Rumor has it that Apple are planning a refresh of their iPod Nano and iPod Touch models - one of the main additions to the product lines is predicted to be a camera for taking pictures on the go. The up and coming event is taking place this coming Wednesday in San Francisco. According to The Business Insider's website, there are some fairly sound expectations surrounding the event.
In addition to announcing some new features with their music management software iTunes, Apple are expected to announce "almost certainly" an updated version of the ipod Touch along with the possibility of the same with the iPod Nano. This comes as little surprise considering the rumors regarding the addition of camera functionality to the portable range of media players have been around for some time now. According to Marco Arment, an analyst and blogger - his expectations of the event do not simply stop at the addition of the camera.
In his blog post regarding possible announcements at the event, he expects that Apple will firstly bring an end to the iPod Classic. His justification for this assumption is explained in the following excerpt from his blog:
"Most people buying iPod Classics are those high-needs people who insist on carrying their entire massive libraries with them all the time. They're a very small segment of the market: nearly every iPod buyer can fit their entire library on an iPod Touch at today's capacities (8/16/32 GB) with plenty of free space."
This seems like fairly sound judgment considering the needs of the end user with regards to portable media players. Arment's predictions do not stop there however, he also predicts that the iPod Shuffle will see a drop in RRP to $59, and the storage capacities within the iPod Nano will be reduced to a single model with 8GB of storage. When it comes to the iPod touch, is predictions are also quite concise. Apple will put a camera into the iPod touch along with doubling the storage capacities, and adjust the pricing across the range: 8 GB for $149, 16 GB for $199, 32 GB for $249, 64 GB for $349.
Apple is already known to be gearing its customers toward the iPod Touch and the iPod Touch only. These predictions regarding a change in the legacy iPod product line is hardly surprising considering this fact.
"Why? It's a more exciting, sophisticated experience, for one."
Announcements are also expected to be made with regards to the App. Store. Apple is on the brink of a mobile platform war. Managing to get more people interested in the App. Store will greatly help Apple's business. It has the potential to boost iPhone sales, and should this happen, subsequently ratify the App. Store's status, making its platform look like a good choice for developers. As its user base increases, so will the possibility of platform loyalty. According to TBI, it is also plausible that as a result of the aforementioned becoming a reality, users who enjoy the iPod Touch and iPhone will also become interested in the rumored Apple Tablet.
'Informed'? By who? Space aliens?
ROFL (the irony is I was just watching space odyssey)
That explains EVERYTHING! It wasn't an inscrutable black obelisk, it was merely the iPod Giga...
A little bit of class never hurt anyone Apple.
A little bit of class never hurt anyone Apple.
A lot of people don't care about the crappy headphones, I don't. People who really, a lot of them will already have nice headphones, so it won't affect them at all. There is just the people who like nice headphones, but don't want to buy some really nice ones. Apple doesn't think there are that many people like this, and I tend to agree with them.
Can't grumble
A little bit of class never hurt anyone Apple.
A lot of people don't care about the crappy headphones, I don't. People who really, a lot of them will already have nice headphones, so it won't affect them at all. There is just the people who like nice headphones, but don't want to buy some really nice ones. Apple doesn't think there are that many people like this, and I tend to agree with them.
Those were my thoughts as well. People who really want nice headphones (like me) are going to be particular about what headphones they use. The Zune came with much nicer headphones than the iPod does, but I still ended up using my own high-end headphones.
The popularity of the iPhone will still mean that the market is dominated by Apple's mobile OS. Any person wanting to invest time in making apps and games will want to release their products on the iPod Touch/iPhone.
A Zune Phone might put Microsoft in a better position, but the Zune HD alone will not change this.
This guy doesn't know a thing, he's just a speculator. Let's let the true facts fall down later on.
Exactly. The iPod Classic is great. Great HDD size. The ONLY thing it needs is a great DSP (making it sound great) and then I would change to the iPod
...ummmm what Apple Tablet? It's only a rumor.
It's also damn annoying to use on the go. I have an iphone and listening to music on it is a pain as I have to pull it out my pocket first, unlock it and then faff about with the ipod application.
