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Levi Making iPod Compatible Jeans Now

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the good-for-sitting-on-the-bandwagon dept.

yukk writes "The Age is reporting that Levi Strauss is now making custom bluejeans with a built-in joystick and retractable headphones for all the iPod lovers of the world." From the article: "The Levi's RedWire DLX Jeans for men and women, which will be available this northern autumn, also have a built-in docking cradle for the iPod and retractable headphones. Its price was not yet available."

34 comments

  1. Warning! by Otter · · Score: 4, Funny

    Malware alert! These pants report intimate details of your anatomy back to Apple!

    --
    What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
    1. Re:Warning! by ToasterofDOOM · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but so long as it gives me a reccomendation as to who is most likely to have sex with me, I'm fine with that!

      --
      I am Spartacus
    2. Re:Warning! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Malware alert! These pants report intimate details of your anatomy back to Apple!

      in addition to your wallet size, number of credit cards and which mac would you be most suited for...

  2. Lovely.. by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So now when your headphones snap, you've got a pair of jeans that are pointless. Or if your jeans rip, you've got an unusable dock. It wouldn't matter if these wern't going to cost so much, but who wants to waste this much for some bad convergance?

    --
    Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
    1. Re:Lovely.. by jmp_nyc · · Score: 1

      I wonder what the care instructions are like. Do you suppose the electronics are really built to withstand the soapy water, tossing about, and spin cycle of a washing machine? How about the heat of a dryer?
      -JMP

    2. Re:Lovely.. by coolgeek · · Score: 1

      Not to mention all that extra expense and you're limited to only using it with that one pair of Levi's. (Or those pairs of Levi's if you're a Levi fanboy)

      Don't think I'll buy a single pair. Now, if they made some pants with the watch pocket redesigned a bit to accommodate the Nano (like deeper) so it doesn't hit my pelvic bone when I sit down I'd buy those.

      --

      cat /dev/null >sig
    3. Re:Lovely.. by Belgand · · Score: 1

      That was my initial thought. That they were just going to be releasing a pair of jeans with a pocket designed to fit a relatively standard sized iPod (hopefully big enough to accomodate my non-docking slightly larger than normal 20 Gig 2nd generation model, not just the newest). Sure it would probably be about as stupid and useless as those cell phone pockets that I've been seeing lately, but a specific pocket would prevent it from flopping around the way it does when I carry it in one of my cargo pockets as I typically do. Such a pocket would also be useful for a cell phone, PDA, or many other small objects either electronic or not. As it is they've made a product that is only compatible with the newer dock-compatible iPods (a standard theme, everybody has totally forgotten that the relatively early adopters still own them 3 years later so just about nothing will work with it) and much less useful for someone who prefer to use their own headphones for better sound quality. The joystick is of very minimal use as well because the damn things already have wired remotes that serve effectively the same purpose. Plus if you want to pull it out and check out something or make slightly more complicated changes you need to go to the extra trouble of undocking and redocking it accurately rather than just slipping it out of a pocket.

      I suspet that more or less nobody will buy these.

    4. Re:Lovely.. by SmittyTheBold · · Score: 1

      I don't see it working for any iPod pre-dock-connector. They said it'd have remote control functionality built-in, and the only option for such control on recent iPods is the dock connector.

      People willing to spend much on a fancy pair of jeans aren't going to be using an iPod from three years ago. In addition, there is a relatively miniscule installed base of older iPods. They didn't really take off until at least the third or fourth generation.

      --
      ± 29 dB
    5. Re:Lovely.. by Belgand · · Score: 1

      I assure you that when I got mine in the 2nd Generation (ah the old days, back when you had seperate PC and Mac versions) they were pretty well into taking off. Admittedly they weren't as near-ubiquitous as they've become, but they were pretty hard to miss.

      I always wondered why remotes went over to using the dock. On the older models the remote plugged directly into the headphone port with the headphones plugging into the remote. Frankly this was very useful since it could also be used as an extension cord for the headphones.

      Anyhow, my point is that a better set of jeans (i.e. one with an iPod pocket, not a bunch of useless crap) wouldn't need to be expensive. They could charge more or less the same amount that they already do.

    6. Re:Lovely.. by SmittyTheBold · · Score: 1

      I suppose we were looking at different points in the curve ;)

      It's been pretty asymptotic so far, and the past holiday season about a quarter of the total sold were put into customer hands. Extrapolate from that, and perhaps 5-10% of the sold iPods were before the third generation - and many of those who purchased the first few versions of iPods have since upgraded.

      Apple Computer sold 14 million of its market-leading digital media players in the 2005 holiday sales quarter -- up from 4.5 million in the 2004 holiday quarter, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Tuesday at the Macworld trade show. All told, Apple has sold 42 million iPods -- 76% of them in 2005.

      So, 76% have dock connectors for sure, and around 50% of those sold were newer models without the remote connector. Factor in the sales from 2004 that were also units with dock conenctors, and the models without one become an extremely small part of the potential market. iPod jeans are already a rather niche market, and I don't think Levis will spend the time and effort needed to support an even smaller niche within that one.

