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Rumors of Next Generation of Ipods
xyankee writes "Apple is on the verge of releasing a 60GB iPod that will not only hold a ton of music, but also sport photo-viewing capabilities! Think Secret is reporting that the new iPod will also have a 2-inch high-resolution LCD display, video-out, and enhancements to iPhoto for synchronizing photos. The best part is it'll be just 2mm thicker than regular iPods. Does this mean that iPhoto for Windows might not be far behind? Also, as a note to all the rumor pundits, Think Secret nailed the iMac G5 specs a month before its announcement, so I'm inclined to believe them with this bit as well."
60GB = Lots of pr0n
P0rn to go.....
How handy !(pun intended)
Think Secret, while not 100% accurate, does have a pretty darn good track record for pre-release specs. It's certainly the most credible Mac rumor site out there. I'm inclined to believe them as well. Now I just have to find $500...
didn't the iPod make it because it played MP3s, and played them well?
Think Secret also spent a lot fo time showing the new Apple PDA along with supposed screen shots and that never surfaced...
the iPod mini is also rumored to bump up to 6gb. (less is more, suckaz!)
// I will show you fear in a handful of jellybeans.
I'm not sure that the ability to view photos would be an incentive for me to upgrade to a newer iPod; the screen would just be too small to make it worthwhile. However, the idea of integrating the iPod with iPhoto to make it easier to transport photos from one place to another would be appealing. Being able to sync a smart list of recent photos to the iPod before going back east to visit the family would be really cool...
The article says in the next 30-60 days. Although that makes sense in terms of the holiday shopping season, didn't they just come out with the 4th gen ipod, oh, 3 or 4 months ago? You still have problems finding accessories for the 4th gen--most of the cases sold in the stores are still for the 3rd gen ipod.
"Righteous speed demon and trust fund party darling of justice"
Someday they will manage the technological feat of incorporating an FM tuner into the IPod. When I have the option of listening to NPR or my music collection I may switch to the IPod. Right now I will stick with my IRiver player.
I totally get this. I carry photos around on my Palm all the time. When I come back from vacation or whatever, I can dump the images to the Palm and then I can show them to folks. As long as it's a very good screen (like the one on my Tungsten|T3) the pictures will show up very well.
I also keep my T3 docked on my desk at work, and use the slide show feature to cycle through photos there while it's not in use. It makes a very appealing digital picture frame. An iPod in its dock, with a good color screen, would serve well in this capacity too.
FWIW, IMHO, IANAL, prices and participation may vary.
It's not a lie. It's the truth with lossy compression.
I thought the screen was the part on the iPods that broke most often... If that's true, (and it was in my case) I really hope they have better design to go with that larger screen.
This tagline brought to you by 1500 monkeys in just under 17 years.
When I bought my treo, I was so happy to ditch having to walk around with two geeky devices. So of course I ended up buying a 20 gig iPod and still walk around with two geeky devices. Jobs has said the smartphone is the future of the PDA - does that mean an eventual merging of these technologies?
www.lonseidman.com
This rumor seems plausible, but go to macrumors and there's always some rumor or another. Thinksecret may have the best record in getting it right, but their word isn't gold. Having said that:
I'm not that excited about a photo iPod. I worry about battery life, because my 3rd gen gets only about 6 hours. The 4th gen is better, supposedly double, but it seems to me a color screen will severely drain battery life.
Now that my powerbook has a DVD burner, I find it pretty easy to burn a picture DVD in DVD Studio Pro (not free), but it plays pretty much everywhere and the media is now dirt cheap in bulk. And it has music, menus, etc. The iPod just seems like a gimmick in this arena. But maybe Stebe will surprise me!
PS Hey Stebe give me the wifi iPod rather than the photo iPod!
And if the new iPods can be connected directly to a digital camera to store, sort, review, and manage photos in the field, I'd be able to leave my laptop behind on shoots.
The only time a new feature is a bad thing is if it impairs the access or usage of an existing feature. If Apple can implement picture viewing without changing the UI dramatically, or the input method (click wheel), and doesn't make the form factor too large or the battery life too short, I'm all for it.
How long until Apple forces this article off the net?
EXCLUSIVE: 60GB iPod to pack photo-viewing features
By Ryan Katz, Senior Editor
October 8, 2004 - After three years of being synonymous with "digital music player," Apple's iPod will widen its horizons and gain photo-viewing capabilities within the next 30 to 60 days, highly reliable sources tell Think Secret.
The new iPod, which will sit at the top of Apple's fourth-generation line-up, will pack Toshiba's new 60GB 1.8-inch hard drive, a 2-inch color liquid crystal display, iPhoto synchronization, audio/video-out capabilities, and will sell for $499.
The new iPod is currently in production in Asia after delays from Toshiba in delivering its new 60GB drive hampered a planned early-September ramp up. Sources confirm Toshiba started shipping the drive to Apple in mid-September and iPod manufacturer Inventec began building the new device in the last two weeks.