As such, I still carry my old ipod 5.5g on me as I can change the song by just putting my hand in my pocket (o er) and feel the next/previous buttons.
As such, I still carry my old ipod 5.5g on me as I can change the song by just putting my hand in my pocket (o er) and feel the next/previous buttons.
You can change song on the iPhone without unlocking it - just press the Home button twice and the iPod controls appear, allowing you to adjust the volume and change to the next/previous track and play/pause. The iPhone is a phone not a media-only device like the iPod.
As such, I still carry my old ipod 5.5g on me as I can change the song by just putting my hand in my pocket (o er) and feel the next/previous buttons.
You can change song on the iPhone without unlocking it - just press the Home button twice and the iPod controls appear, allowing you to adjust the volume and change to the next/previous track and play/pause. The iPhone is a phone not a media-only device like the iPod.
Yep. If you have a remote on your earphones, double click to skip. Works wonders with my V-MODA Vibe IIs.
As such, I still carry my old ipod 5.5g on me as I can change the song by just putting my hand in my pocket (o er) and feel the next/previous buttons.
I have some Sennheiser earphones (MX-i50 or something), that have an iPhone remote. Single-click pauses/plays music, double-click skip to next track, triple-click previous track. If I push and hold for a moment I get Voice Control prompt and I can say 'play something' in the microphone of the remote and it generally plays what I ask it to.
I find this a lot easier than it was with my old iPod or my Zune 80.
I know the Zune specs are a lot better, but just the amount of stuff you can get on the app store will be so much more than what will be on the Zune marketplace thing. Unless of course, MS are planning XBL stuff for the Zune.
There's another thing in Microsoft's favor, you don't pay for security updates. Firmware updates are free for iphone users, but cost $10 for ipod touch users. You have to buy them since the security updates for your browser and your OS are bundled into the firmware. Microsoft doesn't charge for Zune firmware updates.
I like the direction they were going with a 160GB iPod Classic (which I just found out a year ago they reduced it to 120GB; Why, we will never know). The only thing I needed in a iPod Classic was a DSP that made it sound great because all iPods sounds like crap (to be fair, the best sounding phone is problably the iPhone in terms of media playback)
I ment reduced by cutting the 160GB because it isnt avaliable in markets anymore right?
Ideally, I'd love an iPod Classic, 250GB hard drive with a 16:9 screen and ability to output HD video (720p) NO OTHER FEATURES! As this doesn't look like happening, I think I'll go for the Zune HD when it comes to the UK. Simples.
Oh, also, iTunes is rumoured to be getting social network integration; yet more bloat for an absolutely ruined media library application.
And as for the rumour of including a camera with the iPod Nano and the iPod Touch, it sounds ridiculous to me, especially for the Nano. Don't we already have too many convergent (or all-in-one) devices on the market as is?
The reason I'd like one is I like to carry around a few movies and TV Shows to watch on the train, tram or plane and if it could output a higher quality video to TV, I could carry around a few DVD quality movies in my pocket to watch in hotel rooms or at a friends etc.
As for having that much music...a lot of people do have sizable music collections. Thats not forgetting the classic can be used as an external storage device and what not.
That said, to me the Classic has looked like it's been on the out for a long time. It's been a long time since it received much love and it really does look like it's just there to complete their line up.
Ideally, I'd love an iPod Classic, 250GB hard drive with a 16:9 screen and ability to output HD video (720p) NO OTHER FEATURES! As this doesn't look like happening, I think I'll go for the Zune HD when it comes to the UK. Simples.
Oh, also, iTunes is rumoured to be getting social network integration; yet more bloat for an absolutely ruined media library application.
FYI, Zune has "social network integration." I personally love the feature, as through the Zune Subscription my friend's favorite songs and their most listened to tracks were automatically downloaded and put on my Zune. Not sure what Apple will do. Hopefully we will see an iTunes subscription with similar features. I've been really missing that sense going to iPhone.
cool
This could be the last of the basic upgrades to add to an ipod touch till the market moves on again, wil be interesting to see how HD and 3d which seems to be the buzz at the moment will affect such devices.
When's the next Megan Fox movie coming out?
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