Apple should update the iPod's Remote:my fake idea


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This is a fake idea that I thought up. This has nothing to do with Apple Computer as a Company. This is just what i think, and I could be totally wrong. Maybe what I beleive could be cheap, could really be expensive. Tell me what you think. I think apple should market this remote as "New iPod Remote".

I say that Apple should update their iPod Remote with a small LCD, an SD Card Slot, an internal Lithium ion battery, and put the needed hardware and firmware into it so it could function as a Standalone mp3 player. As I believe, they should market it as the "New iPod Remote". It could also be hooked up to an iPod via the wire and function as a remote control for the iPod. Therefore, it would not only gain functionality as a portable flash mp3 player, but gain a lot of functionality even when is being used as simply a remote control for the iPod. Users would be able to see what songs they are going to when they use the remote. However, I think the selling point would be that it could be stylish, made by apple, and it would effortlessly just work with the iPod. Plus, with flash memory devices, power is usually double that of Harddisk Mp3 players. When it is hooked up to the iPod, it could get power to charge from the iPod, or it could charge when it is hooked up to a computer via USB or it could have an AC adaptor. This would make it cheap, so it could come with the most expensive iPods and cost as little as 29.99 for the lower priced iPods. It could help sell iPods because people who are turned off by the size and weight of the iPod and the fact that it is a spinning harddisk could now purchase an iPod knowing that if they want to, they can disconnect this from the iPod, purchase a 512mb SD Card and have plenty of songs to jog with or take with them wherever. Basically, apple could make this so cheap because they would not be providing the flash memory for it, just the slot for flash memory. The flash memory is currently the most expensive part in Flash Memory Devices. Apple could leave it up to the individual consumer as to how much they want to spend on an SD card, since they are amazingly expensive...yet extremely portable and durable.

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Let me edit this idea. These devices would not be sold separately. Because I don't know if apple could give these away for 29.99. It would probably have to be more like 49.99, which is just rediculously expensive...especially since it would ruin the iPod business because although that is a lot of money for some people, for apple, getting only this amount as opposed to the 300 bucks it gets on the iPod would be pocket change. However, now that they include a portable flashdisk with their iPod, they could have better reason to sustain their current prices of $299, $399, and $499. People who claim the iPod is too expensive could now be told, "well, you're harddisk mp3 player does not come with a remote control that can also function as standalone mp3, AAC player/flashdrive."

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Oh yeah...and WiFi (Airport, 802.11b) could be used to transfer songs to and from the iPod, and to and from "The New iPod Remote" however, that would really bulk up the size, weight and price of the remote. However, apple should definetely think about putting Airport Extreme into their iPod devices so users could transfer songs between a computer and an iPod without wires.

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the only thing i see with this is that a remote that is a standalone mp3 player with sd slot and lcd wouldnt be that small. nice thought though, i would definatly like a remote with an lcd and thats it.

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Are you planning on presenting this idea to Apple or something?

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

anyway, your idea just seems rather infeasible to me at this point.

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I appreciate all your comments...but still...this is my idea when PhotoShopped...and no I am not presenting this to Apple Formally, but I sure wish Apple would do this!

this picture is just to give you an idea of what i think would be a good way to implement my idea. however, i'm sure many people out there have much better photoshop skills than I do, and could do a better job at photoshopping my idea. you know...maybe there wouldn't be a scroll wheel because it is so small...so maybe just a few buttons...and there are other sides to this, so there could be other buttons on it as well...you don't see all of it just from looking at the front shot.

post-60-1073020860.jpg

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...and I know I already posted these shots in another forum...but I wanted to get more recognition for them, or hope that Apple would see it and make my idea come to life :wub: ...i'm Just Kidding on that last part by the way.

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if you dont want to submit it to apple, why are you telling us these things?

I figure submitting it to Apple would do absolutely nothing. They're not going to actually make it into something. I figured if I could generate buzz about something that people would like and it got around enough apple would see it and try to make it.

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I can't see why this type of Mp3 sale does not exist yet (e.g. selling a harddisk player and miniature flash player together in one lower price compared to each being sold separately) ...after all...flash memory is small...so are remote controls. Some remote contols already have LCD's on them. Why NOT throw in a peice of flash memory and walla...you've got an mp3 player? I mean...i just seems like it makes so much sense for a hardware company to create and market this idea that it bothers me that something like this does not exist yet...(e.g. selling a HardDrive Based Mp3 player with a Small little Flash based "sidekick" device that could share tunes with the larger HD, and be separated to function on it's own)...nobody likes jogging with a harddrive. That's the reason people don't buy harddrive players.

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I can tell you one thing, buddy.

If you have to tell someone about an idea in such detail, it will never become reality (well, it could.. but it wont be thanks to you). To make something the kid next door thought up a reality, it would have to be something that people are itching for. For example, every time you watch TV and you have to get up to change the channel, you think "Damn it would be nice to have something to change it from my couch." Something that is almost a necessity. If you thought up the idea of a remote control, everyone would say "Yeah, that would rock!"

