Wireless iPods, Soon?

[mozmac]

well... i might as well give Apple and Nintendo my credit card number.

I feel the same. I will be lining up to get a Wii, although I'm not a huge fan of the name....it's growing on me.

I will also be lining up to get a new MacBook Pro when they update them AND when Leopard comes out. I better start saving my money now.

Apple is expected to launch an iPod that supports "wireless capabilities" to compete with Microsoft's upcoming Zune-branded MP3 players.

My favorite word in that sentence is "compete." I think the sentence should read, "Apple is expected to launch an iPod that supports 'wireless capabilities' to continue along their road map of innovation as they change the way we listen to music. Microsoft is expected to also include wireless technology in their mp3 player, named Zune, in order to compete with Apple."

There, I feel so much better about myself now.

 

[vanzskater272]

I wish they would make wireless ipods soon. But I just dont think that it's gonna happen.

 

[apb3]

I wish they would make wireless ipods soon. But I just dont think that it's gonna happen.

You can guess my feelings on this from the above discusssion but why do you want the wireless? I have seen one (maybe two) ideas that caught my eye; but not enough too change my opinion on the negative cost/benefit impact including wireless as envisioned by many here would have on my beloved device. I'm just curious as to your possible ideas or is it just cuz wireless is the latest buzzword - regardless whether it is actually useful, beneficial, effective, having a positive impact on the device in question?

So, why do you "...wish that they would make wireless iPods soon,"? What would you like to see in particular, why and how would it work technically?

I know I'm new here and I must seem a negative ass, but I just don't get why many of you would want this, let alone be frothing at the mouth. Do you not see the negatives (or, if not "negatives," at least the redundancy, bloat, PR Hype to get a few extra bucks out of you for something IMO not really worth it, etc? See my voluminous comments above). I really do love apple and it's all I really use when posible in my line of work (that must sound like the "I have black friends," line but it's true in this case). When I'm home, I won't even allow my wife's lab PC to sound the startup/shutdown chime. It's muted or it goes out the window...

I've even made inroads with one of the most resistant to change institutions as noted above and an SOB CO who at first laughed at apple then nearly ***** himself when I presented a REAL analysis of apple's price/security/abilities/etc benefits vs the crap PCs we're forced to use backed up by my real world work product that he had praised to no end, had officially commmended me for in the past and had no clue the praise was due to the fact that I was skirting the current sec reqs by using my own machines and apps (apple) to blow him and others away at briefings.

Anyway, would you mind sharing why you want it so bad as I asked above?

 

[imnotatfault]

Anyway, would you mind sharing why you want it so bad as I asked above?

I don't think it's really all that necessary until we have a much more prominent wireless infrastructure that isn't T-Mobile trying to charge you 7.99/hr to log on. Until then, it's nearly pointless unless you live in NYC, Boston, Chicago, etc.

 

[Manic Mouse]

Apple should take a leaf out of Sony's book and make the new iPod a mini palm-Mac like the MYLO. A slide out QWERTY keyboard in the style of the Macbook and a large touch screen would make it capable of running anything: Safari, Mail, iCal, iChat etc. It would make the iPod revolutionary (to an extent) again, and more than a mere music device: You could surf the net, write emails, watch movies and listen to music on it. Were it to run a mini-OSX the possibilities would be endless. It would also make people more interested in buying Macs because they can see how good the OS is.

Imagine, on your couch (or in starbucks) reading your email, IMing while listening to your tunes. Bliss. It would also make the WiFi functionality actually useful rather than a gimmick if it's merely a music/video player.

If Apple merely release a new media player they will have missed out on revolutionising the market again like they did when they first released the ipod. Sony have already gone half way there with the MYLO, if Apple go the rest of the way they will blow away the competition!

 

[imnotatfault]

Except at a lot of Starbucks that internet functionality comes at a cost, which is my point.

May be bliss, but not until we have a sound infrastructure. And I have been on some really shoddy networks, which ends up becoming far more frustrating than worthwhile, to the point where I just slam my PDA into my pocket and curse inaudibly.

