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True Video iPod Soon?

ehurtley said:
I always took that as an implication that page 1 rumors were from more reliable sources, and should be considered more likely to be true. I didn't say that they were guaranteed to be true, just that they are more reliable.
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I agree but you said

"Unless you (MacRumors, not the 'source' website of the rumor,) have credible, reliable, direct sources, it belongs on Page 2"
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and, again, that's not the criteria.

Page 1 stories are generally more reliable than Page 2 stories... and that's true in this case but it's not a hard and fast rule. People get too hung up on Page 1 vs. Page 2. If a more unceratin rumor gets posted on Page 1, it is generally posted with caveats, as in this case.

arn
 
I certainly hope that Apple doesn't develop a video iPod using the same materials that they continue to use on the 5G iPod.

How Apple can put out a video product that scratches with even the gentlest handling is beyond me. I have not yet bought a 5G iPod because I don't want to shell out $350 bucks for something that scratches so easily.

With the release of the latest Nano in aluminum I can see that Apple is aware of the problem. But they failed to upgrade the plastic on the 80GB iPod. The 4G iPod and earlier didn't have this scratch prone problem.

I would hate to see them pass on this faulty scratch magnet material to any new iPod models.

Apple, please get off the dime and fix this very annoying problem.
 
True Video iPod was intended to be released earlier...

It's obvious that Steve Jobs was going to release the True Video iPod soon. I think they intended to release the true video iPod in October when they announced Movie downloads. Something must have happened that the iPod was just not ready, so they scrambled and made some minor upgrades that they intended to do anyways.

Apple knows it has to get it right or it could be a big disaster. Their goal is to release it before the holidays, but if for some reason they can't, it will be released at Mac World. I think their main issues that have caused it to be delayed is the battery life and the screen cover. The battery life has to be from 4 to 6 hours and the screen has to have some kind of protection that won't be damaged if it is touched constantly.

If it is going to be released it will happen anytime from now until the second week of November or during the first week of December. If it does not happen during these two time frames it won't happen until Mac World.
 
the deadline i think is Nov. 14 when the Zune is coming out. If passes that I would think maybe at MWSF.
The main goal is the holiday season. After middle of November is too late to launch such a product.
So I have my fingers crossed for the last week of October. That's the perfect timing.
 
vi2867 said:
It's obvious that Steve Jobs was going to release the True Video iPod soon. I think they intended to release the true video iPod in October when they announced Movie downloads. Something must have happened that the iPod was just not ready, so they scrambled and made some minor upgrades that they intended to do anyways.

Apple knows it has to get it right or it could be a big disaster. Their goal is to release it before the holidays, but if for some reason they can't, it will be released at Mac World. I think their main issues that have caused it to be delayed is the battery life and the screen cover. The battery life has to be from 4 to 6 hours and the screen has to have some kind of protection that won't be damaged if it is touched constantly.

If it is going to be released it will happen anytime from now until the second week of November or during the first week of December. If it does not happen during these two time frames it won't happen until Mac World.
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Great post. I've been saying this all along. The widescreen iPod is a severly delayed product. And don't give me semantics about how an unannounced product can be delayed. That's just Apple's way to shirk around the responsibility that comes along with a deadline.

This product will not drop during the holiday season. Who knows if it will even be ready by January.
 
I think it will come out only if the video iPod that is out now is starting to slow down in sales. The product cycle determines how quickly the next upgrade comes out. On the Apple Store the iPod is in 2nd place. When it drops down to 4th we might see the new video ipod. Although Apple might not wait that long and introduce it sooner to keep demand strong.

If the rumors are true about using it with iTV then this item will become a hot gadget quickly and iTV will sale even better when it does come out.

I have not bought an iPod in 3 years and own 3. For the first time I might buy a new one if this video iPod comes out with these specs.:)
 
Judging by how the PMP market is going this may cost $300 for the 30gig to compete with the Creative ZVW. But then again that player does not offer too much extras. The players that do offer the extras, like fm raido, audio and video recording, and even usb host cost at least $375 for the 30gig.
 
Car Adapter!

Sweet! Now all I need is a car charger and some silly putty to stick it to my dashboard
 
I am pretty sure Apple has to refresh its iPod line for holiday sales or it is bye-bye stock prices and holiday sales.

The question is what will or can they do by november 14th. And it is very unlikely that it will be large video iPod. Heck, Zune has the same resolution as the iPod and i am not sure what the big deal is. It is not like adding 1" or 2" will make it all the better.
 
Jetson!

For the last time, folks...

THE MATERIALS ON THE 5G iPOD ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN THOSE ON THE 4G!

