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Touch Screen Video iPod Coming Soon?

SD Card???

I hope they would add the capability off sync'ing to my digital camera's SD card. That way I can watch the video and pictures back on a decent screen without having to stop by my computer first to do all the copying/syncing/moving myself.
 
macintel4me said:
I hope they would add the capability off sync'ing to my digital camera's SD card. That way I can watch the video and pictures back on a decent screen without having to stop by my computer first to do all the copying/syncing/moving myself.
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you will grow very old waiting for that to happen.
 
Screen should be at least 4.5" to compete with the PSP, otherwise the 5G iPod is more than enough.
 
If true, this is GREAT!

This would be the perfect complement to my Nano. I love the Nano since it's got plenty of capacity for music and the size is great for the gym, work, etc.

I also have an Archos AV-500 that I use to scrap content off my Tivo with. It's nice, but the software doesn't work with OS X and the controls are a bit cumbersome.

I've thought about a 5G iPod that I could mount in the car and then use to watch Tivo content with an iSee 360i. But if I could get an iPod with a 3.5" LCD, then that would make a lot more sense.

If they do come out with this, I really really hope it has:

1.) builtin wireless (802.11g and/or bluetooth)
2.) an SDK for writing apps
3.) an optional keyboard... perferrably one you could attach and then use to protect the iPod's screen.
4.) optional add-on game controller

Basically if they did that, there'd be the Apple PDA everyone has been wanting since the Newton was terminated. And it'd probably be just a little thicker than the Nokia 770 Internet tablet which is a nice looking device and something I've been mulling over buying. Might even be a good competitor against the PSP.

You know come to think of it, this might be a PSP-killer for Apple since Sony has been trying to make the PSP become an iPod killer.
 
Sounds like a bit like the old Olympus m:robe 500i with video playback (the m:robe only did photos and slide shows) and iTunes integration.

The screen on the m:robe was 640x480, and was absolutely gorgeous. Shame it had such a crappy (and I do mean CRAPPY) syncronization software, and didn't work on a Mac.
 
Well I guess Apple has to keep it coming, to stay on top of the hill.

Sounds very good though ;)

Edit: Maybe that is why they are giving away TEN iPods...hehe
 
big said:
of course.. new iPod in the mail, delivery set for today :(
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Yeah, damn technology for continuing to change and improve... :p ;)

Great news! I was all up for getting a video iPod initially, but then when they were actually released, I wasn't blown away - issues like battery life, resolution, compression, etc. Now I've told myself I'd wait for a "Rev B" of an iPod with video, and this might be it! :cool:
 
Apple should be careful about what it does...if they release anything that seems just a tad superfluous to the average consumer, it won't be big like the iPod. It should be classy, but it should be classy appropriate to the function.

Whatever it is, it will be cool. There will probably be tough fingerprint resistance, and probably something interesting we haven't yet heard of (maybe visualizations or something?).

IF it does play music, there seem to be many problems. For people most interested in music playback, with some interest for video on the side, the 5G iPod is great. People that want the reverse, in a possibly pricier portable device, are not as many. People may want it if it beats the 5G iPod in both categories, but if it does that it would likely replace the 5G as the 6G iPod (music-centered, well, sorta). And if it is truly a video device, new, exclusive content would be necessary to separate it from the 5G iPod (just screen size doesn't cut it).

I don't understand portable video beyond the current iPod. Music is something everyone can appreciate even while they walk and do other things, hands and eyes free. Video playback is best in a stable position, like sitting, without having to hold your arms up to watch a half-hour show on a relatively small, though perhaps comfortable, screen. Portable music = welcome entertainment; portable video = just a tad more gadget/geek and a bit less practical.

That said, if it does beat the 5G hands down in every spec, I'll buy one, but mine won't have video as its mission in life - it'll be for music.
 
Chaszmyr said:
The only concern I have, is everyone's videos (including those on iTMS) are made for the resolution that the 5G iPod uses... Presumably the native resolution on this new device will be very different, will it support the lower res videos, or will everyone need a whole new collection of videos?
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I've wondered the same thing -- particularly with regard to some kind of HD feeder like an AirPort Express HD or set-top box. Would each TV episode you buy come in S, M and L? Would iTunes scale the episodes as you sync the various devices?

There's so many possibilities and variables for Apple right now. Can they get Warner Brothers on board and still move into the DVR market without tweaking Time Warner Cable? Will they develop a subscription model for TV shows? A PPV model for movies?

Should be exciting to watch.
 
I dont know about you, but I wouldnt want a video player that I had to navigate via touchscreen. Oily fingers and touchscreens dont play well together. You would always be having to wipe the screen to see clearly.

Video iPod = Awesome. But I'll pass on the touchscreen...
 
Chaszmyr said:
The only concern I have, is everyone's videos (including those on iTMS) are made for the resolution that the 5G iPod uses... Presumably the native resolution on this new device will be very different, will it support the lower res videos, or will everyone need a whole new collection of videos?
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iMeowbot said:
Those iTMS videos raise a few questions. Would Apple want to continue selling videos of such low quality for use on a machine with a much larger screen that will show off the limitations? Would Apple want to offer more than one video resolution through their store to accommodate different models? Either way they would be bringing on ugly customer support issues.
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I have wondered about this since videos first arrived on iTunes. What happens when they increase the resolution? Do people have to re-buy their videos, or could they get free downloads of those they already purchased? I would like to see the latter, but I doubt it would happen.