 

[Manic Mouse]

Except at a lot of Starbucks that internet functionality comes at a cost, which is my point.

May be bliss, but not until we have a sound infrastructure. And I have been on some really shoddy networks, which ends up becoming far more frustrating than worthwhile, to the point where I just slam my PDA into my pocket and curse inaudibly.

I'm already surfing the net in my home on my PSP when I can't be bothered booting up my PC, as are many others. I would much rather be able to read/write emails while on a sofa watching TV (like text messaging) rather than hunched over a computer. It's not just the internet access either: Being able to use a decent version of iCal etc would make the iPod your personal assistant and something you couldn't do without.

Media players have been done to death. Companies are already looking into creating this kind of device (and have with MYLO).

 

[imnotatfault]

PSP interface is so cumbersome, though. Just have a laptop.

 

[Manic Mouse]

PSP interface is so cumbersome, though. Just have a laptop.

Like I said, an iPod with a touch screen and a slide out QWERTY keyboard (a la MYLO) would be better and more portable than a laptop. As clunky as the PSP's interface is, the feature of surfing the net is still very useful and popular. Imagine how much better a MYLO iPod would be. The media player market is staurated, so if Apple intend to continue to do well they need to make the new iPod much more than a media player. Incorperating WiFi into an music/video player is almost pointless, yet is many time more useful if you can check mail, IM and surf the net. It's a natural evolution of what the iPod is. And other companies are beating Apple to it: http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/assets/itpd/mylo/prod/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koQFjKwVFB0

 

[peharri]

You step into your car. The bluetooth receiver in your dashboard automatically detects the presence of your iPod. The finger controls on the steering wheel switch from controlling radio stations to stepping through playlists etc. It "just works". No cables. No need to even take the iPod out of your pocket or bag.

That's why I want wireless. Well, one of the reasons.

Of course, the bluetooth feature's great and all, but it's the 802.11g support I love using. I walk into the office, and suddenly the playlists of all of my collegues who run iTunes appears on screen. Another collegue has his own wireless iPod, and his playlists appear too. It's just like iTunes's shared playlist feature, only it's on my iPod too. It's nice enough having everyone's iTunes playlists in iTunes, but this really takes it to a dimension where it becomes truly useful.

That's why I want wireless, well, one of the reasons.

But, you know, I have my own music tastes, and there are only two or three fellow classical music fans in the office. I could listen to the radio, but only the NPR station here does classical, and that's only part of the time. Still, there are a bunch of netradio classical radio stations, so I can expose myself to even more sources, and I'm not limited by the relatively conservative selection of my collegues and friends. I go to the root menu, Radio Stations -> Favorites -> Classical 24, and now I'm receiving streamed audio from across the country.

That's another reason why I want wireless.

To all of you saying "I can't see why anyone would want wireless", I can't see why you wouldn't want wireless. Small scale sharing. Automatic integration with music systems. Net radio. What's not to love? And for what, a couple of dollars in chips, some improved firmware, and probably the same amount of battery life (given you'll not be running the hard drive)?

 

[imnotatfault]

You step into your car. The bluetooth receiver in your dashboard automatically detects the presence of your iPod. The finger controls on the steering wheel switch from controlling radio stations to stepping through playlists etc. It "just works". No cables. No need to even take the iPod out of your pocket or bag.

Yea, imagine this scenario if you will. Michael spends $20k on a 2006 Honda Civic EX with supposed iPod integration. He comes to find out that "integration" apparently means a plug that costs $250 + installation fee to play iPod through speakers and does NOT integrate with his CD player that reads mp3 CD ID3 tags. Instead, a crappy synthesized voice "reads" the track titles to him.

God, the sad thing is that that is real life.

 

[.Andy]

Like I said, an iPod with a touch screen and a slide out QWERTY keyboard (a la MYLO) would be better and more portable than a laptop. As clunky as the PSP's interface is, the feature of surfing the net is still very useful and popular. Imagine how much better a MYLO iPod would be. The media player market is staurated, so if Apple intend to continue to do well they need to make the new iPod much more than a media player. Incorperating WiFi into an music/video player is almost pointless, yet is many time more useful if you can check mail, IM and surf the net. It's a natural evolution of what the iPod is. And other companies are beating Apple to it: http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/assets/itpd/mylo/prod/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koQFjKwVFB0

I disagree with pretty much everything you said here Manic Mouse .

