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Apple Updates iPod
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."
No panache. No wireless. Hard drive smaller than a Dell DJ. Lame.
They dropped the 40GB mono model... and the new 30gb photo is slimmer than the older 40gb photo... :)
Just when you make it idiotproof, some idiot builds a better idiot.
... my continued holding out for one of these guys is paying off. $350 for the 30 GB iPod Photo is not a bad deal.
But it just makes me want to hold off longer so I really get my money's worth.
Another interesting note is that they only sell the regular iPod in the 20GB flavor now. They got rid of the other sizes. Guess iPod photo for everyone is the plan.
Trolling using another account since 2005.
You mean with a press release?
$100 to $350 in $50 increments. Once you start, you can't stop. "But for $50 more I can get this"
They did. They called the update the iPod Shuffle and it comes in its own separate player.
My main question is: how long before Apple eitehr (a) reintroduce a PDA or (b) morph the iPod into one?
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).
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Before anybody asks: yes, it does run Linux.
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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? Hell, they could just lug their digital camera with them, and get mostly the same functionality...plus a camera!
Anyone know what the sales figures are like?
This space intentionally left blank.
Yep, silent as the night breeze ;)
Attention deficit disorder is a complicated issue, spanning several major... HEY LET'S GO RIDE BIKES!
The Slashdot blurb missed one of the significant upgrades: the battery life in both iPod mini is now a lot better. The original iPod mini only lasted about 8 hours (according to Apple), the new one supposedly lasts 18. And if that turns out to be exaggerated, even 15 hours would be a very good battery lifetime for that kind of device. I wonder how they've done that - the weight hasn't increased, so it's probably not simply a battery twice as big.
Switch back to Slashdot's D1 system.
I'm probably in the minority here but I think that the iPod photo is overkill. The iPod is an excellent, simply designed music player. Bolting on photo displaying is a bit pointless. Not only is the screen still too small to be practical, even for "quick viewing", I tend to keep my iPod in my pocket all the time. Colour screens are not necessary.
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 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.
In years of watching Apple make moves, this one seems to be one of the most insightful in terms of keeping marketshare. Although the competitors do not have the "cool" factor of the iPod, for once Apple seems fully aware that the competition is there, and they can not get by by merely producing superior technology.
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.
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Unfortunately, I can't find this item anywhere on Apple's site. Anyone else have any luck?
Hmmm... mine only comes in a weird plastic flavor. Sort of tastes like my cell phone... a little bit.
maker of cool gadgets for discerning geeks!
So, how much does a front-page advertisement on Slashdot cost these days?
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
PDA's do it.
iRiver's do it.
iPod's running linux seem to be able to do it.
Stupid hardware crippling! It's pathetic!
http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/23/ 1816257&tid=3
^ "No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."
This post wasn't too far off the mark.
I'm not a coward by any name.
this makes the iPod Photo even more useful. i know the one card adapter exists, but it was expensive........
"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."
Sort of, except that Apple makes trendsetting hardware and many geeks do care about what apple is elling even if they eventually choose to buy something else.
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.
Have a look a the Archos PMA 400. It's a 30M disk-based player with a 320x240 screen, a long battery life, and the ability to record audio and video. It has USB device and master connectivity and WiFi. And it runs Linux and has lots of software available for it. What more do you want?
If they'd put a CF slot in the iPod Photo I'd buy one today. That's a perfect setup. Let me carry my iPod, that I'll have anyway, with me on vacation instead of a notebook to dump pictures.
While Its great that they have set the price down for the mini, they have cut the firewire cable, and the power adaptor at the same time, leaving apple users with older computers stuck with their USB 1.1 connectors...
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.
Updated.
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
It's built into the file format: mp3, et al. Kinda hard to compress it further.
Wow, that's one of the more well thought out arguments with rock solid reasoning that I've ever read in a slashdot post for not buying an iPod! Well done, sir, thanks for your enlightenment.
I have solved the "crap articles" on slashdot problem.
/. crew can post what they like without us crossing paths.
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
bah!*@%!
You can all thank me. It wouldn't have happenned without me.
You see, I just passed the return period on my new monochrome 40 gig. Therefore, new models are automatically released.
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
yes, you are. there is the occasional slashdot poster who agrees with you; but maybe this is just you with another ID?
They dropped the 40GB mono model...
Good thing too. Most of my music is now in stereo.
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...
Stupid like a fox!
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."
/. is a bunch of nerds at a million typewriters. It's not a political conspiracy determined to undermine your beliefs.
My bad, I meant to be logged in when I posted this... As I was saying, http://www.dellrumors.com/
Where the heck do you live? In New York, it'll cost you a lot more than fifty bucks to insert thingy here.
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