      That said, yes, yt would be nice to have a pair of jeans with just an iPod-sized pocket. Maybe Levis will make one without the electronics.

      --
      ± 29 dB
  3. Joystick eh? by 1Oman · · Score: 5, Funny

    The last thing my pants need is another Joystick.

    or

    My girlfriends pants already have a docking station.

    I could go all day.
    The jokes just write themselves.

    1. Re:Joystick eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is that a pants in your ipod or are you just hapless to see me? /bad

  4. so is that a joystick in your pocket by bumperhead · · Score: 1

    or are you wearing levi's? c'mon slashdotters, let's see what we can do with this.

  5. No really it was.. by MyNameIsFred · · Score: 1

    Its not what you think, I was playing with my joystick.

  6. When an ordinary pocket just ain't iPod enough! by yardbird · · Score: 1

    Alternately, there's the TuneBuckle. Yes! It looks dorky even on the company's own model -- sign me up!

    --
    Free, legal music for iTunes users.
    1. Re:When an ordinary pocket just ain't iPod enough! by heavy+snowfall · · Score: 1

      At least it's better than this, aka this

  7. Wow by Eightyford · · Score: 1

    Just what we need. Levis that become outdated as fast as portable audio technology.

    --
    Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
  8. Digital Pants... by Short+Circuit · · Score: 1

    ...activate!

    (Sound of Pac-man dying.)

    (With apologies to Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie)

    --
    tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
  9. Player belongs into Jacket by arachnoprobe · · Score: 1

    Why do I want it in my pants? My ears are still connected to my head, so I still have the wires all over me. (I'm quite content with my Scott eVest 4.0 System.)

    1. Re:Player belongs into Jacket by vmardian · · Score: 1

      Jacket only works when its cool or cold.

      I can't wait until its all wireless.

      --
      PowerLevel.com - A next generation marketplace for virtual items and services
    2. Re:Player belongs into Jacket by drakewyrm · · Score: 1

      > Why do I want it in my pants?

      Perhaps this garment is targeted at people whose heads are up their asses.

      --
      Batou: Hey, Major... You ever hear of "human rights"? Major: I understand the concept, but I've never seen it in action
  10. A /. first? by C3c6e6 · · Score: 1

    This is the first time I see a fashion-related story on slashdot!

    1. Re:A /. first? by mmkkbb · · Score: 1

      Did you miss the dozens of articles on wearable technology before this one?

      --
      -mkb
  11. My pants ... by slughead · · Score: 0

    ... already have a joystick in them.

    HIYO!!

    --
    Latewire
  12. Price by MBCook · · Score: 2, Interesting
    For reference, I heard on the radio today (Paul Harvey's noon show) that these were $200.

    $200 for a pair of jeans.

    Yeah, I'll save the money, buy normal jeans, and buy an extra iPod instead.

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    1. Re:Price by blackmonday · · Score: 1

      While I have to agree that $200 for a pair of jeans is ridiculous, I have to point out that there are many other jeans that sell in this price range. Ever walked through a Nordstroms? Some people care more about fashion than anything else, and I applaud Levi's for taking these fools' money.

  13. A t-shirt to go with it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Perhaps it should have "Mugging victim to be " written on it.

  14. BREAKING NEWS by ClamIAm · · Score: 1
    In a stunning development, Slashdotter ClamIAm has reported he'll be suing Levi Strauss & co. over prior art issues.

    "I realized that all my pants were already iPod-compatible," he said in a statement late Wednesday. "This is obviously a case of infringement by a corporation who thinks they can step all over people".

    Clam will be represented by the ACBU (American Civil Bullshit Union). Levi refused comment at this time.

  15. Also available with three legs by pyrrhonist · · Score: 1
    The Age is reporting that Levi Strauss is now making custom bluejeans with a built-in joystick and retractable headphones for all the iPod lovers of the world.

    "It's not any dumber than acid wash."

    --
    Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
  16. not quite avaliable yet... by bagofcrap · · Score: 1

    FTFA... "The Levi's RedWire DLX Jeans for men and women, which will be available this northern autumn..."
    Sorry I'm not cultured enough to know what 'northern autumn' is, but the article makes it sound like not quite yet.

    1. Re:not quite avaliable yet... by svindler · · Score: 1

      Northern autumn, I guess, is refering to northern hemisphere autumn. The article is on an australian server; the aussies might be used to specifying northern/southern summer/winter/spring/autumn?

  17. This is actually useful why, exactly? by iainl · · Score: 1

    My old, outdated, no longer available for sale (sadly - I prefer it to the Nano) iPod Mini fits in the coin pocket of my current jeans really nicely. What's the point of having headphones and a dock in there, other than to have a nightmare washing them?

    --
    "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
    1. Re:This is actually useful why, exactly? by morgdx · · Score: 1

      You wash your jeans?

      --
      http://jfin.org/jFin pure java open source financial library
  18. My jeans have a built in joystick by Timberwolf0122 · · Score: 1

    but I got arrested when I started to fiddle with it on the bus

    --
    In the not too distant future, next Sunday A.D.