Apple really needs to step up they multi-media devices.
I've been saying this all year long. It's true. They make too much cash from apps and movies and music to let devices stay merely music or music and movies. Shuffle is an exception.
iPod Nano:
1. New design (same for 2 years)
2. Video Recording AND camera (they were stupid not to put it in last year)
5. CLICK WHEEL STAYS (Why would they take it away?)
1--I love the design, but it depends how they think of this thing. Is it going to slink downward or rise upward? If they decide to make it a sub-$100 device at last, they should just keep design held as is.
2--I never understood the lack of stills. Weird.
5--They could use a touchscreen. There's a mild spossibility of that coming along, but the wheel is good. We'll see.
Ipod Shuffle:
1. 2GB, 4GB capacity (2GB for an affordable iPod and work out buddy)
2. Price drops ($50 for 2GB and $70 for 4GB)
3. New design (different colors would also be nice)
4. Battery Life (10 hours is a joke for a thing that only plays music)
1--I hope they hold it at these capacities. More is a joke.
2--Hopefully.
3--Everyone hopes for this to change. It probably will.
4--Nah. 10 hours is fine. It's a "work out" device and kiddie-school type thing. They don't need it to be longer running, but if they can, they will.
Ipod Classic:
1. New Design (The back scratches way to easily)
2. Bigger Screen (2.5 in isnt gonna cut it anymore)
3. Wifi (This should be the same as on the nano plus movies)
4. Battery life (only 6 hours of video playback is awful)
5. No capacity change (160GB is plenty and I dont think there will be a bump)
1--I doubt it, but if they do, they should make it a touch with a larger casing for the big drive.
2--if they change design, yes.
3--Hopefully if they change design
4--What can you expect from the device? It won't get much better much sooner. If people want 20 hours and a huge drive and a touchscreen, the device will be the size of a brick.
5--if it changes it won't be by much.
I'm pretty sure the designs will change on most everything, but I am not sure if they will change the classic just yet. Give it another year or two and the classic will have to change or be dropped. The nano is either going to go lower in price, improve in function, or vanish as old res/low mem/low function iPTs become the new nano in the $150 range.
They should stifle the shuffle, neglect the nano, and move the iPT into all major market positions above $99 including the classic. There are markets for nanos and shuffles, but they function so 2006. Expanding their memory is crazy, unless the nano remains above $130. My library is 130gb+ and I am hard pressed to find over 8gb of audio to store on my iPods. Who needs 100 days of music on an iPod? I was into that in the first two years of iPods, then I realized it was fatuous. Give it 5 years and capacities like that will be feasible, but not in 2010 without a hassle and a huge pricetag.