Flash iPod Details?

[tizza]

I have faith ...

As much as the concept of a screenless player sounds a bit strange (not that we even know this for sure anyway!), I'm sure the company who brought us the iPod isn't going to undermine their killer product without seriously knowing what they're doing. Maybe there is a market niche that only apple has the foresight to see currently, or maybe there is some new user functionality that no-one has ever thought of before - let's face it, some of the world's best UI designers are at Apple ... not that Apple isn't capable of making a stuff-up (they are only human afterall), but I'm confident enough they know what they are doing!

 

[nagromme]

"Random" and "Shuffle" features are old news to us.

But to the big UNTAPPED market of people who are NOT already after a portable player... shuffle-playing a big list of songs is a real selling point.

That's the feature that grabs non-techie people about my iPod. Strange but true.

I think Apple has done its marketing homework--and the "experts" on this forum are not the target audience of that slogan. People who ALREADY want a music player don't need a slogan from Apple... most of them already prefer iPods!

 

[doogle]

shufflePod

OK be gentle I knocked this up while away from all my source material so it is basic and minimal!

 

[TMA]

Just as long as its an intelligent shuffle. My Creative Nomad IIc has a tendency to repeat the same song up to 5 times on so-called "shuffle mode."

Like iTunes does?

I'm told it's hard for software and computers to truely pick something at random. What we call true random doesn't go by statistics and odds. It goes on a principle of not picking the same thing again and picking extremes

For example if you had 100 numbered balls and picked 3 balls out. Our idea of random might be 3, 42 and 70. All far apart. it would be just as random to pick out 1,2,5.

 

[mackaikai]

I will buy one to go with my gold iPod mini~

this will be great when i workout..
ipod mini will be great for trips~

go apple.

now...that's pray this thing won't cost 199!!! (that's the price point Creative set for their 1gb flash mp3 player that was just released)

150 is acceptable. 100 will be superb!

 

[Buffalowing]

A few thoughts...

1,this ipod isn't being made for most of us. Apple is not trying to reinvent the (click) wheel here. They are targeting a specific kind of user and most of us have our 3G,4G ipods are are happy....great...but Apple obviously feels there is a segment not having thier needs met. This ipod is for THEM....not US.

2,maybe Apples selling point is simplicity. A ipod that you load up and go. No fancy features,no games,no bulky player weighing you down....it's all about the user and his/her MUSIC.

3,this ipod is for two types of people. The gym rat who wants something small and light they can strap to thier wrist or place in a pocket in thier shorts and have music and just music. The other is the person who just wants an 'ipod' w/o the cost or 9,000 songs with them at all times. Simple,cheap,easy and 'does the job'. End of story.

4,I had an iriver and with a screen I often never used. 2 times through my library I knew more or less where my favorites were and could flip to them w/o looking at a screen. I have a Sony mp3-cd player with a screen. That 2 line screen is worthless and I often never bother with it.

5,one factor is how this ipod is made. Small,light,flash memory=no moving parts=more durable for active people. The other is what it will be used for. Load up 50 of your most rocking,thumping songs and head to the gym for your 60 minute workout. If you want your entire Metallica library with you at all times or to be able to sort through your 20 hours of Rush Limbaugh shows...BUY A REGULAR IPOD! This ipod wont work for you because it wasnt made for you.

6,if this ipod is intended to be a workout companion,wouldnt a screen just get scratched all to hell anyway? Case you say? Adds cost and bulk. Also,who wants to be pulling out thier ipod every 10 minutes to look thru songs when you are on a treadmill or basketball court?

7,Belkin. Apple has to leave something out so Belkin can chime in with thier $90 3 line LCD remote/headphone combo.

8, capacity. If you have a 100 song playlist that is strictly your 'pump me up' gym mix,if you workout 3 times a week for an hour each time,you likely would not get sick of your music too fast and so a 200+ song capaicity will likely be more than enough. Plus,if those are the songs in your library that you enjoy while exercising why would you need to change them that often anyway?

If this ipod concept upsets you then just realize this ipod is about as 'for you' as maxi pads are if you are a guy. This ipod wouldnt work for my needs but it is EXACTLY what my girlfriend needs and that is likely whats behind Apple's thinking.

 

[rishio]

more than an ipod?

Is everyone sure this is just an ipod? Whatever happened to the remote control idea for airport express. Could this shuffle device be part of a bigger picture?

O'

 

[Cybernanga]

Life is Random

Think back to 1984.

If someone had said there would be a computer without a Command Line, people would have laughed and said it's impossible, Apple is crazy, how do you enter commands? etc.

Apple have made some mistake's before, but how many of those were with Steve Jobs in command?

Have a little faith and patience, and prepare to enter the "Reality Distortion Field" where life truly is random.

btw, does anyone know if Steve has visited any research centers in the last year or so?

