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8 & 10 GB iPod Nanos Rumored

koweja writes "The UK based technology magazine T3 is predicting that Apple will release larger iPod Nanos in the near future. From the article, "Munster's reasoning is that, as the touchscreen iPod will likely not now appear until next year, Apple needs to launch something eye-catching in time for the lucrative run-up to Christmas - and bigger capacity nanos fit the bill nicely." Granted it's an almost completely unsubstantiated prediction from somebody outside of Apple, but it is what a lot of people have been asking for since the original Nanos came out."

238 comments

  1. In Other News by ciroknight · · Score: 5, Funny

    I rumored a 16GB iNewton is in the works. Does that make me any more credible!?

    --
    "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." G.W.Bush
    1. Re:In Other News by chris_eineke · · Score: 4, Funny

      iKnewIt!

      --
      "All you have to do is be fragile and grateful. So stay the underdog." Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
    2. Re:In Other News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Steve Jobs coordinates Extraordinary Rendition for all "cider spillers" (Apple news leakers) with the CIA.

    3. Re:In Other News by kponto · · Score: 1

      In other news, computers get faster, cell phones get smaller and Microsoft upgrades their operating system.

      Oh, wait...

      --
      This too, will end.
    4. Re:In Other News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      I think you meant to say Apple upgrades their operating system.

      Windows XP - October 25, 2001

      In roughly that same time frame...
      OS X - March 2001
      OS X 10.1 - September 2001
      OS X 10.2 - August 2002
      OS X 10.3 - October 2003
      OS X 10.4 - April 2005

      Not sure which versions of OS X were free upgrades, I assume most were.

    5. Re:In Other News by flewp · · Score: 1

      I'm not a mac user, so what's the difference between the OSX point upgrades and the stuff you get via Windows updates?

      --
      WWJD.... for a Klondike bar?
    6. Re:In Other News by ThatFunkyMunki · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Mac "point" upgrades generally add functionality, whereas Windows update generally is only there to fix bugs.

      --
      If patriotism is racist, is racism patriotic?
    7. Re:In Other News by etheriel · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      you've been waiting to use that for a while now, havn't you?

    8. Re:In Other News by Clockwurk · · Score: 1

      Windows XP Pro - $299
      Windows XP Pro SP1 - Free upgrade
      WIndows XP Pro SP2 - Added firewall, popup blocking, security center, free upgrade

      OSX 10.0 - $129, beta quality release
      OSX 10.1 - OSX that is actually usable, free upgrade.
      OSX 10.2 - $129 added ichat, address book, spam filtering in mail, etc.
      OSX 10.3 - $129 added fast user switching (that XP had since the start), window tiling, home dir encryption, and a web browser
      OSX 10.4 - $129 added find-as-you-type search, widgets, RSS support, Automator, and some other tweaks

      The total for OSX is $516 and that doesn't include $30 everytime apple decides to update Quicktime (there have been 3 new versions since OS X came out). At least with windows, you get free updates to media player and an un-crippled player out of the box. No doubt apple has done a lot of work on OSX since release, but you only get security updates unless you pay for the newest version.

    9. Re:In Other News by Khuffie · · Score: 1

      Stuff you get via Windows Automatic updates are free, and are bug/security fixes equivalent to OS X point point releases (ie, 10.4.x). Windows XP Service packs are a collection of all previous security/bug fixes, add functionality and are free (you can even order an installation disc with the SP preinstalled free). These are equivalent to 'major' OS X point releases.

    10. Re:In Other News by Vasey · · Score: 1

      Didn't Windows XP always have a firewall? Fairly sure it did, myself.

    11. Re:In Other News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      They're not point upgrades in the sense that Windows 3.11 is a point upgrade to Windows 3.1. It's more like a Windows 95 to Windows 98 difference.

      The product name is "Mac OS X", and the version is 4. That gives you 10.4. So when version 5 of OS X comes out, it'll be called OS X.5.

      There are major additions to functionality, generally the OS runs much faster on the same hardware, and the under the hood stuff gets better.

      You can get the security updates for free, they're like the minor versions. So 10.4.1 was the first set of bugfixes and updates.

    12. Re:In Other News by pboulang · · Score: 1
      While I agree that there should have been a few free upgrades in there, I am more than happy to pay the extra $217 over a 5 year period, if only because of the sheer number of hours saved not spent dealing with viruses and spyware.

      All other things being equal, do you prefer to pay a large lump sum up front or smaller increments totalling more but giving you the option to NOT pay at any time. YellowDog has given the option to leave OSX in the past and BootCamp gives us that option now.

      Also, the $199 for 5 family licenses is really nice for OSX. That saves tons of money if that situation works for you.

      --

      This comment is guaranteed*

      *not guaranteed

    13. Re: In Other News by KURAAKU+Deibiddo · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, the firewall didn't come until SP2. It was part of Microsoft's attempts to claim that they focused on security.

    14. Re: In Other News by Vasey · · Score: 3, Informative

      http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxp pro/maintain/sp2netwk.mspx "Prior to Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP shipped with Internet Connection Firewall disabled by default. The user either needed to run a wizard or navigate through the Network Connections folder to manually enable Windows Firewall. This experience proved too difficult for many users, and resulted in many computers not having any firewall protection." It's not a big deal really but seems to me that I'm right.

    15. Re:In Other News by jcr · · Score: 1

      you only get security updates unless you pay for the newest version.

      Nope. Apple releases security updates for older versions of the OS. Install a copy of Jaguar sometime, and see how many updates there are to load when it first sees the net.

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    16. Re: In Other News by mwilli · · Score: 1

      Actually it has been there since the release of Windows XP. It sucked (Not that the current one is much better), but you had to enable it manually for each connection. It wasn't until SP2 that it was really used, or even noticed for that matter.

      --
      My sig beat up your sig.
    17. Re:In Other News by Millenniumman · · Score: 1

      The service packs aren't comparable to the 10.x upgrades. They are more like the 10.x.x upgrades, which are free. The 10.x upgrades have major improvements, so the prices aren't for the same thing. QuickTime Pro being $30 is irritating, though.

      --
      Stupidity is like nuclear power, it can be used for good or evil. And you don't want to get any on you.
    18. Re:In Other News by squiggleslash · · Score: 1
      10.1 was a discounted upgrade to 10.0. All the others were full price. There are no longer updates for 10.3 or lower, except the odd security fix, and new Apple software rarely works with Jaguar (10.2) or prior versions of the OS.

      That's right. In the vast majority of cases, Apple doesn't sell software that runs on operating systems that were bundled with Macs three years ago.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    19. Re:In Other News by CountBrass · · Score: 1

      What rot. 10.4, for example, added some major functionality e.g. Dashboard. You don't see anything like that out of a major release of Windows.

      --
      Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
    20. Re:In Other News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll use small words.

      You need to learn how to read.

      Dumbass.

      He was comparing Windows patches to "point point" releases, in other words, going from 10.4.1 to 10.4.2, to use one example.

      Holy shit.

    21. Re:In Other News by gyrogeerloose · · Score: 1

      That's not entirely accurate. The address book feature (creatively named Address Book) was included in 10.1. Safari (Web browser) was included in 10.2 And I'll stick my neck out and say that I believe Automator was available in 10.3 but can't be sure because I never ran that version (went directly from 10.2.x to 10.4 when I swapped out my beige G3 for a Mac mini) and a visit to Apple's Web site was inconclusive.

      Also, you aren't forced to pay for a Quicktime update unless you have upgraded to Quicktime Pro , which most people don't have and don't need. As someone who has upgraded, though, I will grant you that it is indeed irritating to have to shell out the $$ every time there's a Quicktime update. Apple could be nicer about this.

      --
      This ain't rocket surgery.
    22. Re:In Other News by Khuffie · · Score: 1

      And umm..SP2 (or is it SP1?) for XP rehauled wifi connectivity. SP2 added the security center and a far more robust firewall, major updates to Media Center, and so on.

    23. Re:In Other News by batobin · · Score: 1

      True, but what Microsoft adds in a service pack pales in comparison to what Apple adds in a major release. You really can't compare the two.

    24. Re:In Other News by CountBrass · · Score: 1

      All bug fixes.

      --
      Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
    25. Re:In Other News by Khuffie · · Score: 1

      And what Apple adds in a major release is available for Windows for free by Microsoft or others (ie, msn has an equivalent to spotlight) or were already available from the beginning. Some of those things listed in the 200+ features are a joke. Export bookmarks from Safari? iTunes album art screensave? Woo!

  2. Bigger? by Kangburra · · Score: 0, Redundant
    The UK based technology magazine T3 is predicting that Apple will release larger iPod Nanos in the near future


    I thought everything was meant to be getting smaller, or did they mean the storage capacity?
    --
    Common sense is not so common
    1. Re:Bigger? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Congrats, you're the first poster on slashdot to manage fusing a HORRIBLE joke with extreme grammar nazism!

    2. Re:Bigger? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you get -3 karma points today. enjoy.

    3. Re:Bigger? by miro+f · · Score: 1

      you're the first poster on slashdot to manage fusing a HORRIBLE joke with extreme grammar nazism!

      you haven't been here long, have you?

      --
      being vague is almost as cool as doing that other thing...
  3. Wow! Baseless speculation! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Gosh... here's some more... Apple will eventually release a 16 gig ipod Nano! You heard it here first.

    Anyway, a 10 gig Nano makes no sense. 8? Sure, but 10? No. It can't be a single chip, and the size difference between it and an 8 gig isn't enough to justify the price difference for most people.

    1. Re:Wow! Baseless speculation! by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've seen product tear-downs that showed the current nano had two flash chips in the 4GB version, one in the 2GB version. Some might have two 1GB chips if it was more cost-effective. So an 8GB nano would have two two 4GB chips. Of course, bare flash chips are rated in bits, not bytes, so the chips might be 8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb for the respective sizes.

      It might be more realistic to expect to see a 6GB version (1x 4GB and 1x 2GB chip) and the 4 and 2 GB models pushed down in price $50 each.

