Will Apple make an iPod with a Microphone and record button?

I'm doubting it, but if they run out of ideas for new features, it's a possibility.

 

The absence of the aforementioned is the only thing keeping me from buying a 20GB iPod.
I'd like to be able to use my iPod for dictating, and more importantly, humming in early song ideas wherever I go.

And think about this: stripped-down iCal in iPod, in which you just scroll to the date, then scroll to the correct hour, and just speak whatever appointment you might have. I'm sucha a slow writer, that this kind of application could be the thing to start me on actually using a calendar.

 

Speaking in appointments.. Huh. That'd be a nice feature. Fo' REAL, dawg!

 

Depending on the recording format, I'd buy one in a hurry.

Problem is, 20 GB isn't a ton of uncompressed audio. A lot, but not a TON. Something like an MD player you can change disks when you run out of room. Can't change ipods! Plus you'd have to then rip to iTunes, then delete from your iPod and then send MP3 back to iPod from iTunes. Ugh.

However, if they recorded directly to MP3, that would be cool (as long as you could control settings). Possibility for an external mic is a must.

 

I think that I would really like that feature!

Voice MP3's on the fly...interesting

Chad4Mac

 

How big do you think uncompressed audio is and how many dictations are you planning to permenantly store on yer iPod? A WAV file is only around 10megs per minute.


Lethal

 

i can't really see apple making this possible: there is too small of a market of people that would want/use this feature to rewrite software on the ipod to encode...also they would need to either
A) make a firewire microphone
B) make a new input on the ipod
C) rework the remote/headphone jack

though it's a great idea and would be useful for some, there isn't a large enough market for apple to spend the money to research and develop a dictophone capability