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Flash iPod Details?
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Tulse said:
I've been thinking about this rumor since I saw it this morning. While I don't necessarily believe it's true, if Apple is going to develop a Flash based player, I can see one being produced without a screen.
Certainly, folks here have made valid points that you can't use playlists (as Tulse did in the quote above). That's a fact. But we're not talking an overly amount of songs.
What would this player be used for? Jogging and other activities where you don't necessarily want to be banging your iPod around. Fashion statement.
So, if I'm going to go to the gym, I could create a playlist in iTunes and designate that as my iPod Flash (to be renamed iPod flash a couple of days later) sync playlist. Sorting that playlist, etc would have the same effect it currently has with the standard iPod.
Out there? Perhaps, but how much do you actually look at your screen when you're playing a playlist? Hardly ever. When I used my iPod in my car, it'd be sitting in it's case and I'd just use the remote to jump through songs (Yeah, there goes my battery life).
So, in conclusion, I think a Flash based iPod is possible without a screen. I'm just not convinced the image we've seen is correct, though it does look nice, I'll give them that.
theFly
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chameeeleon said:
Yes, it is nice as hell. The scroll wheel as you stated should be bigger though.
eSnow said:
no... he said that earlier this year when he introduced the mini. there were plenty of flash players with 64, 128, 256 and even 512 MB memory back then. your point mostly still stands, but it's a stretch to say they "typically had 64MB or less."
4 GB CF card costs how much? (over $300 retail) there's even 8 GB CF... for $900! price's gotta come down first...
1GB is now less than $100 retail. so a $199 iPod flash with a 1 GB is a possibility. i don't see one with less capacity or lower price. it does nothing but cheapen the iPod name.
Some people are saying 1GB is too small, but they're ignoring the fact that we're talking about a Flash-based iPod. As in if you buy 3 more cards, you'll already have as much space as a mini. Buy one more on top of that and you're ahead. You could have all your jogging songs on one card, all your mellow songs on another card... There's possibilities. Although I personally don't like the idea of this coming from Apple. The beauty of "iPod" is that it isn't about being another MP3 player that can't hold all your songs.
jxyama said:
Some good points. Yet, at $249 the Mini iPod is not "mass market". For that the $100 to $150 is the sweet spot. It is also about growing customers into the market. Let's say at $100 you get a 512mb to 1gb flash iPod. Apple then gets that consumer in the iTunes buying habit. Their collection grows to a point that the Mini iPod or the iPod becomes a "needed" expansion.
i would assume the control would still be reminiscent of the standard ipods. this if the play/pause is a center click, i would assume an inner circle button for this function.
also, screen could be on the back side. or is it the controls that are on the back?
also, screen could be on the back side. or is it the controls that are on the back?
bartszyszka said:
You also bring up an interesting product idea, the "SD iPod(tm)". It would solve the issue of managing playlists. You could have an SD card (or even the newer Mini-SD card) for your musical mood.
I think an iPod with no screen could work if there was an easy way to fast-forward between albums and playlists.
The other thing people are forgetting is that the iPod flash may be the first to make use of the new audio format -- AAC Plus. In that format, the memory requirements will be much less: perhaps 250 songs in 250 MB.
The other thing people are forgetting is that the iPod flash may be the first to make use of the new audio format -- AAC Plus. In that format, the memory requirements will be much less: perhaps 250 songs in 250 MB.
jxyama said:
He also dismissed the idea of a Mac with the system integrated into the back of the screen. And you know where that went.
chameeeleon said:
That looks great....especially if the colors are different than the iPod mini's. The black and red look awesome with the aluminum look......they need a bright orange though
If Apple put something like that out.....I'd buy one for both my wife and I (even though we have a mini and an iPod Photo).
SiliconAddict said:He also dismissed the idea of a Mac with the system integrated into the back of the screen. And you know where that went.
yeah... and that was how many years ago? 3 or 4 years ago, if i remember correctly. he made that statement after considering what was technically feasible back then and determined that the results did not fit his vision.
jobs said that about flash players earlier this year. the state of flash-based players haven't changed much since. instead of 64/128 MB players being mainstream, now it's 128/256 MB. so instead of 20 songs, we can now hold 50 songs. i don't see how that's such a significant change that jobs would retract his vision and re-consider making a flash-based iPod that's not much different from mainstream 128 to 256 MB ones.
that's why i believe if a flash-based iPod is made, it will cost $199 and have a 1 GB flash. i can almost bet on the $199 price. $150 is too cheap and mainstream and will not let apple stand out. remember how everyone thought mini would be $200, but it came out at $250...? everyone complained but mini sold like crazy. i bet the same thing will happen with the flash based one. people will "want" $150 but apple will price it $200. there will again be people complaining how you can pay "just $50 more" and get a mini with 4 times the capacity... but people will probably buy the flash iPod anyway..?
SiliconAddict said:He also dismissed the idea of a Mac with the system integrated into the back of the screen. And you know where that went.