The new iPod's form factor will be identical to the existing 4G iPods, sources report, but will be two millimeters thicker than the current 40GB iPod and marginally heavier.
The 2-inch color screen is identical in size to other iPods, but will sport a higher resolution for photo viewing. However, the new device's real shining feature will be its video-out port, which will enable users to tote their photo galleries with them, ready to be plugged into any television for big-screen viewing.
The 60GB iPod will feature only rudimentary built-in software for viewing photos, with no editing tools, sources say. Photo albums will be navigated in a similar fashion to music playlists, and a slideshow feature will provide transitions with user-specified background music, similar to iPhoto. Synchronizing features similar to iTunes will also be added to iPhoto.
The new iPod won't feature built-in flash memory stick slots for downloading photos from digital cameras, although such a feature will presumably be able to be employed through Belkin's $99 Media Reader.
Sources indicate that Apple will market the new photo iPod as being capable of storing 20,000 music tracks and 25,000 photos. As an added bonus for music fans, album artwork will be displayed on screen when it's available for a selected track.
Rumors of a 60GB iPod first surfaced in June, when Toshiba said that it was in the process of developing a 60GB drive and, much to the ire of Apple, confirmed that the iPod maker had already committed to buying it in quantity.
As digital cameras keep producing larger and larger file sizes, it's getting to be quite worthwhile to have someplace to dump the contents of your flash cards.
If this new i-pod has a CF reader built in, I wouldn't need to carry half a dozen 512MB flash cards, I could just fill one card, dump it into the i-pod and keep on shooting.
Devices like this do exist already, but none of them are really easy to use and carry.
They've pretty much just released the 4th gen; no way they're coming out with a 5G so soon.
Simple as that.
Drop it in the toilet of the men's restroom at your office.
ipods lick balls.
So...you can't afford one either, eh?
Stop boring people with your stupid vacation pictures. Nobody cares.
the way of the cell phone? assuming this rumor to be true, are we seeing yet another device have "features" added on to a product who did its job well and is now going to be ruined by unnecessary additions?
The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.
-Oscar Wilde
What i would like to see is a winamp style visualation feature. Just use a QVGA 16-bit color screen.
I know, you dont NEED it, but it would be better than picture support.
A digital camera adapter
I could see a 4 MP camera that would attach right to the bottom of the iPod. Now that would be cool, an iPod with photo-taking capabilities. There might just be a good market for that. Plus, 60 GB of photos in your camera would be sweet ...
***
One reason would be that you would not have to worry too much about running out of space, even when using the highest quality MP3 bitrates. Plus, as others have mentioned, it can function as a portable HDD, so you can bring along movies, docuemnts, etc.
Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.
Yeah, I hate how their portable digital music player only plays DRM music.
Oh, wait, that is not Apple, that is Sony.
Well, I still hate how their media player software really only wants to rip in a DRM/proprietary format.
Oh, wait, that is not Apple, that is Microsoft.
What is Apple doing again?
Your argument is analogous to not buying a certain car because it comes with a tow-hook standard, and saying "I don't buy into this towing nonsense. I am not buying anything with a tow-hook." The damn car still works fine if you completely ignore the presence of the tow-hook!
News flash: You do not have to use DRM at all on the iPod.
The best part is it'll be just 2mm thicker than regular iPods.
Yeah, but how much thinner will your wallet be?
Oh, it would be wicked cool if the iPod would display the album art of any songs it's playing - with the song name superimposed over the top. Ahh
Imagine what this capability would do for the interface in general...
Yum. I'd buy.
My antiquated 20 GB Archos Jukebox Multimedia has been playing MP3s and showing photos and videos for a few years (not to mention taking photos and videos through a low-quality camera attachment).
The iPod succeeded because of its tight integration and sync via iTunes and its superior UI. Syncing my Archos is a pain, but it is well ahead in the feature set.
Just so you don't think you heard it from Cringley first:
I predict that, within three years, and using its patent for color-changing plastics, Apple is going to give you an iTV.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to say:
Screw you Gates. Microsoft doesn't innovate shit.
With this new iPod Apple could target movie downloaders. The most common format for a movie is mpeg4-encoded file. A 700MB file containing 1.5 hour movie looks not much worse than DVD on TV screen; and if you spread it over 2 CDs it's almost DVD quality. You can fit almost 100 movies on 60GB hard drive.
Now, many of newer DVD players today can play mpeg4 movies encoded with popular codecs such as DivX and Xvid.
So, iPod will have video-out? Great news. It should alsom inclode those codecs and a player (QuickTime?) to become a portable video device!
You could download collection of movies from you PC on 60GB drive and go visit friends or maybe go on holiday... And play movies anywhere where there is a TV. Apple could grab a hude chunk of market from DVD players...
