Apple Updates iPod 689
TheRaven64 writes "Apple seems to have quietly updated the iPod Photo and iPod Mini lines. The Mini now comes in 4GB and 6GB flavours, priced at $199 and $249 respectively. The iPod Photo now comes in a 30GB flavour for $349 - only $50 more than the 20GB iPod with a mono screen and shorter battery life."
ipod mini.. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:ipod mini.. (Score:5, Funny)
please
Re:ipod mini.. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:New Dell DJs? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:ipod mini.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:paraphrasing .... (Score:4, Funny)
^ "No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."
Re:ipod mini.. (Score:5, Interesting)
The iPod is still cool, but it's too popular to to be hip any more.
Re:ipod mini.. (Score:5, Funny)
[X] Troll
[X] Retard
[_] Pervert
You are being flamed because:
[X] The parent was a joke.
[_] You posted an inappropriate link.
[X] You didn't understand the quote.
As a punishment, you must:
[X] Openly admit your stupidity.
[X] Have sex with CowboyNeal.
[X] Masturbate with a cheese grater.
Re:ipod mini.. (Score:5, Funny)
One thing the editor left off.. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:5, Funny)
No problem, according to its specs it can be dropped without much damage.
I accidentally dropped mine one week ago and it still works like a charm.
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:3, Funny)
Heh...you like to watch children walking.
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:5, Interesting)
512MB Shuffle: $99
1GB Shuffle: $149
4GB mini: $199
6GB mini: $249
20GB iPod: $299
30GB Photo: $349
** MISSING **
60GB Photo: $449
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:5, Interesting)
It's getting to the point where, no matter how much money you have, you can buy a complete product from Apple. And the amount of money you have determines which product you buy, too - no pricing collisions, just a steady progression where customers can self-select their position on the Apple pricing ladder...
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:5, Funny)
Screens, keyboards, mice, leads, etc. all disturb the minimalist aesthetic associated with Apple products.
I just leave mine on top of a solitary perspex cube in the centre of my living room. I can't turn it on or use it at all (power leads are *so* ugly) but it makes a powerful expression of my place in society and position on the Apple purchasing ladder.
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:5, Funny)
Ah! So this answers what the 'dark galaxy' in the story above this one is made of - a near-infinite number of unsold 40Gb, $399 iPods. (Must be the U2 model, being black and all...)
The pricing is genius, pure genius (Score:3, Interesting)
Genius.
Re:The pricing is genius, pure genius (Score:5, Funny)
Next thing you know, I'm looking at a dual 2.5GHz Power Mac and a 30" Cinema display. I just don't know where to stop!
Then I say: "Forget it. I'll stick with my linux box."
Re:The pricing is genius, pure genius (Score:5, Funny)
Where the heck do you live? In New York, it'll cost you a lot more than fifty bucks to insert thingy here.
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:5, Informative)
They also eliminated the Dock as a standard accessory, even on the 60GB iPod Photo. That's a bit disappointing, as it's a $40 add-on that you used to get "free". Ah, well.
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:3, Informative)
Mono? (Score:5, Funny)
Good thing too. Most of my music is now in stereo.
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm a pedantic grammar elitist. Your slogan should be: Think differently, swine.
Seriously though, who let that marketing campaign get through editing?
Re:One thing the editor left off.. (Score:3, Interesting)
I knew it... (Score:5, Funny)
But it just makes me want to hold off longer so I really get my money's worth.
Re:I knew it... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I knew it... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I knew it... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I knew it... (Score:5, Interesting)
Not bad but not as good as it looks either. Note that no iPod comes with the dock any longer, and the iPod photos do not come with a firewire cable either (the older 4G iPods came with both firewire and USB 2.0 - the 20GB still does).
Probably not a big deal for a lot of people, but not having a dock myself I can tell you I wish I did, and as I have not yet been able to get my iPod working reliably with USB 2.0, it's nice to have both cables. (Plus it means I can leave one connected to my PC at all times, then bring my USB cable with me wherever I go and use the iPod as a portable hard drive.)
Apple would charge something like $70 for the firewire cable and dock separately, so you're not really getting that much (if any) value over the old 40GB iPod photo when you also factor in the smaller capacity.
I also sort of lament the fact that with each new revision, the iPod becomes less of a luxury product and more of a commodity... but that's inevitable, I guess.
Re:I knew it... (Score:3, Funny)
Now if the sales guy said, "plug these earphones in -- it also can play your entire music collection", it wouldn't have been that different than if he told you it could give you a hot bikini wax while you sleep.