I really hope the iPod doesn't go down the line of convergence/frankenstein/jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none. It's a solid music player and it's main priority should be as such. In my experience with work colleagues and parents/in-laws the iPod is almost bordering on being too difficult as it is just with just music and video. Many never bother with video or podcasts or even firmware updates because they perceive it to be too complex. Adding slide-out keyboards, larger/deeper navigation menus, wifi connections, and email configuration would probably push it over the edge as far as being too technologically intimidating for most. Not to mention the size sacrifice.

Apple may bring something else to the market to compete if there really is a decent market for devices like the Mylo (which I'm personally not too sure there is).

 

[imnotatfault]

I disagree with pretty much everything you said here Manic Mouse .

I really hope the iPod doesn't go down the line of convergence/frankenstein/jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none. It's a solid music player and it's main priority should be as such. In my experience with work colleagues and parents/in-laws the iPod is almost bordering on being too difficult as it is just with just music and video. Many never bother with video or podcasts or even firmware updates because they perceive it to be too complex. Adding slide-out keyboards, larger/deeper navigation menus, wifi connections, and email configuration would probably push it over the edge as far as being too technologically intimidating for most. Not to mention the size sacrifice.

Apple may bring something else to the market to compete if there really is a decent market for devices like the Mylo (which I'm personally not too sure there is).

Only if the device was separate from the iPod, which stayed truer to its roots, and more importantly, there was some sort of higher integration. Like the proposed built-in dock the mac mini would have. I still miss that.

 

[apb3]

Like I said, an iPod with a touch screen and a slide out QWERTY keyboard (a la MYLO) would be better and more portable than a laptop. As clunky as the PSP's interface is, the feature of surfing the net is still very useful and popular. Imagine how much better a MYLO iPod would be. The media player market is staurated, so if Apple intend to continue to do well they need to make the new iPod much more than a media player. Incorperating WiFi into an music/video player is almost pointless, yet is many time more useful if you can check mail, IM and surf the net. It's a natural evolution of what the iPod is. And other companies are beating Apple to it: http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/assets/itpd/mylo/prod/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koQFjKwVFB0

I sincerely hope you're wrong about apple's thinking on this. The iPod should be a pure machine. Maybe a few add-ons, improvements, limited added functionality over time - but it's an MP3 player. The best there is. Don't F with that.

Make an iPone or something else if some study shows enough people really lack the thigh strength to hold on to their laptop on the couch ... I and probably close to 90% of the people I've talked to about this over the last year or two (I was deciding what to bring with me over here - laptop or highpowered PDA/phone). Severeal issues swayed me to choose the laptop but one major factor was input method. I have a PSP - yes I am in my early 30s and still buy the latest consoles/vid games... - and it is such a cluster F when it comes to entering text. So were all other pda/phones/etc... I do kinda like the cool factor of the slide out qwerty on devices like the chocolate but it is no way to write an email over two words in length, type in any of the "secure" (read: long and mixed) passwords we're required to use or type in any average URL. It always felt like I feel when I was trying to get through naming a DVD I was burning from my Tivo (a Humax Tivo/DVD burner combo box) without shooting the box - don't get me started on text entry with Tivo! I could no longer live without it but one of those slide out qwertys on the Tivo remote would be useful in that setting; but not for your normal net stuff you do everyday. I need to keep my thumb strength for freeing the safety in a hurry... not trying to type on one of those.

So, hoping I'm right and they won't add wireless to the iPod for the many reasons noted in this thread... if they do make something new that does and fits the needs some of you have called for, I really hope it's a new device (maybe with some storage for songs or whatever else you want) that will give you what you guys seem to want without making my purchase of the new "true" video iPod cost me in the range of $600 - $700 for new "features" I - and I think many others - have no desire to use.

