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Rumors of iPod mini, 100 Million Songs, Xserve G5 All True
The mini is anodized aluminum and comes in silver, gold, blue, green, and pink. Accessories include a dock and armband. It can be connected to the computer via FireWire 400 or USB 2.0.
Jobs also announced some changes to the existing iPod line, including a bump from 10GB to 15GB for the $300 version, and new in-ear headphones for $40.
The Xserve G5 is, like the previous Xserve, a 1U server. It can hold up to 8GB of ECC DDR 400 memory, and up to 750GB of storage. It includes an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server 10.3, and comes in three configurations: 2GHz for $3,000, dual 2GHz for $4,000, and cluster node dual 2GHz for $3,000.
The Xserve RAID got a bump, too. The 3U RAID has a 500GB increase in capacity to 3.5TB for $11,000; 1.75TB for $7,500; and 1TB for $6,000. And, it is now certified for use with some versions of Windows and Linux.
Jobs, with the help of recording artist John Mayer, introduced the newest member of the iLife media application family: Garage Band. It is a music instrument and recording tool, that can mix up to 64 tracks, comes with 50 software instruments, over 1,000 professional loops, and 200 effects. It can record live instruments and take input from a USB or MIDI controller. It simulates various modern and vintage amps for guitar playback.
The optional $99 Jam Pack adds 100 more instruments, 2,000 more loops, 15 more amps, and more effects.
iPhoto, the most maligned of the iLife apps for its performance problems, received a much-needed update. It can now handle up to 25,000 photos (instead of mere hundreds), and adds automatic and smart albums (similar to iTunes), ratings of photos, and sharing via Rendezvous. Like iTunes, you apparently can't modify descriptions and titles through sharing, but unlike iTunes, there are no copyright restrictions.
iDVD and iMovie also got updates: better control, new and improved effects, and more. iMovie has exporting directly to your iDisk for use on your home page and importing directly from an iSight camera, and iDVD adds a navigation map and archiving projects for burning on another computer. iDVD also gets higher-quality Pro encoding, with 2 hours per DVD.
iLife, for $49, and the Jam Pack are available starting January 16. There was no indication that any new components of iLife will be available for free download, but iLife will be included with all new Macs.
Final Cut Express was bumped to version 2, and is basically updated to include the features from Final Cut Pro 4. Upgrades are $99.
Microsoft announced Office 2004, an upgrade to Office X. People who purchase Office X now until the spring, when 2004 is released, will be eligible for a free upgrade.
Pepsi's iTunes Music Store giveaway will begin on February 1. Yellow caps noting the 100 million song giveaway will have a 1 in 3 chance of winning.
Jobs also noted that iTunes Music Store has 70% of the market share for online music purchasing; that 50,000 audio books were sold for the quarter; that 500,000 songs are now online, making the store the largest online; and that one person has spent $29,500 on iTunes Music Store. Yes, $29,500.
Hmmm.
But I wonder whether the iPod Mini's battery still craps out after 18 months like the old one.
Jonahweb.com has stuff.
Take everyday hardware wrap it around a shiny container. People will call it visionary and cutting edge.
Basically Apple RAISED the price on the ipod.
Lets place the value on the design difference as ZERO. Which it is. The fact that it's smaller and in colors means nothing really. The original is quite small enough.
SO...
299 / 15 = 19.93 per gig.
249 / 4 = 62.25 per gig.
Now I understand the difference between 4 gig HG and a 15 gig HD to manufacture is quite small. That doesn't matter. The end value is what matters.
Sigh.. However the media will call this inventive & revolutionary.
Karma means nothing to me, so suck it...
Nice Troll.
How can you say the iPod Mini is "catching up" to the Nitrus. No doubt Rio's announcement TWO HOURS BEFORE MAC WORLD was timed to detract from the iPod Mini.
Further, the real issue is that the Nitrus is NOT compatible with the worlds most popular and largest on-line music store, that being iTunes Music Store with over 500,000 songs, exclusive audio books library, exceptional browsing capabilities, and..oh yeah..30 million songs sold to date.