    2. Re:Wow! Baseless speculation! by Kjella · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm too lazy to actually check out the sources, but wikipedia says it's 1x1GB, 2x1GB and 1x4GB respectively. Since there's 4GB chips already, and apparently room for two I imagine it's a matter of cost. An 8GB Nano would have a quite high price point.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    3. Re:Wow! Baseless speculation! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what a shame they didnt just put a SD card slot in the things, then you could upgrade them yourself!

      My cheapo 64mb mp3 player + a handful of SD cards = all the music i could ever want

    4. Re:Wow! Baseless speculation! by HTL2001 · · Score: 1

      I highly doubt they would split chip types like that. IIRC the 2 and 4 GB chips are slightly different in some respects... I heard someone ask about adding another 4GB chip to the open area on one of the boards once, dunno what came of that but I think the consensus was that it shouldn't work.

      --
      By reading this, you have given me brief control of your mind.
    5. Re:Wow! Baseless speculation! by ranathari · · Score: 1

      You're right: there's a single 4Gb chip in the Nano with space for one more. There's a tutorial here about how to add another 4Gb chip to your Nano to make it into a 7.4Gb Nano. The webmaster will do it for you if you're squeemish about opening up your Nano yourself.

      Really, I'm surprised Apple didn't do this any sooner given how massively popular an 8Gb Nano would be. Perhaps they were waiting for the inevitable decline in sales so that they could use an 8Gb Nano to swing them back up again?

    6. Re:Wow! Baseless speculation! by corychristison · · Score: 1
      Anyway, a 10 gig Nano makes no sense.

      10GB doesn't make sense? Try this on for size. :-)
    7. Re:Wow! Baseless speculation! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      7.4 Gb? That would suck, actually.

    8. Re:Wow! Baseless speculation! by iainl · · Score: 1

      When they first launched the 4Gb, they were using 2x2Gb chips; I remember seeing Ars take one apart. So they've obviously changed it since then. I guess the price of 4Gb chips has just come down to the point where it's cheaper than two lots of two.

      6Gb and/or 8Gb ones would make sense, then, depending on the price Apple pay for these chips. As it stands, the price differential between the 4Gb Nano and 30Gb fullsize isn't that big; I doubt very much they would see the point in releasing an 8Gb model that is as expensive as the 30Gb.

      --
      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
  4. my prediction by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict that Apple will never increase the capacity of the Nano. Why would they do something as stupid as that?

    --
    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:my prediction by bhaak1 · · Score: 1
      I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict that Apple will never increase the capacity of the Nano. Why would they do something as stupid as that?

      To create a gap for the iPod Pico. It will have a whooping 128 MB of RAM to hold all your favourite ring tones.

    2. Re:my prediction by Andrzej+Sawicki · · Score: 5, Funny

      You misspelled iPod Flea. ;)

    3. Re:my prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The iPod mini predecessor had a 6GB model, very disappointing that the capacity hasn't been restored in the iPod nano line.

  5. Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by kestasjk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nanos were made to have smaller capacity because Apple weren't selling a good balance of Minis and normal iPods, if they increase the storage capacity it gives people less incentive to buy a more expensive regular iPod.

    And does this really qualify as news?

    --
    // MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
    1. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by DoorFrame · · Score: 1

      Not if they bump the storage on the larger iPods as well.

    2. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by init100 · · Score: 1

      if they increase the storage capacity it gives people less incentive to buy a more expensive regular iPod.

      Ever heard of PMR? I would guess that a storage capacity bump is due for the larger iPods as well.

    3. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by ozmanjusri · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Not if they bump the storage on the larger iPods as well.

      No, there's a break-even point. Even a 20GB iPod will play about music for about two weeks continuously, day and night before repeating. Every CD and vinyl record I've collected in the past 20 years will fit on a 40GB iPod, and that's close to AU$20,000 worth.

      I suspect everything I'd ever want to listen to would fit on a 100G iPod, and it would only take a 6 TB iPod to play music continuously for every waking hour of my life without repeats. I wouldn't want to buy anything bigger than that.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    4. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nanos were made to have smaller capacity because Apple weren't selling a good balance of Minis and normal iPods, if they increase the storage capacity it gives people less incentive to buy a more expensive regular iPod.

      No, Apple introduced the nano as the mini's marketplace was just about to get crowded -- now everyone that entered the space had a 3rd rate nano. Brilliant move -- Apple created the space and destroyed it, giving it a lion's share of the new market.

    5. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by iwsnet · · Score: 0

      Increasing the storage size of the Nano is called progress. It's about time Apple brought out new iPods. They have been selling the same stuff since last year but still managed to move 8.5 million units in the first quarter.

    6. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by radish · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Right, but you forget two major factors.

      1) The fullsize ipods do video now. That needs a whole lot more space. The nano doesn't do video (does it?) and so the nano almost fits the "music only" category, which tops out around 20-40GB for most people. The HD based ipods then become more and more targetted at video customers.

      2) Lossless. I listen to my music at home via Squeezeboxes, and lots of people are starting to use HTPCs, Airport, etc to listen to the same rips at home as on the go. I know I sure as hell don't want to listen to AAC or MP3 on my nice hifi, so it's lossless all the way. Now I could (and in fact, do) keep two copies of everything - one for portable and one for home. But that's a pain to maintain. Would be easier if I didn't have to worry about space and could store all those huge files on a portable player too. My CD rips are currently around 200GB, and most of it is still lossy. When it's all reripped as lossless we'll be looking at over 0.5TB. Bring on the big portable players :)

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    7. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by matt21811 · · Score: 1

      I totally agree with your sentiment but you maths seems a small bit off.

      128kbits per second is 16k per second.
      16k * 3600 seconds is 57600k/hr or 57.6 megs per hour.
      57.6 * 16 (waking) hours is 921 megs per day. Or about 0.9 gigs per day.
      365 days * .9 is 328 gigs per year.

      6 gigs divided by 0.328 gives just over 18 years.

      Now, I plan to live at least to 80 so maybe I'm in the market for a 15 terabyte iPod instead (note that I'm already 34). Young buyers that want lossless sound quality should be looking for an 80 terabyte model.

    8. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by teslar · · Score: 3, Informative
      Nanos were made to have smaller capacity because Apple weren't selling a good balance of Minis and normal iPods.
      I'd say the capacity of the Nano has more to do with the flash memory than with any marketing goals. Flash memory is expensive and doesn't come in large-capacity flavours. Once it becomes cheaper and comes in higher capacities, you can bet that there will be higher-capacity Nanos out.
      if they increase the storage capacity it gives people less incentive to buy a more expensive regular iPod.
      Precisley. Which is why the regular iPods will be phased out, save perhaps for some large-screen video iPod. After all, why would I want a hard disk based mp3 player if I can have a solid state one with the same capacity for the same price? Hard disk players are going to die out, it's inevitable. Regular iPods won't be an exception.
    9. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by ozmanjusri · · Score: 1
      I totally agree with your sentiment but you maths seems a small bit off.

      Assumptions rather than maths. I based the calc on a million hours, which is the traditional measure of an average working life (used for safety and mortality calculations). It doesn't take into account leisure hours.

      None the less, we're still within an order of magnitude of agreement, so I think the principle remains.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    10. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by plumby · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There is a point at which it would become pointless, but 60GB aint it. I've got over 100GB of (legally aquired) mp3s in my library, and although there's a limit to the amount of music that I can listen to while I'm out, I don't know when I leave the house exactly which tracks I'm going to want to listen to - greater capacity means greater choice of music when I'm in the mood.

    11. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "if they increase the storage capacity it gives people less incentive to buy a more expensive regular iPod."

      This is probably why the other iPods support video, now. In any event, yes there's less incentive to buy the more expensive regular ipod, but there's also more incentive to those (like me) who don't want to pay $300+ for that iPod. I actually never seriously considered buying an iPod until the Nano came out. $200ish price tag + really small + adequate storage == MobileTatsu friendly. (I only really need between 2 and 4 gig.) If a little more disposable income had come my way, I probalby would have bought it. From where I sit, it expanded their market. But, that's just my humble opinion. :)

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    12. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by Viceice · · Score: 1

      That makes no sense man. 1,000,000 hours is roughly 114 years...

      1,000,000 hrs (/24) = 41,667 days (/365) = 114 years...

      --
      Sometimes I wish I was a plumber, then I'd know how to deal with other people's shit.
    13. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by timeOday · · Score: 4, Insightful
      1) The fullsize ipods do video now. That needs a whole lot more space.
      But will portable video ever take off enough for that to matter? It's not clear to me how many are buying the video iPod for the video. Even on the plane, it surprises me how few people I see watching movies on laptops, since it's about the only place I ever do so.
    14. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by Firehed · · Score: 1
      When iTunes has decent (any) support for syncing your lossy version with your iPod and using the lossless for piping out of your media rig, let me know. Seeing that they're responsible for well over a billion sales of lossy audio tracks, I don't predict it coming anytime soon. Part of the problem is that I have no intention of paying over ten bucks for an album ever again, but I can't get CD-quality versions most of the time if I want to do so. There's always the option to get a flac version from allofmp3.com or something, but then I'd have to keep two separte libraries in itunes and winamp or something after going through the process or either burning and re-ripping or transcoding. Maybe - dare I say it - something like Sony's minidisc approach that does on-the-fly transcoding to transfer from a lossless source to a lossy portable version.

      Of course, if I could just download stuff in apple's lossless it wouldn't be as much of a problem, but seeing that there's no good way to transcode between apple lossless and flac (if itunes could play flac it'd be easy, but alas...), it's just one more thing contributing to my digital headache.

      --
      How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
    15. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by nhandler · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Okay, no, that's silly to even ponder. Apple will eventually switch over from HD-based supercapacity players to flash-based. Both harddrive and flash players are increasing in size. There is a large market for reasonably-priced, extremely small music players and HD-based players don't fit that bill. Any increase in size will only make the market more willing to purchase from Apple and if that means some cannabilization of the HD lineup, so be it. Apple can shift their production priorities to match market trends, they won't just sit there like a dummy and wonder where their HD iPod sales went.

