New iPod info from ThinkSecret!

[pscates2.0]

:eek:

Good stuff here! (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/augustipods.html)

Orange? Did I read that correctly?!? Anyone want a good deal on a white 15GB iPod in about a month? Seriously, contact me as the time nears... ;)

Smaller, sleeker, looking a bit like the mini in design...nice!

[hmurchison]

I'm for "smaller and sleeker" , make the sucker small so that someday I'll get my dream. An Apple smartphone with iTMS support. But for now a nice sleek iPod will suffice.

[MacUsers]

Send a message if you want to buy my 20 gig :p

[pscates2.0]

Pipe down, you chiselin' bastard! I done staked mah claim on this here thread! :D ;)

[thequicksilver]

Interesting article. I was a little confused by the statement though that this new iPod would "become the new 'standard' of the iPod line and will slowly replace over time the existing white iPod models". So from what this says, it's not going to replace the white iPod, but will form some kind of middle ground between the mini and the whites for the time being.

Unless I've misread…? I certainly hope I have, I'd not be too enamoured with the idea of a third iPod design out there.

[sCreeD]

At least I'm not the only one confused by that article.

...aroused... but confused.

Oh, BTW, "smaller and sleeker" means no video iPod. Confirmed! :D

Screed

[alcimedes]

boy though, with a video iPod think of the pr0n swaps you could manage with friends. meet up with murbot for an hour or two in an afternoon and you'd be able to fill your iPod with all new material.

[biggnthed]

Well, I hope they still put it out in white along with the other colors.

[pscates2.0]

I just hope that a standard white is offered. Seems odd that Apple would abandon such a recognizable, iconic look. But things change, I guess.

When I hear purple, orange and yellow, I wonder what KIND of purple, orange and yellow? Bright and gaudy, or muted and sophisticated? Glossy? Matte? Plastic or aluminum? Solid color or color with white or silver accents and buttons? So many questions...

:)

Can't wait to see 'em!

[MacUsers]

Pipe down, you chiselin' bastard! I done staked mah claim on this here thread! :D ;)

I got 5 more gigs than you... this thread is mine now!

[onlyafterdark]

Wow this is gunna be sweet. I didnt even expect a refresh of iPods until at least september. Now I just need some money. Guess im off to the pawn shop today.

[Maciej]

I'm confused. The article mentions similar design to the mini, but features of the whites, this leads me to question the most important feature to me. The scroll wheel or the click wheel? What do you guys think?

[Robo]

Awesome.

Yellow is my favorite color, and it's long been ignored by, well, everybody. Even the iPod mini comes in gold. I want yellow! Bright yellow! No metallic/clear crap!

And now I might just get my chance. I won't even have to pay $50 for Colorware to paint mine (up until now, that was well worth it - they even make the screen less scratchable!).

I love Apple :)

I just hope the new iMacs turn out OK - rumor has it, it's more of a "guts glommed on the back" design, and if it's anything like the current monitors (as it is believed) then I don't like it. The new screens are gorgeous and professional - but far too square for the iMac line.

Oh well, this is an iPod thread, so I'll take my worrying someplace else.

I just hope the rumors of colored iPods are true...but they should still keep white too, because, well, it's like Apple's trademark now. Just like clear blue was back in the day.

[DMBand0026]

Now this I like. Show me a 4G iPod and I'll show you the $$ Apple! I'm ready to buy, all I need now is the product and for someone to help me choose which color ;)

[Escher]

I wonder what KIND of purple, orange and yellow? Bright and gaudy, or muted and sophisticated? Glossy? Matte? Plastic or aluminum?

Questions, questions.... :) I immediately thought of you, pscates, when I read orange. But you beat me to the punch.

My dream would be a matte "warm" yellow (tending towards red/orange) iPod with a rubberized splash-proof outer shell. Kind of like the Sony Sports walkmen of yore. I'm still not comfortable with Apple's fragile iPod design.

Now that I have a giant HDD in my PowerBook, I have started ripping my CD collection (about 3 years after everyone else). So I'll be in the market for an iPod shortly. Bring it on!

Escher

[pscates2.0]

You can't go wrong with orange.

[Messiahtosh]

I'm excited to hear this news, it seems as though the 4G iPod is not so far off afterall! I recently bought a mini, and i have no money, so i wont be able to buy the next iPod...even though I already want that orange one. Damn.

[Escher]

You can't go wrong with orange.

I wonder whether they'll feature matching color earbuds too. Or will the colors be subdued, like on the mini, with white earbuds?

