Slashdot Mirror
Apple To Introduce Video iPod?
xombo writes "iPoding and Mac Rumors as well as eWeek newsletter and Reuters seem to think that Apple will be introducing either a video-capable iPod -or- even better a Tablet Mac which may run into direct competition with Microsoft's similar product.
"The one thing you can say for sure is that they do have a lot of product out there right now and they're going to be hesitant to draw too much attention away from their existing products" by introducing new ones now, said Roger Kay, an analyst at market research firm International Data Corp.
Instead, Apple may unveil the long-anticipated video-enabled iPod, which will likely work initially only on Macintosh computers, Enderle said.
Apple's existing inkwell and Newton technologies seem to make them in the perfect position to take on Microsoft in what could be the biggest battle for the most worthless market sector (Tablet PCs), however as a Newton owner I think that the some-what-larger-than-Palm device size that the Newton line sported is much more user friendly and usable.
Read the Reuters article at reuters.." It'd be nice, but I'm skeptical on it actually being that.
Rumors suggest Apple may solve world hunger, send a manned mission to Mars by 2004, and release a machine which is fast enough to compete with PCs.
Thank you for playing.
(Gotta love Macworld Expo...)
Stéphane "Alias" Gallay
Now, where did I put this witty quote?..
I've got a standard Jukebox 20, and the wife has the FM radio version, both are really reliable little units and there's even open-source firmware available for it called Rockbox.
Well worth a look, and IMHO superior to the iPod - certainly the ones I've played with anyway.
Smegma.
This guy really knows what he is talking about.
When I charge it, it displays a nice little video of the battery charge going to low to high, and back again. If that's not high-quality video, then I don't know what is...
There is no sig, there is only Zuul.
Apple is about giving a good experience. Watching movies on an iPod is not really a good experience - massive storage requirements, pressure to have a large display on a small device, the need for battery life. Why make a video device that you can only watch one video on? I would rather them foray into consumer electronics, selling a Tivo-like device that if you subscribe to .mac you get the channel listings, or something like that. Not a video iPod....
"Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes."
-E. W. Dijkstra
I really can't see a video iPod being successfull. It would make it so expensive and for what? Who puts on the visualizations and stares at them? I unfortunatley don't have time to get stoned and look at my computer screen, let alone shell out $500 to stare at my screen while listening to Wilco on the train. I am also not going to shell out $500 to watch a DIVX movie on a screen the size of a matchbook. Do you forget that this kind of activity would kill the battery in far less than the 13 hours I get out of mine? I can see them opting for a color screen just for the hell of it and putting an FM tuner in the mix. But as for video, it would have to be a new device altogether to be any good.
Sound waves should be free!
I'd think it's more along the lines of a recognition that when Apple finally does something in a market segment, it's usually well designed and elegant.
There were tons of LCD all-in-ones- even that IBM machine, with the arm holding the screen- but the flat-panel iMac integrated the components in a way that surpassed them all in terms of utility and aesthetics (if you don't agree, you probably haven't seen/fiddled with one).
There's plenty of hard-drive MP3 players around- so why has "iPod" become almost synonymous with "portable music player?" It's because the ingenious scroll wheel and interface of Apple's machine- after about sixty seconds of messing with it, you're whipping through those menus like a pro and giggling with delight. I'm embarrassed to say it's a bit intoxicating (and I don't even own one; I play with them in stores). Every other MP3 player I've used is a confusing muddle of mode buttons and flashing LCD messages.
Conversely, one can see Microsoft's usual lack of consideration in Pocket PC's (and presumably their Tablets- I haven't seen one). It's basically "big Windows," with all the annoying interface doo-dads crammed onto a teeny screen. Does having four one-inch square windows with scroll bars on a handheld screen really serve the user?
In contrast, the Newton's interface was a dream- and that was the Neanderthal of handhelds! The expectation of an Apple tablet is that it will deliver the holy grail of tablet computing- easy usability with a pen only. Apple's reliance on its iSync technology to get all the information from its keyboard-enabled computers into your peripheral devices could be a major part of that plan.
As usual, the expectations of what Apple will deliver may not meet up with the reality. However, they have had enough successes in the past to continue to generate excitement.
Marc Siry || interactive media professional, motorcycle enthusiast ||
Duh. Have you not seen 3G phones in your neighborhood, capable of doing video?
