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New iPod Next Week?

Chundles said:
Hah!!

Yeah, never understood why people censor words like DAMN! and BLOODY HELL!!

They're not rude or offensive.
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I censored it cuz *points at screen name* some folks here seem to have issues with words like damn. (i didn't even use a curse word in the s/n...... that's the funny part)

It doesn't say "mod_edit" for no reason. I suppose it's my "Scarlet Letter"?

I'm not that lame.

My happy little butt was reported several times for using "abrasive" words, all of them damn :) and I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's from other forum members. HA

Which, ah DAYUM, i'm going to be reported again.
 
Blah

I have to admit I think the iPod Video is probably the most likely option, but it still doesn't quite ring true. Others have come up with all sorts of justifications for it being something else, including one person who argued the "curtains" are similar to clip art on iDVD, therefore it's about Computers Of The Sort You'd Use To Run iDVD. Heh. The day Apple gets that obscure with their press releases...

Here's where I have the problems with the "iPod video". First, the current hardware just isn't powerful enough, so unlike, say, adding Ogg Vorbis support, where a significant minority would get what they want without impacting upon other customers in any way (adding to the price, etc), this is something that'll require a significant investment in designing better, more expensive, hardware, with vastly more powerful batteries.

Second, the market's far from proven. Small DVD players are being sold and have a little bit of a market, but they're far from being in the same position as, say, Walkman CD players were when they had reached a similar stage in the market. The PSP's UMD appears to be a market success until you realise that Sony has essentially exaggerated everything about it, right down to outright lying about sales (Spiderman copies bundled with PSPs count as sales, for instance.) The PSP's UMD has largely looked good for two reasons: first, the PSP is expensive, it's in many ways inferior as a games console to the DS despite costing over twice as much. People who have bought it have tended to have money to burn. So they're the kind of people who wouldn't have a problem with buying the same movie twice (on DVD and UMD) when the rest of us would. Second, the PSP is suffering a lack of games right now, and customers are finding reasons to justify dropping $300 on what would otherwise be a one-trick brick.

One of the points about music is that it's ambient, you can listen to it in the background without concentrating upon it. Driving, most occupations, evening cleaning the house can be done with an iPod. An iPod Movie, on the other hand, will have limited use in that area. You essentially have to sit down for an extended period of time to enjoy movie content. You might be prepared to do that with a portable device if you're somewhere where you simply can't use a standard 30" TV and DVD player, but if you're like most of us, you'd rather wait. I've "watched" movies on the back of aeroplane seats before, and it's a useless, inane, experience, which has, if anything, destroyed the movies for me rather than given me an opportunity to enjoy them.

It's not that I don't see any market for such a device, it's just I don't see Apple seeing it as a major new market to make major breakthroughs in.

Now, with that said, I can see a few movie-related products that might be useful, if Apple did them.

The first would be a PVR (TiVo is a PVR.) The PVR wouldn't be a self-contained machine, but would be linked to a Mac or PC and users would be able to set it up to record shows, and manipulate them in much the same way as they're able to rip CDs and manipulate MP3s with iTunes today. You'd be able to build a TV show library, automatically, and it'd be on your harddrive.

The second, which could integrate very well and usefully with the first, would be an iTunes Movie Store. Linked to the BBC Archives, as also rumoured, and other major content producers, you'd be able to buy copies of movies to download or just stream. Something that's better than VHS quality would generally translate, these days, to around 100M/hour, which is well within the practicality sphere of DSL and cable. You could watch the show on your laptop, or stream it to your TV, using the aforementioned PVR device. While it'd be nice to use this for watching major movies, I suspect the primary use could be - if Apple could negotiate the contracts - providing an alternative means to watch TV. Download regular TV programmes, not just two hour Hollywood movies.

There is a market for selling TV shows. Fox has repeatedly uncancelled shows because they were doing extraordinarily well on DVD. Walk into Wal*Mart today and you'll see boxed DVD sets of an increadible selection of TV shows, no longer just cult classics but some relatively obscure and/or recent big shows too.

A PVR looks like a good option for Apple. But there's some problems with it too:

First, the world is going digital, and not in the same way. America will be switching to digital OTA transmissions before the end of this decade. The standards are still being thrashed out. Integration with cable and satellite digital systems is even more complicated, because digital receivers vary radically. TiVo sales for these platforms tends to focus on integrated devices that include a TiVo and a digital receiver in the same unit, usually sold by the service provider. And Europe has its own radically different set of standards for digital television.

