iPhones on Target, Analyst Expectations on iPods and Macs

[johnmcboston]

i want the iphone without the phone part.

think about it. widescreen video ipod, widgets, wi-fi email and internet, without an expensive contract. sounds good to me.

And how much less do you think the iphone would cost without the phone parts? I think that IS the video ipod. Remove the phone parts and put a bigger HD in, and you're back up in price, no? What else can be removed?

If you remove the click wheel, I think it reduces functionality. I can feel the click wheel in my pocket and change volume or songs. If I have to take it out and look at it any time I want to to this reduces its use as a music player...

I get frustrated with Apple when any small change has to be an event. Higher capacity micro hard drives have been out for a while. But we'll never see the 5th gen ipods just come out with larger drives. We have to wait for "new and improved" to go along with it. It's like they can't just do an upgrade without adding some kind of feature. So now we go months without product while they work on new and improved. sigh.

 

[skellener]

....new Macs into the holidays

WTF??? Xmas? Apple should be updating the computer line every 3 months. The whole line has been stagnant since Sept. '06 (except for the introduction of the 8-core). You're telling me we have to wait until Xmas?

 

[Maccus Aurelius]

i want the iphone without the phone part.

think about it. widescreen video ipod, widgets, wi-fi email and internet, without an expensive contract. sounds good to me.

What you're describing is an Apple equivalent of an Archos 704. Imagine a media-centric quasi-UMPC. This would be a nice high end iMonster to heap on top of the current iPod line, but alas, such dreams remain so.

I'd buy one though.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

But we'll never see the 5th gen ipods just come out with larger drives. We have to wait for "new and improved" to go along with it. It's like they can't just do an upgrade without adding some kind of feature. So now we go months without product while they work on new and improved. sigh.

the initial 5th gen ipods (with video) had high end of 60 gb capacity, they were then upgraded to 80 gb

 

[flopticalcube]

WTF??? Xmas? Apple should be updating the computer line every 3 months. The whole line has been stagnant since Sept. '06 (except for the introduction of the 8-core). You're telling me we have to wait until Xmas?

Not quite. New MB and MBP in Oct/Nov '06 when Merom came out but your point is taken. No spec bumps/price drops. Nothing. Dry as the Sahara.....

 

[johnmcboston]

the initial 5th gen ipods (with video) had high end of 60 gb capacity, they were then upgraded to 80 gb

OK - 120GB drives have been out for a few months now. I'm waiting...

 

[GanleyBurger]

WTF??? Xmas? Apple should be updating the computer line every 3 months. The whole line has been stagnant since Sept. '06 (except for the introduction of the 8-core). You're telling me we have to wait until Xmas?

Agreed. I've got $3,300 saved right now. I Ebayed my Core Duo Imac to be prepared to buy Santa Rosa in Q2. Then we got the "Wait till October" messages.

This really sucks... not this article.. Im a recording engineer. And I'm doing a lot of work this summer. CD was too slow. And I don't want to buy a C2D in June if they're releasing a new line in October with Leopard.

AAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH. Release Santa Rosa now!!! I'll buy. Then I won't feel so bad when I lose $500 on Ebay because I want to upgrade in six months.

Apple should at least upgrade every 6 months. Is that so much to ask for??? It's been... Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr, now May. This is rediculous!!!

 

[pacohaas]

bad title, i usually don't read past the first 3 or 4 words. I bet if I go to Target, they won't have an iPhone.

 

[MacbookSwitcher]

OK - 120GB drives have been out for a few months now. I'm waiting...

Honestly, I only have 14 GB of music, so I don't need a 120 GB drive. A drive that large only makes sense when you're talking about high-resolution video, which the iPod doesn't even have a large enough screen to support.

This only makes sense if all iPod's become full screen like the iPhone. However, if you think about it, that product doesn't make sense. Large screen + multi-touch doesn't really make sense for an iPod-only device.

 

[Rocketman]

Future Mac Form Factor

 

[johnmcboston]

A drive that large only makes sense when you're talking about high-resolution video, which the iPod doesn't even have a large enough screen to support.

Not necessarily. I have a 35GB library already, and a LOT of CDs not ripped yet. Plus I've been ripping music videos from VHS (for DVD), and making some ipod copies of my favorites. There are also a lot of dance music podcasts I like, so there's 4-5 hours worth of podcasts each month that are backlogging on the ipod. It adds up quickly...

- J

 

[usarioclave]

Sim card activation

I have seen this "in-store activation" mentioned in other places as well. What does it mean? Don't you activate the phone just by putting your SIM card in and turning it on?

Well, no. Cellphone activation in the US is kind of a pain in the behind.

Due to government fears, prepaid SIM cards are pretty much impossible to find except on ebay. With some of those, you need to stick the SIM in and call the carrier to activate the SIM - and you pay a charge for activation. Ugh. Some come pre-activated.

Most retail stores (pretty much everyone I've checked) don't sell SIM cards, period. They sell a prepaid phone with a prepaid SIM. Yuck.

Also, your phone is probably carrier locked, though you are supposed to be able to unlock them now for free, or at least easily (the recent copyright office ruling forces carriers to unlock their phones under some conditions or another).

In-store activation probably means dock your iPhone, select your calling plan, swipe your credit card, and leave the store in less than 5 minues. In most cellphone places it takes 10 minutes to get to the desk. Then the salesperson will try and upsell you for another 10. So maybe Apple's in-store activation means "easy in, easy out?"