iPod Possibilites?

[Yvan256]

What about a flash-based iMac? It could retail for less than $200 and would appeal to all those kids who can't afford a $1299 G5. It would use a G3 and stripped-down version of OS X, or maybe even OS 7.5. Think of all the people who would fall in love with the Mac and go out and buy a dual 2.5 G5. You could sell it in bright colors. Maybe Apple could come up with some co-branding deal with Playskool.

Well, except for the "flash-based" and "less than 200$", you kind of described the original iMac (G3, OS 7.5, bright colors, playskool-like design).

If I remember correctly, it sold pretty well. 😉

Speaking about the G3 (since it's been out of the picture for a while), I know I'd buy a CD-less sub-notebook G3/800MHz if it had up to at least 512MB, 30GB, 800x600 LCD, two USB 2.0, one FireWire400, Ethernet, S-Video out and ran OS X. Make it half the size of a 12" iBook/PowerBook, price it at 499$US and you already got a unit sold.

 

[Yvan256]

XM Radio

Isn't that just a US thing? Never heard of it over here in the UK/EU...

I'm in Canada and I never really heard about "XM radio" before either.

Would Apple really release a USA-only device?

 

[Yvan256]

I've wondered to what extent the success of the iMac should be attributed to iLife, and I think it's one of about four factors. I'd like to see some customer research on this.

1. iLife's appeal to first-time Mac purchasers
2. iPod owners who want to move further inland
3. mounting virus and spyware problems with Windows
4. the cool factor (related partly to iPod)

There may be other factors, but I would suspect that these are all significant.

As a yet-to-switch computer user:

- #1 and #3 are definitely the main reasons to buy a Mac.

- #2 isn't really about the iPod, it's about iTunes. It's what really opened my eyes to what good software can (and should) be. I did buy an iPod, but without iTunes I'd never have paid that price for an MP3 player and I would've kept my 64MB Flash MP3 player.

#4 may be a factor to some people, but not for me (I do appreciate the design, but that was only the icing on the cake. I'll never buy a good-looking piece of crap, no matter how good it looks).

 

[Yvan256]

Traditional ipod = all your tracks wherever you go.
Flash iPod = Select tracks wherever you go.

iPod : your library to go
iPod mini : your classics to go
Flash iPod mini : your mood to go

😀

 

[Yvan256]

If companies like iRiver and Philips can't sell a 512mb flash player built on cheap-ass parts for under $200, how in hell is Apple gonna sell an 1 gb iPod with a metal body, touch-sensitive scroll wheel, a 138x110 resolution display, and dock connector for $150?

If a company like Apple can sell a 4GB hard-disk-based player for 249$US, how in hell are companies like iRiver and Philips selling 512MB Flash players for 199$?

We're simply saying the most expensive of the iPod mini is probably the 4GB 1.8" hard disk, so replacing it with 1GB flash would lower the cost and could allow Apple to sell it for around 149$US.

Apple owns 68% of the ENTIRE mp3 market, including cheapo $50 flash players. What more do you want???

The last 32% of the MP3 market? 😀

 

[Yvan256]

Assuming WMA and AAC continue to be mutually exclusive, paid downloads are going to become an increasingly significant factor. The bigger a user's paid library gets, the higher the hurdle to getting him to switch.

And since WMA = Microsoft, we're simply all hoping Apple will give it its best to allow *everyone* to get access to iTunes/ITMS/iPod/AAC.

Because if they're not iTunes/ITMS/iPod/AAC users, they're WMA/Microsoft drones, funding the illegal monopoly that is Microsoft.

 

[MacinDoc]

iPod : your library to go
iPod mini : your classics to go
Flash iPod mini : your mood to go

😀

Do you want fries with that? 😉
Seriously, though, I doubt that Apple could do this for the rumored $99 price point, considering that even most cheap 256 MB MP3 players are more expensive than this. If this rumor is correct, I suspect that the iPod Flash will only have 256 MB of flash, and will not come with a dock.