 

[DavidLeblond]

OK be gentle I knocked this up while away from all my source material so it is basic and minimal!

Its needing a volume control of some sort though. Perhaps a knob on top? has to be something that won't be adjusted when its on hold though.

 

[doogle]

Is everyone sure this is just an ipod? Whatever happened to the remote control idea for airport express. Could this shuffle device be part of a bigger picture?

O'

hmmm could be - that would be cool if it worked across keynote, ipod etc.

 

[Nicky G]

I will buy one to go with my gold iPod mini~

Hahah right on, this thing will live with my gold mini as well.

 

[MacFan782040]

Not everyone is going to like it, but the design actually makes complete sense.

I agree with your post. This is just like radio. Why would anyone listen to to the radio, having NO control over what song is to be played... same thing with satellite radio-- and people pay a monthy fee for that! Imagine the cost of 1 year of satellite radio vs. an iPod Shuffle. I have a CD player in my car-- I have various burned mixed CD's... I will pop one in and listen to the songs that are on that cd. If I had an iPod Shuffle that STAYS in my car, then it would just be like having those cd's, only it would hold more songs and I wouldn't have to mess around with it while driving.

This will be good for a lot of people, not just runners. I see iPod users getting this for a second iPod-- and that is exactly what the upgraded version of iTunes is going to allow users to do- multiple iPods.

 

[doogle]

Its needing a volume control of some sort though. Perhaps a knob on top? has to be something that won't be adjusted when its on hold though.

Point taken. OK last edit before I go to lunch - may get another chance tonight to do some more...

 

[Nicky G]

Works well with the iTunes Music Store

I think this rumored device would work very well with the iTunes Music Store. It kind of encourages you to keep refreshing your music collection, to spice up your "iPod random" or whatever they call it.

Seriously though, this is the 21st century Walkman for my mom. She has maybe 5 to 10 CDs she listens to. She isn't ever looking for a specific song. This would be fine for her.

 

[DavidLeblond]

Point taken. OK last edit before I go to lunch - may get another chance tonight to do some more...

Cool... I wonder how we figure out whether the thing is on shuffle mode or not? Perhaps the shuffle button will glow? Tha'd be pretty slick.

 

[ambush]

where is the Hold button.

 

[macridah]

Random is not such great a feature that you should market a product after it. Where does apple do it's market research? Crossing my fingers for a winner.

 

[stephenli]

isnt it crazy?

One of the strongest advantages of iPod against other brands would perhaps be the NAVIGATION. No screen? Random? Comeon Apple, today isnt April 1.

 

[fpnc]

It's pure genius!

IMO, an iPod shuffle with no screen sounds a bit strange at first. But the more I think about it the more I realize that this is pure, unadulterated genius. Of course, this is only true if they can hold to the rumored $150 price and 1GB capacity (actually, I saw one report as low as $129).

By removing both the screen and the controls that are pretty much required to navigate song lists you can make the device both cheaper to manufacture and smaller in size. Thus, Apple can introduce a stylish, ultra compact, and very price competitive iPod into the waiting hands of the iTunes want-a-haves (and still make money). It also makes a decent second iPod for those who just want a compact, sturdy, and cheaper device to use while running, or going to the beach, or as a carry-along for each and every day.

True, an iPod mini priced at something like $150 would also meet those requirements, but that type of device (scroll wheel and display) might force Apple to charge something like $200 (IMO).

Thus, this can't be seen as a direct substitute for the iPod mini or standard iPod. But that is probably exactly the way Apple wants it. If you really want a display and scrollwheel then Apple can try to up-sell you to the iPod mini.

And note, with the growing number of the Apple retail stores Apple salespersons can calmly and fully describe the price and feature tradeoffs between the shuffle and mini.

It also means that Apple can reach new price points very easily. If the shuffle proves to be a great success they can quickly introduce a $99 price point with 512MB of storage (since with the simplified design the flash memory is probably the biggest part of the manufacturing cost). Or, as flash memory gets even cheaper they can reduce the 1GB price to near $100 and have a well-under $100 512MB product. And then, further down the line they can introduce an iPod mini like device for $200 or less (as component prices continue to fall).