Escher

[wildspin]

I'll have no interest in this friggin' thing at all until they bring the darned ITMS into Canada ... why the heck is it so difficult? :smokey:

[pscates2.0]

Well, it's Canada for starters... :lol: ;)

[Wrao]

Paul likes orange! :D

I think a Purple iPod could look really slick, if it was a dark Purple.

Man, I wish Apple used my color changing LED backlight idea, that'd be neat.

Of course, with all the colors, they'd probably end up looking tacky AND the new iPods will most likely use the iPod mini scroll design so there probably won't be a backlight under the keys anymore, unless. Ooh, that'd be slick if they have like just the center button have a backlight under it.

[onlyafterdark]

Ya that blacklight under the click wheel would be pretty sick alright. Just make the light under the center button and around the wheel itself and make the light match the colour of the iPod or better yet, make it so that you can change the LED to what ever colour you like. Sorry, got a little carried away. :)

[Wrao]

Ya that blacklight under the click wheel would be pretty sick alright. Just make the light under the center button and around the wheel itself and make the light match the colour of the iPod or better yet, make it so that you can change the LED to what ever colour you like. Sorry, got a little carried away. :)

not at all, I think it's a totally neat idea, the technology is there(color changing LEDs) LEDs are dirt cheap AND tiny. it's certainly a possibility , but eh, who knows.

[onlyafterdark]

Then they should do it, it will make the iPod stand out even better. :D

[LoCash]

The next iPod is going to be announced before August :)

[pscates2.0]

That wouldn't surprise me. In fact...ah, nevermind. ;)

Earlier than expected.

[Mac+]

Mmmm - new iPod talk. :)

When they get a colour screen - I'm in! :D Been waiting too long - but can still afford to wait a while longer, for my "dream" model.

However, if I'm to be tempted, I might go the pscates way and choose an orange one. I also concur with Escher that Apple might be trying to introduce a rugged model a'la the Sony Walkman Sports of yesteryear. Expanding the product line to appeal to more people and then gradually incorporating those new features into the standard models... but we'll have to wait and see. :grumble:

[drewprops]

Mmmmmmm OLED screen in a Safety Yellow iPod?
I am sooooooooo glad that I waited until this Summer!!!!

[Luca]

I for one am strongly AGAINST a color screen. That's just one more superfluous feature that doesn't add anything at all to usability while draining the already small battery life even more. Plus, passive matrix color LCDs look awful compared to passive matrix monochrome LCDs, so if you wanted the screen to look good it would have to use an even more expensive and power-hungry active matrix color LCD. No thanks.

[alcimedes]

I for one am strongly AGAINST a color screen. That's just one more superfluous feature that doesn't add anything at all to usability while draining the already small battery life even more. Plus, passive matrix color LCDs look awful compared to passive matrix monochrome LCDs, so if you wanted the screen to look good it would have to use an even more expensive and power-hungry active matrix color LCD. No thanks.

kind of like a 4GB iPod that's just a bit smaller than the 15GB, and only $50 cheaper is stupid. (i know, i said it too).

there's no accounting for taste. sometimes it's important to remember that most of us are spec whores. we're not typical.

[Luca]

Seriously though, what use is there at all for an iPod with a color screen? Would you be able to give songs color labels based on a certain tag (i.e. all songs of Genre "Classic Rock" are green, all songs of genre "Dance" are red, etc), or something like that? Maybe a visualizer? I don't know, it just seems like unless there's some killer new feature to go with it, it's pretty useless and causes a great sacrifice for minimal benefit.

I don't see high cost as a sacrifice unless it hurts sales. Obviously, it hasn't hurt sales of iPod minis. ;)

[Mac+]

...[snip]... That's just one more superfluous feature that doesn't add anything at all to usability while draining the already small battery life even more. ...[snip]...

Whilst I agree that a colour screen will probably drain battery life, I disagree with the comment that color won't add to usability. Think iCal for starters.

[onlyafterdark]

Im thinking of more on the photo side of things. If the new iPod has a 2" colour screen it would be a great tool to use with a digital camera. You can already store pics on an iPod and now you'll be able to look at them too. Sounds good to me.

[Mac+]

Absolutely! That as well.

I'm in no great rush to watch video on the iPod - but I'd like a colour screen to assist with iCal and to make iPhotos viewable. It would be cool if iTunes album cover art was viewable too.

