iPod Updates and Future Revamp?

[MacRumors]

ThinkSecret echoes that iPod updates are coming... but are unable to commit a timeframe.

Preliminary info has been available, along with leaked Toshiba Drive specs... Unconfirmed reports have also littered MacRumors' Page 2.

ThinkSecret's report provides no new information with respect to impending updates, but does drop an exciting hint towards future revisions:

This update could be the last for the iPod before it undergoes a major revamp. Later this year, Apple will reportedly unveil the first radically new successor to the iPod, incorporating a feature set significantly different from today's.

 

[Bateman]

But I love the iPod the way it is.... i can't wait for the days of ultra-clear music on a 120gb iPod with the wheel and all....

But i guess change is a good thing, right?

 

[CheekyGit]

Maybe this "revamp" will be an iPhone, iPDA, MP3 player and recorder, walkie-talkie, GPS device, and coffee maker....ALL-IN-ONE.

I could be wrong...but it is always nice to dream

CheekyGit

 

[voicegy]

ohmygod here we go again!!

(actually, I rather miss those old PDA/Coffee Maker rumors...)

Well, shucks, was gonna get me an iPod for my birthday in March...just might be worth the wait if the thing gets revamped into a Swiss Army knife. (slobber, slobber, hoping for something even more awsome!)

 

[kwajo.com]

i'm really tired of these vague rumors, although, in a way, they make things more interesting. . . honestly I don't care about iPod updates, I mean I need a 20GB for my music, but can never hope to afford one as long as I am in university. also, how much more does an mp3 player need to do (I know AAC and recording, but 50% of those can be fixed by firmware anyway, and bigger HDs are innevitable, so they don't count as major 'updates' in my books)?

 

[smashedapart]

uhhh...hmm?

Again, isn't this just (re)stating the obvious? Of course its going to get revamped...its evolution, baby!! Only natural in the course of things, right? This was a pretty vague update..."New iPod eventually...successor sometime in the future"...you don't say?? ::sigh::

I actually think there'll be an update either Monday or Tuesday in keeping with the rolling product introductions. I think next week we'll see new 15" Powerbooks. And, I heard rumor a while back that the G4 might find its way into a high-end iBook model sometime in early March. This would also be in keeping with the rolling weekly introductions if Apple dropped this during the first week of March.

And before anyone says "no G4 iBook!", let's face facts here: the G4 is about to become the slower product in the lineup. Its becoming (painfully) obvious that Apple is gearing up to introduce a new round of processors (PowerPC 970) this summer/fall. The iBook will make the transition to a G4 before this happens. It's only logical that Apple would ditch the G3 in their main product spectrum...no one wants a processor that's 2 generations old.

These are my predictions. Pick them apart as you see fit.

-- smashedapart

 

[Wry Cooter]

Sometime last week, Wednesday or so perhaps, MacSurfer had a link to a Macintosh Audio interview (I couldn't listen due to being on dial-up), where someone was discussing the iPod future... suggesting the next iPod will be able to record.

ah... here's the link...

http://www.oscast.com/stories/storyReader$102

 

[movmkr]

I wish thinksecret would chime in on the 15" powerbooks, reading rumors is fun and all but I rarely put any stock in them until thinksecret confirms them, given their track record.

As for the iPod I hope Apple doesn't shoot themselves in the foot with whatever those new features are going to be. They've got an amazing mp3 player, and as for those new gadgets coming out (harddrives with screens, video playback, tv out, coffee maker, whatever) it's way too niche. It's a market that doesn't exist...at least until the powers that be convince the public that it does exist and that they need one to survive...

Take care all - Matt

 

[MrMacMan]

Don't turn this into iPDA like it will ever happen.
iPod will stay seperate from any possible PDA, think about it.

 

[taupecat]

My guess is if Apple is going to announce this week, it will be Tuesday. Monday is a holiday, and it wouldn't be like them to announce this kind of thing on a "weekend".

But, from all the message boards and rumor sites I've been reading, people have been guessing at an updated iPod's appearance since late January.

 

[weev]

But there are so many things the ipod should NOT turn into -- such as a device that plays video clips, like who really has a need for that?!

The beauty of the ipod is its simple design and pure function, turning it into a go-go gadget device will relegate it to the volumes of such devices on the market, and thus disappear under a quagmire of hot for a day electronic paraphernalia, to be profoundly forgotten after the initial interest.

But knowing (and hoping) Apple, they might come up with a truly class item. Perhaps a product that we don't even know we need yet but will definitely want one when we see how beautiful, functional and simple it is!

 

[paulie]

Excuse my ignorance..

But what's AAC and all the fuss about it being needed on an iPod?

I'd love a record function on my iPod, being that my brain is a jumble of thoughts, and funny things always happen at an izakaya that I'd like to get on audio.

Beyond that, I think that Mr. Ive and his crew really have built a great MP3 player, and shouldn't go too far without thinking about establishing a new product altogether.

You can have your iPDA (uhh.. Newton?), your iPhone, your iWhatever, but just keep selling iPods with more storage, an even better display (the backlighting is not THAT great), and at a better price point.

42% of the Japanese MP3 player market owns iPods now.. get that to 60%, then tell the world. I see at least a half dozen iPods a day just walking around Shibuya.

 

[mangoduck]

i'm seeing a resurgence of the philosophy "do one thing and do it well" these days. so many aspects of apple's software and hardware design tell me that apple agrees, and i don't think a "swiss army ipod" is the direction they'll be going.

it wouldn't be much of a pda without a pen (would increase cost to add a touch display), video playback is completely unnecessary, and any other digital lifestyle gadgets you can think of should be kept separate (cameras, phones, etc). it would kill a great thing to try to make the ipod that much more than it is.

however i think aac is a given, as the next itunes version will supposedly have it, and recording ability is a good idea. no idea what else will be changed (really, what would you add to it?) but i have faith that whatever they end up doing will be good. apple has an excellent track record as of late.

