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Flash iPod at MacWorld Expo?
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WOW
I could care less about the Flash iPod... but reporting this rumor is like ThinkSecret giving Apple the finger. Right after they get sued to expose their sources they post more sensitive information...
GO THINKSECRET!
I could care less about the Flash iPod... but reporting this rumor is like ThinkSecret giving Apple the finger. Right after they get sued to expose their sources they post more sensitive information...
GO THINKSECRET!
bold thinksecret, very bold
i doubt that this new device is going to be called flashpod, apple has made a de a name for the "ipod" not "------pod" they are gonna at a suffix to it just like they have the rest of their ipods. i wonder if thinksecret is just throwing everything they know out now to ruin apple after that lawsuit is filed. regaurdless, mw 2005 is still going to be big as compared to what it was going to be about 1.5 months ago. i cant wait.
GFLPraxis said:
i doubt that this new device is going to be called flashpod, apple has made a de a name for the "ipod" not "------pod" they are gonna at a suffix to it just like they have the rest of their ipods. i wonder if thinksecret is just throwing everything they know out now to ruin apple after that lawsuit is filed. regaurdless, mw 2005 is still going to be big as compared to what it was going to be about 1.5 months ago. i cant wait.
julzmon said:
I disagree. You are assuming that one iPod will meet the needs of all consumers. This just isn't true.
For example, I have no need for a 20Gig iPod. My music collection is about 10Gigs. Sure it will grow, but I don't want to have all of it available to me at one time on a portable player. I just take my favorite songs which is just over 1Gig, about 300 songs. So the iPod mini is perfect for me. Size, style, and capacity fit me perfectly.
How would a 1Gig iPod affect people buying a 20Gig iPod? It won't, these two consumers are looking for different things. Having different models allows Apple to target specific consumer and meet their needs better.
lasuther
A few comments...
1. It WILL NOT be called "iPod flash"...let's be very clear about that. As someone else posted...the current iPods are not called "iPod HD" and "iPod microdrive". Get over it. It WILL NOT be called "iPod flash". The best guess would be "iPod micro"...but certainly not "iPod flash".
2. Too expensive? Pishaw! Check out Best Buy (or any other place) and search for 1GB MP3 players. This pricing would be VERY competitive. Even, arguably, aggressively priced.
3. Product line confusion? What is that all about? There is ONE iPod line and it goes likes this (assuming this new product is real):
$149 -- 1GB (smallest, 200 songs, 3-line display)
$199 -- 2GB (smallest, 400 songs, 3-line display)
$249 -- 5GB (smaller, 1,200 songs, 5-line display, 5 color choices)
$299 -- 20GB (small, 5,000 songs, 6-line display)
$399 -- 40GB (small, 10,000 songs, 6-line display, dock)
$499 -- 40GB (small, 10,000 songs, 6-line display, dock, carrying case, AV cable, color photo display features)
$599 -- 60GB (small, 15,000 songs, 6-line display, dock, carrying case, AV cable, color photo display features)
It's really not all that confusing.
1. It WILL NOT be called "iPod flash"...let's be very clear about that. As someone else posted...the current iPods are not called "iPod HD" and "iPod microdrive". Get over it. It WILL NOT be called "iPod flash". The best guess would be "iPod micro"...but certainly not "iPod flash".
2. Too expensive? Pishaw! Check out Best Buy (or any other place) and search for 1GB MP3 players. This pricing would be VERY competitive. Even, arguably, aggressively priced.
3. Product line confusion? What is that all about? There is ONE iPod line and it goes likes this (assuming this new product is real):
$149 -- 1GB (smallest, 200 songs, 3-line display)
$199 -- 2GB (smallest, 400 songs, 3-line display)
$249 -- 5GB (smaller, 1,200 songs, 5-line display, 5 color choices)
$299 -- 20GB (small, 5,000 songs, 6-line display)
$399 -- 40GB (small, 10,000 songs, 6-line display, dock)
$499 -- 40GB (small, 10,000 songs, 6-line display, dock, carrying case, AV cable, color photo display features)
$599 -- 60GB (small, 15,000 songs, 6-line display, dock, carrying case, AV cable, color photo display features)
It's really not all that confusing.
lasuther said:
There's markup at each level of the supply chain - of course the manufacturers makes some profit on the parts they send to the distributors, who make some profits on the parts they send to the stores, who make some profits on the parts they sell to the consumer.
You're only looking at one part of the chain.... You're also looking at "quantity 1" markups, not the "quantity 1 million" prices that Apple could negotiate.
lasuther said:
Instead of "believing", why not spend 10 seconds to check your facts?
Crucial Technology is the retail division of Micron, one of the world's largest true memory manufacturers and by far the largest memory manufacturer based in the USA. http://www.crucial.com http://www.micron.com
lasuther said:
Exactly why I made my post - the original claim of $10 margin for Apple is silly, Apple would be able to buy the raw chips in huge quantities at tremendous discounts.
It's crazy to make any claims about FlashPod costs based on the price of a 1 GiB USB keychain in a blister-pack at your local store.
____________________________
ps: A couple of posts back I said that selling for 4 times cost was a 400% markup - mistake, obviously it's a 300% markup.
pps: A quick check at http://shopper.com of 1 GB USB drives shows $69 as a typical low price. 1 GB compact flash for $62, SD for $64.
ccuilla said:
Actually, the 1GB and 2GB iPods would be advertised with a capacity of 250 songs and 500 songs, respectively.