    16. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The nanos were made with smaller capacity because those 2GB flash chips were what was available at the time. The chips are already expensive as it is, and the 4GB nano is using two of them. It has nothing to do with "balance." Apple just loves to sell iPods, and if the minis and nanos outsell the bigger versions, they're fine with that since it's more money for them. Steve Jobs predicted the nano would be the biggest selling iPod ever, so they know what models appeal to consumers.

      --
      "Sufferin' succotash."
    17. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by Echnin · · Score: 1

      Well, for those of us laptop owners who don't want to have to buy a replacement battery, a new laptop every year, or business class tickets with power outlets, that doesn't always work that well. My 2-year and some old iBook holds a charge about 5 minutes when it's turned fully on (can sleep for at least a day, though, thankfully); I'd love to watch videos on a plane with that thing, but sad as it is it's just not possible any more. I'd love one of the new video-playing iPods. Going to ride the bus to Russia next month (from the southwest of Norway), so can use all the distractions I can get. Remember that the resolution is 320x240, which was the standard resolution for game FMVs, VCDs, and lots of downloadable videos for a long time. Should be watchable.

      --
      Lalala
    18. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by The+Vulture · · Score: 1

      Don't use iTunes then - I don't. I never really could stand the user interface for it under Windows (I'm told it's better on a Mac by a friend who has a Mac).

      I use Anapod Explorer by Red Chair Software. It allows me to keep my music collection in FLAC, and will transcode it to WAV or MP3 on the fly when I upload it to the iPod. Works great with my iPod Video.

      -- Joe

    19. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by Bastard+of+Subhumani · · Score: 0

      Plus some of use our mp3 players to hold other things. It's not often I do it, but occasionally I need to back up or move a lot of data. Always nice to have a bit of space on there.

      --
      Only three things are certain; death, taxes, and apocryphal quotations - Ben Franklin.
    20. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by rossifer · · Score: 1

      The "average working life" figure is 100,000 hours. 50 man years at 2000 hours per man year.

      Regards,
      Ross

    21. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by MonoSynth · · Score: 2, Informative

      Have you ever wondered why the new 30GB and 60GB iPods are so thin compared to the previous generations? That's because they already use perpendicular recording.....

    22. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by krunk4ever · · Score: 1

      Not sure if this has been mentioned, but space on both iPods would steadily increase.

      The ability to play video also give them the bigger iPods some marketplace. Currently you can even hook your video iPod into a TV with a regular camcorder cable that splits into composite red, white, and yellow. If the iPod Nano does one day support video, it still has the disadvantage of having a smaller screensize.

      Music data might not explode, but imagine the iPod having the capabilities of playing hdtv quality back on your TV (assuming that'll happen one day), your storage space in your iPod would need to be humongous.

      Until the day when both 1.5" hdds reach very close to the maximum storage capacity as 2.5" hdds, you'll still see the bigger iPods being created.

    23. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by radish · · Score: 1

      I think you're misunderstanding me, I don't have an ipod or itunes :) And that's one of the reasons. My lossless library is FLAC, and the lossy Vorbis, playback is via Squeezeboxes and a couple of Rio Karmas.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    24. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by Breakfast+Pants · · Score: 1

      Spend two hundred less than you normally would on your next laptop. Use that money to buy new batteries when you need them. You'll get a laptop that is $200 cheaper in performance, but it will make up for it by being a laptop.

      --

      --

      WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
    25. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by vishbar · · Score: 1

      The reason I don't watch movies on planes is the simple fact that my laptop's screen is too big. Last flight I was on, I had a freshly purchased copy of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. I put on headphones so as not to disturb other passengers. As a flight attendant came up to offer me a drink, I looked away from my movie temporarily, taking off my headphones. When I looked back at the screen, I realized that I had forgotten about the nude scene in the movie--my 17" LCD display was dominated by a stripper's breasts. The elderly lady beside me refused to look at me or talk to me for the rest of the flight.

      Hopefully, the iPod video will be slightly more discreet. I can finally break out Debbie Does Dallas--that'll make the flight go a hell of a lot faster.

      --
      Ride the skies
    26. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by timeOday · · Score: 1

      Are you saying iPod batteries have more longevity than laptop batteries? I don't know why that would be, they're both lithium ion. The big difference is that with a laptop you can easily swap in a new battery. What I do is keep one battery for daily usage and one for when I care about long life.

    27. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by jizmonkey · · Score: 1

      You need 100GB of music to match your mood swings? You know they have medication for that.

      --
      With great power comes great fan noise.
    28. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by Krolley · · Score: 1

      What videos can you fit on a 1" screen. A slashdotter's penis?

      --
      "Dewey, you fool: Your decimal system has played right into my hands!"
    29. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by hankwang · · Score: 1
      What I do is keep one battery for daily usage and one for when I care about long life.

      Lithium ion batteries deteriorate over time (20% per year) even if you don't use them, so this strategy is of limited use. The best way to store the other one is in the refrigerator, charged at 40% of the maximum capacity. See wikipedia.

    30. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by init100 · · Score: 2

      Have you ever wondered why the new 30GB and 60GB iPods are so thin compared to the previous generations? That's because they already use perpendicular recording.....

      They do? Oh, I didn't know, I only have a 4G iPod (20 GB) and I haven't ever seen a new (5G) iPod in real life. But I cannot see why they could not make larger (i.e. thicker) versions too. This isn't just about room to hold your music and videos, it's having room to spare even when you have all your music on the iPod, so that you can use it as an external hard drive for other data as well.

    31. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by plumby · · Score: 2, Insightful

      At an "I'm happy, I want a happy tune" level, no. At the "I'm really in the mood for a bit of Durutti Column" level, then yes.

      Also, having that volume of music really makes Random more interesting.

    32. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by dootbran · · Score: 1
      The elderly lady beside me refused to look at me or talk to me for the rest of the flight.

      Isn't that an argument FOR being less discrete?
    33. Re:Nanos were made to have smaller capacity by Chode2235 · · Score: 1

      The problem is that we will all want larger capacity MP3 players. I am waiting for a higher capacity one myself.

      If you look at the product life cycle for digital music we are still in the growth phase. Sure for most people all of their music can fit on the 40 GB player, but guess what... these people's collections aren't getting smaller. The size of peoples collections will grow over time and I suspect that 20 years from now it wont be uncommon to have collections into the TB, with the increase capacity and low cost of disk based storage there will still be a place for these mp3 players for a long, long time.

      I don't see them getting phased out anytime soon. If apple did it, it would be a great opportunity for someone to undercut the ipod market dominance and steal some market share.

      I agree with your argument, but not the conclusions drawn.

  6. Does size matter? by simonjp · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Why really needs a size like this? I have a MDplayer and 1GB on my PDA and survive easily (even got a movie on the pda, but not found a long enough tube trip to watch it all yet). Cynical people like me might think that it could be a gimmick where they can reduce supplies of the smaller memory sized nanos, and sell the bigger (oh look more expensive!) nanos... surely they have a bigger margin on those too ?

    --
    , , , , , karma elon
    1. Re:Does size matter? by DoorFrame · · Score: 1

      I've been waiting to buy one for the size to hit around 15 gigs so they can hold all the music on my computer at once. That seems useful to me. I don't really want to hassle with changing what's on there when I get bored of the selection.

    2. Re:Does size matter? by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I don't really want to hassle with changing what's on there when I get bored of the selection.

      You don't have to. I have my iTunes auto-rotate tracks on my 4GB nano. It's not obvious, but what you can do is sync the unit to one or more smart playlists. The smart playlists are set to randomly select a certain number of tracks that have been played less than "X" number of times. Right now, my "X" is "1". Once it has been played, it is removed and another track replaces it. With this scheme, I think I can do very well with a 1GB nano.

    3. Re:Does size matter? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, I once thought the same when I purchased a 5gb Rio(Yeah.. they're kinda now a dead business). In the next few months, since I had some space to fill, I tried to fill it - and did. I started listening to a lot more music because of it, too, and now I've got almost 6x that capacity at 28 gb of music. That's besides the various files I could transport with it for work or classes.

      I could certainly use more capacity. I know you can't listen to 28 gigs of music in one sitting(unless you're sitting for a couple days) but I find that I'm often looking for an artist I couldn't fit on the Rio in the last synchronization. And you can never predict what you'd want to listen to because of the way music works with moods and your current environment.

      In summary; I'd probably buy a 10 gb nano. If not larger.

    4. Re:Does size matter? by nurb432 · · Score: 1

      1 gb is a bit tight as far as im concerned. 4gb is a 'useable' size for daily use.

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    5. Re:Does size matter? by LokiSnake · · Score: 0

      Apple should implement the autofill feature for the nano also. Many have music collections of more than what a nano can hold, and not everyone knows how to create and use a Smart playlist to do that. I know of many friends in such a situation, and didn't want a Shuffle because there is no screen.

    6. Re:Does size matter? by shotgunefx · · Score: 1

      I needed to go up to 40gb in my Nomad Jukebox and this was before ipods existed.

      --

      -William Shatner can be neither created nor destroyed.
    7. Re:Does size matter? by rbrander · · Score: 1

      By my estimate, around 16GB it would cease to matter to me. 16GB is about 1/4 of my whole music collection - which, by the 80/20 rule, means over 80% of the music I actually listen to with any frequency. iTunes could automatically cycle me through the other 48GB, if I had iTunes, or I could write a Linux shell script in 30 minutes to do the same (delete the "rotation" directory and select a random 1GB from the "library" to fill it with).

      Until 16GB, though, I'm happy with a $49 player with a $69 1GB USB key plugged into it.

    8. Re:Does size matter? by Pendersempai · · Score: 1

      If that's all you're doing, you might have saved yourself some money and used an iPod Shuffle instead.

