ThinkSecret's iPod Rendering

[joed]

Could the USB2 port be mainly to connect to a digital camera?

Seeing as USB2 is backwards compatible with USB1.1

That would be cool, alot of people have asked for it.


James.

 

[bousozoku]

One thing I noticed about the drawing is that it doesn't show the thing opened.

It is good that they've decided to double up on interfaces. Having both USB 2.0 and FireWire will double its appeal, even if they have nowhere left to sell it.

 

[damax452]

WEAK

If this iPod is real, its just further proof that Apple is headed towards failure. They come up with a brilliant product and end up uglifying it in an update. And the pricing is still not competitive with other players out there. They could have made so much money if they left the design *exactly* the same and did a price scheme of:

5gb $199
10gb $299
20gb $399
40gb $499

This looks like a horrible decision by Apple, hard to believe in fact. We'll see when they are announced. Only time will tell.

 

[mkaake]

new ipod

<sorry... hit back a few too many times when i got back to my mac><accidentally reposted earlier post>

 

[mkaake]

hmm, *memories*

i dunno. even if that picture is accurate, there's probably no comarison to how it actually looks in life. time and again apple has been teaching me what i like in design, so i'm not worried about this. as for the mirrored drive update, i personally liked it, but again, some things aren't for everyone.
like the h1 hummer (or h2 for that matter). holy cow. i still take heat for saying i like the way it looks.

i don't think apple is going to let us down on this one no matter how that rendition looked... let's have a little faith in apple here. i'm a little afraid at what answers i'm about to get, but can you think of any ugly mac product update in the past two or three years? i think they've done a great job of defining the industry time and again (i mean seriously, how many kitchen appliances can be had in imac colors?)

matt

 

[Kwyjibo]

Originally posted by pinks
Unless Arn has seen the iPod for himself then he can't say accurately that this information is 100% true... which is the implication of this thread.

I am lead to assume one of two things. Either Arn has seen this new device in all its plastic glory or this "fact" remains as a "reported" fragment of news/speculation/rumour - however reliable the source of this information may seem to be!!!! This is the whole ethos of this site!!!!

If the latter of the above is the case, then MR should state that the Thinksecret information shows "strong signs" of being accurate and that it is "highly likely" that the new iPods will be of a certain capacity. To introduce the concept of "fact" here is problematic and must mean, therefore, that Arn has seen this new product for himself, perhaps even used it! If he has not, then some element of doubt must be involved here, and "factual accuracy" must ultimately be questioned. Steve Jobs, himself, could tell me that the new iPod was a all-in-one PDA, mp3, digicam, phone (or whatever you may wish for) and this would, still, not be "proof" that these features were be genuine. I don't want to get into philosophy here, but to state so categorically that something is accurate is jeopordising the rep of the site because nothing, other than the physical engagement with something: visual, aural, olfactory, experiential can show something to be real or genuine.

Arn may, very well, be correct on this - and a large part of me hopes he is - but unless he has seen, used and experienced this thing for himself then an element of doubt must prevail. All I am saying is that he has taken someone's word to be factual, which these sites teach you never to do, and I fear for the consequences if this word is wrong. That is what I mean by the rep of this site is at stake!

This is, surely, the sensible, pragmatic position in all of this!

- pinks

I think the only ppl who have seen the new ipod are apple employees and they sign an NDA not to show or release picture of unrelased products. I'm sure he hasn't actually palyed with it but if he has strong relaible sources that say this is it i believe him. I'm sure the day before MWSF he hadn't played with a 17in powerbook but he reported that they were coming..... arn doesn't present rumors as fact until they've personaly ocnviced him and I perosnalyl trust that judgement.

 

[macdong]

Re: hmm, *memories*

Originally posted by mkaake
i dunno. even if that picture is accurate, there's probably no comarison to how it actually looks in life. time and again apple has been teaching me what i like in design, so i'm not worried about this. as for the mirrored drive update, i personally liked it, but again, some things aren't for everyone.
like the h1 hummer (or h2 for that matter). holy cow. i still take heat for saying i like the way it looks.

i don't think apple is going to let us down on this one no matter how that rendition looked... let's have a little faith in apple here. i'm a little afraid at what answers i'm about to get, but can you think of any ugly mac product update in the past two or three years? i think they've done a great job of defining the industry time and again (i mean seriously, how many kitchen appliances can be had in imac colors?)

matt

That's what I am hoping.
I believe Apple has the finest artists, and they have done a very good job in the past.
But.... what if they fail this time?
I'll be all heart-broken.
Just to think after all this waiting, I might end up going back to buy an old second-hand iPod...

 

[RowdyFROG]

Scratches

Whist I like the idea of docking ports - they make the charging, U/L and D/L of stuff like cameras, phones etc. much quicker and easier - I'm a bit concerned about the rendering and how much of the ipod will sit in the cradle.

To me, this lends itself to having the whole edge of your ipod covered in cratches/rub marks. I hope they've designed it well enough that this doesn't happen.

 

[chewbaccapits]

Either way...We're getting freak'en updates...Been waiting since NOV!!!!!