I'm down with the old Pod
Yea yea, a new Flash iPod. I need more space than that and I've never been a fan of the 'smaller w/less space' idea. I have my 60 gigs of music, I can't even fit it on the regular iPods. It would drive me CRAZY to have to pick out 1 gig of music files.
Yea yea, a new Flash iPod. I need more space than that and I've never been a fan of the 'smaller w/less space' idea. I have my 60 gigs of music, I can't even fit it on the regular iPods. It would drive me CRAZY to have to pick out 1 gig of music files.
WannaWiki said:
Then don't buy it.
I know plenty of people that are waiting for a flash player under $200. This new flash-based iPod will sell like hotcakes. Remember that most people do not have 60 gigs of music files.
jpd60 said:
There are a lot of other leak possiblities. Apple uses a photographer and an ad agency. The new products are always brought out with great print materials, so there is a print vendor involved. And there seems to be PR connections to magazines and other press that have info ahead of time, too. While they are all subject to non-disclosure, you just never know who is a little less disciplined than they should be.
Xtremehkr said:
That is the ugliest damn thing I have ever seen! Why would anyone wear that. You would look like an extra from Total Recall.
ipirate said:
Thank you! I thought the same thing but wanted to be nice (for a change). It's beyond FUGLY and nothing Apple, or any aesthetically minded, company would make. The reason iPod uses those understated white headphones (which, IMO, don't fit well enough for really good sound) is because clean lines and form/function is key to design, not that awful headband contraption from hell.
B_Gates said:
I want it connected up to my solar panel hat, that also prevents Apple stealing my Intellectual Property Rights.
They all laughed at me when I first wore it to the office, but once I convinced management it was good for the environment, they all had to wear them.
Management even paid to triple the overhead fluorescent tubes so it would function indoors.
jet3004 said:
You mean like, "Hey, this iPod flash comes with a camera, too?"
I vote iPod micro.
julzmon said:
Well, if the rumors/leaked infos are true, Apple will be releasing a flash-based 1GB iPod micro for 149$US, and an entry-level, headless G4 system for 499$US.
This means Apple will now try to play on 3 markets at once instead of only 2.
- Entry-level (iPod micro, Mac mini, eMac probably fits in here too because of public pressure on Apple to release it since it cost less than iMac)
- Consumer-level (iPod mini, iPod/iPod Photo, iBook G4, iMac G5)
- Pro-level (PowerBook G4, PowerMac G5)
As for the Flash player "not holding enough music", a lot of people still don't understand why you have to carry your whole library around. Also, everyone's library is different. Sure, 1GB might not be huge for you (about 250 songs), but that's still about 25 albums. That's a bit under half my CD collection. In fact, if the iPod mini ever reaches 10GB, I'll be selling my 3rd gen. 10GB iPod because my library is currently around 7GB, and I barely buy 2-3 albums a year.
I think 1GB will be more than enough for a lot of people. Especially if they only want a player for sports/training/etc. And with smart playlists, it's easy to manage (my own "top rated, 3 stars+" playlist has 246 songs in it, total 1007.6MB).
I posted that i have 1G of music, but actually it's around 4G. But I really dont listen to most of those songs. I just rip entire CDs. So a 1-2G would be perfect for all the songs that I actually listen to.
AidenShaw said:
I understand there is a mark up at each level of the supply chain, that was exactly my point. You were suggesting that Crucial has a 90% mark up. That is wrong. There might be a 90% mark up in the total supply chain, but not on the retail division. I was only looking at one part of the supply chain because that was what you were talking about, the margins at Crucial.
--That rule would say that the 1 GiB of flash is costing Crucial $10 to $15 - maybe $20 max.
Also, the company I was talking about deals with quantities in the millions.
I know Crucial is the retail division of Micron. That was my point, they dont make anything. Micron does. Crucial still buys products from Micron even though they are part of the same parent company. Crucial is not Micron. Crucial also sells products from Lexar, a competitor to Micron.
The claim of a $10 margin is almost as ridiculous as your claim of $90. My example of real life margins on USB memory for a retail division has a lot more basis to memory iPods than your random claims of what some guy told you once.
A margin of 50% is typical for flash memory devices in a retail division buying from a parent company. This is a fact because I reviewed the numbers at my division.
lasuther
ccuilla said:
Indeed. If those really are Apple's prices and capacities, it wouldn't even make any sense NOT to buy the iPod micro instead of something else. Almost everything else will be more expensive (in a MB/$ ratio).
ccuilla said:
I just noticed something in that price lineup: the low-cost models have 50$US steps between models. As soon as you reach the regular 20GB iPod, you start going up in 100$US increments.
The lineup really does seem even more real now.
Maybe there IS both a 499$US and a 599$US Mac mini after all (the 599$US model being a superdrive one).
Off-topic, but I also hope Apple will have an across-the-line updgrade for all their computers to include LightScribe drives (both combo and superdrives)!
An interesting idea for a possible iPod <micor/flash> design...
Although if the rumor is true, the display will be smaller.
http://www.mackompass.de/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Although if the rumor is true, the display will be smaller.
http://www.mackompass.de/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1