[Kusakun]

Come on! We really need a significant iPod update. If the ipod goes to 16GB NAND memory it is the nano. We need a 80gb/100gb fullsize ipod -actually i need it since mine has been stolen 3 months ago and I will not buy the same one again- or a shrinked capacity version

[Robo]

I'm thinking:

1GB iPod shuffle - $49

2GB iPod nano - $99
4GB iPod nano - $149
8GB iPod nano - $199

40GB iPod 6G - $199
80GB iPod 6G - $299

...meaning they'll be no overlap when iPhone prices drop $100 in January.

I don't think the 6G iPod will be touchscreen, not yet. I think it will have an aluminum enclosure (it will be thinner as a result), and I think it will have a new user interface (Cover Flow seems made for the click wheel). I think that - coupled with a capacity increase on the smaller model and a $50 price drop - would make for a worthy 6G iPod.

[morningstarrising]

Originally Posted by Kusakun Come on! We really need a significant iPod update. If the ipod goes to 16GB NAND memory it is the nano. We need a 80gb/100gb fullsize ipod -actually i need it since mine has been stolen 3 months ago and I will not buy the same one again- or a shrinked capacity version

Of course you an still buy a Hard drive ipPod. But the transition is all about flash. and 32Gb and 64GB Flash is only a year and a half away to be near today's iPod prices...Which is why I don't see the iPod(original) going flash just yet.

Roboman, do you think all this iPod touch stuff for next month is bull? I can't see Apple going through another holiday with just a color change for the nano and a bump in HD size for the original flavor.

[homeboy87]

Originally Posted by morningstarrising Of course you an still buy a Hard drive ipPod. But the transition is all about flash. and 32Gb and 64GB Flash is only a year and a half away to be near today's iPod prices...Which is why I don't see the iPod(original) going flash just yet. Roboman, do you think all this iPod touch stuff for next month is bull? I can't see Apple going through another holiday with just a color change for the nano and a bump in HD size for the original flavor.

Yeah it's a a tiny bit to early for a G6 iPod with flash memory then again Apple has an exclusive deal with means they can be throwing out SSD iPod G6 this year, but that is very unlikely. The Nano will be getting it's spec bumped up to 16GB and will most likely be untouched in a while since it's pretty much perfected. Off course the height can be shrunk a bit to make it even more compact.

A 16GB iPod G6 is clearly out of the question, the rumors is pure Bull sh*t. Touch screen is a bit possibility for the G6 since it can use the same screen as the iPhone. But for the Nano a touch screen is out of the question for now since it clearly has a too tiny screen to offer a decent touch screen experience for us with big thumbs.

I would love to see the new G6 in the same material as the macbooks, with a little rubbery feeling to.

[homeboy87]

From Macrumors:



Based on their circulating rumors, it appears clear that newcomer 9to5mac.com has access to legitimate sources of information on Apple's upcoming products. They were the first to describe the use of aluminum in the new iMacs and also provided some accurate descriptions of the keyboard. Their reports weren't perfect, as they also expected that the 17" iMac would remain, and a few other inconsistencies.

Most useful, however, is that their predictions for upcoming iPod revisions now have more credibility. Their most recent report claimed that iPod nanos would use the shorter proportioned design as well as the leaked UI videos. More intriguing, they claimed that a full-screen touch iPod is coming at $299 and $399 price points. Though they initially expected an August 7th release for the iPods, they are now hinting at a September release.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by homeboy87 From Macrumors: Based on their circulating rumors, it appears clear that newcomer 9to5mac.com has access to legitimate sources of information on Apple's upcoming products. They were the first to describe the use of aluminum in the new iMacs and also provided some accurate descriptions of the keyboard. Their reports weren't perfect, as they also expected that the 17" iMac would remain, and a few other inconsistencies. Most useful, however, is that their predictions for upcoming iPod revisions now have more credibility. Their most recent report claimed that iPod nanos would use the shorter proportioned design as well as the leaked UI videos. More intriguing, they claimed that a full-screen touch iPod is coming at $299 and $399 price points. Though they initially expected an August 7th release for the iPods, they are now hinting at a September release.