Thanks, I thought that Steve had made statements that the company then backed off on.
steve jobs has said in most of his keynotes regoarding the ipods that people just throw them away. also, no screen to navigate a ton of songs, no way. this is not going to happen like this, maybe different or not at all.
If it doesn't have a screen then it's not going to hold a lot of songs. It's probably 256MB. Why would you need to visually browse 50 songs? It won't be marketed as an alternative to the ipod and ipod mini, but as a compliment. Use your current ipod in your car, at work, at school, but when you go for a run, go to the gym, take your ipod micro.
I'm not predicting what is true or not, I'm just trying to think of an excuse for a screenless ipod.
out
I'm not predicting what is true or not, I'm just trying to think of an excuse for a screenless ipod.
out
iPod Withour a screen
I'm just joining the choir.
part of what has made the iPod SO successfull (if not the entire reason) is its usability, the screen, playlists etc... I don't believe this rumor, unless somehow the device folds out or something.... but like others here I think the picture (if real at all) is a remote for airtunes or iPod remote
I'm just joining the choir.
part of what has made the iPod SO successfull (if not the entire reason) is its usability, the screen, playlists etc... I don't believe this rumor, unless somehow the device folds out or something.... but like others here I think the picture (if real at all) is a remote for airtunes or iPod remote
Steven1621 said:
Yes it does. If Apple doesn't continue to push forward beyond simply the hard drive size the iPod will be doomed. The reality is that the iPod form factor can't stay the same forever or more accurately can't be the only form forever. Saying this is what the iPod will always look like even 3 years from now is just stupid. Apple needs to push forward. They took baby steps with the iPod Photo a couple months ago.
I highly expect in the next year or two another device will be released that does something with video. How and in what ways? No clue but video will be a part of the equation. It probably wont be an iPod that can do video on the go but its going to be something video-ish. Maybe a DVR device that is tied to Netflicks where you can download your movies on the fly using a bit torrent like system?
On the flip side of things you have the low end market. As I've ranted in several other threads Apple has made the conscious decision to go it alone when it comes to hardware. (HP does NOT count.) Consequently Apple is in one way or another almost required by the marketplace to cater to the high, mid, and low end of the market since they aren't letting anyone else do it.
If Apple ignores the low end they will be in the same boat they are in with their PC line: Market share being eaten away by these cheap systems. Why hasn't it happened yet? Because Apple and the iPod are trendy, are the hip thing, and still have the slickest interface around (Even though some of the other devices on the market are (See if this sounds familiar.) good enough.
So was the walkman way back when. Having that walkman logo on your system was IT. Now a days? Walk who? Apple CAN NOT depend on being cool to keep the iPod going forever. Anyone who thinks this is just plain delusional.
arkmannj said:
I'm with you there. I just saw the picture and it's even hard to believe it's a remote for air-tunes or the ipod. Where's the freakin play/pause button? And... What would the ever so needed reset button combo be!? My guess would be this is a bogus picture.
Bro said:
Well, one would imagine the Play/Pause would be pushing the whole thing down in the center. Granted, there should be an icon for it. If that logic goes, why not then, just make the reset button to be holding down the whole button for 5/10 seconds.
Though, I don't disagree with you about the picture. I wonder if the picture is represented to be the actual thing, or just a mockup based upon the information they "received."
Guess we'll find out in 30 or so days.
theFly
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Macrumors said:
Hmmm. Not giving it undo credence, but I don't think "no screen" is a deal killer.
Look, if you want your entire music collection with you always, the iPod or iPod mini (depending on the size of your collection) are for you. The iPod Milano (or whatever they want to call it) is for a different use scenario.
Ideal use: You're going to go out for a jog. Set up the Milano with your play list, hit play, and go!
Setup: all done via the Mac connection. Song identification: Maybe a voice synth to identify the track name before each song when using the forward/back buttons, maybe a series of beeps, maybe nothing. Maybe all of the above, configured via the Mac connection setup screen. Shuffle: ???
Marketing Points: Small, unnoticeable; indestructible (no moving parts); skip-proof even if you jog flat-footed for four hours straight; simple UI (some would say "none", but that's the hallmark of a simple UI); incredible battery life (no moving parts, screen, backlight, etc).
Look, with *any* 1GB or less player, you're going to have to put some forethought into what you put on the device before you head out. Design for that instead of apologizing for it!
PS ... if this is *really* $99 I'm ordering 3 of them for my daughters ... But I don't see that price point as realistic.
If the picture is real, and an air tunes remote... there would be no reason for volume up and down. It is line out from the airport express. the volume wouldn't change from the Mac. just as the iPod dock dosent allow the volume on the iPod to determine the volume out of the speakers you hooked in to it.
jxyama said:
In context, he noted that that is because they take more time to get setup and configured than is worthwhile. AND they were (at the time of the original comment) lingering between 64 and 128 MB of space. Things change a bit when you have 1GB and an intelligently-designed interface.