 

[Yvan256]

About those band-branded iPods... They could be a viable possibility *if* they're limited editions. They become collectables and don't "downgrade" the brand/quality of the iPod at all.

In fact, for such an expensive consumer electronic device, becoming a collectable would only *boost* the iPod brand (in some weird way).

Or maybe, *maybe* the "U2-edition" iPod will be that 1GB flash iPod mini? Those would be better to collect (since they're cheaper) and more people could "collect them all" (I smell a Nintendo-Apple promotion soon. I want a Metroid iPod mini!) 😀

I keep saying that 60GB 1.8" drive will go in a G3, CD-less, 9" LCD sub-notebook. 🙂

 

[Yvan256]

Do you want fries with that? 😉
Seriously, though, I doubt that Apple could do this for the rumored $99 price point, considering that even most cheap 256 MB MP3 players are more expensive than this. If this rumor is correct, I suspect that it will only be 256 MB of flash, and will not come with a dock.

The iPod mini comes with the dock? Remove that, stick to 1GB Flash and sell it for 149$US!

Go Microso.... D'oh!

Go Apple!
😱

 

[MacinDoc]

Or maybe, *maybe* the "U2-edition" iPod will be that 1GB flash iPod mini?

That could be problematic, since that iPod is supposed to come pre-loaded with all of U2's recordings, and those would account for quite a bit of the available space on a 1GB iPod.

BTW, sorry for breaking your streak... 😱

 

[izzle22]

The iPod mini comes with the dock? Remove that, stick to 1GB Flash and sell it for 149$US!

Go Microso.... D'oh!

Go Apple!
😱

The iPod Mini does not Come with a dock, it is seperate!

 

[The Sheck]

My friend who is one of the program directors at XM, when I asked him about this, confirmed it's going to be an ipod. Sweet!

 

[nagromme]

An XM-Apple tie-in (maybe iPod) is sounding more plausible the more I think about it.

I can't say I think it WILL be true, but I'm starting to think it COULD be.

What a hilarious way to answer MS's contention that people want to rent music on their computers and then move it to portable players. XM would one-up that, and cut the loading-songs labor out of the process in classic Apple simplicity 😀

 

[solvs]

Remember the $99 to $149 rumors pre-mini? Prepare to be disappointed. If it is $99, it will not be very big storage wise. Plus, I have a satellite radio. The receiver itself is bigger than an iPod. You've already seen the new XM radio on page 1. Maybe some kinda XM cross promotion. U2 cross promotion. New iPod. New iTunes. More iTMS locations.

 

[Blue Velvet]

An XM-Apple tie-in (maybe iPod) is sounding more plausible the more I think about it.

I think it's unlikely, only for the reason that this USP will only work in the US and poss Canada.

Not Japan, Europe, Australasia... etc.

Unless, it's a US only release but that doesn't further the aim of plugging iTMS globally...

I just can't see it, perhaps 'cos I'm blind 🙂

 

[milatchi]

:-o

Wow, a $99 Flash based iPod. That will go great with my $800 upgradeable headless iMac.

 

[JOHNGAETANO]

Apple is not going to release 5 or 6 new iPods. Come on people.

JOHN

 

[iZzle]

I recommend reading the current issue of MacAddict which talks about myriad iPod possibilities.

 

[iAlan]

M$ ... are getting into the market for one reason and one reason only: to protect WMA and destroy AAC/Fairplay.

I am not up to speed on this, but will record companies be comfortable with WMA in terms of copyright? Apple really needs to push AAC/Fairplay as the 'secure' option and get the record companies to support this - forcing MS to the format if they are to launch a musuc service, then the question remains - will iPod and iTunes compatability work with a MS music service?

Still do not like the idea of a flash iPod (see post above) - can you imagine BMW comming out with a cheap Hyundi style car?

 

[hob]

I'm in Canada and I never really heard about "XM radio" before either.

Would Apple really release a USA-only device?

As far as I can see - XM radio is what we brits call DAB. Except XM sound MUCH MORE EXCITING than plain old DAB... of course...