    9. Re:Does size matter? by BenjyD · · Score: 1

      A larger capacity means:

      - you can stick the player on random and not hear repeats from the day before
      - You don't have to worry about changing the music on the player so much, you can just keep it in your bag
      - you can carry music with you that you might not listen to otherwise with a small capacity. I have a bunch of classical music on my 4GB which is nice to listen to occasionally, but wouldn't fit on a 1GB alongside the other music.

      I used to use a Palm and two 512Mb cards as my music player - a 4GB iPod is an order of magnitude better.

    10. Re:Does size matter? by gkhan1 · · Score: 1

      Hell, I fill up half of my 4 gb mini on podcasts alone, not to mention my 35 gb music library my computer.

    11. Re:Does size matter? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rather than sorting on the play count of tracks, think about choosing N songs selected by "least recently played".

  7. Holy **** people... by x1n933k · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    How much memory do you need man!

    A rack of CD's?
    A 200GB HD if pirated music?

    iPod Shuffle?
    iPod Video/Nano?

    I guess I ask a dumb question. Maybe it's when I see 20+ people on Public transit with iPods in their hand do I wonder about where people have their focus.

    As for the article and pridiction, well duhh. The future will bring more memory to our pockets. I predict less than 150 replies for this topic. [J]

    1. Re:Holy **** people... by Kangburra · · Score: 1
      I predict less than 150 replies for this topic. [J]


      Hmm, is there money being wagered here? ;-)
      --
      Common sense is not so common
    2. Re:Holy **** people... by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 1

      Slashdot is for entertainment purposes only! Please, no wagering. ;)

      --
      It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
    3. Re:Holy **** people... by Wdomburg · · Score: 0

      I recently bought a pair of 250GB disks to run as a mirror pair for my legal music collection because I've got another fifty CDs or so that need encoding. Big part of the reason I need so much space is because I archive in flac, but even lossy it would take in the neighborhood of 45-50GB to hold the 700 or so albums I have.

    4. Re:Holy **** people... by m2bord · · Score: 1

      exactly...like the two previous posters i have over a terabyte of music and video that i legally own. i have purchased well over 1000 cds in my lifetime and i do remember when cds first came out in 1983. i was working in a record store and we had three titles to choose from.

      but the problem that i see is navigation and sync times on these devices are going to get longer and longer unless they start using gigabit networking.

      --
      Is it 5:30 yet?
    5. Re:Holy **** people... by gravesb · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If people are willing to purchase a larger capacity iPod, why shouldn't Apple offer it to them? Companies should never limit sizes because a few people don't understand why you need that much hard drive(or flash memory) space. When we went to Iraq, everyone who had iPods copied their entire music selection to their iPod, and those who didn't had almost no music. If you build it, they will come. Also, what are people supposed to be focused on while on public transportation? Its not like they are driving...

      --
      http://bgcommonsense.blogspot.com
    6. Re:Holy **** people... by Wdomburg · · Score: 1

      My bet would be eSATA. Over six times faster than USB2 or FW400, and over three times faster than gigabit even if you ignore protocol overhead.

      I've been holding off on a video archiving solution until the perpendicular drives started pushing capacities up again. Now that the new Seagates are announced, I just want to wait until the kinks with the first models are worked out and they get a near-line rated drive on the market.

    7. Re:Holy **** people... by tepples · · Score: 1

      Also, what are people supposed to be focused on while on public transportation?

      Thanking God that they live in a geographic area that has usable public transportation, perhaps?

    8. Re:Holy **** people... by mh101 · · Score: 1

      I had an older 30 GB iPod, that was almost full - 99.5% of which was from CDs I own. I few months back I bought a 60GB 5G iPod so I'd have room to grow.

      If I were to load all my parents' CDs onto an iPod, I'd fill up 30 GB no problem. And if I were to load all their old records and cassette tapes as well, I'd probably fill up a 100 GB iPod easily, if one existed.

      --
      Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
    9. Re:Holy **** people... by x1n933k · · Score: 1
      Although I was going to write something harsh. Especially with the idea of,"If you build it, they will come"

      I'll just go with this: It has to do with SELFISHNESS. Trying to block out a loud, and abused world. Temporary distractions for yourself instead of using the and time recording your library for something better. I've got nothing wrong with music. It's when you see $1000 of equipment hanging off of 20 people (iPod, Cellphone, PSP for example). There's something wrong there. $20,000.00. What should people be focused on while riding the bus wasn't the point.

      [J]

    10. Re:Holy **** people... by nra1871 · · Score: 1

      I'll just go with this: It has to do with SELFISHNESS. Trying to block out a loud, and abused world. Temporary distractions for yourself instead of using the and time recording your library for something better. I've got nothing wrong with music. It's when you see $1000 of equipment hanging off of 20 people (iPod, Cellphone, PSP for example). There's something wrong there. $20,000.00. What should people be focused on while riding the bus wasn't the point.
      Why is it wrong? Some /.ers spend hundreds a year on the latest video card to get 3fps more in WOW. Some instead (like myself) listen to a lot of music, and do a lot of that listening on the bus. When I'm stuck on a bus that smells like a urinal, surrounded by freaks of nature, you're damn right I am going to try and isolate myself. Why is that so selfish?

    11. Re:Holy **** people... by Wdomburg · · Score: 1

      Acting sanctimonious on the internet is a temporary distraction too.

  8. Incentives have changed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    iPod Nano has its small size (smaller than the mini), and regular iPods are moving into the video arena, so they again have a need for larger capacity (and screen size).

  9. I think I speak for others too... by jollyroger1210 · · Score: 0

    ...when I say that the Mini was the best combination of size, price, storage, etc. Bring that back first.

    --
    Purple, because ice cream has no bones.
    1. Re:I think I speak for others too... by dafing · · Score: 1

      I disagree. I think the Nano is just great! His Steveness said so!

      Back to my "own" opinion, whats the Mini better at? I dont like the shape at all, whenever I held one for a period of time, it felt a lot worse than my 3G iPod, the rounded sides were egh compared to the whole slick surface of my iPod. Screen, size, everything, the Nano is better.

      Please point out what you prefer about the Mini.

      --
      --- ...or a new slashdot signature. Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
  10. Larger Nano by Ryz0r · · Score: 5, Funny
    >>Apple will release larger iPod Nanos in the near future

    I hear it's going to be called the iPodx10^-8

    --
    Peace, Love, Unity, Respect
    1. Re:Larger Nano by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Strange, I heard it was either iPod 10 Nano or iPod Deka-Nano. TBD by Jobs.

  11. So, are they going to be sued too? by the_humeister · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Given that Apple is rather sue happy, will T3 be sued too?

  12. The Point here is... by Koheleth · · Score: 0
    It seems that the question would be, will this happen? and if so, would it be a smart move on Apples part?

    I can't say that it will happen, but it would be a decent move on Apples part. They don't make much margin on the main device (weather large or small) the money is in the periphels. So more units out there would increase the likleyhood of the $ making extras.

    PLUS it could save face for the touchscreen miss.

    --
    Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way.
    1. Re:The Point here is... by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 0

      They don't make much margin on the main device (weather large or small) the money is in the periphels.

      Apple makes a healthy margin on the "main" device. This has been their M.O. for years, as far back as the original Mac.

      --
      It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
    2. Re:The Point here is... by edwdig · · Score: 2, Interesting
      On a conference call to discuss the results, Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said iPod gross margins were above 20% during the quarter, and that according to NPD Techworld, the company now holds 78% of the U.S. market for MP3 players.


      Found the quote in this article: http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?g uid=%7B96F58ECA-995C-42E4-ABAB-A3CBA070E6E1%7D&sou rce=blq%2Fyhoo&dist=yhoo&siteid=yhoo

      I'd consider that to be making goood money off the main device.
    3. Re:The Point here is... by eMartin · · Score: 1

      "PLUS it could save face for the touchscreen miss."

      Wait a second?

      Are you suggesting that Apple should somehow make up for not releasing something they themselves never intended to in the first place?

  13. Is it even physically possible? by Evro · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Do 8 & 10 gig flash media drives even exist at this time (or in the near future)?

    --
    rooooar
    1. Re:Is it even physically possible? by AusIV · · Score: 1

      And if they did, would they be anywhere near small enough to be called "nano"?

    2. Re:Is it even physically possible? by hentaidan · · Score: 1

      "Pretec 12GB Compact Flash Card" @ http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=123205

      A steal at £4,959.95.

    3. Re:Is it even physically possible? by boarder8925 · · Score: 1
      Do 8 and 10GB flash media drives even exist at this time?
      http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=1026 8
    4. Re:Is it even physically possible? by zlogic · · Score: 1

      You can combine two, three or even four chips; in fact when my USB flash drive broke and I opened the case, I found two identical Toshiba chips inside and placeholders for two more on the other side of the PCB (probably for twice-the-capacity drives).

    5. Re:Is it even physically possible? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you look at the price for 4GB Compact Flash cards, it's already well above the price of the 4GB Nano (about $350 for a SanDisk 4GB Ultra II card). But as a negating point, that card is much much faster than is needed to play MP3s off of, as it was designed for Canon's 1DMkII and 1DsMkII and Nikon's D2X which can produce tons of data (the 1DMkII shoots 8.5 8.2MP images a second), so the memory used in an iPod Nano could be much slower without causing a prolbem (the Ultra II cards can write at about 9MB/s and read at about 10MB/s if the devices' memory controller can handle it).

    6. Re:Is it even physically possible? by shess · · Score: 1

      If you look at the price for 4GB Compact Flash cards, it's already well above the price of the 4GB Nano (about $350 for a SanDisk 4GB Ultra II card).

      You're kidding, right? buy.com has them for $174, Amazon $185, etc.

    7. Re:Is it even physically possible? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's a hard disk not a flash drive.

    8. Re:Is it even physically possible? by Hatechall · · Score: 2, Informative

      I believe the largest (single) commercial chips nowadays are owned by Sandisk (6GB), to be used for their up and coming beauty: The Sansa 270.