Secondly, something like this isnt really that appealing. If the iPod was a giant monolith, it would be a different story. But, unfortunately, iPods are small enough to fit in your shirt pocket. About the smallest someone could make a flash mp3 player (and still keep it affordable) would be about 1/4 the size of an iPod. Would you be willing to spend a good $100 just so that you can keep your iPod home and take a little toy around with you? Is a little pocket room really worth $100?

Which brings me to my next point. People spent in excess of $200 for their 20+gb iPods. They did that because they have 9253872835 songs that they want to listen to on the go. By buying an expensive add-on, they are putting down additional money so that they can put only 20 songs out of their collection onto a little toy. Not very appealing.

Another thing... You keep saying that it would be cheap and easy to make such a thing. If you just wanted a remote control, then yes, it would be cheap and easy. But to create a remote control that can double as a standalone player--that's going to be more expensive and harder than making a regular flash mp3 player. Not only do you have to create a regular standalone MP3 player in there, but you also have to create a remote control for the iPod. Putting two things into one will increase the cost and the size of the remote control. Personally, if I was itching to buy a flash MP3 player to complement my iPod, I would go buy another company's MP3 player because its cheaper and smaller than this remote.

As you can see, there are numerous reasons why something like this would not make money. Some of the points you bring up are very valid, but they are not part of the majority vote. Many of these things are like "Hmm.. I wouldnt mind that kind of functionality, but its not worth $100 to me" You can't sincerely expect a 512mb flash MP3 player WITH an iPod remote to run at $30, buddy. No-name cheapo 128mb Mp3 players run in excess of $100, so your 512mb stylish monster would cost more than $300--practically the price of an iPod. Even at 128mb, assuming that Apple sells them at cost price to sell more iPods, it would be at least $80-100 for it.. Now that's a little more reasonable and your ideas make more sense.. But still, there's the cost of conceptualizing it, creating it, marketing it, putting it out, and then supporting it after. Such costs would make this little wonder not worth it for apple.

And, to close my arguments, I would also like to point out that, by posting this on forums, you will get nothing done. Even if its a grand idea, posting it on forums will either have people ignoring it (like in this case) or stealing your idea. And when Radish is rich thanks to your idea, you'll sure as hell be ****ed. Rather than posting it, if you think its a truly good idea, you should do more research and submit it to Apple. Write a long paper on it that would have enough information to convince them and allow them to create a prototype of it. Don't just write a list of features, do the research--tell them that an LCD screen would cost $10 and that by sending the following string of 0's and 1's to the iPod, they could get it to play the following song.

Wow, that was a pretty long rant :| I hope you understand that I'm not trying to bash you or your idea, I'm just saying that it looks good on paper but fails miserably when put into a real world situation. In any case, I hope you prove me wrong and get this published. But, as I said, I doubt it :)

Edited by HellBender
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HellBender pretty much summed up my thoughts on the idea.

#1 - The iPod is not a Mac. I don't know why people feel the need to post these threads in this section of Neowin. There is a specific forum for portable devices, that is where this belongs. I am guessing that it has to do with the fact that Apple makes Macs and they also make iPods, but common, Sony makes computers and handhelds and everyone can seem to figure out where to put the threads accordingly. Is it really that hard?

#2 - My personal preference, I despise the remote. I think it is useless. I already can fit it into my pocket, I need to be able to see what I am looking at with 15 gigs of music, and I bought the iPod because it is sleek and small, the last think that I want to do with it is add weight and more functionality than is needed. Apple, the company, kinda has a style in my opinion. Everything they make, right down to their software, pretty much has 1 purpose, and it is designed to carry out that purpose the best way, and only one way possible. Other software on the other hand I have noticed tries to do EVERYTHING all in one application. This becomes bloated. They also give a million different ways to do one thing. Which is fine except when they start conflicting with each other.

I see the same thing happening with your idea. The iPod does what it was designed to do and it does it pretty much flawlessly. I really cannot think of anything I want to be able to do on my iPod that I already cannot. It is small and simple, adding an SD card slot and all that other jazz that you mentioned would just add confusion and bulk on top of an already great product. You now have 2 storage devices, 2 batteries and 2 screens. This is just over the top and unnecessary.

However, this being said, I would love it if Apple made a cheaper version of the iPod itself, even if it looked like the mockups that have been done here. A smaller lighter, less storage capacity device would be well welcomed by me. There have been many times when I wanted to listen to music and the iPod has just been a bit much to take.

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  • 4 weeks later...

i DO wish the remote had an LCD, I get really annoyed using it not being able see what i'm doing. i've been through about five ipods and i only even opened the packet the remote was in with the fist 20GB model.

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