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Flash-based iPod by Christmas?

Figures

Literally within days of me getting my silver iPod mini. The store finally had some in stock that you could take home that day. I was amazed.

I'm considering doing an informal consumer review of some iPod accessories, but I don't know if it has been done already. There are seemingly endless choices when it comes to what you want to do with your pod some are definately better than others.

Overall I'm very happy with my pod, 1000 songs is plenty. A 60 Gig pod is now a sure thing based on how good my experience with the mini pod has been.
 
Why does anyone care what the storage technology is? I'll bet consumers don't really...only techno-geeks.

The idea of a different name for the flash-based iPod (if there is one) is just dumb.

The idea that flash-based "goes against the iPod philosophy" seems stupid too.

The iPod (and its so-called philosophy) has much less (nothing?) to do with the internal storage technology.
 
A boon for digital photographers?

Do you think this would be completely Flash based, or would there also be a smaller internal hard drive? If so, I can see this being very appealing to digital photographers who could fill up a card with pics, and dump them onto an ipod and keep shooting.
 
Perhaps a simple MP3 player is being a bit simplistic. A smarter move would be some sort of multipurpose storage device which, in addition to being able to play MP3s, would act as a USB thumbdrive, radio tuner, etc. I think it would make a lot of sense for Apple to get into USB thumbdrive solutions- they are what is replacing (have already replaced) floppy technology. Apple has facilitated this by being one of the first manufacturers to forgo internal floppy drives. iThumb, anyone?
 
Of note for a few who've pointed it out....

Neither the original article nor the MacRumors story claim that SigmaTel is making the flash storage itself for a new iPod, just that they will be making controller chips inside the device. As is evident with the deal between Rio and SigmaTel, they know what they're doing when it comes to MP3 controller chips.

So, don't write off this rumor based on that misconception.
 
Sir_Giggles said:
Are you sure? I know you love it... especially the Sailor Moon Limited Edition iPod Lite.
Click to expand...

Please don't amuse me, I am not a teen. :rolleyes:


If they made an iPod inline LCD or OLED remote player that would be interesting.

iPodµ sounds sweet. :)

the best MP3 GUI in a remote package. will set it apart and it can also be added to the iPod and mini when you upgrade thus you are not loosing anything rather adding as in add and upgrade.

That sounds like a plane. No other MP3 flash or HDD based has this in place. :D

Think of it this way:

When you are only listening to a few tunes and jogging, you can use the iPodµ as is with its own battery supply, when you want all your tunes plug the remote into the iPod or mini and have it expanded.

That would be a great plan, have people buy the low cost iPodµ and when they are comfortable to upgrade they will not have to throw out they iPodµ rather used it as an extension to they new purchase.

Dammit, that is a sweet idea......and I just gave it away to everyone. :(
 
Already available

Tolmar said:
Do you think this would be completely Flash based, or would there also be a smaller internal hard drive? If so, I can see this being very appealing to digital photographers who could fill up a card with pics, and dump them onto an ipod and keep shooting.
Click to expand...

I saw something like that at the Apple store for the iPod, not the mini but it was a card reader that could transfer information from various types of cards to the Pod.
 
iPod mini mini?

Maybe a flash-based iPod mini will replace the current iPod minis? I don't see any room for flash-based players unless there's more use to it than just an MP3 player.
 
Loss Leader

From a marketing standpoint, it makes perfect sense for Apple to grab a piece of the lower-end music player market, which happens right now to be flash-based. It's like the old General Motors strategy... sell them a Chevy, then a Buick, then a Cadillac. Hopefully some of these buyers (esp. teens) will trade-up for an iPod in a few years. A lower-end device would also significantly expand the market for iTunes music store. Finally, I'm confident that Apple could bring some innovation and style to the lower-end market. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
 
iGary said:
I can't imagine Steve selling something he has preached so vehemently against[/] in the past.
Click to expand...


Care to provide any links or videos to back up this rather ridiculous statement?
 
it's for the phone!

Has any realized that these "flash memory chips" could be for the upcoming Motorola phone that supposedly syncs to iTunes?
 
flashPod

Have posted ths mock up a while ago so hopefully people have forgotten it - but a possible flashPod based mockup
upod.jpg
 
doogle said:
Have posted ths mock up a while ago so hopefully people have forgotten it - but a possible flashPod based mockup
upod.jpg
Click to expand...

I like the design. I would try to shoot for two more lines on the display though.
 
those 8 GB "flash cards" are actually hard drives (not flash memory) in CF enclosures.[/QUOTE]

not quite mate
quote
SanDisk® Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK - News) announced today that is has quadrupled the capacity of its high-speed SanDisk Ultra® II line of flash memory cards that includes the development of a new 8GB CompactFlash® Type I card. The top end SanDisk Ultra II Memory Stick PRO(TM) and SD(TM) cards now boast 4GB and 2GB of capacity respectively. The announcement was made at the Photokina trade show where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Hall 1.2, aisle A, Booth 059.
unquote
 
looks cool but...

doogle said:
Have posted ths mock up a while ago so hopefully people have forgotten it - but a possible flashPod based mockup
upod.jpg
Click to expand...