It's not impossible to see a business based around this, but it requires Apple sells more than a boxed product, it requires they start dealing directly with cable and satellite companies, essentially starting an entirely new, and different type of, business, and it'd be interesting to see if they can pull that off.

The second option I mentioned, the iTunes Movie store, I think is the one with more promise, but it arguably needs a cheap way of attaching a TV to the computer, because most of us prefer watching movies for extended periods of time on a large screen.

I would say:

iTunes Movie Store - probably the most likely option, I'd give it a 55% likelihood rating.

Apple PVR - a good option, but requires a substantial new business for Apple to set up, and I'm sure we'd have seen evidence in terms of the people they're hiring if they were going in that direction. OTOH, they can at least make a start with a basic, analog, box. I'll give it a 20% likelihood rating.

iTunes Movie - That's what all the rumours are about, but, well, I think Apple would find adding Ogg Vorbis to the iPod a quicker route to increased profits, and yeah, I know that's not a great expansion of the market. I'll give this a 10% market.

That This Is Only About PowerBook and PowerMac Updates And Has Nothing To Do With Movies - 1%.
 
Madonna fan sites are reporting Apple will release a Madonna Pink iPod Nano that comes pre-loaded with her song catalog - exactly like the U2 iPod.
 
happenchance said:
In light of the upcoming Apple special event (Oct 12th), the speculation as to "what it's all about" has become rabid... to the point of insanity. Again we are hearing cries of video enabled iPod's, new Powermac's, Powerbooks... hell some people think that they're going to unveil the new Intel hardware 8 months early.

I don't think any of these things are going to happen, and I'm going to detail why.

Video iPods
I predict that few people, and I mean... very few people are going to want to watch movies on a 4 or 5 inch LCD screen. Whether it's on an iPod, PSP or PDA. This whole, "let's take video content mobile" fad is just that... a fad, and it just isn't going to float. It doesn't have the proper technology behind it, and I'm uncertain that it ever will. It's just not practical, and Steve Jobs knows this (and has in fact stated that there will be NO VIDEO IPODS... "it's about the music stupid" - his words, not mine).

Being able to pull a gadget out of your pocket and record video footage? Now that's great technology. But before you get started, let's face facts... we all know that Apple are not going to put a regular camera, never mind a video camera in an iPod... ever. In an Apple PDA, sure... but until the iPod converges with some form of pocket computing device (be it PDA or phone or both), the iPod is going to primarily remain a music-playing device.

So when it comes to the October 12th announcement, I predict no Video iPod.

Updated Powermac's/Powerbooks
Public announcements to Apple hardware usually fall into two categories... iPods in category one, everything else in category two. The only time Apple sends invitations out to press for a private showing of new technology (be it software or hardware) it's because it's something to do with their involvement in the music or entertainment industry. Like it or not, Apple are now known to the public at large as the iPod company. If you walk up to 10 random (non-geeky) people in the street and ask them what Apple are famous for, I'm willing to bet 9/10 would say the iPod.

In short, the general media doesn't really care that much about Powerbooks/Powermac's. Not enough to necessitate a special invite event. Powerbook and Powermac updates are reserved for Apple expo's and such, so when it comes to the October 12th announcement, I predict no Powerbook/Powermac updates.

Now onto what I think the special event is all about.

iTMS

The progression of the iTunes Music Store becoming a video distribution platform is natural and indeed inevitable. Sure, you can currently download music videos on ITMS as well as video podcasts. Mostly these are incentives to get you into iTunes and buying songs at 75p a pop (99cents for you yanks).

I think the special event is all about drawing the line where ITMS starts to distribute video content. Obvious, you may think... but out of all the speculation, people are thinking this natural progression from music to video is all about buying movies. I don't think it is. I think this time around, it's about renting content.

Steve Jobs has said, time and time again "No one wants to rent music... people watch their favourite movies 5-10 at most, while people listen to their favourite songs again and again. People want to own their music."

For me, I want to own my music... sure. I couldn't live without my music library, but I don't necessarily want to buy my movies. I want to rent them. The two media's shouldn't be treated the same, they are enjoyed in completely different ways.

Sure I have a large collection of DVDs, but over the last year or so, my video purchases have almost completely stopped. There are a few movies that I want to own sure, but purely because they mean a lot to me. I hindsight, I wish I hadn't bought 95% of my movies, I should have just rented them a couple of times. It would have been more sensible, more cost effective and would have saved me a hell of a lot of space.

Let's look at two big things that are happening on the internet right now, which are relevant to all this hoo-ha.