And then, if you get one of those ridiculous video goggles on... Who needs a TV or a cinema?
--
And I'm not talking about voice notes, either, but CD-quality, stereo, uncompressed audio, from a mic or line input. The iPod chipset is supposed to support this already, so all it would need is a software update. Apparently...
I do concert recordings (with permission), and that would make things so much easier. [fx: sigh]
Ceterum censeo subscriptionem esse delendam.
how long before i get all the spam for a 60gig ipod??
I live in Switzerland, and I ordered an Ipod mini about three months ago. Due to a shortage, however, I waited for two months, and nothing happened. Then I decided I don't want to wait forever, so I'll go with a 4th generation Ipod with clickwheel. Ordered that one instead. After another month of waiting, I gave up completely. Stores all over Europe are complaining about massive shortage of Ipods. The only model they occasionaly have in stock here is the pink Ipod mini.
And now the talk of a new super-cool model! Come on Apple, first things first!
Yawn...
Archos AV400 supports audio, video (divx/xvid), photos and act as a USB external drive too. 80GB models are available today and work with most any OS.
It seems to me that iPods tend to be more of a status symbol than a breakthrough in technology.
[This is not meant as a flame. I own a 17" Powerbook myself.]
..
Yet I bet Mac-addicts are already swooning over Apple's "innovation" on this one.
I am the maverick of Slashdot
Probably China or Vietnam. Japanese or Korean labor is way too expensive for Apple Corporation to use for commodity production.
Yes, because asia only has 4 countries...
(Yeah, silly name)
dpreview.com (scroll down)
dpnow.com
Looks very interesting...
Cell phones take a lot of abuse and I doubt current HDDs can take it. Flash may be an alternative as most songs probably aren't going to change. Getting their cost to storage ratio down is the key.
One major issue remains. Battery life. How to overcome the battery life issue when you combine all those features? One company recently dropped their "do all phone" because of battery life. Now to toss a HDD in there?
I would lean towards streaming music to a cell phone before throwing a HDD into one.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
I think what he meant to say is "IPODS can now let you watch people LICKing BALLS." ... or something like that.
I'm going to go create my own technology news site, with blackjack and hookers. You know what? Forget the news site.
...for me anyway. That's the only gadget I feel I really need to have with me at all times. Would I like a digital camera, an MP3 player, and a PDA? Hell yes! But I don't want to have to wear the Batman Utility Belt to carry them all. There are some devices that come close, but none really have that Apple touch.
Granted, if you rolled all of those things into one device, the quality of each would probably not be as good as if you kept them separate. But I'd sacrifice some quality (and my cash) for one device that did all of those things.
The day I buy an iPod? When it uses VOIP for communication. When it has a mini iSight that swivels outward for photo taking, inward for videoconferencing, and sideways for storage. When it has not only iPhoto built in, but also iChat and iCal. All of that plus the original MP3 player is enough to make me shell out the cash.
Then again, maybe it's just not possible right now to incorporate all of that in a small enough form factor to make it comfortably portable.
I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
BTW, the iRiver H320/H340 (review) does all that the new iPod is supposed to, and it even includes a USB host function - you connect a USB storage device (like most cameras, or even a USB hard drive), and simply transfer files between the two devices.
Did you know you can fertilize your lawn with used motor oil?
ipods lick balls.
Now I see why they are so expensive.
Should this come to pass, I hope they do something about the battery life. While the battery life on my iPod is fine for me (makes it through the workday), it seems to be the biggest complaint people have (other than price) when comparing the iPod to the Dell, Archos etc MP3 players. I'm worried that adding a colour screen (including the requisite, brighter, always-on backlight), as well as the TV display will sap too much power.
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one " -Albert Einstein
This is it. The beginning of Apple's "media center" strategy.
And it's completely different from the way Microsoft and others are approaching it.
Everyone else has been going about it from the respect of making a whole freaking separate *computer* a part of your entertainment/AV center. A computer with its own maintenance and patching needs, another computer that needs to be upgraded, another computer to break, etc.
Apple started it with AirPort Express...a wireless device, that integrates with your existing wireless or wired network, integrates with your entertainment center, has analog and digital optical audio outputs, and seamlessly meshes with the applications and techniques you ostensibly already use (or will switch to) for managing your music collection.
Now, an iPod, with a massive amount of storage, and clearly with a dock or some other capability to attach to an external video device, such as a TV, even if only for viewing photos. This means that some type of interface - whether it's on the TV or the iPod's own screen - has been built to navigate through items that reside on the iPod. Meaning that video playback (as long as the iPod and/or dock can handle the playback/decoding) would be trivial.
Imagine this: download a movie or other video content on your Mac. Perhaps via the iTunes Store. Sync with your iPod. Drop your iPod into its dock at your entertainment center. Select content (a movie?) and play. Simple. Clean. Doesn't require you to have 45 computers.