 

[imnotatfault]

I really hope it's a new device (maybe with some storage for songs or whatever else you want) that will give you what you guys seem to want without making my purchase of the new "true" video iPod cost me in the range of $600 - $700 for new "features" I - and I think many others - have no desire to use.

If they go the aforementioned route, they need to keep a dedicated iPod so that the price point stays down. Seems like they'd have the common sense to just know to do that, but you never know sometimes..

 

[apb3]

If they go the aforementioned route, they need to keep a dedicated iPod so that the price point stays down. Seems like they'd have the common sense to just know to do that, but you never know sometimes..

Yeah. let's hope... But my confidence in the ability of others to be as smart and cool as I was never developed as a child.

I've just been surprised by all the calls (almost frenzy-like) by others on this thread (it seems you and I are pretty much on the same page as I just read your comments you entered while I was entering my own) to make the iPod, basically, an all-in-one type peice of crap. I have honestly asked why they really need this and have only sen one (maybe two) cool, albeit niche-type, uses.

While some may say Steve is mercurial, I hope in this case he is 1) on my side here, 2) just as mercurial and controlling as rumored and 3) pays no attention to this thread or any polls in which like-minded individuals participate.

 

[imnotatfault]

Yeah. let's hope... But my confidence in the ability of others to be as smart and cool as I was never developed as a child.

I've just been surprised by all the calls (almost frenzy-like) by others on this thread (it seems you and I are pretty much on the same page as I just read your comments you entered while I was entering my own) to make the iPod, basically, an all-in-one type peice of crap. I have honestly asked why they really need this and have only sen one (maybe two) cool, albeit niche-type, uses.

While some may say Steve is mercurial, I hope in this case he is 1) on my side here, 2) just as mercurial and controlling as rumored and 3) pays no attention to this thread or any polls in which like-minded individuals participate.

Well put. And I think outside of the hardcore businessy types, those features are really lost on the everday person. My girlfriend has a Dell Axim, and it was really fun to write with a stylus and put my to-do list in and put stuff into the calendar. Two weeks later, I pulled it out to play a game of Solitaire then turned it back off.

I KNOW this isn't what Apple intends, and by doing this, they'd alienate the market they worked so hard to gain over, which are casual users who don't know much about technology (which is why they stick with PC--comfort, not active choice).

 

[Manic Mouse]

I really hope the iPod doesn't go down the line of convergence/frankenstein/jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none. It's a solid music player and it's main priority should be as such.

Why do you assume that because a hypothetical MYLO iPod would be able to play videos, IM and go on the net that somehow itunes would be any worse than it already is?

The MP3 market has been saturated for a while now. There's only so much you can do in it, and so much you can do to improve listening to music. I'm on a 4G iPod, and have not been inclined in the slightest to upgrade to either a photo or a video iPod because my music will sound exactly the same on both and the extras they offer simply aren't up to scratch. Apple have done pretty much all they can with listening to music, except perhaps music sharing via WiFi (which very few will use anyway). If they don't move forward and innovate iPod sales will stagnate, people who want one will have already bought one and with no new features worth mentioning why would they buy a new one that will make minimal difference to what they can do with their iPod? I can already listen to music on my current iPod, if Apple want me to upgrade they'll have to offer something much more. The same is true of the majority of iPod users.

The reason the iPod is the success it is today is because it revolutionised the market before it was established. They have to opportunity to do the same here with the kind of device MYLO hints is possible. Or they can do what you are proposing and offer nothing new and fall behind their competitors.

In my experience with work colleagues and parents/in-laws the iPod is almost bordering on being too difficult as it is just with just music and video.

Technophobes are a rare beast these days, and will become even rarer in the future. If they can use a computer, which is many many times more complicated than an iPod or MYLO, then I don't see the problem. The whole "lets not make things complicated" drive actually pisses me off because computers are so damn easy to use today. Of course, I'm very doubtful that technophobes are the primary market for iPods anyway.

Adding slide-out keyboards, larger/deeper navigation menus, wifi connections, and email configuration would probably push it over the edge as far as being too technologically intimidating for most.