I too would think 2 more lines of text and replace the buttons and slider with a small click wheel (maybe make the unit just a touch fatter).

cool photoshop.
 
iGary said:
Um, have a look at the MWSF keynote where he introduces the iPod Mini, and he makes no less than 6 derogatory comments about flash-based players, one being "People buy them and throw them in a drawer."

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/mwsf04/

Rather ridiculous, indeed.

Go take a shower.
Click to expand...

It was the implementation of poorly designed flash-based players with limited storage that he, correctly, was complaining about. 64 MB of storage is NOT enough, but that's what the techno geeks from other firms were throwing out to people because that's what flash-based storage could provide at a certain price point.

Digital is digital, and the consumer doesn't care (or need to know) what technology is used to stor 0's and 1's, as long as it meets their needs.

My first 128 KB Mac in spring of 1984 had no hard drive - so were we to assume that Macs would never get one? It was solely a matter of price at the time. And it took a number of evolutions ( first 128 to 512 KB ram, then from one to two floppies, and only on the third "model" did they add a hard drive, unless I'm forgetting the step up from 400 KB to 800 KB floppies as well).

The point is that Apple has minimum specs for their iPods, and one of those is a minimum storage size. This appears to be 1.5 -2 GB, and in spring of 2004 flash could not be used to hit this minimum AND be price competitive.

But down the road it's almost GUARANTEED that micro hard drives will be replaced by solid state flash storage - here's their comparisons:

Advantages:

micro - HD's -
1. lower price per GB at current time

flash-based storage -
1. more reliable with no moving parts
2. more shock resistant
3. uses less power so longer use by end user
4. lower failure rate reduces warranty costs

At the present time, the low cost per GB is what drives the micro-HD usage in iPods, but once flash based begins to come close (factoring in reduced warranty expenses, which is a BIG issue in manufacturing pricing), Apple will and should switch to flash in a heart beat.

It may not happen this Christmas, but the industry marches on. Apple included HD on it's Mac's, it dropped the Apple network connector to go to Ethernet, switched from SCSI to ATA and FW, dropped floppy drives from it's computers, and switched from ADB to USB.

The smaller iPods WILL be flash-based in a few years, regardless of Steve's rants about crappy current units that are thrown in a drawer.
 
Microsoft will be using Flash-memory (from M-Systems) in their new Xbox2. If they can have a high capacity flashdrive for a reasonable price, Apple can...
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=dev&aid=3033

blackTIE

CalfCanuck said:
The high end photo flash cards have capacities of 8 GB and write speeds approaching 20 MB / sec. - but they cost some $$$. Backing off to non-cutting edge stuff, though, really brings down the prices.

Before the mini came out, I was talking about Flash cards on this forum and it was amazing how ignorant some were, claiming they were old technology (I guess that's true about everything, though ... :p ).

I imagine that in 4-5 years all smaller music devices will be flash based, if for nothing else than to lower warranty and breakage costs!

Some people complain that the capacities are too low - but they have gone up 20 fold in 3 years, allowing for a set price. Retail prices for 1GB cards are about $50, so volume / wholesale they must be starting to converge with small hard drives like in the mini.
Click to expand...
 
They have a long wat to go.

The cheapest 1gb 60X CF Cards I buy are around 90.00. Even wholesale, with a player, you are in Mini territory. I will concede that it is a future possibility. This year?

Nah.
 
apple will not make a flash player ever. it's just not happenin. they will come out with a 60 gb ipod and a new mini. the mini will probably just have a few monior tweeks. i think delphi might be coming out with a deck for your car that incorporates an ipod slot. apple and delphi made the liquid cooled g5, so maybe they will collaborate again, or already have????

just a thought ;)
 
Saw the MWSF stream again.

This would make sense for Apple to go after the low end flash market.

If you follow the iPod market share, Steve says that the iPod is to compete with the HDD mp3 players (31% Market Share), mini is to compete with the high end flash market (31% Market Share) and the low end flash market was left so it would make sense to go after the remainder 31% market share in the low flash mp3 player market.

Some might say what happened to the 7% that is other, various markets and companies who have players.


This would seem very possible for Apple to take a bite into the remainder 31% of the low flash market.

This will HAPPEN. :D


For those Apple or shall I say Steve never said anything about not wanting the low end, it was only time and that time will be MWSF 05. :)
 
Tolmar said:
Do you think this would be completely Flash based, or would there also be a smaller internal hard drive? If so, I can see this being very appealing to digital photographers who could fill up a card with pics, and dump them onto an ipod and keep shooting.
Click to expand...
That doesn't need flash memory to happen. I've met several tourists with a digital camera and an iPod - they keep using up their camera memory, they'd love to plug the camera into the iPod and upload to the iPod. Not for viewing, just to save them.

(Now get your iPod to upload them automatically to .Mac slideshows and that'd be pretty snazzy...)
 
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