The main differences are the addition of black underlay on one model, and the change to squared edges from rounded. The top layer of acrylic on an iPod is clear, and like any clear solid, will shunt light along it. Ever look at fiber-optic cable? Notice this: if you shine a light at the terminal of the cable (the leading edge of the fibers) they will duct light to the other end. You won't see the light from the sides, nor will shining a light at the side of the cable cause light to be refracted through the cable ends.

What happens on the new iPods that didn't happen on the old ones is that a large amount of light is coming through the flat edges of the acrylic. When your iPod is shiny and new (or if you're smart enough to put a modicum of protection on your $250–$400 appliance) light just shunts from one side of the iPod to the other. When you start making scratches in the acrylic however, the light escapes through the new "edge" (the gouge), effectively illuminating the otherwise innocuous scratch. This is also why the black iPods seem more affected than the white: the contrast is obviously higher against a black background.

Another huge issue: most iPod users prior to this year owned the nearly scratch-proof iPod mini. The contrast between the anodized aluminum's resilience and the acrylic's proclivity to mar caused a lot more people to bitch. A lot of nanos were sold to folks who assumed they could just toss it in their pocket next to their coins and keys.

To recap: there were no material changes in the acrylic used on the new iPods. Period. The only difference is the manner in which the acrylic is shaped. The round sides of the old iPods didn't allow light to enter the skin to any significant degree. Check out a 4G sometime, God knows I see enough on a daily basis myself. They'll be every bit as scratched (usually more), but it won't effect the appearance nearly as much. Thank you.

(I wish I had a "The More You Know" image right here.)
 
Condescending Fanboy Defense of 5G iPod Scratch Magnets

Nice try, SavMan. But I'm not buying your interesting yet psuedoscientific explanation for why 5G iPods only 'appear' to scratch more easily.

White 5G iPods are just as easily scratched as the black ones, as any disappointed owner will tell you. I've had a 4G iPod for 2 years, carrying it back and forth to work in my pocket. I take it out of a Belkin case to recharge it, then put it back in for transport. The thing still looks practically new. I know someone else who purchased a new white 5G iPod. Within moments of gentle handling, the thing is covered with light scratches.

It seems to me that a softer grade of acrylic is being used on these latest iPods. I'm not the only one who's noticed this problem. I don't believe that it's the result of some optical coincidence. Everyone knows that there are hundreds (if not thousands) of complaints to be found on the net.

Whatever the reason is, a manufacturer who doesn't care what their customers have to say about their expensive products will soon find those customers flocking to other companies' products. Hellooooo Zune!

And no amount of fanboy cheerleading will stop it.
 
Jetson, I'm glad I'm taking your word, as someone who doesn't even own a 5G iPod, over my own, someone who sees 50-60 iPods a day. I couldn't possibly know better.

The fact remains: The acrylic used on the 5G is the same as the 4G.
 
it would be a shame if apple only made the ipod cinema a wide screen ipod with lite quicktime like functions. zune though flushable has something going for it....you can actually use it to do things without a computer. chat w/ friends, set screen savers, share music, wifi. its like a psp that you can fit in one hand (minus the three good psp games ). ipod need to be a portable ilife interface. it should have full connectivity with itv and be able to surf and chat.front row type interface would be cool or even key not like! itunes mobile will help to conquour the evil beast that is comming zoon. we cannot let zune get a foothold or developers may come to the aid of dollar bill and create the windows " it's what im used to" syndrome, people will be stuck with these little turds and they will love it because they can myspace on them.
 
clintob said:
I'm not sure I understand the people who (a) don't believe this is coming soon, or (b) don't believe it's coming at all because "people won't use it - it's too small." That's garbage.

Not everything Apple releases has to be an "earth shattering" revolution. Some stuff can just have a niche market and be better than what's out there. They're in it to make money first and foremost. And frankly, if people could carry an iPod-sized object, with wireless headphones, and that could play widescreen movies on a 4" or so screen (AND, oh by the way, carry their iTunes library to boot), it would be the death of the portable DVD player.

No, that's not a huge market, or a cash cow by any means. Nor is it a revolutionary product. But at the end of the day, it's pretty damned cool which means most of us will buy it (despite our attempts not to), and it's certainly another cha-ching to add to the list for Apple.
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That's exactly what happened with the iPod. It was just another mp3 player but had an interface that was very simple to use, plus it looked much nicer than the competition.
 
Jetson said:
Nice try, SavMan. But I'm not buying your interesting yet psuedoscientific explanation for why 5G iPods only 'appear' to scratch more easily.