      I assume Samsung has a few tricks up their short term sleeve as well though.

    9. Re:Is it even physically possible? by Hatechall · · Score: 1

      Sorry, the Sansa E270.

    10. Re:Is it even physically possible? by boarder8925 · · Score: 1

      Crap. I think you're right.

  14. Just 10GB? by mobby_6kl · · Score: 5, Funny

    10GB? Lame, that's barely enough for my Frank Zappa MP3s.

    And what about wireless?

    1. Re:Just 10GB? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      My wife and I have well over 2000 CDs (rock, movie soundtracks, classical and world music), and I've ripped all of them to 320kps .mp3 files, for best quality. Yes, we can't fit as many music tracks on our 40 and 60-gig iPods, but we can get literally hundreds of CDs on them.

      However... I'd still like to have MORE. When we travel abroad (for weeks at a time), I like having giant amounts of music at my disposal. If Apple offered a 100-gig iPod, I'd buy it. If Apple offered a 1-terabyte iPod, I'd buy that, too.

      (IMO, Nanos are (excuse me) mostly for kids who cycle through songs every other day, and when they get tired of "My Humps," instantly switch to the newest fad song. For my wife and myself, a Nano is ridiculously limited in size.)

    2. Re:Just 10GB? by /dev/trash · · Score: 1, Funny

      320kbps? I doubt my ears could stand all gthe artifacts from that low bit rate.

    3. Re:Just 10GB? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not even funny considering I do have 9 gig of frank zappa mp3s...

    4. Re:Just 10GB? by Nasarius · · Score: 1

      Heh. It's a good point. At 192-224kbps, I doubt any music in existence (even special samples designed to produce artifacts) can be ABX'd by a human. Beyond that, you waste space and don't gain the benefits of lossless compression.

      --
      LOAD "SIG",8,1
    5. Re:Just 10GB? by Krolley · · Score: 1

      Only purchased legally, ofcourse? Oh wait, theres no Zappa on iTunes.

      --
      "Dewey, you fool: Your decimal system has played right into my hands!"
  15. 8 do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There are 8 gig CF drives, and I think 8 gig SD drives will be out soon. They are still rather expensive, though.

  16. Here is Why... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You can get a 4GB USB thumb drive for $100 (or get four 512MB and one 2GB bundled together for $108). The current crop of MicroDrives (CompactFlash-compatible miniature hard drives) of similar capacity runs even less.

    If a normal consumer can buy these things on the retail market today, Apple really needs to get its act together and start increasing capacity on its lower end or it is going to lose that market to these cheap drives and the simple add-ons that allow playback of music.

    1. Re:Here is Why... by LokiSnake · · Score: 0

      But then where is the pretty Apple logo? One can't be hip without the Apple logo...

    2. Re:Here is Why... by 2nd+Post! · · Score: 1

      Oh right, consumers don't care about looks, build quality, ease of use, or convenience any more? Storage density or price is all that matters now, right?

      As a business Apple needs to maintain profitability. I'm sure they'll refresh to 6gb and 10gb later this year, but if they do it too early then the cost vs price is too high and if they do it too late then the sales interest will drop.

    3. Re:Here is Why... by MrJynxx · · Score: 1

      They won't use those mini hard drives because it has the potential to skip. They need to make advances in the CF solid state memory..

      MrJynxx

    4. Re:Here is Why... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They won't use those mini hard drives because it has the potential to skip.

      They already use hard drives in their larger iPod models and have used the mini hard drives in the past.

      They need to make advances in the CF solid state memory.

      What advances are you talking about? The 4GB thumb drive has the same capacity as the mini hard drive, so solid state memory is already there. As far as the smaller iPods are concerned, they do not use the CF interface anymore. So it is only a matter of the chip size. As the regular-size 4GB USB thumb drive demonstrates, the chips are small enough at a high enough capacity and reasonable price.

    5. Re:Here is Why... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They already use hard drives in their larger iPod models and have used the mini hard drives in the past.

      Try using an iPod or even an iPod mini while jogging. They are heavy, bulky and you just know it isn't good for the device. That is why people like the Nano.

    6. Re:Here is Why... by pimpimpim · · Score: 1

      Yup, I saw a no-name 2 GB flash mp3 player at the big electronic store nearby already, for 100 euro. Since these no-name devices dont limit me to use itunes for up-and-downloading, Id be more inclined to buy one of those than an ipod.

      --
      molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
    7. Re:Here is Why... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would not call the iPod mini bulky. But of course a hard drive should not be used while engaged in physical activity. It wouldn't skip in the CD sense (even the first iPod had ridiculous anti-skip technology, such that the risk of a skip was negligible). But it might, after vigorous shaking, skip in the hard drive is now broken because the read/write head is misaligned sense. Moving parts aren't good on moving bodies, at least for consumer electronics.

      The iPod nano is great. People like them. But they are limited in size. That is the point of this discussion, the rumors of a capacity increase. The existence of high capacity USB thumb drives at low prices on the consumer market is an indication that Apple can, and probably should, increase the size of the nano so that more people will like them and to prevent the evaporation of their market.

  17. But it's kewl!!!!! by bhaak1 · · Score: 1

    My music collection is nowadays around 7 GB. But that includes of course music I hardly ever listen to. And even if I would want to even on an iPod it is not that convenient to search for specific songs in a heap of several thousands.

    I don't think that there are a lot of people around who could fill 10 GB with legal music. What would they put on a 10 GB iPod Nano? For the normal iPod we have a solution: Movies.

    But for the iPod Nano? Flip-books?

    People will probably buy those Nanos just to be cool and be able to say "my iPod Nano is larger than yours".

    1. Re:But it's kewl!!!!! by xerxesdaphat · · Score: 1

      I have roughly 2500 songs on my 30gb iPod Video. I would have more but I've hit the 30gb limit. Now, when I had less than 30gb of music it was great; I just dumped the entire contents of my music collection on my iPod and left it as that. Now, I have to fiddle around and delete music then replace it with new music and such... if I'm on my 1 1/2 hour commute to university and I suddenly think `wow I want to hear that John Coltrane album, I haven't heard that in ages!' and I don't have it it's a bit disappointing. As for finding specific songs on an iPod, have you ever used one? The UI is fantastic... I can find any song in seconds... that's one of the reasons why I got an iPod as opposed to something else as the UI is just so good for large music collections.

      One final thing; wasn't one of the major reasons we all got digital music players because of the convenience? How you didn't have to swap CDs out of your player to hear a different album, and try and search which particular CD has the song you want? Huge amounts of storage increases convenience, and is one of the main reasons people use digital music players or computers to play music as opposed to a stereo with a CD player.

      --
      The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers
    2. Re:But it's kewl!!!!! by radish · · Score: 1

      Meh...my music library is around 200GB (all legal, I might add). My portable player is only 20 so there's a lot not on it - the larger the better as far as I'm concerned.

      Oh and I don't say this to boast, I'm music obsessed and realise I'm not "normal" in that sense, but it's the old slashdot adage - just because it's not useful for you doesn't mean it's not useful.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    3. Re:But it's kewl!!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mingus rulez!

    4. Re:But it's kewl!!!!! by bhaak1 · · Score: 1
      As for finding specific songs on an iPod, have you ever used one? The UI is fantastic... I can find any song in seconds... that's one of the reasons why I got an iPod as opposed to something else as the UI is just so good for large music collections.

      I too think the UI of the iPod is fantastic and that there is at the moment no other player that is as good as an iPod.

      My problem is that I don't want to fiddle every other song with the player. When a song starts that I don't like to hear right at the moment I'll have to switch as I know that there are better songs on the player.

      Maybe I have to much audio books on my player or songs that I only want to listen to when I'm in a special mood for them, but the random selection of (hardware and software) players is usually quite bad.

      Is there know player out there that allows to combine playlists on the fly? Or maybe even set operations over playlists (play only the songs from playlist A that are not in playlist B)? Such dynamic playlist is a feature I miss in even the most sophisticated software music players.

    5. Re:But it's kewl!!!!! by nuggetman · · Score: 1

      Or maybe even set operations over playlists (play only the songs from playlist A that are not in playlist B)

      Gotta do it in iTunes but make a new smart playlist;

      Match the following rule: [Playlist] [is not] [name of playlist A]

      --
      ...and that's all there is to it.
    6. Re:But it's kewl!!!!! by Silicon+Jedi · · Score: 1

      Actually, Smart Playlists do "and" or "or"
      Folders of playlists are automatic "ands" as well.
      It should be easier though...

  18. More Music by Metabolife · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great, a 10GB would let you have 2,500 songs (according to apple's rating), this is great business for apple. Now instead of just getting 1,000 dollars from people to fill it, they can bump it up to 2,500 dollars! Brilliant!

    1. Re:More Music by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 1

      Great, a 10GB would let you have 2,500 songs

      If it was Sony's rating then that would be 5000 ;) I still can't work out how sony is selling any media players at all.

      --
      Jumpstart the tartan drive.
  19. Rumor v.s. obvious. by blanks · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Naturally as larger (smaller) hard drives become cheaper they will come up with ipods with more space, this isnt a rumor that they will be doing it, maybe a rumor that it will be happening soon.

  20. I still want to see a 100 gig regular ipod... by Hatchback+Mustang · · Score: 0, Redundant

    ...but no thicker than it is now. I have 35 gigs out of my 40 used right now with only 6000 songs. Granted some of my library is in 192 mp3 and 256 mp3. But thats the next iPod I will buy.

    1. Re:I still want to see a 100 gig regular ipod... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, thanks for sharing this information! It's so wonderful knowing about your purchase decisions and how filled your Ipod is with music. I really found this interesting and insightful on the topic!

  21. Storage space isn't the only factor by achesterase · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yes, well one factor is the storage capacity, but let's not forget the size. At least for me, the smaller form factor of the Nano makes it much more attractive than the normal iPod and I don't think that I'm alone. These are really two distinct product lines with usually quite distinct user bases.