Discontinued Lines (Score:5, Interesting)
Firmware update ! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Firmware update ! (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/ [apple.com]
- Cary
--Fairfax Undergroud [fairfaxunderground.com]: Where Fairfax County comes out to play
Re:Firmware update ! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Firmware update ! (Score:3, Insightful)
-b
Re:Firmware update ! (Score:3, Funny)
iPod Updater 2005-02-22 contains the same software versions as iPod Updater 2005-01-11 for all other iPod models. Aha! I predict the next firmware upgrade on 2005-03-33.
What's that?
Oh. Damn.
Quietly? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Quietly? (Score:4, Funny)
This gives them complete price coverage (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:This gives them complete price coverage (Score:5, Interesting)
The AV cable, which I believe came with the iPod Photo, is now extra. Same deal with the dock.
The older models came with both a USB 2.0 and a FW cable. The new ones come with only a USB 2.0 cable.
On the plus side, Apple is clearing out the old stock. Check the "Special Deals" page. 40 GB and 60 GB with
Apple Earphones
AC Adapter
FireWire cable
USB 2.0 cable
iPod photo AV cable
iPod photo Dock
Carrying Case
$379 and $479 respectively.
Re:This gives them complete price coverage (Score:4, Interesting)
My wife keeps stealing my iPod Mini (4GB) when she goes to the gym, so I said I was going to buy her one.
She said she would be happy with the iPod Shuffle at $99, I told her we would get least the $149 1GB version.
Now with this announcement, I will just go ahead and get her a iPod Mini (4GB) @ $199, since she loves mine so much.
So, Apple got another $100 out us!
I think Apple is doing a lot of things right lately and I'm about to jump into the Mini Mac wagon once my bonus check comes next month.
If I really like it, I see a PowerMac in my future next year. I will have to give it a long evaluation, since I have used PeeCee's for many years, I want to give them a honest evaluation before judgement. I am a UNIX gearhead though, so I think I'm going to love the new Macs.
Apart from the slashvertising... (Score:5, Interesting)
It would, I believe, take the market from PalmSpringSourceOne but also a large chunk of the consumer Windows PDA market (the business market being firmly Outlocked into place).
Archos PMA-400 (Score:4, Interesting)
But... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:What the?... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's interesting because for some of us, the ability to tinker offers possibilities that might be more compelling than the original capabilities of the device.
I have an ipod mini.. which I might like Linux on (not sure if it works on minis yet though). Why? I dunno, because then I can explore ideas about what I can do with a little device with 5 buttons and a scroll wheel. I can imagine little ways in which I can tweak it to suit MY tastes, and not apple's decision about common denominator tastes.
Not to knock Apple's UI for the ipod or anything: it's a very nice interface - but the idea of being able to tweak it for my own purposes is very exciting. It's a tinkerer thing. It doesn't have to be useful to the general population - it only has to be useful to me.
-Laxitive
Re:What the?... (Score:3, Insightful)
At the moment, playback isn't really reliable. That's being worked on, and it's quite possible that in a few months MP3 playback will work as well as it does under the Apple firmware. Once that's done, other formats can be added (Vorbis is theoretica
iPod Photo (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyone know what the sales figures are like?
Re:iPod Photo (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:iPod Photo (Score:4, Insightful)
I personally don't care about slideshows and such. But I really like that the album cover can be displayed while the song is playing. It may seem like a very small thing, but to someone as anal about their music collection as I am, this is very appealing.
That being said, it ain't appealing enough for me to drop $449 to upgrade my iPod.
My guess is that this is just an intermediate step towards some greater functionality. Like video or broader PDA functionality.
new iPod Photo camera connector for $29 ! (Score:5, Informative)
"The new iPod Camera Connector is an optional accessory that enables customers to connect their digital camera to iPod photo and import their photos into the iPod. By simply connecting the iPod Camera Connector and a digital camera, customers can easily transfer digital images to their iPod photo, providing tremendous storage space so they can take more pictures. Imported photos are immediately viewable on iPod photo's crisp color screen, and can also be brought back to iPhoto(R) on the Mac or various photo applications on the PC. The iPod Camera Connector is expected to be available in late March for $29."
Re:new iPod Photo camera connector for $29 ! (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.apple.com/ipodphoto/
Get the most out of your iPod photo. Coming in March, new software lets you:
Choose new slideshow transitions on the go
Upload photos directly from your camera using the optional iPod Camera Connector accessory, also arriving in March
hrm.... this morning macminute was linking the stories to biz.yahoo.com or something, now they go right to apple.com
Re:iPod Photo (Score:3, Interesting)
I still have no idea what the purpose of the iPod Photo is. Sure, the better battery life and color screen are nice, but who really cares about carrying their photos around with them for viewing on a 1.5-inch screen?