White 5G iPods are just as easily scratched as the black ones, as any disappointed owner will tell you. I've had a 4G iPod for 2 years, carrying it back and forth to work in my pocket. I take it out of a Belkin case to recharge it, then put it back in for transport. The thing still looks practically new. I know someone else who purchased a new white 5G iPod. Within moments of gentle handling, the thing is covered with light scratches.

It seems to me that a softer grade of acrylic is being used on these latest iPods. I'm not the only one who's noticed this problem. I don't believe that it's the result of some optical coincidence. Everyone knows that there are hundreds (if not thousands) of complaints to be found on the net.

Whatever the reason is, a manufacturer who doesn't care what their customers have to say about their expensive products will soon find those customers flocking to other companies' products. Hellooooo Zune!

And no amount of fanboy cheerleading will stop it.
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No its not really fanboy cheerleading, its called physics. He hit the nail on the head with that post, the acrylic is the same, its just the shape. Thats not psudoscience, its elementary high school physics :rolleyes:

But if a couple of scratches rub you the wrong way, then go ahead and get a zune, no one will really care ;)
 
I don't understand why everybody wants a Video iPod other than the fact its a new gadget. When I watch movies/DVDs on anything smaller than my 42" plasma I'm underwhelmed by it, hahah. Why would I want to watch it on a 5" LCD?

Unless all of you travel alot and miss your shows all the time I don't see a big need for a video iPod.

I have a 5G iPod and I think I've watched 1 or 2 videos on it ever...
 
iBeard, you're assuming that the only thing a larger screen is good for is movies/tv. With a 4" screen on the pod, you have a larger viewing area for more than movies/tv. You have it for games, pictures, chat(when available), text, better view of album artwork, and so on. It may not be for you because you may only use your pod for music, but you gotta admit there's a huge market for it.

J
 
jephrey said:
iBeard, you're assuming that the only thing a larger screen is good for is movies/tv. With a 4" screen on the pod, you have a larger viewing area for more than movies/tv. You have it for games, pictures, chat(when available), text, better view of album artwork, and so on. It may not be for you because you may only use your pod for music, but you gotta admit there's a huge market for it.

J
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It's not just that though, a 4 inch screen that you can move around easily (without scratching the spinning DVD) would be awesome for watching movies. I would even go so far as to say that it could be a larger viewing area than your bigscreen plasma.
 
The reason I posted my concern about the scratches on the 5G iPod is because I'm a longtime Apple customer. I was one of the first to buy the iPod when it came to market. I love Apple products.

However, Apple has responded to this scratch issue very poorly. Apple won't even acknowledge that there is a problem, blaming scratches on customer abuse.

Well when you start blaming the customers, then you are definitely on the wrong road. Customers who are not enamored of Apple (don't own a Mac) will switch to the Zune. If you can't understand the basics of how the market operates, then I can see why you are taking potshots.

SavMan hasn't provided any reference or link to support his claim, true or not, physics or not. His claims are anecdotal. Second, whatever the cause of the proliferation of scratches which have generated many, many complaints, denying that scratches exist is foolish, indeed stupid.

If Apple wants to keep its iPod cash cow, I sincerely hope that they address the scratch issue. There is serious competition on the horizon (Zune) and you can't take the customer for granted anymore.
 
Jetson said:
Nice try, SavMan. But I'm not buying your interesting yet psuedoscientific explanation for why 5G iPods only 'appear' to scratch more easily.

White 5G iPods are just as easily scratched as the black ones, as any disappointed owner will tell you. I've had a 4G iPod for 2 years, carrying it back and forth to work in my pocket. I take it out of a Belkin case to recharge it, then put it back in for transport. The thing still looks practically new. I know someone else who purchased a new white 5G iPod. Within moments of gentle handling, the thing is covered with light scratches.

It seems to me that a softer grade of acrylic is being used on these latest iPods. I'm not the only one who's noticed this problem. I don't believe that it's the result of some optical coincidence. Everyone knows that there are hundreds (if not thousands) of complaints to be found on the net.

Whatever the reason is, a manufacturer who doesn't care what their customers have to say about their expensive products will soon find those customers flocking to other companies' products. Hellooooo Zune!

And no amount of fanboy cheerleading will stop it.
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If you have a black nano or 5G iPod, try putting black electrical tape on the sides, covering the 'face' of acrylic. The scratches will seem significantly less obvious. I can attest that my 3G iPod (rounded corners) has just as many scratches as my white nano, and my 3G iPod was very well taken care of (always in its included case,) whereas my nano was usually just thrown in my pocket.

SavMan's explanation seems to be a very good explanation. Not fanboyness. (If I did more than just listen to music on my nano, I'd probably be angry about the more obviousness of the scratches on it. But since I almost never look at the screen, it just doesn't bother me. Just like the scratches on the 3G's screen don't bother me.)
 
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