Big thing number one, the beta testing of the BBC P2P video download service, iMP.

iMP is an application in development offering UK viewers the chance to catch up on TV and radio programmes they may have missed for up to seven days after they have been broadcast, using the internet to legally download programmes to their home computers. iMP uses peer-to-peer distribution technology (P2P) to legally distribute these programmes.

Seven days after the programme transmission date the programme file expires (using Digital Rights Management - DRM - software) and users will no longer be able to watch it. DRM also prevents users emailing the files to other computer users or sharing it via disc. - BBC iMP Website​

This whole project is about getting great television content online, albeit to UK citizens only (for now). However there are a lot of media companies who aren't as web savvy as the BBC (don't get me started on how frickin good the BBC is), yet have thousands of hours worth of TV and film content sitting around. Content that is not being shown and primarily, not making any money. Sound familiar? It's this same Long Tail marketing, which made the ITMS so popular in the first place... having the ability to get songs which were no longer being held in your local HMV.

The ability to download those old episodes of Hitchhikers Guide, or Blackadder to watch over the weekend? Content which has already been written off monetarily and sitting around in some vault gathering cobwebs? Listen to me girls and boys, you are about to witness to creation of a salesman's wet dream. The market of money for old rope.

Big thing number two? Netflix, Blockbuster. etc etc. Basically, online movie rental.

These services are great. You pick a bunch of films you'd like to see, pay a monthly fee and get them posted through your door to watch at your leisure. Idiot proof. I signed up to FilmFourDVD just last week, and with over 30,000 titles to watch you'll never find me in my local video store ever again. I think these companies are doing a great service, but I think they are about to see some serious competition... from Apple. Why?

Apple are going to create a movie and TV content rental platform. Not only do the have the technology to accomplish this (Apple are shaolin masters at delivering video, they've been doing it for years... look at the Quicktime trailers website) but they also have the balls. With the momentum they have going from single handedly saving online music from frenzied piracy, they'll have no trouble convincing TV stations and movie studios in unlocking their old content for rental. It is inevitable.

Looking at the current software: iTunes is bundled with QuickTime, QuickTime is bundled with iTunes... and what does QuickTime have? H.264, the super lean video codec, ratified as part of the MPEG-4 standard and capable as scaling content from 3G to HD without breaking a sweat. So that's the delivery method right there, with DRM control built in. There is only one piece of the puzzle left. Getting video content from your Mac/PC onto your TV, and let me tell you... it isn't going to include the iPod in any way shape or form.

There is one other little titbit of speculation floating around... and it's about a piece of hardware not too dissimilar from this. The Airport Express with Airtunes.

AirPort Express with AirTunes redefines the way you listen to your music at home. It gives you the freedom to play your iTunes music through your stereo or powered speakers in virtually in any room of your house - wirelessly. - Apple Website​

I think we are about to see a new feature, either incorporated into this product or branched from it. I think we're going to see a device which can stream video content from your PC to any TV in your house... controlled through iTunes.

Sources have also recently reported sightings of a new Apple wireless device, which is similar to Apple's AirPort Express wireless base station, but also includes a video out option - Appleinsider
​

Along with reports of an upcoming video-capable iPod, AppleInsider claims that Apple is set to release a new wireless device like the Airport Express.

The new box is rumoured to have video-out capability, offering wireless video feed to a television or other display. - Macrumors.com​

So, in short (and I agree... this rant is anything but short) you'll go onto the iTMS, create an account (registering your credit card... Apple loves this), and start selecting a big fat list of content you want to watch for the week. You go away for an hour or two whilst it downloads. Sit at your TV, and start streaming it wirelessly from your PC to your TV via your new Airport Video module.

It's the future man, and I can't wait.

Although, if this all turns into nothing other than my wet dream and it is in fact all about a video iPod... well, I'm going to puke blood at how pathetically out of touch I really am.

Happenchance.co.uk
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do you work for Apple ? Are you Steve Jobs ? :eek:
 
peharri said:
Here's where I have the problems with the "iPod video". First, the current hardware just isn't powerful enough, so unlike, say, adding Ogg Vorbis support, where a significant minority would get what they want without impacting upon other customers in any way (adding to the price, etc), this is something that'll require a significant investment in designing better, more expensive, hardware, with vastly more powerful batteries.
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That's completely untrue. Music and video decoding in these devices isn't done by a general-purpose CPU, it's done by specialized hardware chips. PortalPlayer already has such controllers that will do video, and I believe the recent color iPods actually use 1 such chip. The technical requirements are quite low.