Very convenient presentation tool. Just google "iPod photo presentation". The top two links in the search results pretty much sum it up:
HOW-TO: Put PowerPoint on your iPod Photo [engadget.com]
ZappTek's presentation-to-iPod photo software [engadget.com]
It's a step up from a storage dump for photos (Score:3, Interesting)
I have a Sony digital camera, just an old 3.2 MP model. On my annual 2-week vacation with the kids to our CO cabin, the pictures still pile up at that file size. Sony's proprietary memory format (did I mention this was Sony?) means memory sticks are pricier than flash memory, and while I have a few I'm not really wanting to load up on them any more, especially
Re:iPod Photo (Score:3, Insightful)
The iPod Photo is not about photos. Repeat after me: The iPod Photo is not about photos.
OK, so that was an overly confrontational way to start a post. But let's plow on.
The iPod Photo is about Apple transitioning the iPod series to colour screens. Notice how the only black-and-white iPod remaining is the 20GB model - everything else is colour. Mark my words, the next time we get a refresh, it'll be a 20GB iPod Photo, and the black-and-white v
But what about ... (Score:2)
Be vewy vewy quiet (Score:5, Informative)
18h battery life (Score:5, Informative)
Re:18h battery life (Score:3, Informative)
apple tends to underestimate battery life, not the other way 'round. The original mini was billed as having 8 hrs of life, but various tests showed some would consistently last 9 or 10 hrs. so if apple claims 18, i wouldn't be surprised to see 20 or so hours of actual playback.
iPod Photo over iPod (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:iPod Photo over iPod (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm hoping that eventually Apple will port Keynote to the iPod photo (yes, I know that you can make a slideshow and port that, but I mean native Keynote files with all effects). Every academic will want one, just to be able to to carry his lectures in his pocket, without lugging around a laptop or dealing with the potential complications of running a presentation on somebody else's computer.
Re:iPod Photo over iPod (Score:5, Interesting)
Heck, the classic iPod is overkill, too. That overkill is what makes it such a great little device. Think about it--when the original iPod came out, more than a few people were saying "who in their right mind pays several hundred dollars for a glorified Walkman?"
Thing is, though, the iPod really re-introduced us to portable music. Yeah, there were other high-capacity players on the market first, but it was the iPod that really got the ball rolling. Looking back, I'm struck by how non-portable 'portable' music used to be. Now, I have my entire music library with me wherever I go--and I take it for granted that I don't need to lug a bigass CD folder and swap disks to get the music I want. It seems like a small difference, but the net effect is quite significant. With just a slight reduction in the overall space and inconvenience of listening to music on the go, I've found that I'm listening to a whole lot more music--and really enjoying it.
The iPod Photo may just end up doing much the same thing for photographs (and, in another few years, movies.) Right now, my photographs are split between "old" photos in boxes and bulky albums, and "new" photos on a comparatively small laptop. The laptop is nice, but it's still significantly more of a pain to carry with me than an iPod.
It isn't that much of a leap of the imagination to see the iPod Photo doing the same thing for your photo albums as the iPod did for your CD collection. Going to grandma's? Load up the baby pictures on the same miniscule device as the driving music (and 'Bananaphone' to keep Junior happy). Plug it into her TV, and you've got an instant, large-format slideshow that grandma doesn't need to squint at through her reading glasses. Got a slideshow to go along with your thesis presentation? Don't bother with the laptop, just bring your iPod. Hell, just wanna show your friends that fish you caught on vacation? It's already on your iPod, which you'll have on you for the drive, anyhow!
Sure, it's easy to say that it's "overkill"--but then again, so much about the iPod is already overkill. A CD player is perfectly adequate for playing music on the go, after all. What makes the iPod so successful, though, is that this "overkill" is just enough to make a pretty radical change in one's music listening habits. Jobs is betting that it can do the same with your photo viewing habits--and to be honest, he may be right. Luckily for him, even if he's dead wrong, it's still the same awesome music player it has always been--and the added photo functionality isn't likely to turn many people off...
Re:iPod Photo over iPod (Score:3, Insightful)
So many choices... what's a beggar to do? (Score:2)
Skimping on accessories (Score:5, Insightful)
iPod minis no longer include an AC charger, and the iPod photos no longer include a dock, carrying case, or AV cable. Apparently they'll have USB host support with an accessory though, and you'll be able to download and view photos right from your camera.