Just like the mobile phone market, right? Adding cameras, bluetooth, large navigation menus, email, games, internet has really put a dent in mobile phone sales. People want mobile phones that do nothing but phone, not frankenstien-jack-of-all-trades devices.

Not to mention the size sacrifice.

I would imagine a MYLO iPod would be about the size of a 4G iPod, taking into acount the added thinkness due to the slide out keyboard. That size is more than small enough to fit in pretty much every pocket and fits nicely in your hand, so is there a need for it to be any smaller?

Apple may bring something else to the market to compete if there really is a decent market for devices like the Mylo (which I'm personally not too sure there is).

Devices like the MYLO are the only possible evolution of the MP3-player market. In 10 years stand-alone devices like the iPod will be dead. Why have a Batman-esque utility belt of gadgets when you can have one do it all (and just as well)?

I sincerely hope you're wrong about apple's thinking on this. The iPod should be a pure machine. Maybe a few add-ons, improvements, limited added functionality over time - but it's an MP3 player. The best there is. Don't F with that.

If Apple do that then iPod sales will die whenever their competitors are offer all the other services along with an MP3 player. Apple isn't about conservatisim and playing it safe, the reason the iPod was a success was precisely the opposite: innovation.

"Pure" machines are a dying breed, there are very few around these days. Consoles, computers and mobile phones have all shown that the more you offer the better you sell and that "pure" machines are soon to be extinct.

And apb3, what you're describing in the chocolate and PSP is NOT a QWERTY keyboard. Look at the youtube video of the MYLO.

 

[apb3]

If Apple do that then iPod sales will die whenever their competitors are offer all the other services along with an MP3 player. Apple isn't about conservatisim and playing it safe, the reason the iPod was a success was precisely the opposite: innovation.

"Pure" machines are a dying breed, there are very few around these days. Consoles, computers and mobile phones have all shown that the more you offer the better you sell and that "pure" machines are soon to be extinct.

And apb3, what you're describing in the chocolate and PSP is NOT a QWERTY keyboard. Look at the youtube video of the MYLO.

Never actually held the chocolate, just saw the TV ad. But you know what I mean and you cannot possible say that they are easy inpurt methods for even moderately extended use. Or are you? But, in any case, thanks for putting me straight on that.

The iPod would continue to sell "pure" (and I know I'm being contradictory as my original 1Gen iPod is a much different machine than my vid iPod but we're talking of the iPod as a basic walkman-type device) as there will always be demand for a music/media player at a fairly reasonably price. Either through attrition, improvements to current features (bigger screens, easier input methods, color screens, longer battery life, new battery types, etc) there will ALWAYS be demand for the iPod.

Using your reasoning, why not add all these features and more to every TV on the market cuz, "Hey, pure machines are going to be extinct soon. Everybody has a TV so we're not going to be selling any more pretty soon... Let's add keyboards and webcams to the remotes. make 'em with wireless net access, hell, throw in Vista and a dock for the refrigerator to show you how much beer is left so you don't have to get up!!!" That's not what happens. Improvements come and are incorporated and even stick around if people like them or are weeded out in the next model. But those improvements are all related to the TV viewing experience. Remember webTV? and that was only offered as a separate add-on if memory serves.

You can innovate wothout mucking about with a winner by adding a battery draining, mostly useless "feature(s)" to the best selling media device in the world. No one is going to jump ship because they can't control their dishwasher from their iPod interface. If apple feels there is a market for what some members of this forum are calling for and said market is large enough the smart move seems to me to be a new device along with that device's new profit stream, limit it's ability to cannibalize your other products in any large way. You get the idea. You don't need to make the iPod the be-all end-all device. In fact, I think if you did, you'd lose market share to other devices without the bloat.

And the argument that no one wants a "utility belt" with a million devices each dedicated to one function just doesn't hold water with me. I carry a lot of gear. A laptop, a comm device of some sort and my iPod would do anything I need to do as a civilian back in the world. Obviously I carry much more here as I have the desire to make it back to the real world but that's not what the real market is.

But maybe I'm the oddd man out in this argument. I hope not but I have ben wrong once or twice. My wife says so.

