will iPod Mini one day make the regular iPod obsolete?

[Gherkin]

I've thought about this from the day the Mini was announced. Eventually they're going to be able to fit an 80 GB HD in the size of an iPod Mini case. So what will even be the point of the larger iPod? Of course by then, a regular iPod will be able to hold probably 200 GB or something crazy like that.

Could the iPod family split one day, the mini going off and doing only music, with a ton of storage, in a small form factor, and an iPod Video goes off with music support, video support, and larger size because of a HUGE HD.

any thoughts on this?

 

[Gherkin]

And to put a personal thought in there, I'd be a huge Mini fan if this "split" played out. All I want my iPod for is music.

Though maybe Apple with stun us with the way a Video iPod could work? Hopefully they come up with something more innovative than playing a movie on a 4 inch screen.

 

[mvc]

Could the iPod family split one day, the mini going off and doing only music, with a ton of storage, in a small form factor, and an iPod Video goes off with music support, video support, and larger size because of a HUGE HD.

any thoughts on this?

I agree, and its coming soon in my opinion. Apple has only about 2-3 years before cellphones start carrying 10-20gb harddrives. Then they will be mp3 players as well as PDAs and cameras and phones and all the rest. And they will be better at it.

How's that?

Why carry an iPod when you HAVE to carry a phone that can do the same trick? That same phone can be used to download mp3s all by itself using GPRS, wifi, bluetooth, whatever: its connected to the web 24/7 by design.

You have you cellphone earpieces on to listen to your music, you get a call, music fades out, earpiece is already in your ear, mic is on the earpieces, talk talk, call ends, music fades back in - what could be easier than that?

The iPod still needs a computer to get to the web and download stuff. Your Phone rings, gotta rustle around in your pocket for a second device, disconnect the iPod earpieces, answer the call, etc etc you get picture…

Many will prefer one integrated device if it's done well, so Apple are going to have to push the boundaries again and evolve the iPod or this market is gonna go poof just like the PDA's did.

The cellphone is the one device that is NOT going to go away. Its the common functional denominator to which other features and functions will be added. Its the simplest window into the communications net, available from anywhere. The end result may or may not resemble a cellphone as we see it now, or be called that anymore.

Flame away, but Apple IS going to end up in the phone business too if they want to stay in this market. It's blindingly obvious really, despite what Steve or anyone else might say.

 

[PlaceofDis]

i think it will be longer than 2-3 years for harddrives that size in cell phones, they will probably start with flash memory first for expaned camera phones with higher resolutions, but as time goes on yes the phones will obviously start to have mp3 support and so on.....

unfortunately for apple the iPod craze is eventually going to wear down and i hope that when this time comes that they will have a new awesome product that can replicate the success of the iPod for them.....

only time will tell....

 

[mvc]

i think it will be longer than 2-3 years for harddrives that size in cell phones, they will probably start with flash memory first for expaned camera phones with higher resolutions, but as time goes on yes the phones will obviously start to have mp3 support and so on.....

unfortunately for apple the iPod craze is eventually going to wear down and i hope that when this time comes that they will have a new awesome product that can replicate the success of the iPod for them.....

only time will tell....

1gb of flash memory would be enough for many people. 4gb flash or HD would match an iPod Mini. It's not going to take long, and many phones are already mp3 players. Sonyericsson will be right up Apple's tail!

 

[melchior]

i have 128mb in my phone. easily expandable to 512mb if that is what i wanted...

 

[stoid]

I think that the only real hurdle to this technology is battery life. You don't want to be missing calls on your cell phone because you were listening to music an ran out of battery juice. That's the only problem inherent in any multi-device. As soon as if runs out using one function, you immediately lose all the other functions as well.

 

[miloblithe]

I realize that this is a sign I'm gettin' old, but my first reaction to the mini was how the screen was kinda small to read. I prederred the iPod screen, which I realize isn't much bigger, but it seemed to make a significant difference to my particular set of eyes. The mini scroll wheel, on the other hand, was awesome.