 

[chewbaccapits]

Originally posted by kwajo.com
i'm really tired of these vague rumors...

No kidding...All these rumor websites are just jumping on the bandwagon....*****Okay...Here's MY prediction guys and gals.*********New iPod on WEDNESDAY...You read it here first....Kind of.

 

[ELYXR]

Originally posted by MrMacman
Don't turn this into iPDA like it will ever happen.
iPod will stay seperate from any possible PDA, think about it.

But with each iPod revision there are more PDA-like features. iCal syncing... Address Book syncing... a "Games" folder with 1 game? Apple added these things to increase the value of the iPod for people like me... who used to carry a Clie around just to see what my next meeting was. Not anymore... but I would like the option to input information on the go and listen to music without having to carry around 3+ devices.

This brings me to another point... I would never take out my laptop on a subway, or a city bus for obvious reasons... but I am very comfortable with having a handheld device that I can stash in a pocket on a moments notice...

On that note... I would love a NewtPOD... Hook me up with a prototype Steve!!!

 

[ozubahn]

paulie: It is interesting to ask what AAC means, then say "izakaya" with no explanation in the next sentence. I don't know the details, but I believe AAC stands for Advanced Audio Coding. It is an audio codec like mp3 but with a better psychoacoustic model, so it should sound better (to the average person) than mp3 for a given bitrate. Granted, after an hour or two at the izakaya my psychoacoustic model is all messed up, so it probably doesn't matter that much.

 

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by chewbaccapits
No kidding...All these rumor websites are just jumping on the bandwagon....*****Okay...Here's MY prediction guys and gals.*********New iPod on WEDNESDAY...You read it here first....Kind of.

why wednesday? just for kicks? the last 3 weeks have brought tuesday updates, every week. i am shooting for that, if just for the laughs of seeing 4 in a row. it doesn't even matter what they update to the iPod. i hope it's on tuesday. and then the 15.4 inch powerbook next tuesday, hah.

 

[gotohamish]

Originally posted by weev
But there are so many things the ipod should NOT turn into -- such as a device that plays video clips, like who really has a need for that?!

The beauty of the ipod is its simple design and pure function, turning it into a go-go gadget device will relegate it to the volumes of such devices on the market, and thus disappear under a quagmire of hot for a day electronic paraphernalia, to be profoundly forgotten after the initial interest.

But knowing (and hoping) Apple, they might come up with a truly class item. Perhaps a product that we don't even know we need yet but will definitely want one when we see how beautiful, functional and simple it is!

I totally agree - I was in Japan recently and was seduced by this little Sharp potable SD video player, it was cool and fun, and about $150, but I thought "why the hell would I actually use this?" - sure it was cool, but thinking about my Mac, I only have maybe 10 quicktime clips on it anyway, and I never watch those. I'm not gonna spend $150 so I can watch the original Cube advert all day...

New iPod: 40GB, hopefully ACC.

New device: Who know? But you KNOW we'll want one!

 

[Floop]

Okay here are my predictions.

1. The iPod will undergo a minor refresh over the course of the next few weeks or months. However, the interesting news is that in the long term, the iPod will undergo some quite big changes.

2. The iMac will be given a speed bump. While I cannot commit to a timeframe at this point, reports suggest that this change will occur at some point between April and August.

3. Apple will introduce new 15 inch powerbooks, which will be made out of Aluminium. They are also thought to use newer technology than the older Powerbooks, including technologies such as Bluetooth and Firewire 800.

4. The iBooks will see a speed bump at some point in the next 3-7 months. At the same time, they will be given increased hard drive capacities.

5. Reports keep coming in that Apple have updates to their iLife applications in the works. iMovie 3.0.2 may be the first out the door, but this does not mean they are not working on updates for the other applications too. iTunes 4 will be the most important change, but we are unsure as to whether this will happen in the short term rather than the long term.

6. Mac OS X 10.3 is Apple's main OS workload at the moment. While my sources were unable to confirm any specific features, they suggest that this will be another 'paid' upgrade, and will be available in July.

Stay tuned, I have more rumors coming. And please click on my banners.

from


Floop

 

[ozubahn]

I think it is past your bed time. You must be tired... you are losing your ability to perceive sarcasm.

 

[claughery]

were any of the first rumors from danny true?

 

[Megaquad]

Danny stop spamming..

 

[dw1]

iPod Features

What I would really like to see in an iPod update is (Prioritized):

1) Bluetooth
2) Rendezvous
3) AAC Audio
4) Recording capability (audio notes), with microphone
5) If you're adding a microphone, might as well make it a cell phone, just need a touch screen.

With bluetooth and rendezvous on the iPod, all someone like Sony or Panasonic would need to do is enable their car stereos with the same and then the fun begins.

Imagine getting close to a rendezvous capable audio device and your iPod asks if you would like to play the current track on that device? <Home>drool</Homer>

What would you like to see?

 

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by ELYXR
On that note... I would love a NewtPOD... Hook me up with a prototype Steve!!!

I guess I'll have to settle for second in line at that release.

Anyway, with regard to the rumor at issue here, it seems to be on par. Apple will revise the iPod line early this week (probably tomorrow, although I totally forgot that today was a holiday. I don't get to stay home...), and then release something totally new later in the year.

But when...?

 

[Niknar]

Cooooooooool

Can't wait to see this revamped iPod.

I better get saving so I can buy one