...
....
iVideoPod would be a good place to put those recorded videos your girlfriend sent you on your v-phone while you were away in Iraq bombing nazi's^H^H^H^H^H^Hiraqi's^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hsheep
And anyway, you're forgetting something very vital and extremely important here: pr0n.
I'd use my iVideoPod in the bathroom, mostly. Saves having to hunt around for a fresh Hustler, anyway
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
Its not possible.
iVideoPod would be a wankers dream.
Sheesh, its as if you guys have never even dreamt of pocket porn...
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
Investment in those who are supporting the platform through thick and thin, by buying them out and/or paying for more aggressive development. First, sink funding and other technical resources into finishing Chimera and maintaining it as the default OS X browser. Consider buying or subsidizing OmniGroup for their nonbrowser products to make peace and calm fears. Buy or fund the Watson folks to both enhance Sherlock and continue work on their Sherlock companion. Bundle basic functions into Sherlock -- build Watson into a more feature rich extension of .Mac services for those who ante up the $100 a year.
Buy and bury Quark for good. QXP5 is terrible and the lack of an OS X product is hurting adoption rates of X and new hardware purchases. Release an OS X version of QPX6 as a glorified conversion tool to InDesign. Announce the EOF of QXP, put the last nail in the Quark coffin and embrace Adobe as a strategic partner.
Further work on iSync to make it the defacto desktop synchronization tool for all Palm OS devices. Create a universal ease to using Palms, Handsprings and Clies to shore up defection from those companies customers to bargain basement Pocket PCs. Any enemy of Microsoft is a friend of Apple.
Develop a TiVo and/or Replay connectivity application by purchasing or funding El Gato's EyeTV project. Don't take the time and efffort to develop a competing product when you can add the value and fuctionality end users want by working with an existing DVR hardware vendor. Apple will capture significantly more revenue if they can get just 10% of TiVo and Replay's customer base to buy a Mac by bundling innovative software than they ever will competing in an already crowded, low margin device market. Add value for an already enthusiastic customer base rather than take the R&D hit reinventing the wheel. Most early adopters have already invested in TiVo or Replay. Likewise, most are probably unwilling to abandon those in favor of a similar product from Apple.
Apple needs to reward developers to encourage new ones and the formation of corporate alliances will give more customer contact with potential "switchers."
A "Video iPod"? Good grief. Why would I want a device that's bigger than my PDA, and less functional than my notebook PC? Apple needs to read Slashdot and see what people really want. Then, they can start working on an iPod with a bacteria-based hard drive, made of X-Box parts, and mounted to a scooter. Of course, the manual would have to be open source.
I'd use my iVideoPod in the bathroom, mostly. Saves having to hunt around for a fresh Hustler, anyway ....
Good lord man! What you need is an iPod with airport in the bathroom. OSX is so friggin brilliant it knows whether you want teen sluts or hot anal.
I think the rumor mills are hearing the truth but misinterpreting it. A video screen (say 6-inch diag.) iPod like device as a portable photo album could be slick.
Don't think "QuickTime in your hand" think "iPhoto in your hand".
I swear by MacOS X. Although I use to swear *at* MacOS 9...
I don't think a video iPod would be a bad thing - personally, I'd like a Palm style PDA with the 5 to 20 G drive inside - that way, I can store all my ebooks (yes, 16 MB has now become too small - thanks, Tolkein and Rowling!), documents, etc.
But for video - something to watch sitting at the couch ("What's that dear? You want me to sit on the couch and watch Pride and Prejudice with you again? Well, that's fine - I'll put Utena on the handheld."). Here's what I'd like to see:
1. A decent DVD ripper. Theoretically, if Apple made it so it only ripped the video to the handheld, they might - just might - avoid the legal entanglements. I know - I'm smoking crack just thinking about it, but this is a wish list. I'd like to stick a DVD into a tray in my Powermac, have it ripped to a 1 to 2 G MP4 file (including subtitles/optional languages taken care of - yes, I'm an anime geek fan, who asked you), then placed on the portable.
2. 802.11/Bluetooth support - yes, that would make copying a 1 G file a long time - but if we're assuming this also does MP3's as well, then I'm just putting the unit in the same room and synching up. Or "streaming" video/music from somewhere else. (Could be used as part of Apple's Digital Hub theory.)