But most shocking of all to the "faithful" is the lack of a firewire cable with any iPod. It's optional across the board. Apple sold Macs with USB 1 and Firewire very recently, so they're essentially screwing over their fans. There's already a petition [petitiononline.com] to but the cable back in the box. And you don't want to piss of a Mac fanatic!
I'm kinda disappointed with the lack of Bluetooth, though. It'd be nice to have the music pause when a call comes in on my T616, and maybe allow the headphones to double as a headset. iTunes already pauses the music for me courtesy of Salling Clicker.
Re:Skimping on accessories (Score:4, Insightful)
According to the "full comparison chart" on the store webpage, that's not true - the 20GB mono and the 20GB U2 editions still ship with a Firewire cable. I don't get why they leave it out of the bundle for the Photo iPods, though. Doesn't seem to make sense.
A Clear Reaction to the Marketplace (Score:5, Insightful)
This time, they have realized that in order to keep this technology at the center of the business model, they must continue to innovate.
With storage devices becoming smaller and smaller, they must continue to breakthrough with the bleeding edge technology. The iPod technology is simple enough that staying on the bleeding edge makes perfect sense. I sense that they've got this one nailed and are not letting go.
Where's the 40GB ipod? (Score:2)
iPod Camera Connecter? (Score:5, Interesting)
Unfortunately, I can't find this item anywhere on Apple's site. Anyone else have any luck?
Flavo(u)r? (Score:5, Funny)
This story is brought to you by Apple, (Score:4, Funny)
So, how much does a front-page advertisement on Slashdot cost these days?
HQ recording ... (Score:5, Interesting)
iRiver's do it. [iriveramerica.com]
iPod's running linux seem to be able to do it. [hackaday.com]
Stupid hardware crippling! It's pathetic!
Re:HQ recording ... (Score:4, Insightful)
The reason I got an iPod over the iRiver and the others you mentioned is because it doesn't have a voice recording feature. You see I can't have recording devices or cameras in my office and that is where I was planning on using my music player the most. So the iPod was (almost) the only choice I had. I love it though and have got my whole family hooked on the idea of getting one.
(But don't even ask how screwed I am when it comes to cell phones.)
they saw me coming (Score:3, Interesting)
No more gold (Score:3, Informative)
3G iPods now have 4G menu features (Score:3, Informative)
Specifically, the 3G iPods now have "Shuffle Songs" on the top-level menu, and the "Browse" and "Playlists" menu items have been consolidated under a "Music" menu.
Lots of people were mad at Apple for not giving 3G owners these small touches that the 4Gs had; it looks like Apple listened to their complaints.
CF Slot (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:CF Slot (Score:4, Informative)
If it is the same as the equivalent feature on the iRiver H3x0 series, you can also plug in a CF (or in my case Memory Stick) reader.
it exists now, and will be cheaper in March (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:CF Slot (Score:3, Insightful)
Mini downgrades (Score:4, Interesting)
I guess that they are really looking to get into the windows users' pockets instead of the Zen micro... Its 19 for the firewire cable, and 29 for the power apadtor, so price cut isn't really a pricecut..
For thoose who have USB2 and take their laptop everywhere its a bargain after all..
more interesting is the camera connector:
The new iPod Camera Connector is an optional accessory that enables customers to connect their digital camera to iPod photo and import their photos into the iPod. By simply connecting the iPod Camera Connector and a digital camera*, customers can easily transfer digital images to their iPod photo, providing tremendous storage space so they can take more pictures. Imported photos are immediately viewable on iPod photo's crisp color screen, and can also be brought back to iPhoto(R) on the Mac or various photo applications on the PC. The iPod Camera Connector is expected to be available in late March for $29.
I'm waiting for the Aireo 2 (Score:3, Interesting)
You're welcome (Score:5, Funny)
You see, I just passed the return period on my new monochrome 40 gig. Therefore, new models are automatically released.
Apple is my new favorite company (Score:5, Interesting)
Bwah? They changed the price of the iPod? But the 40 gig iPod cost $399. That's just how it is.
So I head over to store.apple.com. What else have they changed? iPod photo? 60gb?! Only $449! Sign me up!
So for only $50 more than I'd expected to pay, I get 20 extra GB, and a color screen.
Apple is my new favorite company.
Off topic, does anyone know where the Apple call center is? Cute accent...
Interesting market share news (Score:3, Interesting)
For the third quarter of 2004, the iPod accounted for 92.1% of the market for hard drive-based music players, according to the NPD Group, up from 82.2% a year ago. Players from Creative Technology and Rio were a distant second and third, with 3.7% and 3.2% of the market, respectively. Market share numbers for the fourth quarter have yet to be released.
