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Apple @ MacWorld Tokyo

Posted by michael on from the wunderchild dept.

rschroeder writes "Apple updated several products at MacWorld Tokyo tonight (or tomorrow morning). A $499 10-gig iPod, with, get this, custom laser engraving on the back, ($49 extra) and vCard support. They also announced a $49 USB bluetooth module, shipping in April, with beta drivers availble today. Among other tricks, Jobs synced a Clie with a mac via bluetooth. Also a new 23" (1920x1200 )Cinema Display. Jobs also said they're raising the price of the iMac due to LCD and RAM cost increases. All this courtesy MacMinute.com's live coverage." Maccentral has several stories about Jobs' keynote at the convention.

12 of 454 comments (clear)

  1. Bluetooth, iPod improvements. by zardie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's good to see that Apple's embracing the technology, giving it a greater chance of widespread adoption. Remember what Apple did for us with USB and Firewire?

    Now if only they had bluetooth support for the iPod, I'd be happy about not having to connect it up to the PC every time I wanted to transfer a file.

    Having played with an iPod before and found that the sound is a bit try, the EQ is a welcome addition and was the one thing that didn't convince me to buy one over a NetMD-based walkman. Contact management is just damn cool, evidence that Apple listens to the community out there (remember that iPod contact hack?). Good work, Apple :)

  2. Re:BlueTooth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It may be that Bluetooth and 802.11b (Airport) can coexist in the same frequency range (2.4GHz), but at the cost of reduced data rates/throughput. It is interesting that Apple offers Bluetooth as a USB dongle rather than have it built-in so at least there is some seperation between the Airport (802.11b) antenna which is built into the computer/laptop and the Bluetooth unit. Maybe Apple can build-in Bluetooth and have a more effective solution (less intereference) in the future if they ever update Airport from 802.11b to 802.11a which operates in a different frequency band of 5.8GHz.

  3. Did Apple steal it? by batobin · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm curious as to how Apple got their brand new "Contacts feature" seen here. It seems to me that two other people beat apple to the punch. iPod Organizer and ipoAddress.

    I'm curious as to whether Apple went to the developers, and bought the idea/software. I know they did this for SoundJam, in order to get iTunes. They literally bought out every SoundJam developer, and took the software.

    I also know this is how the "time in the title bar" idea got started. 3rd party software, bought by Apple. Any facts surrounding this acquisition?

    1. Re:Did Apple steal it? by dhovis · · Score: 3, Interesting
      I don't think Apple bought anything. They may have noticed that the people who had come up with ways to encode contact info into MP3 ID3 tags were getting a lot of attention.

      From what I can tell, this upgrade lets the iPod recognize the vCard format and puts a visible folder on the iPod called "Contacts". Any vCards in that folder show up in the "Contacts" menu on the iPod. Simple as that, and much simpler than turning your contacts into silent MP3s.

      The iPod apparantly has a pretty nifty OS with 2 ARM processors and 32MB of flash in it. It is probably capable of a lot of things (OGG support, perhaps). Don't expect Apple to come out with a dev kit for it anytime soon, though. I'm sure Apple does not want to have to support 3rd party software, and I think it is unlikely anybody would create a "killer app" for the iPod, other than the "killer app" that it already has. Most likely you would only see a few games.

      --

      --
      The internet is the greatest source of biased information in the history of mankind.

  4. I'll tell you what I would really like on an iPod by thesolo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Offtopic, I know, but I would really like to see SHN (shorten) file support. Sure, you could transfer them on there, but I would like to see the iPod actually play them.

    Mp3s are just too lossy for my liking. I could still fit a few losslessly compressed albums on a 5 or 10 gig iPod, which is fine by me! Anything to keep from bringing a battery-draining CD player and loads of discs.

    Anyone know if that kind of hack is even possible? If it was, I'd buy one in a second.

  5. Music students that need to listen to music... by alexhmit01 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My fiancee is studying music in school, and she has to listen to a rediculous amount of music. One of the reasons she got a laptop was to be able to rip the CDs in the library so she wouldn't have to fight for access to them with others in the classes.

    Now when she gets new listening assignments, she hops into the library, rips the CDs, syncs the iPod, and she's set. If she really likes the music, she makes a copy of the CD to go in the CD Jukebox in our apartment so she can listen to the higher quality recording.

    Now she doesn't mind the 30-45 minute subway rides that she does getting around town because she just turns on her iPod and the music is waitting for her.

    Could this be done with non-Apple equipment, sure. However, the two hours of helping her adjust from being a Windows user to a Mac user made up for it from reduced tech support on my end... As I type away on my Windows machine whose copy of Internet Explorer couldn't use view source last week...

    Alex

  6. Good Apple spin lately by Gaetano · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Seems to have been alot of really positive (overall) articles on apple and their products lately.