 

[dashiel]

i truly enjoy reading all the posts just prior/post an iPod release predicting its immediate and utter failure, thereby dooming apple to bankruptcy. then 3 months later after apple issues a press release stating they've sold half a million of the product the nay-sayers seem to to have all but disappeared.

steve jobs is an incredibly smart guy. he knows the industry, he can recognize trends years before they happen and most of all he knows his customers.

there is a gigantic market for flash players out there and iPod shuffle will satiate that demand. the lack of a screen is a simple exercise in knowing your target audience. the iPod shuffle customer is likely to be:

a) someone who can't afford the current crop of iPods, but desperately wants one. not an mp3 player, but an iPod. this person isn't going to care about the lack of screen, they just want the cache of owning an ipod. they are likely to be young and computer savvy. they will make playlists daily and drop them on their ipod. studies have shown that young people are also much more likely to listen to mp3 players on random than choose a specific artist or album.

b) the asian market/people in to ultra small. there are reports that the ipod outside of japan isn't doing as well as in the rest of the world. partly because of the obsession with tiny. there are plenty of people out there who would willingly sacrifice features for size. the lack of a display screen is going to be a very minor point to them. in fact given the option of a screen making the device larger, a small and of limited use screen (like the one line mockup that have appeared), or nothing these people will choose nothing.

c) the exercise crowd. hard drive based mp3 players are just too fragile for constant exercise. the ipod isn't bad, but eventually if you keep jerking it around the hard drive arm is going crash causing temporary or even permanent damage. additionally most people i see working out with any type of music device never look down to change playlists or volume. they hit back, next, play/pause and volume. for these people iPod shuffle is going to be huge. i suspect that should the price of the iPod shuffle be in the $100-$150 range you will see a large number of existing iPod and iPod mini owners pick these up to supplement their existing unit.

the iPod shuffle, like the iPod mini before it and the iPod before that is going to be a gigantic success.

 

[nagromme]

Random is not such great a feature that you should market a product after it. Where does apple do it's market research? Crossing my fingers for a winner.

Yes, it IS a great feature to people on the "outside" of all this. THAT IS the feature that people love about my iPod! THAT is what makes having so much music in one place appealing to them.

This iPod "random" slogan is not targeted at you or me.

 

[ambush]

i truly enjoy reading all the posts just prior/post an ipod release predicting its immediate and utter failure, thereby dooming apple to bankruptcy. then 3 months later after apple issues a press release stating they've sold half a million of the product the nay-sayers seem to to have all but disappeared.

steve jobs is an incredibly smart guy. he knows the industry, he can recognize trends years before they happen and most of all he knows his customers.

there is a gigantic market for flash players out there and iPod shuffle will satiate that demand. the lack of a screen is a simple exercise in knowing your target audience. an iPod shuffle customer is likely to be:

a) someone who can't afford the current crop of iPods, but desperately wants one. this person isn't going to care about the lack of screen, they just want the cache of owning an ipod. they are likely to be young and computer savvy. they will make playlists daily and drop them on their ipod. studies have shown that young people are also much more likely to listen to mp3 players on random than chose a specific artist or album.

b) the asian market/people in to ultra small. there are reports that the ipod outside of japan isn't doing as well as in the rest of the world. partly because of the obsession with tiny. there are plenty of people out there who would willingly sacrifice features for size. the lack of a display screen is going to be a very minor point to them. in fact given the option of a screen making the device larger, a small and of limited use screen (like the one line mockup that have appeared), or nothing these people will choose nothing.

c) the exercise crowd. hard drive based mp3 players are just too fragile for constant exercise. the ipod isn't bad, but eventually if you keep jerking it around the hard drive arm is going crash causing temporary or even permanent damage. additionally most people i see working out with any type of music device never look down to change playlists or volume. they hit back, next, play/pause and volume. for these people iPod shuffle is going to be huge. i suspect that should the price of the iPod shuffle be in the $100-$150 range you will see a large number of existing iPod and iPod mini owners pick these up to supplement their existing unit.

the iPod shuffle, like the iPod mini before it and the iPod before that is going to be a gigantic success.

Jobs CAN be wrong. He's not a god. See the Cube.

Anyway... all I'm saying is, if it's 100% random... I can't see how it'll attract people. But that's just my opinion.

Imagine if like... Random kids gets this flash player for his birthday and he wants to listen to... I donno... Simple Plan's latest hit. You mean he WON'T be able to do it? That'd suck

But then again I'm not the kind of person who uses iTunes' shuffle mode... so I'm clearly biased...

Anyway... I'll stick with my 3rd Gen.

 

[blueflame]

with bluetooth?

with all of this dicussion, i went from hating the idea to loving it. if i could just make a playlist at a time, 240 songs, walk into the room to hotsync, it would be great, i could just leave it in my backpack, or somewhere in the room, and update the small playlist for mabye just the day or so.
i like it, but the design is really gonna be a kicker
ajk

 

[LaMerVipere]

Eek. No thanks.

Darn, and to think, I was all set to buy one.

No screen, no deal.

 

[jholzner]

Hmm...well I had planned to get one. I'm not saying it will or won't be a hit. I want to select the exact song I want and play it...simple as that. I know I can get the mini but I don't have the cash. Oh well...