So for hard drive players (~60% of the portable digital music player market) that is:
- 92.1% Apple iPod (all non-shuffle varieties)
- 3.7% Creative (all HD models)
- 3.2% Rio (all HD models)
- 1% Other HD players
This is a breathtaking dominance of the market space that serves as an indicator for the related on-line music purchase/subscription market. If 7.9% of the hard drive players are non-Apple, and we assume the larger capacity HD player market space is where the most volume from these services is coming from, then that is a small piece of pie for all the players (Napster, Buy, Wal-mart, others?) to carve up into a successful and sustainable (profitable) business.
Further, Apple's iPod Shuffle is targeting the remaining ~40% flash-based player market. Even if the Shuffle is 50% as effective in market penetration as big brother iPod is, that would leave Apple with a (wildly) estimated ~45% of the flash player market. So again, competition would be nosing for larger nibbles, instead of the crumbs of the HD market, but still a far smaller pie to distribute.
All this points (for me anyway) to an impending consolidation of WMA related service offerings. Specifically, I would look for Napster to end it's offerings after Wallstreet destorys an already paltry stock for the failure of a $30M campaign against iTunes Music Store with the "Do the Math" campaign. Also, I would look for Buy.com to further phase out their download music store in favor of higher margin CD sales as they find even offering $0.79 selected tracks isn't creating market traction. The "hope" for WMA may be in Wal-Mart - the icon of the price elastic shopper - who may prefer $0.89 downloads (and $189 players) to Apple's $0.99, $199 combinatons.
And check out the iPod firmware update, too. (Score:4, Informative)
The full update list follows:
Re:When will they update the firmware for old iPod (Score:5, Funny)
Re:When will they update the firmware for old iPod (Score:3, Interesting)
Actually, I was pretty peeved when I bought an iPod, they shipped a new model a month later and didn't think to add this simple hack. And before you say "Just buy another iPod", no. No thank you. This is software.
A good example of what to do is Blizzard. Every time they release new features its gets updated up and down the board. With the Warcraft 3 Expansion they gave
Re:When will they update the firmware for old iPod (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/
42 MB download.
What's New in iPod Updater 2005-02-22
iPod shuffle Software 1.1 for iPod shuffle
* Support for iPod shuffle Battery Pack
* Increased software stability
iPod mini Software 1.3 for iPod mini
* Support for second-generation iPod mini
* Support for charging and syncing over USB with Mac OS X v10.2.8 or 10.3.4 or later
iPod Software 2.3 for iPod with dock connector
* Shuffle Songs selection in Main Menu
* Music menu item in Main Menu
* Support for iTunes 4.7 and later
iPod Software 1.5 for iPod with touch wheel or scroll wheel
* Shuffle Songs selection in Main Menu
* Music menu item in Main Menu
* Support for iTunes 4.7 and later
Re:No FM radio (Score:3, Funny)
Re:So... (Score:4, Insightful)
Nobody cares about dell announcements because they just bolt together commodity hardware. You buy Apple cause you want to, you buy Dell when they give you the best deal on something you could get from a variety of sources.
Re:So... (Score:3, Interesting)
That's why they should be reminded on the front page, so they remember to buy it from Apple. That's the defenition of an advertisment.
If ppl are so interested in Apple's crap, why don't they just look at their website? This is as stupid as those "IE Bug discovered" each time there is a new one,
Re:So... (Score:5, Insightful)
Seeing as one mans meat is anothers poison, and whats good for peter isnt necessarily good for paul (enough cliches for now) i have developped a device called:
"Self controlled screening technique"
Basically I look at the conveniently provided summary and using my own personal interest as a guage, I decide whther or not to click on it and read further.
Miracualously I have no problems with articles that I don't like polluting my vision.
I have also adapted this for other entertainment and news media such as the television.
Like Slashdot, this technique is free so I can use it how I like, meaning the
If anyone wants more info on employing my methods in their own workplace you can get in touch with me at quit.whining@thepoweroftheobvious.com
Re:So... (Score:3, Interesting)
For instance, to the nerd who has been holding off on a music player purchase, the notion of a better deal on ipod (in the case of the color or mini models or the defunct 40gig) is stuff that matters.
Of course it would be better if the headline read (on say, January 23) "Apple to release new ipods in four weeks" but this is useful too.
One man's advertisement is another man's consumer education.
Re:Disk compression (Score:4, Insightful)
It's built into the file format: mp3, et al. Kinda hard to compress it further.
Re:and? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Am I the only person.. : yes (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Yawn... (Score:3, Interesting)