    I used to be a Mac slammer. Nothing made me quite as happy as slamming indignant Mac die hards, unless it was slamming brainless Microsoft Bots. That was before Steve Jobs came back to apple. Then I started watching them with interest.

    Now, after all these good stories lately, about the ipod, imovies, OS X and its unix environment, I have to say someone slipped me some of the Mac coolaide.

    I want one! I want one now! Damn! And I'm happy about it too!

    Gimme a mac!

  7. AirPort vs Bluetooth by maggard · · Score: 5, Interesting
    802.11b & Bluetooth have one problem - they conflict. So do 2.4 GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens for that matter. Indeed some folks are finding old 900 MHz cordless phones and baby monitors to be more reliable then the increasingly trafficked 2.4 GHz Industrial-Scientific-Medical bands.

    So, with Apple leading the renaissance in wireless networking (it was their introduction of the AirPort that kicked of this current wave of activity) how will they reconcile this with Bluetooth? All of their computers ship with wireless card slots and built-in antennas; they all also ship with USB ports (also popularized by Apple.) Which is to drown out the other? While it's true that they can co-exist it is at the expense of greatly reduced data rates, already an issue for folks used to 100 Mbps or 1,000 Mbps (standard on many Mac models) Ethernet.

    My own bet is that before or along-with any USB-BlueTooth product introduction Apple will ship a revised AirPort, or at least a software tweak with a built in Bluetooth-friendly autonegotiation. Or, failing that we'll see the release of an AirPort II featuring 802.11a (at 5 GHz and capable of 54 Mbps) thus safely different from cordless phones, microwave ovens, baby monitors, 802.11b, 802.11g, Bluetooth, HomeRF, and a half dozen other wireless applications.

    As to microwave ovens - well 2.4 Ghz is the resonant frequency of water so no change possible there. However it is something to think about as you hold these various new wireless devices up next to your body.

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    I don't read ACs: If a post isn't worth so much as a nom de plume to its author then I wont bother either.
  8. Re:sounds fair by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Wow, looking at your post history you seem to be a *very* busy anti-Apple troll don't you?

    How many Macs do you own? Many? Do you use them often?

    If not, then why are you filling this page up with uninformed BS?

  9. Re:over priced apples by gunnk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This may come as a bit of a surprise, but Apple hardware just isn't that expensive for what you get. It's just that you tend to get a really well-balanced, complete system. Most "bargain-box" PC's are crippled by poor system design. In terms of day-to-day performance, it's hard for me to tell my Dell Optiplex GX240 (1.7 GHz P4) from my custom-built 800MHz P3 at home. Our department got the Dell really cheaply, though, so I can't complain about the relatively poor performance.

    To fairly evaluate the price Apple is charging, why not compare more equivalent hardware? I priced out a IBM ThinkPad T23 vs. an Apple PowerBook a few days ago. The high end T23 sports a 1.2 GHz Pentium THREE processor, 256MB RAM, 60GB HDD, 14.1 inch display,10/100 Mb networking, and 16MB video RAM. The cost on IBM's web store is $3,599.00
    The high end Apple PowerBook "ultimate" model has a 667 MHz G4 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 48 GB HDD, 16 MB video RAM, Gigabit networking, wireless networking and a 15.2 inch display). It retails for $3,699.00.
    Feature-wise, my personal opinion is that the PowerBook is more "loaded" than the ThinkPad. However, the cost difference between the two is less than 3%.
    Looks to me like the Apple price is very competitive.

    Likewise, if you look at the extra $100 Apple announced as an increase in the price of iMacs, you still get a great system for the cost. Sure, you can find "cheapo" PC boxes for less, but you get less computer as well. Apple doesn't market "discount" computers. Just because the iMac is the lowest end system Apple makes you shouldn't compare it to the lowest end PC available. The two are in different classes. Compare the iMac to a comparably-built PC and I think you'll find that Apple's prices remain quite attractive.

    --
    Life is short: void the warranty.
  10. Re:Monitor envy by daviddennis · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't think there's any call for "you are a fool" style insults here. We're just having a friendly discussion. Or so I would hope.

    I've been editing video for months now on my 1600SW and haven't had any problems with it at all. It works great for me.

    What's wonderful about LCDs is that they have much sharper text, and it remains sharp throughout the life of the unit. CRTs start reasonably sharp, but degrade over time.

    When I replaced my 19" Sony with the 1600SW, I couldn't believe how much crisper and sharper it was.

    Since most of us spend a ton of time entering and editing text, that's a huge advantage for the LCD. The lack of flicker is also great for the eyes.

    If you got the bucks, buy a LCD. That's still my advice.

    D

  11. More info on the iPod software by SpookComix · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The software they're using to power the iPod has been rumored to be ported to other hand-held devices as well. There are even talks of making the devices compatible with PCs, but possibly with limited functionality.

    --SC

    --
    You read fiction? I write it! Lemme know what you th