So, yes, this new iPod is "just as expensive" as a PC someone might build or buy to integrate into your entertainment center as a media PC. But think about NORMAL PEOPLE for a second. Think about how unbelievably cool this is.
Now you can make some connotation about how iPod owners will be art thieves too.
Regards, Steve J.
If this turns out to be true, and the iPod ends up having a nice color screen then Apple could have a real winner on their hands with the iPod + iSight combination. Right now the iSight only needs a firewire connection. With a color screen it would now be possible to use the two as a camcorder if Apple would support this. Apple sent college students to both the democratic and republican conventions with iBooks and iSights to do interviews with the delegates. It seems pretty obvious that that camcorder-like feature is on Apple's radar screen. Personally I could care less about video and more about audio recording. I wish Apple would allow 44.1khz lossless recording with the iPod. Then the iPod (plus external battery) would supplant the portable DAT recorder as the primary tool for LEGAL concert tapers. This is not piracy, but sanctioned recording from the artists. For more information see archive.org/audio
The Archos AV400 supports audio, video (divx/xvid), photos and act as a USB external drive too. 80GB models are available today and work with most any OS. At every turn Apple is playing catch up but seems to have the marketing power behind it. I am suprised that so many geeks have fallen for it. Though, I am thinking less and less geeks hang out on /.
those of us w/ color screen cell phones know they're a bitch to see in sunlight
i assume it'd be the same on the ipod... since a lot of people (city workers, college kids, people who walk to work in general) are gonna be using these outdoors, i think a color screen would just piss a lot of people off.
...and that's all there is to it.
aside from the UI
What else is there? If I am going to be using something with the same regularity as I use my iPod, I want it to be easy to navigate and use.
I know, price price price. I dunno, I just think UI is important.
on my PornPod. Cool!
I drank what? -- Socrates
This had better come on the 30 day schedule for Apples sake. Christmas is just around the corner and a late Novermber release will not have the splash that a mid to late October one will. Especially if they keep it under wraps as Steve is prone to do.
Today is a gift. Save the receipt.
The real benefit of this type device is that it brings us one step closer to a 'Portable Profile' feature - allowing one to connect to ANY Mac via Firewire and 'login' to their roaming profile. With an iPod to transport LARGE files like A/V and a .Mac Account for managing preferences when you are Internet connected but don't have an iPod. The two (iPod and .Mac) would work well together and would help bolster the recurring revenue stream for Apple.
(PLUS, they would show non-Apple users how much farther ahead Apple is in the user experience game.)
I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
Combine that Video-iPod with the iPodder app (http://ipodder.org/), add WiFi, and you've got a really, really tiny and extremely mobile Tivo!
Here's a guess: people who have large amounts of music.
Different people have different needs. Personally, I can't see why anyone would buy a 4GB iPod. I finally installed iTunes on my computer and transferred a small fraction of my MP3s to it. I've already have 4.4 GB. On my main computer, I have well over 50GB, with hundreds of CDs that I haven't even encoded yet.
Your question is like asking, "who would buy a rack that holds 500 DVDs?" The answer is people who have or forsee having 500 DVDs. The fact that you have only 20 DVDs is immaterial.
One of the features brandied about when talking about "the photo iPod" is the ability for the thing to plug into a TV and playback slideshows and hopefully one day video.
;)
I propose that this can already be done. Just look at what these guys have accomplished. Think deeply about this. If we can encode IR signals into audio files, why not encode images into audio files, dump that audio out the headphone jack of the iPod into a device with a decoder and an RCA jack, and plug that sucker into your TV?!
In fact they already have something commercially available that can do part of this, converting digital bits into audio-- its called a MODEM (remember those?). The band Information Society was putting samples of MODEM audio onto records and tapes for you to somehow decode back in the 80s! So this idea is really overdue and I believe we are only a few figurative moments away from this becoming a reality, mod this post up to help make it happen or reply with why it won't work
...unfortunately no one can be told what The Mat^H^H^HGoatse is...they must experience it for themselves...
Don't expect a full version of iPhoto for windows. Instead I expect iTunes functionality to be increased to include photo handling.
Apple just released an entirely new version of the iPods like 2 months ago.
I don't see this new iPod, if it is REAL, appearing on shelves for 6 months.
and we geeks want to view sport photos....because???
I am saying the Mac's harddrive be read-only. I wouldn't want you to walk up to my 12" powerbook, plug-in a laptop, and have an Administrator account on my machine, just because your account, when you created it on your iMac, was setup as an administrator.
The iPod's non-native, or non-authenticated, computers shouldn't be able to write... However, my iPod should be able to login to my powerbook, and my mom's ibook, for example, and have Admin rights. My ipod, however, should not have admin rights on any other mac I try to log into on. That is a security hole.