    1. Re:Storage space isn't the only factor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is the reason I bought my 4GB Nano last year. Not storage but size. I hope they do up the storage on them. I will get a new one.

  22. Difference between rumor and speculation by heli_flyer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There's a difference between rumor and speculation, and this is more speculation than rumor.

    1. Re:Difference between rumor and speculation by j79 · · Score: 1

      I would say this is more obvious than rumor or speculation. Seriously, how many slashdotters expected Apple to keep the iPod Nanos at their current size??

  23. nano replaced mini by fermion · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The nanos were clearly created to replace the minis, which were cute but had limited battery life due to the power requirements of the hard drives, and as they were so small could not have larger batteries.

    As the minis were phased out, they had a capacity of 6 gig. I have been expecting the nano to increase to 8 gig for a while. Of course the nano still has a short battery life, and perhpas the added memeory is just going to make that worse.

    The 4GB are available, and given Apple discounts are not overly expensive. I do not see a 10 gig nano, as the nanos seem to have pairs of cards. Hopefully they will come out with a 8 gig Nano in the $250 price range, and drop the other prices according. That might be enough space to make it worthwhile. I would also like to see a 2gig shuffle, though that product line also seems to be dead.

    --
    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    1. Re:nano replaced mini by BenjyD · · Score: 2, Informative

      Modded 5 insightful? The battery life on the 2G minis was very good, around 15-18hrs (more than the full iPods at the time IIRC). The nano's battery life seems a little shorter, around 10-14hrs.

  24. why? by penguin-collective · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't see the point. If you're gonna dock to your computer, then you only need memory for one battery charge, and 2G is plenty. If you're going to use a charger while traveling, 10G strikes me as too small for a regular music collection.

    I bought the 4G but discovered through use that I could have saved my money and lived just fine with the 1G or 2G model.

    1. Re:why? by MooUK · · Score: 1

      I don't regularly listen to about 70% of what's on my iRiver. Nevertheless, it's useful to have it there since I do use it occasionally - and especially since I use it to play music through the mixing desk during intervals at the gigs I help run.

      The music you have on there at the start of the day might not be what you fancy listening to at the end of the day. And most people don't want to keep moving music backwards and forwards every time their immediate taste changes slightly - they want it all available.

      Yes, you might not listen to all of it on one battery charge, but do you really want to re-choose and move across different music every time you charge just to keep it varied?

      It's not a major hassle, but it is still hassle that can be avoided.

    2. Re:why? by penguin-collective · · Score: 1

      Yes, but I find 2G already gives me plenty of extra space for those unanticipated musical urges.

    3. Re:why? by General_Crespin · · Score: 1

      Agreed. I use ~22GB on my iRiver H340, and that's only with music that I want to listen to, it is very nice to be able to listen to any song I want to when I want to.

      --
      "The past is but the beginning of a beginning, and all that is and has been is but the twilight of the dawn."
    4. Re:why? by apollosfire · · Score: 1

      I agree too. I have ~20gb of music on my iRiver iHP-140 (aka H140) and whilst only 2-3gb of it is regularly used, it's great for it to be there. Good for hooking upto Hi-Fi systems at parties and stuff too; I almost always have music that gets requested!

    5. Re:why? by plumby · · Score: 1

      Really? My 60GB doesn't do that for me. I still have to cut out some albums from my library, and occasionally find myself wanting to listen to them.

    6. Re:why? by matt21811 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "10G strikes me as too small for a regular music collection."

      Actually, 10 gig is almost exactly the size of average music collection when stored in 128kbit compressed format. This BBC article shows that men own, on average, 178 albums (women, on average, own less).
      http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/410 2786.stm

      178 (albums) * 650MB (maximum data per album) * 128 Kb/sec (good quality compression rate) / 1411.2 Kb (per sec data rate e on the CD) = 10493.5 MB. This is over just 10 GB to store the average mans music collection.

    7. Re:why? by rbarreira · · Score: 1

      And how many albums does the average man download on P2P programs? ;)

      In fact, it might be an interesting question since the people using P2P programs are still not so many (relatively speaking, of course).

      --

      The AACS key is NOT 0xF606EEFD628B1CA427BEA93A9CA9773F
    8. Re:why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If, for you, a 60G drive doesn't hold your complete collection, a 10G drive certainly won't!

      I suggest you actually RTFT (Read The F*cking Thread)!

    9. Re:why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, 10 gig is almost exactly the size of average music collection when stored in 128kbit compressed format.

      Which would make a 10G iPod Nano too small, because people will also want to have podcasts, other iPod data, and downloads on there.

      Once they're up to 15-20G Nanos, then it starts making sense again for many people. But the range between 2G and 15G is just kind of no-man's land when it comes to storage: unnecessarily large for daily use, and too small for many music collections.

    10. Re:why? by cgenman · · Score: 1

      To be nitpicky:

      A: A 10 GB drive will not store 10 GB worth of stuff. After formatting and other inevibible marketing losses, you're really looking at about 8 GB.

      B: Always rip at least at 160k for MP3's. 128 is OK if you're talking about OGG, but Nanos don't play OGG.

    11. Re:why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      While I appreciate you quoting the BBC for your library size metric, you totally pulled the sample rate out of your (or apple's) ass. If you look on any of the p2p networks for music you like, you will notice the 128k recordings are as prolific as the 256-320k recordings, which is to say, not very. The predominant bit rate is 192k by quite a margin. Try it yourself. What this says to me is that the "industry standard" of 128k is deliberately chosen for it's poor reproduction quality, but that's not a bug - It's a Feature!

      Ripping your own at less than 192k is doing yourself a disservice.

    12. Re:why? by matt21811 · · Score: 1

      OK, I'll bite.

      I didnt pull the 128k figure out of my bum. Every major service selling music offers usually only 128kbit music. I put it to you that the "average" user doesnt care about sound quality as long as it is as good as FM rado quality. I ripped a same song in 128k aac and 320k aac and had a friend listen to both tracks and he couldnt tell the difference. I cant tell the difference. Most people cant tell the difference.
      The fact is that 90% of the market just dont care.
      If you can tell the difference then you have the gift of good hearing. I hope it allows you to appreciate your music to a level more than I can. But you are not the average person. Your comment represents a part of the market that is anything but average.

    13. Re:why? by osobear · · Score: 1
      178 (albums) * 650MB (maximum data per album) * 128 Kb/sec (good quality compression rate) / 1411.2 Kb (per sec data rate e on the CD) = 10493.5 MB.

      Ummm, I think your numbers may be a little off... you wound up with units of MB/sec.

    14. Re:why? by matt21811 · · Score: 1

      I think you are getting caught on the 128/sec / 1411/sec part.
      This is the same as 128/sec * sec/1411. The seconds cancel each other out. You are correct that I didnt write 1411.2 kb/sec. But I did write "1411.2 Kb (per sec". I'm still standing by the numbers. I know the equation wouldn't pass muster in a University exam, but this is slashdot, not University and the result of the calculation was the point of the post. The rest of the calculation was just included to show I didnt just make up the numbers.

    15. Re:why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Ok so you pulled it from Apple's ass. Like I said - when only the music counts, people predominantly rip at 192 or greater. You can insist 128 is good enough all you want but it is a fact that people/companies who not RIAA shills, rip at higher rates.

      Your insistence on maintaining the company line is a strong indicator you let the company do all your thinking for you. Is that what is meant by "think different"?

  25. How about instead increasing sound quality! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Instead of increasing the storage capacity why not increase the sound quality. Those preset EQ's do nothing but ruin the music. How about a 10 band EQ and a superior op amp. Mabey if you listen with those crappy ear buds you won't hear anything, but get a set or respectable headphones and music gets hard to listen to, with piercing highs and muddy mid bass and lack of any good deep bass.

  26. Well, I'm convinced by Tim+Browse · · Score: 5, Funny
    Granted it's an almost completely unsubstantiated prediction from somebody outside of Apple, but it is what a lot of people have been asking for since the original Nanos came out.

    There are rumours that God exists. Granted it's an almost completely unsubstantiated prediction from somebody outside of Heaven, but it is what a lot of people have been wanting since the original Homo Sapiens came out.

  27. Dvorak's answer by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 4, Funny

    If Dvorak had been writing this then it would be:

    "Apple needs to allow Microsoft to run Windows on the iPod. I don't believe it either but I love to screw with your head".

    --
    Jumpstart the tartan drive.
    1. Re:Dvorak's answer by warrigal · · Score: 1

      More likely the line would be :
      "Apple needs to allow Microsoft to run WMA on the iPod. How can the iPod succeed without the support of the dominant media standard?"

    2. Re:Dvorak's answer by mkiwi · · Score: 1
      Parent sig:
      "Best be the idiot that has learnt, than the genius who won't."

      Ah, ignorance is bliss!

  28. It has been done already by Kryptonian+Jor-El · · Score: 5, Informative

    Hackaday.com recently had an article about converting a 4 GB iPod nano to an 8 GB. Apparently apple only uses 1 flash chip in the Nano to make up the entire 4 GBs, but in fact it has a second spot on the board to attach a second 4 GB flash chip. It wouold be pretty cool to have an 8 GB iPod Nano though. http://ipod.hackaday.com/entry/1234000233073484/

    --
    All your 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 are belong to us
    1. Re:It has been done already by TubeSteak · · Score: 2, Informative

      I saw the original article a while ago.

      What I hadn't known is that the people at hackaday said that: "The legitimacy of this hack is yet to be confirmed.

      It'd be cool if it was true, but the firmware might not be able to handle the extra space.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
  29. iPod pico by cyfer2000 · · Score: 1

    And they will release a new ipod smaller than nano named iPod Pico.

    --
    There is a spark in every single flame bait point.
    1. Re:iPod pico by menace3society · · Score: 1

      I'm waiting for the iPod Femto.