I'd also like the iPod to function as a repository for the media we create with iLife. One day we should be able to view QT or iMovies on it and also push the video to a TV or monitor. But for now, I'd settle for colour just for iCal, iPhoto, iTunes album cover art and even, as Luca suggested, tags for iTunes songs. (nice one) ;)

[Paul]

I'm confused. The article mentions similar design to the mini, but features of the whites, this leads me to question the most important feature to me. The scroll wheel or the click wheel? What do you guys think?
mini features: color, size (not AS small, but getting there), click wheel.
3g features: button backlight, large(r) HD capacity, pricing (tiers)
new features: 60 gig (or was it 50?), color screen?, new backlight (color change?), bluetooth?, new accessories (ApExp converter?)...
Trademark: white headphones... I'm not as sure that there will still be a white body however... at least not entirely... (two-toned?)

[BuonRotto]

My opinion about color screen:

I have mixed feelings towards it. For one, color cscreens are notoriously poor with regard to battery life, and they're also hard to read in normal daylight unless you add a good enough backlight to drain the battery in about five minutes. Anyone with a color screen cell phone knows what I'm talking about.

On the other hand, it could add some usability, and frankly, while we all like to be purists here, it does add some "gee-whiz" attractiveness o the thing. Aside from photo viewing and color coding songs or playlists, you could view album art while a song is playing with a good enough screen (also needs good enough resolution of course, another battery drain). Anyway, the point is Apple does have a lot of pressure on them to make the iPod look as up-to-date as possible.

Don't forget that they could make a color screen with only 4 or 8 colors and get by with that. Maybe.

[DMBand0026]

I hope the color screen doesn't make it. Everyone is already complaining about the 8 hour battery life, drop a color screen in there and with the additional backlights needed you're dropping the battery life considerably.

Personally, 8 hours is plenty long enough for me, but for those of you who always need something to complain about...

I can see it now (a month or so after the iPod release)

"I love the new iPod, it's so cool...blah blah blah...but I'm selling it to get a 3G because the battery life dropped to 7.5 hours. How ridiculous is it that Apple can't make a product that blah blah blah <insert typical anti-Apple rant here, you all know what it sounds like>."

I don't want to see this happen, and I don't want to see the iPod get any bigger either just to accommodate a bigger battery.

[Leonis]

I hope this new 4G iPod will be smaller so that it can drive the price of the iPod mini a bit lower

[pscates2.0]

Ooh, that's an angle I've not even considered. Good one! Break that $200 barrier...although, they're selling like hotcakes (I guess) and still seem to be struggling a bit, supply-wise. Apple would probably be more inclined to RAISE prices on the mini than lower them. :)

Sigh...if those minis could just somehow hit $149, I'd have all my birthday and Christmas gift-giving figured out for me for the next year or so. :eek:

[Messiahtosh]

My birthday is on October 17th, pscates. :p

Anyway, the iPod mini will probably drop in price as the 4G iPods are introduced. The education price for the mini is $229 and then with tax it comes out to $242 from the Apple Online Store. Not too bad. If Apple can somehow get the mini price down to $200, I think that would be extraordinary, especially if they upped the HD to 10 GB's or around that.
:wow:

[Robo]

Anyway, the point is Apple does have a lot of pressure on them to make the iPod look as up-to-date as possible.


And it doesn't already? I don't know of any other MP3 players with a color screen... :\

[propellerhead]

Heh...it's funny. I never thought I'd fill 15GB of music (hence my 15GB iPod.)

I now have almost 45GB. I've borrowed CDs from friends and converted my entire music library.

Don't even get me started on music I've bought from iTunes...

Anyways, how does this have anything to do with the new iPods?

Lets just say I can't wait for the rumored 60GB versions.

:D

[propellerhead]

And it doesn't already? I don't know of any other MP3 players with a color screen... :\

I think Creative and Archos both make "Media Jukeboxes" that play both mp3s, .avi's, etc.

Battery life is awful though.

[Robo]

Yeah, I know, but those are about the size of a pocket dictionary. Creative, etc. make "portable media players" too, but again, that's more what the rumored "iPod Video" would be. I was thinking of the MP3 players that compete most directly with the iPod - the Zen, for example - none of them have color screens.

[onlyafterdark]

I thought most of the new so called iPod killers had a colour screen along with other features that mp3 players do not need. Not quite sure where I read that. Ill try and find an example.

[DMBand0026]

Every Mp3 player that has come out since the debut of the 1G iPod has been the "iPod killer". However, no one has come even close. It's gonna take a lot to dethrone the iPod, and I know Apple knows they can't just sit on what they have now. They'll keep improving it and we'll watch the competition fall farther and farther behind.