 

[jeffy.dee-lux]

i'm the crazy old man that doesn't conform to new lifestyles. i don't have a cell phone and don't want one. My music follows me just about everywhere and i love diving into my little private cocoon of love and music. I don't want to be interrupted by a phone call from work asking if i can come in, or from other people i don't want to talk to at the time. and don't say i can just turn the cell phone off, cause then people will get annoyed with me for always leaving my cell phone off. The minute i have a cell phone, i'm expected to be reachable all the time. If they phase out things that only play music, i'll be very upset and will resort to making my own wacky designs. maybe a discman that doubles as a frisbee, then it can still provide fun after the batteries run out. and the batteries will recharge by sucking off of the rotational kinetic energy.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

i dont' think so. i think that they ARE two distinct products, and should be treated as such. besides, i dont' want a mini, i want a "traditional" iPod

 

[wPod]

You have you cellphone earpieces on to listen to your music, you get a call, music fades out, earpiece is already in your ear, mic is on the earpieces, talk talk, call ends, music fades back in - what could be easier than that?

for one thing, what about when i just want to relax and listen to music and do not want my cell phone within 50 feet of me?

and what about user interface? you have to be a technical wiz to use these multi-function cell-pda-camera-etc . . . one of the great points of the iPod line is that it is EXTREMELY easy to use!!!

it might be cool for the 5% of techno-geeks out there that can get their vcrs to stop blinking 12:00 . . .but for most of the users nothing will beat the simplicity of the iPod. maybe yes there will be a powerPod with many extra functions like video for the power user (ok i really hope apple creates a power pod with lots of extras) but this mothers day i want to get my mom an iPod mini. . . i know she will actually be able to use it . . . if it had 10 other things built in i know she would get confused and she would just let it sit somewhere collecting dust.

but yes i think this means a split b/w the basic use iPod and the multi-use ultra cool powerPod !!!!

 

[ibookin']

for one thing, what about when i just want to relax and listen to music and do not want my cell phone within 50 feet of me?

and what about user interface? you have to be a technical wiz to use these multi-function cell-pda-camera-etc . . . one of the great points of the iPod line is that it is EXTREMELY easy to use!!!

it might be cool for the 5% of techno-geeks out there that can get their vcrs to stop blinking 12:00 . . .but for most of the users nothing will beat the simplicity of the iPod. maybe yes there will be a powerPod with many extra functions like video for the power user (ok i really hope apple creates a power pod with lots of extras) but this mothers day i want to get my mom an iPod mini. . . i know she will actually be able to use it . . . if it had 10 other things built in i know she would get confused and she would just let it sit somewhere collecting dust.

but yes i think this means a split b/w the basic use iPod and the multi-use ultra cool powerPod !!!!

I think that Apple will get the phone-pda-mp3 combination right. They will simply use the iPods UI and apply it to a phone. Think about it, the iPod has the perfect phone interface as well as the perfect music player interface. I have had phones by LG, Siemens, Kyocera, Qualcomm, and Motorola, all with different interfaces, and I'd prefer an iPod-style one over those any day.

I for one, will welcome my new iPhone with touch-sensitive buttons, color TFT, Bluetooth, etc. If it ever emerges, that is.

 

[Counterfit]

here's what will happen:

a) The iPod will slowly shrink with each new version, finally making the iPod mini redundant. Apple will then release the ÜberPod, with video, PDA stuff, phone, and a G4.

b) The iPod mini will grow in capacity at a rate such that the iPod becomes redundant, it then becomes The One True iPod. Apple then releases the ÜberPod.

c) The iPod and iPod mini both shrink in size, and grow in capacity at a similar rate. Once the mini is the size of a US Postage stamp, and the iPod is the size of my thumb (just a tad shorter than a T68i, and about half as wide), Apple will then release the ÜberPodm with all the bells whistles alarms and doohickeys.

 

[josepho]

I think that Apple will get the phone-pda-mp3 combination right. They will simply use the iPods UI and apply it to a phone. Think about it, the iPod has the perfect phone interface as well as the perfect music player interface. I have had phones by LG, Siemens, Kyocera, Qualcomm, and Motorola, all with different interfaces, and I'd prefer an iPod-style one over those any day.

I for one, will welcome my new iPhone with touch-sensitive buttons, color TFT, Bluetooth, etc. If it ever emerges, that is.

Personally, I think there would be serious problems if Apple tried to use the iPod user interface in any sort of multi-function device. The UI works great for the iPod because it's functions are (semantically) simple - it plays music, not much else. A simple interface to suit simple functions.

However, if you were to try and transpose this onto a device which played mp3s, was a phone, and organiser, and camera, and web browser you'd start running into big problems - namely that the UI would not be complex enough for the features of the device.

Imagine trying to use a simple TV remote control to run a high-tech computer with an OS such as OS X. Sure, you would be able to do everything, but it would take you a lot longer than if you had a more comprehensive (and by definition complex) interface.

I currently use a SonyEricsson P900 as my main phone, and find that the interface is far from perfect, but at the same time relatively straightforward for all the functions which it performs. The main problem when using the more hi-tech features is the small size of the screen... although this is necessary to allow it to be so portable...

Cheers!