    2. Re:iPod pico by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Ooh ooh ooh! How about the iPod atto?

    3. Re:iPod pico by Dorothy+86 · · Score: 1

      I'm waiting for the iPod doubleplusunbig

    4. Re:iPod pico by jcr · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You're all barking up the wrong tree. The iPod 4D will keep all of your music in a parallel dimension, giving you infinite capacity while reducing the protrusion into 3D space to whatever size you find comfortable to operate.

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    5. Re:iPod pico by menace3society · · Score: 1

      That's nothing. The iPod superstring generates all the music you could ever possibly want by using a 1-dimensional loophole to an alternate universe.

      The load times when waiting for a civilization to develop to the degree of sophistication needed to invent music is kind of long, though.

    6. Re:iPod pico by DAldredge · · Score: 1

      Guess that means that only techno and rap will be available at launch... :)

    7. Re:iPod pico by Carthag · · Score: 1

      I hope that's a spatial dimension, I'd hate for the iPod 4D to be a glorified radio, and only be able to listen to certain songs at certain times.

  30. 8Gigs? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    640k should be enough for anybody.

  31. Screw that Crap by tonyr1988 · · Score: 0

    You can make your own 200GB nano already. What's the point in waiting for Apple to increase the size (and price) to a measly 10GB?

  32. Of course you can. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  33. The reason I havent bought is the small size by duodave · · Score: 1

    You have to remember that the so-called 6 gb mini doesn't really hold 6 gb, it's slightly smaller (it reports 5.6 gb on the About screen). So with a decent amount of songs plus a regular collection of the four podcasts I regularly subscribe to, I easily fill my Mini. I don't see that I could put the same amount on a Nano, so I haven't bought a Nano. I'd be much more inclined to consider an 8-gig Nano, and could really care less about a touch-screen model.

    1. Re:The reason I havent bought is the small size by RemovableBait · · Score: 2, Informative
      the so-called 6 gb mini doesn't really hold 6 gb, it's slightly smaller (it reports 5.6 gb on the About screen).
      .
      The drive does have a capacity of 6GB. The 0.4GB discrepancy is due to two factors:

      • The formatted capacity of any drive will be slightly less.
      • Hardware manufacturers consider 1GB to be 1,000,000,000B; whereas, the software considers 1GB to be 1,073,741,824B.

      So saying the mini holds 6GB is not incorrect at all.
  34. Finally! by drdanny_orig · · Score: 1

    So can we now expect prices on the smaller ones to finally fall to reasonable levels? That's all that's prevented me from buying one, actually.

    --
    .nosig
    1. Re:Finally! by Reaperducer · · Score: 1

      If you can't afford $149 for a nano, then maybe you should put that money towards food and rent and other basic necessities.

      --
      -- I'm old enough to have lived through six different meanings of the word "hacker."
  35. 166 CDs is not a lot by tepples · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't think that there are a lot of people around who could fill 10 GB with legal music.

    10 gigabytes * 1000000 kilobytes per gigabyte * 8 bits per byte / 160 kilobits per second / 3000 seconds per CD = 166 CDs. I know a lot of people who own two or three times that many. Given that CDs have been around for over two decades, 8 CDs a year is not that many.

    But for the iPod Nano? Flip-books?

    Google sees over 13 million slide shows available through the Web.

    1. Re:166 CDs is not a lot by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      I have just under 15GB in legal music. I currently have a 20GB 3G iPod, and am thinking of upgrading (the hard drive is wearing out). The current generation iPods are nicer than the 3G models - I can get a 30GB version that is thinner than my 20GB model and has a longer battery life. If Apple could produce a 20GB nano, then I would definitely buy it. Sadly, I think it will take another year or two for Flash prices to make this economical.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  36. Is Flash Memory Cheap Enough? by Nazmun · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Has flash memory become cheap enough for 8-10gb nano's to be out with a nice profit margin?

    --
    Hmmm... Pie...
  37. My iPod by EZLeeAmused · · Score: 3, Funny

    is going to have 11GB

    --
    Some see the vessel as half full; others see it as half-empty; We pour it out on the floor and laugh
  38. Apple has never competed on price by cgenman · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Apple has never competed on price. The basic iPod is still the most expensive MP3 player by about 30%. And for the cost of a 4GB nano, you can get a 20GB HDD based MP3 player. Heck, you can get a 20 GB Archos Jukebox for 100 dollars if you look.

    Where Apple shines is form factor. That Archos Jukebox can be amazingly cheap, but it won't fit in your pocket. The iRiver is a powerful, fully featured player, but just try to get it to do anything without taking a course at your technical school. Even the regular iPod is big by many people's standards, leading to the popularity of the Mini and Nano.

    And if you haven't held it in your hands, the Nano is damned small. This thing could fit in a wallet. It can fit in the tiny key pocket on most jeans. You don't have to decide between taking your iPod or your PDA (or your iPod or your Compact, etc). Just take 'em both. They'll both fit.

    Besides, if you're comparing USB drives, why not compare to the Shuffle? 100 dollars for 1GB of storage, which includes the battery and playback interface out of the box. Not an amazingly low cost solution, but not bad compared to the rest of the stuff in that space.

    An MP3 player is more than just flash memory, you know.

    1. Re:Apple has never competed on price by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple has never competed on price. The basic iPod is still the most expensive MP3 player by about 30%. And for the cost of a 4GB nano, you can get a 20GB HDD based MP3 player. Heck, you can get a 20 GB Archos Jukebox for 100 dollars if you look.

      Bull Fucking Shit. iRiver and Creative players are up to 50% more expensive for the same size (at least here in Australia). In fact, the only cheaper players I can find are ugly, bulky no-name brands.

  39. This tech is so OLD it qualfies for SocialSecurity by Bushido+Hacks · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Dear Ipod Nano User,
    10 GB hard drives are so 2001.
    Sincerely,
    Archos

    --
    The Rapture is NOT an exit strategy.
  40. And what about Intel...? by sedyn · · Score: 1

    And if they go to intel that will give people less incentive to buy their PPC stock. I know this isn't 100% the same, but it does say a little about the comapny.

    While I don't believe that Apple will totally disregard the costs of their actions, I do think that they will move in the right direction, even if they do bare a slight cost. Besides, they are competing against other players (kinda), so they do have a little incentive to kill off the older stuff while introducing new products. What generation iPod is currently the most modern, and what is to stop Apple from upping the storage on those? I know that eventually, even music buffs that are audiophiles will be satisfied with the storage capacity of a music player. Then isn't the most obvious direction to make stuff smaller? Why not get a head start?

    I'm not saying that Apple is a technocracy, but they don't seem to put money before everything.

    As a conspiracy theorist side note, how long a cycle do you think most customers will wait before upgrading (due to better new products and defective old ones)? Will it happen at roughly the same time? Something tells me that information will be quite valueable to all companies in that space (marketing pushes). Maybe Apple is just making an iPod killer to induce it, because to a certain degree they are in competition with past successes.

    --
    Am I open minded towards open source, or closed minded towards closed source?
  41. Re:This tech is so OLD it qualfies for SocialSecur by zestymonkey · · Score: 0

    10 GB hard drives might be 2001, but 10 GB NAND chips are ultramodern. Remember, the nano doesn't use a hard drive.

    --

    return;
  42. I wont be buying it by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 1

    although it looks cool and easy to use, the battery nightmare was enough for me to ditch it. Not to mention you cant pull the mp3s back off it, or use it with anything but itunes-shamola.

    --
    Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
    1. Re:I wont be buying it by Ragzouken · · Score: 1

      Winamp (Give or take a plug-in) can use an iPod, I have to use it now iTunes completely died.

  43. Still waiting for video on nano by dalmiroy2k · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I know the screen it's small but believe me, it has enough resolution to play videos. I have a Rockbox on my nano and Doom really looks great, even better that the GBA version. Also the included 3d screensavers like "plasma" and "fire" are neat.
    I wish Apple includes video support in an upcoming software upgrade.

    1. Re:Still waiting for video on nano by IntergalacticWalrus · · Score: 1

      Forget it. The iPod nano lacks the video decoding chip the iPod 5G has. And running DOOM or some simple screensavers is peanuts compared to decoding modern video algorithms, even on the nano's tiny screen.

  44. Re:This tech is so OLD it qualfies for SocialSecur by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 1

    Dear Bushido Hacks,

    Brick sized form factors are so. . .

    Uh, what year was it that huge frikkin' pockets were in vogue? Nineteen-oh-never?

    --
    It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
  45. 8Gig easily possible, 10gig seems plain odd by cas_edi · · Score: 1

    Apple already use a single 4gb samsung part(K9NBG08U5M) in the 4gb nano and can easily make the nano hold 8gig using two of the 4gb parts and theres even a site out there has details on how to do this upgrade yourself using the old flash from a broken 4g nano. they can simply continue they agreement with samsung and install these chips at no real extra cost to themselves.

    however the 10gb option is where journalists needed to do just a little research and realise that samsung do not have a larger flash part available and that 10gb is a very odd number to pluck out of the air when referring to flash memory that doubles with every generation. the only plausible way is that you could squeeze 2 x 4gb and 1 x 2gb into the nano but this seems far fetched as it would require apple to build new circuit boards plus i dont think there is the physical space.

    if, scratch that, when apple release the 8gb nano i will certainly be thinking hard about buying it cos its almost a sweet spot for an on the go music collection. i realise ppl say of youve got 60gig of music but seriously do you listen to that ALL that music all the time. from what i seen of peoples music collections there is a core selection of music ppl love surrounded by other music they may listen to from time to time. if they are on the move they want the stuff they love with them but are not fussed if the likable music goes too.

    thats just my £0.02 :)

  46. Not much of a suprise really. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Considering that Intel and Micron have collaborated to create a company called "IM Flash Technologies" to produce flash memory and that Apple has already pre-purchased a substantial portion of the output, I don't see this as much of a surprise. See here and here.