[onlyafterdark]

Here are a few with colour screens.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0405/04052803iriverh300.asp

http://www.theregister.com/2004/05/11/sony_vaio_pocket/

This is old news but it gives you an idea about colour screens. Im not particularly blow away by anything I have seen so far. Maybe waiting another generation for a colour screen is a good idea. I dont want to be stuck with a shitty colour screen than just wastes battery life.

[pscates2.0]

Every Mp3 player that has come out since the debut of the 1G iPod has been the "iPod killer".

Good luck. They ain't, and I doubt ever WILL be. None of them have the three-point punch Apple does. It's that simple (something to be said for controlling the whole experience and "making the entire widget", from top to bottom, hardware AND software.

...and I know Apple knows they can't just sit on what they have now. They'll keep improving it and we'll watch the competition fall farther and farther behind.

Actually, I think they could. If all Apple ever did was incrementally bump the hard drives once a year and maybe add some nice software-based interaction with other Apple software or .Mac services, all the gadgety, gearboy-centric "iPod killers" STILL would suck, wouldn't be as elegant or refined as the whole iPod experience. There's ALWAYS going to be a very simple, basic market for people to listen to music. There will always be more people who'll spend $300 for the simple pleasure of having their entire music catalog with them at all time than there will be for people to spend $500-700 on video-this, color screen-that, etc.

It's a niche, and one they do better than anyone else could, just because of what I said earlier.

Mind you, I'm not advocating Apple just sitting there and getting complacent and stagnant with the iPod, but I don't think they face any real threat anytime soon at all. All these iPod killers are jokes. Would any of you honestly get excited about purchasing any of them? As usual, Apple is so far ahead of others in terms of simplicity and elegance and "well, duh...that's how it's SUPPOSED to work" that I don't worry about the other stuff...they're still trying to catch up, in most cases.

Part of me thinks the iPod - the current model - should stay somewhat pure and basically "what it is". If Apple wanted to go the color screen, video-out route or whatever, I'd hope they'd just create a focused vPod (or something with a cooler name ;) ) for that market.

I don't like the idea AT ALL of the iPod becoming this silly-ass Swiss army knife of color, photo, video, GPS, rocket launcher, first-aid kit, etc.

:err:

I don't know...I might be alone - or in the minority - on this. I do, however, sometimes like the idea of a small color screen JUST for a photo slideshow thing, only because, next to music, people seem most drawn to and appreciative of photos. And if you've got all your music with you, it would kinda be neat to have all your photos too. Especially while traveling. Why have a wallet with only 3-4 small photos of the wife and kids when you could have your entire iPhoto library on there. Nothing fancy, just something to look at when you're away and missing those closest. And, of course, to show around to others "yeah, look at the kid...he's growing like a weed!".

:)

I don't know. If Apple could figure out how to do the whole video/color screen/photo, etc. thing and still keep it sleek, elegant and with a decent battery life, sure...I've got no problem with that, I suppose. I just don't want to see the iPod start looking like all these idiotic other "iPod killers" with facets, bevels, parts pooching out, stupid interfaces, "everything to everyone" approach, etc.

:rolleyes:

[propellerhead]

The only real question here is what features can Apple add to the iPod before it starts becoming redundant.

Relatively small capacity upgrades do not entail a new generation of iPods. The difference between the 2nd and 3rd gen iPods was obvious (e.g. everything touch sensitive vs traditional buttons.) I hope the next revision to the iPod brings about similar large, but nevertheless subtle changes.

[sCreeD]

Strange days. When the iPod mini arrived we all said, "250 for that!?" which is close to what we said about the 1G iPod. Once it was obvious it would be a huge success, the evolution was obvious: the mini for music and music only and the "Big" could scale to "something else" like the mythical, mystical video iPod.

Now we hear that Big will be dressed up and sized down like the mini!

:err:

What's going on?! Could Apple be adding a third tier above the new, colored iPod?

I used to think Apple's intent was to keep the Zen of the iPod intact, music and only music (plus some software frills). And yet there are all these peripherals that extend its uses.

I think the iPod is Apple's new platform. They build the core device and let other extend its functionality. Soooo, more evolutions through the generations instead of feature bloat.

The mini is still barely attainable. Making the iPod more like the mini makes sense. People may want to opt up. 20GB iPods, smaller than the current white ones, in color for $50 more? Why not!

Screed