed off in a wrong and misleading direction.

Anyway, for grins, if they do make a flash-based player, I hope they call it the ePod. :D
 
Catt said:
Flash memory has many advantages over HDD and whilst the prices of HDD will of course fall as well as the price of flash memory once you reach a certain capacity it won't matter. I mean who wants a 20 Gb music device the size of matchbox? Most people would prefer this to a 80 or even 100 Gb one the size of a fag packet. The majority of the public do not have vast music collections and even fewer are hugely bothered about carrying them all around with them. They want something pocketable that can carry a handful of CDs. I would argue the iPod sells because of style and marketing not capacity.
Click to expand...

higher capacities will always be welcomed. who says we have to stick to 128/192 kbps mp3/aac? if capacities get big enough, why not just use full aiff?
 
CalfCanuck said:
No, it's compact flash.

As I stated before, people who don't follow this industry closely have outdated views about Compact Flash.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0409/04092805sandisk_ultraII.asp

The demands of photographers shooting 7 frame per second digital cameras is driving the compact flash industry, and innovation (and investment) is quite breaktaking.

Here's another link about 20 MB per second transfer, just to save a second posting ...

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0409/04092806sandisk_extremeIII.asp
Click to expand...

thanks for the correction. that rocks.

however, you can get a Rio Carbon for $199-$215, break it open and use its 5GB CF hard drive in a digital camera... meaning hard drives are still way cheaper than flash-type memory.

http://www.computers4sure.com/product.asp?productid=2046034

http://www.greghughes.net/rant/PermaLink,guid,e9bdfa3f-da94-4c6e-a2f9-5ff3260040f1.aspx

the operating temperature range on the Extreme III cards is amazing though:
Digital Photography Review said:
With many professional and advanced photographers shooting pictures in extreme weather conditions ranging from African deserts to the Arctic, the SanDisk Extreme III cards also boast the industry’s widest guaranteed operating temperature range from a freezing minus 13F (minus 25C) to a scorching 185F (plus 85C).
Click to expand...
 
SigmaTel doesn't make flash storage devices!!!!!

Edit: Already been said. I really have to learn to read all the post first :)


I think everyone is getting ahead of themselves. I took a look at the SigmaTel site (http://www.sigmatel.com) and the products they make are USB controller chips, MP3 audio decoders and audio codecs. They don't seem to make any type of actual flash storage. RIO uses this a MP3 controller chip from this company also.
 
...Could this be in any way related to Apple's recent deal w/ Motorola to provide ITMS song compatibility to their line of cell phones? It seems really odd to me that Apple would consider selling an iPod that uses flash based memory.
// two cents
 
kikimus said:
I don't see this happening. Flash players have already flooded the market. No premium for Apple. Little to differentiate, other than the interface.

I doubt most people who own the mini even know it has a hard drive.

Who cares?

I can't see Apple cranking out me-too $150 flash players.
Click to expand...

Guilty as charged. I thought that the iPod was a flash based memory system. I can see I am very very wrong.

Mike
 
flash based will be about 512mb or less . . .anything else will be as expensive as the mini, but probably hold less. i doubt it will work unless its like a 4GB flash that replaces the mini and drops the price a bit :-/
 
Catt said:
Flash memory has many advantages over HDD and whilst the prices of HDD will of course fall as well as the price of flash memory once you reach a certain capacity it won't matter. I mean who wants a 20 Gb music device the size of matchbox? Most people would prefer this to a 80 or even 100 Gb one the size of a fag packet.
Click to expand...

Speak for yourself. I want all my music with me.

The majority of the public do not have vast music collections and even fewer are hugely bothered about carrying them all around with them.
Click to expand...

Then you obviously don't know the vast majority of people. Every person I know who has a digital music collection either online or IRL all have collections that exceed at least 7,000 tracks. A good percentage have over 15,000 tracks. Music isn't always about having what you like. Some people I know collect music. Some want the bragging rights. Some want to know they have such a wide collection that if someone spouts out 5 group names he will have at least 1 of them in his collection. One friend is trying for this. He has 3x,xxx something tracks.


I would argue the iPod sells because of style and marketing not capacity.
Click to expand...

Well that'[s part if it at any rate. :rolleyes:
 
I'm skepical.

Do you really think that Apple would release an iPod that is universally affordable with low profit margins?!! :-D
 
If you want a $150 iPod Mini...

Regarding the posts where people want to get an iPod for $150... I found a deal with Audible.com where they will give you $100 off the price of a iPod mini if you sign up for a year of their service.

Link: http://www.audible.com/adbl/store/p...hhkcefecegedfhfdhfk.0&uniqueKey=1096670967578

If you already subscribe to the service now, you can still do it. PLUS, amazon has the iPod minis for $236 right now, so you end up getting it for $136 delivered, door-to-door. Seemed like a no-brainer to me.

Just thought I would put it out there.

Oh and if anyone is signing up for Audible service, remember to use my name as a referrer ("evilfunkgenius"). Thanks!
 
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