 

[IJ Reilly]

Originally posted by pseudobrit
This rumor is so damned solid it ended up on The Reg

The Reg claims knowledge of a detail left hanging by TS -- the 10 gig is expected to be the original model at a reduced price. FWIW. Quite possibly nothing.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Has anyone thought that the rendering a thinksecret could have been a prototype and what we'll see from Apple will be slightly different?

I think that quite a few people are all worked up about this for nothing. A new updated iPod will be great and if you're that concerned about the new design, buy one now before the new ones come out.

D

 

[pascalpp]

i like the new look

I for one like the new look. I have a 10gb iPod, and while the current button arrangement certainly has a visual appeal, i think it actually hampers the user experience, similar to the round mouse that shipped with the original iMac. Looks nice, doesn't quite work as well as it could. Form over function, which is bad for user experience.

One thing I don't like about the current button layout is that I frequently change the volume (that is, CRANK IT WAY TOO LOUD) on accident when I reach (without looking) for the 'Next' button while driving. I think the new button layout will make this much less likely.

One of the marketing points of the iPod when it first came out was that it only takes about 45 seconds to figure out how to use it. Certainly that is pretty fast compared to the cryptic interfaces of many other MP3 players on the market, but I think you'll see that number drop to about 15 seconds with the new button layout.

As for Apple adding USB2, I doubt they would do anything that would hamper Windows buyers should they decide to switch to the Mac. So my guess is that all new iPods will have a standard Firewire port, allowing them to be used with a Mac should a Windows user decide to switch, and that the USB2 connection will be provided via the docking station. Maybe there will be a different docking station depending on whether you buy the Windows iPod or the Mac iPod.

Now if they would quit fooling around and make a 40gb version, I'd upgrade.

 

[alxths]

I don't know why everyone is so upset about it... It looks fine to me.

We should probably consider that the ipod is very, VERY popular in Japan. So, maybe this new design is meant to cater to the japanese market particularly?... Yeah I know that's a bit of a stretch..

But, Brian Hickman brough up another good point: we can't be so quick to judge the configuration without knowing what the software interface is like. Maybe apple implimented some new features that would necessitate that layout... maybe it will be able to play cell-phone games...?

 

[greenstork]

Originally posted by pinks
Eh? Not doing damage to the site? Sorry, when a site which professes to be a forum for the discussion of rumours puts forward, so definitely, supposedly factual statements without any evidence, then damge is definitely being done. One consistent factor of this site has been its grounding in, and demand for, overt, explicit evidence - as reliable and justifiable as possible from known or acknowledged sources. Statements like "accurate" and "will be" - so solid and rigid in their meaning - must be reinforced with some proof, some evidence to ground them in reality.

Reputations are hard won and easily lost. The potential damage to MR can be easily moderated with some sensible release of proof. I know we don't have to believe this stuff, but as previous posters have said, MR has a good reputation for being sensible and accurate in their reporting of news and rumoured information. However, I have never known such an untethered, unjustified set of statements as the one which fronts this thread to be attributed to MR. It is the very substantiation of news which maintains the reputation of this site... and without evidence - replaced only with opinion - this site seems to lose its credibility. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but would you except these kind of statements from anyone else or, indeed, from any other Mac information/rumours site? Probably not!!!

Once again, come on MR, furnish us with this rock-solid information you have: your credibility as a sensible, moderate discussion forum - based on the investigation of well-founded, sourced evidence - is at stake!!

- pinks

Ummmmm....stop being such a whining baby. If arn does have a souce and that person works for Apple, he'd be fired if arn said anything on this site. Hello, do you even understand rumor sites. They are based on track records and MR has a pretty good one. I for one trust arn implicitly after the 17" PB rumors ahead of the release. No one thought that was real.

BTW, going on your definition of fact, if arn posted a picture or revealed a source, it still wouldn't suffice as fact by your definition. According to you, just because you see a picture or read an article on the internet, how do you REALLY know? So stop whining here. Go to another less reliable rumor site if you're not happy, but you'll never get the accuracy you get here.

 

[bertagert]

A few things:

1. Is it possible to get a firewire to USB 2.0 adapter? If so, wouldn't it clear up that dispute?

2. Why drop the 20 gig for a 15 gig? Is the 20 gig drive faulty? An extra hundred $ for 5 gigs doesn't seem right.

3. About this music service. I'm guessing that you'll probably only be able to play the songs through the iPod. I find this totally acceptable. I don't own an iPod but when I get one, I plan on getting the FM adapter from the people that make the mouse/spinny thingamagig ( I think its Griffin?) and play in my car and on the home stereo system. I do question quality of such a transfer but I'm not an audiophile and I don't think the majority is so it might not matter.

4. As for the looks, I think everyone should question the drawing and also note that its a line drawing and would be much more compelling in real life.

Comments paleez

 

[SoonToGetAMac]

Originally posted by bertagert
A few things:

2. Why drop the 20 gig for a 15 gig? Is the 20 gig drive faulty? An extra hundred $ for 5 gigs doesn't seem right.

Comments paleez

Yeah, but assuming the price scheme stays the same, you get 15GB for en extra $100 when going from 15 to 30.