  47. Why is this? by sketchman · · Score: 1

    What I want to know is, if Apple can make such high capacity little devices, why can't USB Thumb-drive manufacturers? I've never seen one over 2 gigs, and that one wasn't really a Thumb-drive. It was a little cheese wheel-looking thing with a retractable cord. Granted, I live in the middle of nowheresville so can someone prove me wrong here, or are they keeping something from us?
    What I'm asking is, is there a USB drive with a capacity over 2 gigs that I can fit in my pocket, without it pulling my pants down?

    --
    "In a world that exists without walls and fences, who needs Windows and Gates?"
    1. Re:Why is this? by sketchman · · Score: 1

      Sorry, everybody. I just did a little research and found a very cool answer.

      Yes, there is. 16 gigs to be exact. Costs $499.00, though.

      You can find it below if interested.

      http://www.supermediastore.com/flashdrive-16gb-usb -20-usb-flash-drive.html

      --
      "In a world that exists without walls and fences, who needs Windows and Gates?"
    2. Re:Why is this? by IntergalacticWalrus · · Score: 1

      What I'm asking is, is there a USB drive with a capacity over 2 gigs that I can fit in my pocket, without it pulling my pants down?

      Uh... a 4GB iPod nano?

  48. Oh fudge by wjcofkc · · Score: 1
    After months of trying to come up with a practical reason to spend $150.00 - $300.00 on an iPod, I just ordered a 1 gig nano a couple of hours ago only to just now run across this story.

    Oh well, at least I got it engraved with DON'T PANIC!

    --
    Brought to you by Carl's Junior.
  49. Since when is Slahdot a rumor site? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This rumor is even less substantiated than those most of those posted by dedicated Apple or tech rumor sites. In other words, it doesn't belong here.

  50. Dear Bushido Hacks, Nanos don't use hard drives. by JackAxe · · Score: 1

    Sincerely,
    Apple

  51. Not legal downloads... by meringuoid · · Score: 1
    I don't think that there are a lot of people around who could fill 10 GB with legal music.

    Filling ten gigabytes with legal iTunes downloads: yeah, few enough people will do that.

    But filling ten gigabytes by going to the CD collection you've accumulated over the last twenty years and systematically ripping the whole lot? That's easily done, especially if you rip at a decent bitrate.

    Not only that, there are plenty of people with a hell of a lot of illegal music. That's still no reason why Apple wouldn't want to sell them giant-capacity iPods. Sure, they won't become iTunes customers, but they still make their money on the iPod, right?

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  52. While... by Marthirial · · Score: 0
    Apple needs to launch something eye-catching in time for the lucrative run-up to Christmas


    Enjoying the distraction from 8GB Ipod Nanos, Apple will start shipping their computers (remember those?) with Windows Vista Looks Like OSX Version.
  53. Higher Standard by kb0hae · · Score: 1

    Well, I would require the following features in any Audio player I would buy: 1-NO DRM WHATSOEVER. 2 The ability to play MP3, OGG, and other format files (need not play WMA files). 3 It has to use USB Flash drives as memory, which gives the capability to transfer files between devices.(Sandisk Cruzer MP3 Companion type device) 4-Be powered by 1 or 2 AAA NI-MH batteries. 5-Be capable of listening to FM radio AND NOAA broadcasts. 6-Obviously this device cannot be as small as some players, but that makes it harder to lose! 7-Not be vastly overpriced like the iPods all are! (for what you get) 8-NOT be a (CR)Apple or Macintrash product (see #7) So far I have not found an audio player that fits these requirements...if anyone know of one please post here how to get one!

    1. Re:Higher Standard by Vorondil28 · · Score: 1

      Heh, shame I don't have any mod points at the moment. I'd totally hook you up with a +1, Funny.

      --
      This sig rocks the casbah.
  54. Life expectancy (OT - but worth reading!) by @madeus · · Score: 1

    Not to nit pick, but...

    Assuming that your indeed from the land down under (based on the whois information on your site, which I checked just to be anal ;-) I'd like to point out that if your already 34, your life expectancy is going to be quite a bit less than 80 years, even if you are in in above average physical condition (though having good genes is obviously going to make a huge difference).

    I point this out as a lot of people take the current life expectancy figures for where ever they live to mean they can expect to live that long, when in fact that figure is only for those born this year (and already assumes things like health care treatments will continue to develop and improve in their life time, at the rate they are now). The life expectancy for someone already in their mid thirties in .au is probably a lot more like 70-75.

    As you can see from figures taken from the CIA world fact book for babies born just 6 years ago in .au, the life expectancy was not 80+ years but just over 77 and half years. To do a very dodgy back-of-a-fag packet calculation based on that same rate of decline (purely because that's as far back as that graph goes), if you were born 34 years ago (in 1972) that takes 13.8 years of your life expectancy, bringing it down to just over 66 years!

    As I say, that's a very rough calculation and quite a bit under what ever the real value is (and would think that the average for someone of your (or my) age is probably closer to 70-75), but I'd hate to think there are people keeling over in their 60's and 70's thinking "Hey wait, I'm supposed to have another 10-15 years to go here!" due to a misunderstanding about the way 'life expectancy' statistics are calculated.

    If there is any stuff you wanted to do in your final years, you might want to try and squeeze it in before you hit 65, just to be on the safe side. :-)

    1. Re:Life expectancy (OT - but worth reading!) by pin0chet · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure what calculations you did, but it seems to me that according to your CIA world fact book link, the linear trend line is Life expectancy = 0.2703*(Year of Birth) - 463, making someone born in 1972 have a life expectancy of 70.036 year, which is a few years longer than your prediction of 66 years.

    2. Re:Life expectancy (OT - but worth reading!) by @madeus · · Score: 1

      Subtracting the last known historical value (77.68 years in 2000) from the current value (which was based on me thinking it was 80.1 in 2006 - though Google says it's actually more like 80.26 not that it makes much odds to the end result) gives you a rate of decline of 2.42 years of the life expectancy over a period of 6 years - that is, 0.403 (recurring) year-on-year decline. Multiply that value by 34 and you get your figure of ~13.8 years less than the current LE of 80 (and so you end up with ~66).

      As I've said though, that's almost certainly overstating the rate of decline.

    3. Re:Life expectancy (OT - but worth reading!) by wanerious · · Score: 1

      Just catching up --- I think this is wrong. Life expectancies are a measure of how long, on the average, one expects babies born in a certain year to live. Extrapolating backwards is a wrong thing to do, because life expectancy generally goes up the longer one lives, since the mitigating statistics of childhood death have passed. Whereas one may be born with an expectancy of 70 years, after one successfully reaches 10 the average expectancy *of those already reaching 10* is significantly above 70. Roughly, the older you get, the more on the high side of the distribution you're likely to be, simply because you survived the low end of the distribution. Those who are already 50 have a better chance to be 90, on the average, than those just born.

  55. But the question is.. by packetmill · · Score: 0

    Can it hold pron?

  56. longer battery lifetime by rahard · · Score: 1

    instead of more memory, how about longer battery lifetime? even with my 2GB ipod, i already ran out of battery before running out of songs. (i do pick songs by hand regularly and that makes the LCD on frequently.)

  57. Suppor SD slots.... by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

    I got a $50 mp3 player that supports SD slot.

    Now if its smart to do >1gig I dont know, but if they can make SD cards with 2gig + , why
    not add that to the ipod too.

    Lots of phones now support SD slots and can play mp3 too.

    Maybe apple should team up with LG to make a iPodPhone

    --
    Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
  58. Not quite right by tivoKlr · · Score: 1

    Actually, you get free security and stability updates with the last two releases, so people at 10.3.9 get all the security updates and component updates that are independent of the dot dot releases just like the people at 10.4.6 or whatever flavor of 10.4 you choose to run.

    Just to clarify. Not that I don't think that the upgrade costs haven't been a little ridiculous, they have been...

    --
    Ocean is land, covered with water.
  59. They will, memory cost has gone down. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Size is a big selling feature. They would of put out an 8 gig back when the nano launch, except flash was too expensive. Flash memory is probably half the price that it was last september, so it only makes sense to use more of it. 8gb of flash from retail is only like $180. I'm sure they can buy the raw chips for cheaper (~120). I bet they just move around prices. 2gb $150 4gb $200 8gb $250

  60. Why do I want a touch screen? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I love my nano, and I have absolutely no urge for a touch screen. I mean, really! What am I going to do with it that I can't already do with the nano I have?

    Give me more capacity in the same beautiful form factor. That's something I can use.

  61. It's all about how you count by gidds · · Score: 1
    A 10 GB drive will not store 10 GB worth of stuff

    It will, pretty much. It's not about formatting, nor about housekeeping. (Large files like MP3s will have very tiny overhead.) No, the issue is whether you're counting in 1000s or 1024s. Your point should really be that

    A 10 GB drive will not store 10 GiB worth of stuff
    ...which is completely true: a 10,000,000,000-byte drive won't store 10,737,418,240 bytes of information.

    --

    Ceterum censeo subscriptionem esse delendam.

  62. I'm still holding out... by gyrogeerloose · · Score: 1

    ...for the iPod Macro. Fits in the back of any tractor-trailer rig, comes preloaded with every song ever recorded and plays for 12 hours on a gallon of diesel fuel.

    --
    This ain't rocket surgery.
    1. Re:I'm still holding out... by brownwhornet · · Score: 1

      For those who missed it, the iPod Macro is already being prototyped in the Australian Outback. http://maps.google.com/?t=k&ll=-30.516354,121.3369 56&spn=0.293105,0.234146

  63. False Rumor by MadUndergrad · · Score: 1
    The next ipod has already been hinted at in this announcement:

    http://www.biggercheese.com/index.php?comic=591/

  64. Re:Dear Bushido Hacks, Nanos don't use hard drives by Bushido+Hacks · · Score: 1

    Dear Apple,
    I have not used your products ever since the iMac came out. Everything since then that you guys have made looks so unbelievely gay. So bite me!

    Sincerely,
    95% of the computer market.

    --
    The Rapture is NOT an exit strategy.