Without turning this into a full fledged PDA, I can't think of what else I'd really like to see. (Well, unless you really want to make me a Gameboy Advance with a 1 G hard drive to cache ROM images of all my games so I don't have to swap cartidges - wait, there's that crack pipe again, my bad.)
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
The iPod has a year warranty.
Under certain ideal conditions.
Wow, like the iPod always has.
"most worthless market sector (Tablet PCs)"
I hate to post an opposing opinion, but I have had my Compaq TC1000 TabletPC for nearly a month now, and it has truly revolutionized the way I use computers. As a laptop, it is powerful enough to run SQL Server 2000, IIS and Visual Studio.Net, allowing me to have a full development environment with me wherever I go.
As a tablet, I have learned to keep handwritten notes and sketches of my architectural meetings, which are later searchable without having to convert them to text first. It records voice dictation for small notes, and does nearly flawless speech recognition for larger documents. Every way I want to use this computer is covered, with and without keyboard or pen.
It is small enough to throw into any carrying bag you need it to fit in, and the resolution of 1024x768 is extremely crisp and clear, especially using the Clear Type feature of XP.
I think people who spend so much time bashing Tablets haven't bothered to see how they have revolutionized computing. Maybe not for you, but certainly for me.
For those considering a foray into the Tablet market, I highly recommend the Compaq product.
I've got VMWare workstation loaded on it, and its 30 GB drive has plenty of room for virtual machines of all my favorite operating systems...
Don't bash it until you try it. Blanket comments like "most worthless market sector" aren't doing anyone any favors, especially the people out there that could benefit from this technology. And if it isn't for you, that's fine too.
Are you listening Apple? I'd actually BUY one at $1000 or less.
Get an iBook.
All the bits Apple's been putting into the OS would go wuite nicely into a tablet or PDA. I think a "sub-tablet" would be good.
.Mac - online storage/addresses/calendar for a web-enabled PDA/tablet with limited internal storage.
Bluetooth - sync Address Book, iCal, etc. or use your Bluetooth enabled cellphone to connect to the internet.
802.11 - Communicate with devices that have removable media and access the internet.
iSync - easily update your tablet/PDA to your mac.
Inkwell - why the hell else would they put handwriting recognition on desktops? So grpahic designers don't have to switch away from the tablet when they take down project details? Right.
Quartz Extreme - this makes desktops faster but also frees up processing power on portables, making them zippier.
Sherlock 3 - a simple interface for all sorts of web-based information is a great addition to the desktop, but think how convenient it is to have stocks, movies, flight info, phone numbers, eBay, a dictionary and translation services in a single application that requires very little typing
QuickTime 6 - support for MPEG-4; perfect for moderate-to-low bandwidth video applications.
Universal Access - All sorts of access functions for disabled individuals translate well to tablets... Modifier key lock is a great example.
All right, I'll stop. I'm not saying that we will see a tablet or PDA tomorrow, but the Magic 8-ball says: Outlook Promising.
That what was all this school was for... to teach us how to solve our own problems. -- janeowit
Sounds like we're on the same wavelength. Thing is, I don't see why this machine shouldn't be - mobo wise - virtually identical to the current 12.1inch iBook. Deleting the optical drive and providing a smaller screen should save power straight away, and using an iPod style HD with a large cache should keep down power/heat and weight even further. Give it a beautiful pop-up stylus a la Newton and one of the modern generation of transflective colour screens (so you can use it in any light) and I think we've got a winner. The Newton's StrongARM was pretty powerful, but a 5-6-7-800Mhz G3 would be in a different league. I'm pulling numbers out of my arse, but maybe a 10hour battery life would be possible with judicious Energy Saver defaults? Best of all, of course, it'd be a REAL computer - not some lightweight syncable adjunct. If it had the iBooks usual roster of ports you'd be able to network via 10/100 enet, Firewire or AIrPort - or just use it in target disk mode to maintain file sync.
This is the product that I WANT from Apple, because this is what PDAs and notebooks can't do for me today. My girlfriend's Clie SJ-30 is pretty cool, but it doesn't "read" my writing like my old MP2100 does - but my poor old Newton can barely talk to the 'net (or my PowerMac G4 or Win2K machines). And notebooks - even small ones like the iBook - aren't small enough and the batteries don't last long enough.
Bring on the iPad!
That was classic intercourse!