 

[janey]

blech *puke*
i'm getting another 10gb iPod with the $500 i saved since february (specifically for another newer iPod).
There is no way i would even take that for free if someone offered it to me.
it's just tooo ugly and i'd rather have something prettier...to me comparing that iPod to the current iPod is like comparing an original 1984 Mac to a G4 Cube.

 

[xjohn]

what if...

This is ridiculous speculation, but what if...

Remember the mysterious 'enclosure ' mentioned by MacWhispers? I remember someone saying that one of the two openings on the back was about the size of an ipod.

What if the 'docking' station is actually a tablet-like device, and the new ipod can function as both an ipod and as a hard drive for the tablet device?

Maybe the other opening on the enclosure is for the battery?

Of course, the likelihood of this is very slim... but... what if?

(I apologize if someone has suggested this already!)

 

[voyagerd]

Maybe the buttons have been moved to give space for a touch pad that could be used for writing....🙄

 

[nagromme]

I won't deny that the old buttons did the job, and looked great doing it--better and simpler and more "Apple" than separate buttons.

But separate buttons have two advantages--maybe even mentioned in specific feedback from users--and if they do the same job BETTER then I'm all for them:

1. You don't hit the volume wheel accidentally when going for Skip and Play.

2. You don't have to bend your thumb awkardly down (or use two hands) to get the bottom button (Play). Your thumb can now do all the basic music operations high up--more natural, like a TV remote.

As for looks, change is a bad thing to some people, good for others, but inevitable. The new design does not look better to me than the old. But it looks almost as good, so I don't think the sky is falling. (See my Photoshop attachment below.)

Likewise, adding USB is great for Mac owners: we can now use the iPod (or just the portable storage/backup space) with early iMacs, iBooks, and Lombard PowerBooks. Dual-standard FW-USB external drives are a common product with great flexibility.

And since USB will sell Apple products to MANY more PC users, all the better. Income for Apple for R&D, plus the trojan-horse effect of showing Apple design to potential switchers.

Why USB 2 instead of 1? It's faster, expected by many PC owners, and yet does NOT threaten Firewire because USB 2 can't match FW's real-world performance--not to mention FW800. And USB 2 works with USB 1.1 computers, so nothing is lost. And Apple has never set themselves up as an enemy of USB 2: they've said it's something they'll keep considering. I'm sure Macs will get it eventually, not that it matters with Firewire.

For every person who wishes Apple chose USB 1.1 ALONE for the second connector on iPods (in addition to FW), there would have been been many more howling for BOTH USB 2 AND 1.1... which sounds like what we've got, and gives us three ways to connect. If my iPod will connect to more computers because it has USB added, that can't possibly be bad for me.

 

[nagromme]

Here you go. Is this so bad that Apple is dead?

 

[iSmell]

Mac_RUMORS_

Originally posted by pinks
Unless Arn has seen the iPod for himself then he can't say accurately that this information is 100% true...

I've never seen a bear **** in the woods, but I'd take Arn's word on that one, too.

... I fear for the consequences if this word is wrong

I am also deeply afraid of these consequences. I'm going to go write a will. Does anybody here know a notary?

This is, surely, the sensible, pragmatic position in all of this!

- pinks

Yes. Sensible and pragmatic.






Surely...

 

[Rower_CPU]

Originally posted by nagromme
Here you go. Is this so bad that Apple is dead?

Why would they move away from the ease of use of having the play/pause etc buttons right by the scroll wheel?

"No, sir...I don't like it." 😛

 

[rainman::|:|]

Originally posted by MrMacman
:BOO!:

I was hoping on getting a small 5GB model or something, before they killed it, now it will be impossible.

uhhh... you could now get a 10 gig for $299, why not get double the HD space for the same price? not sure increasing the specs of a product is a 'step in the wrong direction'...

tho everything else about this is. button layout is so un-apple i'd be tempted to discredit it right there... they have an interface that works beautifully... someone mentioned the 45 second interface... if the directional keys were gone, the interface would lose that... the circle design is just so easy to get used to. plus i just cannot see them switching from a one-handed design. as for the docking station, i don't really see how this is going to happen... i don't think there's room for ports on the top and bottom, and you couldn't put a cover on the bottom one, else the cradle would be a hassle. If it's just a holder for use with the cable, it's something i could see...tho i bought a nice one i like more 🙂

surprised a 40 gig isn't making an appearance... apple is either making a killing off of these ipods, or getting a really bad deal on drives...

and, seriously, to the newbies who don't know how this works. arn = good track record, which is what it's all about. sources should never even be hinted about, as people's jobs could be on the line here. arn has proven that MR can be very accurate and tends to get things right. sure i'm curious to arn's confidence in this one, but that confidence is enough for me... i'm saying, don't judge until the ipods come... then we see who got things right 🙂

pnw

 

[Potus]

Well, I'm happy I bought a 20 gig refurb last month. Got a great deal from Smalldog and the aesthetics are superior to the one shown in the graphic. Plus firewire is awesome.