 

[MacPhyle]

Re: Wireless iPods, Soon?

Regardless of what Bluetooth will be meant for on the iPod -- Sirius, transmission to Bluetooth headphones, or just syncing with Bluetooth Macs -- what I'm looking forward to is a bigger screen. I think Bluetooth is a logical step since iMacs now have Bluetooth built in, but I don't expect iPods to go Bluetooth until at least 2 more major upgrades. First the larger screen, then Bluetooth, maybe. I am just crossing my fingers that when Apple does put Bluetooth in iPods, they don't eliminate other means of connectivity. Keep iPods compatible with non-Bluetooth Macs, Apple, please!

 

[herenow]

im conisdering buying a 4gb nano tomorrow - however, i hear there could be an update coming soon: does anybody know when?

 

[Manic Mouse]

But you know what I mean and you cannot possible say that they are easy inpurt methods for even moderately extended use. Or are you?

I'm getting a little confused, are you trying to say keyboards are not easy input methods? QWERTY keyboards are FULL keyboards like the ones you and I are using to type in these forums. I completely agree with you that phone/PSP-esque multi-press solutions are not good for extended use, which is why I think the MYLO is such a good example of what can be done with a "portable WiFi" device because it has a full keyboard.

The iPod would continue to sell "pure" (and I know I'm being contradictory as my original 1Gen iPod is a much different machine than my vid iPod but we're talking of the iPod as a basic walkman-type device) as there will always be demand for a music/media player at a fairly reasonably price. Either through attrition, improvements to current features (bigger screens, easier input methods, color screens, longer battery life, new battery types, etc) there will ALWAYS be demand for the iPod.

As you point out, the current iPod isn't a "pure" machine either. Apple have realised that they have to continually offer new things and more functionality to continue to sell and tempt existing customers to upgrade. As a music player my 4G iPod is more than sufficient: It has a nice enough size, decent enough battery life, 40Gb of space and music will not sound any better no matter how bigger the screen is. If the iPod is only to be a "pure" walkman then there is no reason for me to ever buy a new iPod unless it breaks, which is bad for Apple. Apple realise this, and validate my point by adding extra features to the iPod like photo and video support. Things like a web browser, IM etc are also just natural evolutions of the device.

Using your reasoning, why not add all these features and more to every TV on the market cuz, "Hey, pure machines are going to be extinct soon. Everybody has a TV so we're not going to be selling any more pretty soon... Let's add keyboards and webcams to the remotes. make 'em with wireless net access, hell, throw in Vista and a dock for the refrigerator to show you how much beer is left so you don't have to get up!!!" That's not what happens. Improvements come and are incorporated and even stick around if people like them or are weeded out in the next model. But those improvements are all related to the TV viewing experience. Remember webTV? and that was only offered as a separate add-on if memory serves.

Actually that's exactly what's happening. TV's now are having HDD's built in, PC's are having media centre's built in. Here in the UK, with the BBC, the difference between TV and computer are being blurred. A few minutes ago I watched a TV show on this computer steamed from the BBC.

You can innovate wothout mucking about with a winner by adding a battery draining

Well all the things I'm proposing are software, not hardware, features. So they should have minimal effect on battery life. The new iPod will have a large screen and WiFi regardless of whether it can surf the net/IM/email, and those are the battery draining features.

If apple feels there is a market for what some members of this forum are calling for and said market is large enough the smart move seems to me to be a new device along with that device's new profit stream, limit it's ability to cannibalize your other products in any large way. You get the idea. You don't need to make the iPod the be-all end-all device. In fact, I think if you did, you'd lose market share to other devices without the bloat.

But that is exactly what Apple are doing: When the ipod launched it was nothing more than an MP3 player yet the current iPods are evolving into the "be-all-and-end-all" device I'm suggesting: They play games, they have a calander, they show notes, they play videos, they display photos. Has Apple lost market share by offering these things? Or would they have lost market share if they had not offered them?

And precisely what other Apple product sales would a MYLO iPod cannibalise? What competing product does Apple offer?