The other factors are relevant of course. But at some point they're just going to add it anyways, because why not add it as just an extra feature?

The other approach is to try to make it something bigger, which the iTunes video store and streaming would all be related.
 
The special event is most likely going to be the anouncement of a Madonna iPod Nano...there was even an article explaing that Madonna is to be interviewed by Oprah at Madonna's home in Northern England....and the article mentioned that Madonna has been busy designing her iPod...so I'm sure this media event will be to anounce the Madonna iPod Nano with her song catalogue on it.
 
spencecb said:
The special event is most likely going to be the anouncement of a Madonna iPod Nano...there was even an article explaing that Madonna is to be interviewed by Oprah at Madonna's home in Northern England....and the article mentioned that Madonna has been busy designing her iPod...so I'm sure this media event will be to anounce the Madonna iPod Nano with her song catalogue on it.
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Oh dear, Madonna sucks.
 
todge said:
Oh dear, Madonna sucks.
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Maybe this is your opinion....but I don't think, in this day and age, that a woman who is 47 years old and has managed to stay relevant in the music industry for almost 25 years, sold more albums than any other woman in the world, and when a new album is pending release can create this much buzz in the media and music industry would be considered as someone who "sucks." She is the most relevant woman in pop/dance music and she continues to influence music trends, and I do not see this stopping anytime in the near future.
 
I just don't like the way that in the modern music industry you can reach the top with very little actual musical talent. To me, a musician should be able to write his/her own songs (without relying heavily on co-writers like Madonna has) and be able to play musical instruments competantly, not just market themselves effectively.
 
spencecb said:
Maybe this is your opinion....but I don't think, in this day and age, that a woman who is 47 years old and has managed to stay relevant in the music industry for almost 25 years
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She does blow, sorry heh. Madonna doesn't even do Madonna anymore, she does some middle aged british bitch thing. If all of this is for a Madonna iPod.... I'll be pissed. I'll BUY it, but I'll sling down my credit card in a really mean way.

I may make my "segment" mad by that, but..... they're busy with the hairdryer anyway...... didn't hear me :)
 
It IS just a Madonna iPod lol........as she's now based in the UK, it might explain the apparent use of some BBC studios in London.
 
I'm not a fan of Madonna but you can't dispute her success. However, there is no way, and I mean NO WAY that this event is simply about a Madonna-themed iPod. I'm not saying it won't happen, but it definitely won't be the only thing.

Squire
 
Why wasn't this Madonna iPod Nano released a month ago with the original Nano? Does it really take that much effort and resources to make a pink Nano?

Or like the argument about releasing an iPod video, did Apple think that by releasing a Madonna Nano that they would be eating into Nano sales :D
 
c2104338 said:
Why wasn't this Madonna iPod Nano released a month ago with the original Nano? Does it really take that much effort and resources to make a pink Nano?

:D
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trouble is, Apple only had plastics for virgin pink.
 
MacSA said:
It IS just a Madonna iPod lol........as she's now based in the UK, it might explain the apparent use of some BBC studios in London.
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Why not McCartney. We've seen Madonna, Jagger lately.
 
Special edition iPods are a clever way to experiment with more colors and choices. I'm surprised U2 has stayed around as long as it has!

I'm thinking the U2 iPod will be gone soon, since I expect regular iPods to be out in black, either with the new version or soon after.
 
Blue Velvet said:
Not at all. I and others just resent being told that our product choices are somehow excessive by people who have no need for them themselves. It's just pathetic...
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Kinda like the endless numbers of people who poo-poo anyone who says they want a video iPod! And I love how those people automatically equate the addition of video to a price hike!

I think the big difference between a high-capacity iPod and a high-capacity video iPod is that there's more of a market and more interest in the video iPod... a vPod would definitely be a product worthy of a press conference.

If you add video, even if it's sucky and is displayed on a 2" screen, people are going to buy it... especially if the price of iPods don't increase. If there was no interest in such a device, this rumor would not have persisted as long as it has.

And you'd be surprised how many people watch video on their cell phones. I routinely make 3gp videos of TV shows I record from EyeTV to watch at work... playing video on my PSP was too conspicious for the boss. And I know many others at work who do the same.

If Verizon and Sprint didn't charge so much for their TV phone service, you'd see a ton of people using it. Hell, I'd use it to watch highlights of football and hockey games or maybe to catch the latest news.
 
todge said:
To me, a musician should be able to write his/her own songs (without relying heavily on co-writers like Madonna has) and be able to play musical instruments competantly.
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Well, that's Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra screwed.
 
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