American's always have to make everything sound exciting/erotic/both... whereas us brits come off as radio-geek types...

Remembering conversations with my canadian brother, I don't think there's XM/DAB in canada...

Hob

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

OK, maybe

I said earlier I didn't think this was going to happen. I still don't see how they could do it for $99 unless they've got a better deal from RIAA (they still have to make money on the iPod since iTMS doesn't make much money).

However, I just read this:

http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47408

and if, reading between the lines, there is a supply-chain shortfall I'm guessing it's the hard drives, so a flash-player may make some sense to get the supply up to where the demand is.

If they do do this, I'd like to see a removable storage "bay" so the end-user could order a hard-drive upgrade and slide out the flash memory and slide in the new G-sensing hard drive unit. I'd make it like the rechargable batteries on a digital camera, push slide, pop.

As a bonus you could have multiple hard drives for your iPod, if you were a total music freak. You could also replace dead ones without paying for a service repair.

Contacts and plastic are cheap. So are "allowed devices" as per the recent iTunes release. Maybe the "allowed device" increase is to permit a few spare hard drives. That would bump Apple ahead of the competition, yet again.

 

[Inspector Lee]

I just can't see them releasing a $99 option and keeping the current mini. Jobs stated last year at MWSF that the mini was going to be kind of like a second iPod for people - one they could take places where they didn't need their entire library a la the gym. I've got a 2G 20GB at home and I take a mini with me to the gym. I don't need 4 gig for the gym but the form factor is right on. It doesn't need to be any smaller. However... I understand the dilemma people new to the iPod are faced with. For an extra $50 they can get a lot more space going with a traditional iPod. And this isn't to say that I wouldn't jump on a small flash-based player because my fraulein needs one. All in all, I find this rumor interesting because Apple refused to break down the mini v. "old school" iPod sales when releasing their quarterly results last week.

 

[nagromme]

Why a flash Mini makes sense

1. A flash iPod need not be a new product line at all, just a new size (GB and thickness) of Mini. (And I doubt the flash chips will be removable--it would mess with the iPod design and not appeal to that many people. Apple could have done that with the current CF-format Mini if they'd wanted to.)

2. A flash player need not be ultra-low-capacity. I predict no less than 2 GB, 500 songs. Apple won't even TRY to compete with the semi-useless 250-songs-or-less "throw in a drawer and forget" players. They don't meet Apple's standard for usefulness, and they are just a fraction of the 38% of the player market (by units--LESS by dollars) that Apple doesn't already have.

3. And therefore don't expect it for a bottom-end 128 MB flash player price. It would be $199 upon release, I predict. That's very competitive if you look at what's out there. (And around that time, expect the HD Mini to hold more--maybe 5 or 6 GB.)

4. And therefore it may not be on the 26th. Flash memory is expensive, and I expect to see one WHEN it is economical to produce one significantly cheaper than the HD Mini. That could be soon if Apple gets great bulk deals, but I'm thinking much closer to Xmas, or next year.

5. But one day, when the economics are right, a flash iPod of USEFUL capacity will make sense. It will have the usual power and durability benefits. So of course Apple WILL have such a product. The question is when.

 

[dotnina]

That could be problematic, since that iPod is supposed to come pre-loaded with all of U2's recordings, and those would account for quite a bit of the available space on a 1GB iPod.

BTW, sorry for breaking your streak... 😱

Early rumors said it would be the whole U2 catalog, but from what I (at least) have seen lately, it's going to be a "portion" of the catalog.

That makes good sense, too ... they would need to make this iPod more than the $30 premium to cover the cost of handing out all the U2 songs ever.

 

[adamsan]

As far as I can see - XM radio is what we brits call DAB. Except XM sound MUCH MORE EXCITING than plain old DAB... of course...

Doesn't XM use satellites though? DAB is an entirely European initiative and won't be compatible. Seeing as most of the MPEG decoding circuitry is already present in an iPod then building in a DAB tuner would be pretty cheap and non-US iPods might incorporate one of those instead. Alternatively, Apple just won't bother...