I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
I know this. I was pointing out that the Apple Hordes on /. said ECC wasn't needed when apple didn't offer it, but now that they do, it is the best thing since sliced bread.
Not to knock the rio, because I would certainly like apple to support flac in some way shape or form, but people will buy the mini (even at it's slightly silly initial price point) because the rio is bigger, weighs more, and has a more annoying form factor (why do people keep thinking square is actually useful?) I think the rio's typically go for like 300, as the above link includes some kind of rebate action in it (that is a great price BTW.) And when it comes down to it, of any of apple's hardware/software that I have used, I think the ipod/itunes software is by far the best in the 'it just works' category. (And obivously various problems can and will crop up for people but statisticly it is insanely good at just working) and when you aren't dealing with linux geeks and you want your 'soccer mom ' types to be able to be able to buy a mp3 player and get the software installed and running, there is no way I would try to have her use anything else. Unless of course you like doing tech support for all your friends and family. ;)
If I had to take a guess the 250 is the intial price point that they think they can sell at based on the cool hip factor. They'll see how selling their intial run goes, and readjust the pricepoint and possibly add a 2G$ 100-150 model in X months when the margins get better on the hardware.
Regardless I think it will be a good year for apple even if you dislike their current pricing scheme.
...Treos and Archos Jukeboxes for substance.
And actually, for all of the Apple community's masturbatory self-petting, I just don't get it. To me, style is more than chrome and colors.
1. I find it decidedly UN-sexy to be chained to a gagillion nerd boxes. Give me my feature-packed calendar, awesome phone-homer, excellent portable gamer, 512 MB SD card-toting, OGG/MP3 playing, keyboard wielding, 70 kbps always-on Internetting, pocket-fitting Treo 600 for most of the hours in most of my days.
2. When I make the ergonomic investment to tote around a decent quantity of tunes, I want a decent device. I might even pay, =GASP=, $300 for it! But the thing should kick ass. Like my speedy Archos Jukebox running the sweet Open Source Rockbox OS.
Expensive, proprietary, no-feature iPod?! Hahahahahaha....
Archos and Rockbox, slashdotted before, by the way.
Hmm... The thread off the news article on iPod Lounge's front page has a comment that is word for word exactly the same as this one, except that it is formatted properly.
Is this the best that a Rio employee and/or fanboy can come up with? The iPod mini "look like butt." Amazing! I'd like to see that in a press release. I have to say that I'm not too impressed with the incredibly obvious bogus "grass roots" movement behind the Nitrus.
You're attracted to the mini iPod? The mini iPod is 4GB, not 3GB, which seems to indicate you haven't even seen the mini iPod website, so how are you attracted to it?
You my friend, sound like a total elitist ass.
... you name it. In case you were wondering, almost all of them are "trained" musicians.
What's wrong with people dabbling a bit with music?
What's wrong with promoting cheapish keyboards so that people who otherwise wouldn't for their life touch one, now will?
If anything, this will boost music production.
A friend of mine can't read a note but has made extremely nice "compositions" on Muzys, another "don't need notes" composer, albeit a bit more grown-up than Garage Band. He has picked it up after trying a Playstation music maker.
Most of my musicians friends use their computers, for scoring, remixing, cut and paste fun, mastering,
Each of the programs they use were heralded as "bringing an end to real music making".
Total bull.
When Apple introduced desktop printing, milions of people DIDN'T become art directors overnight, but the design industry hasn't suffered one bit. And I'm talking mostly for individual designers.
Now that Apple introduces its own music dabbling program (and yes, only adds to the existing heap of looping and composing programs that already are out there for mac and pc) it's suddenly a rich boy's ego game.
Either you need to have some luck with your own music production or you need a girlfriend.
I think, therefore I am...I think.
Did you know there's a name for what you just described? It's called "bait and switch," and Apple invented it, literally. Look it up sometime.
Moof.