And the argument that no one wants a "utility belt" with a million devices each dedicated to one function just doesn't hold water with me. I carry a lot of gear. A laptop, a comm device of some sort and my iPod would do anything I need to do as a civilian back in the world. Obviously I carry much more here as I have the desire to make it back to the real world but that's not what the real market is.

Like I said in my previous post, the mobile phone market (and what Apple have done with added functionality to the iPod) shows the exact opposite trend. I'd much rather have a MYLO iPod than cart a laptop and an iPod around with me EVERYWHERE I go.

But maybe I'm the oddd man out in this argument. I hope not but I have ben wrong once or twice. My wife says so.

Women are always right. Or so my mother tells me...

I don't believe that the next iPod will be a MYLO-esque device, but eventually it will offer all that functionality.

 

[apb3]

I'm getting a little confused, are you trying to say keyboards are not easy input methods? QWERTY keyboards are FULL keyboards like the ones you and I are using to type in these forums. I completely agree with you that phone/PSP-esque multi-press solutions are not good for extended use, which is why I think the MYLO is such a good example of what can be done with a "portable WiFi" device because it has a full keyboard.

Actually, no. The only thing that makes a keyboard "QWERTY" is the Q being next to the W next to the.... you get the idea. There are "Full-Sized" QWERTY keyboards and smaller ones likie the one for my old Newton. Every definition I checked online this afternoon says nothing about a size at which an identically laid out keyboard becomes QWERTY and under which it is something else.

As you point out, the current iPod isn't a "pure" machine either. Apple have realised that they have to continually offer new things and more functionality to continue to sell and tempt existing customers to upgrade. As a music player my 4G iPod is more than sufficient: It has a nice enough size, decent enough battery life, 40Gb of space and music will not sound any better no matter how bigger the screen is. If the iPod is only to be a "pure" walkman then there is no reason for me to ever buy a new iPod unless it breaks, which is bad for Apple. Apple realise this, and validate my point by adding extra features to the iPod like photo and video support. Things like a web browser, IM etc are also just natural evolutions of the device.



Actually that's exactly what's happening. TV's now are having HDD's built in, PC's are having media centre's built in. Here in the UK, with the BBC, the difference between TV and computer are being blurred. A few minutes ago I watched a TV show on this computer steamed from the BBC.



Well all the things I'm proposing are software, not hardware, features. So they should have minimal effect on battery life. The new iPod will have a large screen and WiFi regardless of whether it can surf the net/IM/email, and those are the battery draining features.



But that is exactly what Apple are doing: When the ipod launched it was nothing more than an MP3 player yet the current iPods are evolving into the "be-all-and-end-all" device I'm suggesting: They play games, they have a calander, they show notes, they play videos, they display photos. Has Apple lost market share by offering these things? Or would they have lost market share if they had not offered them?

And precisely what other Apple product sales would a MYLO iPod cannibalise? What competing product does Apple offer?



Like I said in my previous post, the mobile phone market (and what Apple have done with added functionality to the iPod) shows the exact opposite trend. I'd much rather have a MYLO iPod than cart a laptop and an iPod around with me EVERYWHERE I go.



Women are always right. Or so my mother tells me...

I don't believe that the next iPod will be a MYLO-esque device, but eventually it will offer all that functionality.

I'll agree to disagree with you. I don;t think we need to go on and on saying the same things. I think my points stand on their own and I'm sure you feel yours do as well. What's that quote about opinions?

 

[ingenious]

As far as sharing in your range. Again a waste of battery to support this. I have what I wnat ton hear for the most part. I don't much care to drain my battery searching other users' libs (that will come and go as they wander around and in and out of range - oh great, I found a cool Streets video I don't have!! Oh wait he just left range!!!), it's short-lived enough already.

I think a better idea is just a listing of what others around you are listening to. You can choose (by using the (->) button like in iTunes) to look it up and either buy it or listen to a preview.

 

[kfenerty]

dumb...

you might look knda retarded walking down the street with wirless headohnes people will think your nuts... and wouldnt the traditinal "iPod Headphones" fall out...