On another topic, the current iPod has a calendar and address book. If a new one had a touch screen, I wonder if Apple would add a method to input information into these. The iPod could be a very basic PDA.
 
April Fools

"Apple CEO Steve Jobs alluded to a major announcement on or around April 1, Apple's 30th anniversary as a company."

Unless Apple can develop a material that repells the oil from your grubby little fingers, this ain't gonna happen. Let be real here, the screen they use now almost scratches when you blow on it. Do you really think they've come up with some ultra-cheap bulletproof screen since the 5G's came out? And remember one more thing, while April 1st may be the anniversary date of Apple Computer, it's still April Fools Day. ;)
 
Recap...large touch screen, games, ical, music, video, bt...
is this apple's way of macking a palm wannabe? They never caught on because they sucked, and if anyone can make it work, it'll be apple, but this is just slightly crazy.

My $.02 is that the iPod, vPod, and iPhone will become two devices. One will be the flip phone (to protecth the) touch screen, and the other will be an iPod.
 
utah_boy2 said:
Then you have to carry around two iPods, One for music one for movies? that seems stupid to me.
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No, it's just a different alternative for users who have different priorities. Same reason Apple has multiple iPods available for sale now. A video ipod would absolutely play music as well, no question about it.

utah_boy2 said:
So you can choose a (1) music player that has limited video or (2) a video player with limited music playback?
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What would be limited about the music playback? People keep mentioning this, but it says nothing in the article about any music limitations.


With the bigger screen, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple goes with some kind of door or heavy duty case. It would also make sense to have a couple hardware buttons on another side for audio playback, but maybe not. And I doubt screen resolution will change for videos, a three or four inch screen doesn't need higher resolution.
 
3.5" widescreen would fit nicely on the current form factor, if the clickwheel became virtual when in music mode or something. (I like the tactile click of current iPods. BUT I like some of Apple's touchscreen patents too!)

A widescreen would be doable--you might have the choice to blow your video up and lose the top/bottom, or watch it keyholed.

3.5" 4:3 (or with a physical clickwheel still) would be a tighter fit and might call for a new external size.

And if there IS such a product, Apple did it right: pave the way by tacking video onto a MUSIC iPod. Because starting cold with a video-centric iPod would have been a flop and the press would have had a field day. But now, a video model would sell better--AND sales of it don't matter as much: whether people choose THAT model or a music-dedicated mode, they STILL are participating in video. The press can hardly deny the success of video on iTunes at this point.

However... much as I'd love a touchscreen device from Apple--especially if it did new things--I'm not holding my breath. ThinkSecret needs to re-establish their record first. It would be cool if this is the rumor that does that, though :)
 
dausone said:
If you look again at the patent for the tablet mac you will see a very interesting round click wheel looking thing there... hmmmm.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/02/apples-patented-the-tablet-mac-part-ii/

and I can almost bet my soul on the fact that this 6G pod will have music capabilities... if not... that would be utterly stupid, not to say that you Couldnt encode music for playback... but just plain stupid.
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In a sense, the iPod video player as described IS a tablet Mac, just a smaller one.
 
miloblithe said:
I can't imagine a touch-screen iPod being a very good music player. There has to be some physicality to the buttons for it to work well as a portable device. Touch screens are necessarily slower to use and require looking at the screen to use.
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The fact that you'll have to look at the screen just to raise the volume or skip forward means that in one way, the 5G iPod will be more useful. A few more like those and the video iPod will be a worse choice than the 5G to more people. Personally, I couldn't give a bean about better video playback...just give me more hard drive space and more battery life and I'll buy my first iPod!
 
I thought this was a cool idea until someone mentioned the finger prints on the screen. The really need some scratch and finger print resistant material.
 
Absolutely.

miloblithe said:
That makes sense. Apple has to develop something like this (or better) because they are obviously investing a lot in becoming the dominant video content distributor. They'll need an array of devices that will cover the market to do it.
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This is a no-brainer, and fits wit the crude patent sketches. The 5G was just released to test the waters and develop content distribution agreements. This is the "real" video ipod.
 
I quickly made up an image of what I'd like the iPod to look like.

It would have an orientation sensor, like the Powerbooks have, so it can instantly change the position and orientation of the click wheel based on the iPod's orientation.

The click-wheel "picture" of course only shows, when you actually touch the face of the iPod (except when it's in the vertical music-mode).

The advantage of basically keeping the way you use an iPod unchanged is that nobody has to relearn anything and people that just want to use it the way they've used an old iPod could continue to do so.

Additionally by leaving the form factor alone you don't run into any compatibility issues and keep the trademark-look of the iPod.
 

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(L) said:
The fact that you'll have to look at the screen just to raise the volume or skip forward means that in one way, the 5G iPod will be more useful. A few more like those and the video iPod will be a worse choice than the 5G to more people. Personally, I couldn't give a bean about better video playback...just give me more hard drive space and more battery life and I'll buy my first iPod!
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From what I've read... the virtual click wheel disappears when you take your finger off and appears when you touch the screen... It would be great if the click wheel appears anywhere on the screen - right dead center on your finger - allowing the viewer to raise the volume/ skip forward.. etc. etc. without batting an eye gaze.

FINALLY a tablet worth buying!!!!
 
milo said:
What would be limited about the music playback? People keep mentioning this, but it says nothing in the article about any music limitations.
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I guess with all the coments about how the 5g and nanos seem to be scratching and more fragile then previous generations I just worry that one big screen wouldn't be a good idea to carry around.
 
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