Idunno. Anybody could have predicted that the iMac would go aluminum - our own Messiahtosh did, and he predicted that three years before 9to5mac.com did. The iMac is basically a prosumer machine, and Apple kinda designed themselves into a corner - the only thing to do was to take it aluminum. And the new thin keyboard? The old curvy keyboard was one of the oldest Apple designs, and (ironically) one of the most criticized. It didn't take a genius to think that Apple might be changing it to something much more minimalist and modern (i.e., thin) in the future.

[homeboy87]

God the wait is killing me!!!!!!!!!!

I want a new DAP right now! Thankfully September is barely 2 weeks away.

[pscates2.0]

So? Who said "new iPods in September" automatically means September 1st? When does that ever happen?

What if it's September 28 or so, and you've really got about five weeks to wait? Are you going to make it?

Better have a sandwich and take a seat.

[Windowsrookie]

Who says they'll even be updated in September?

"New iPods December 2010!!!!"

[zippy]

lol

I just have to say that I really enjoy your posts paul. You really have a way with words.

You can say what everyone else would/is thinking, only you say it better than we would.

"Better have a sadwhich and take a seat." - I love it.





:end pscates2.0 love-fest

[Windowsrookie]

I wish I could love Paul as much as you.

[pscates2.0]

You can, for $10.

[kieran]

'scates doesn't discriminate over who loves him.

It usually ends up being the highest bidder. Zippy is winning right now.




I originally thought that Zippy was talking about WR, since he didn't quote 'scates. But after thinking about it for .5 seconds, I realized no one could say that about WR.

[Windowsrookie]

Originally Posted by kieran23kk 'I originally thought that Zippy was talking about WR, since he didn't quote 'scates. But after thinking about it for .5 seconds, I realized no one could say that about WR.

Come up here so I can bitch slap your face bitch.

[kieran]

Well if you're the one doing the bitch slapping, wouldn't that make you the bitch?

[Robo]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the iPods will be upgraded in October.

What now, homeboy87?

[kieran]

I'm going to go with Robo and say that Apple has a super event in October.

-New MBP
- New Mac Pro
- Leopard
- New iPod
-Updates to everything else.

How bout that?

[homeboy87]

I doubt that apple would release that many new stuff under the same months since they want to keep one product in the spot light at a time in order to milk us customers properly.

August: iMac
September: iPods. iPod G6, lowered priced on Shuffle and slightly shorter Nano with refreshed OS + lowered price.
October: Leopard + Santa Rossa Macbook, maybe even refreshed Cinema Displays with price reduction.

Originally Posted by Roboman I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the iPods will be upgraded in October. What now, homeboy87?

I don't even want to go down that road. Think only positive thoughts my friend Because my iPod Photo 30GB died my insurance company has given me a note which I take to my near by home electronic store and pick up which ever 30GB+ DAP want. I'm ready for what ever is going to come out.

iAudio X7 and MS Scorpio (Zune successor) are coming out in September and maybe even Creative's new high capacity DAP. The first one to come out and win my heart will get to spend the coming years in my pocket. At the same time I'm willing to wait the entire September for the new iPod G6. I just need something to distract me and keep my mind balanced until then, other wise the wait will kill me.

[pscates2.0]

Originally Posted by kieran23kk I'm going to go with Robo and say that Apple has a super event in October. -New MBP - New Mac Pro - Leopard - New iPod -Updates to everything else. How bout that?

I think you're being a bit too optimistic, and going to be very disappointed if you are truly hanging onto that as "something that's gonna happen!".

- MacBook Pros were just updated not that long ago. What would they go to?
- They could announce new Mac Pro updates, but doesn't that Penryn(?) thing come out in mid-November? Isn't that what everyone is assuming they'll use?
- If history is anything to go by, they won't have a special event just to "launch" Leopard...it simply goes on sale; the stores may have some nice "10% off!" sales (like they did when I bought my PowerBook the night Panther went on sale); no need to have a special media event just to tell everyone what we already know. They'll announce that "on sale" date either on their website, via a press release or mention it at an event for the new iPod (see next entry)
- I could easily imagine them having a "special event" for a new iPod...they've done that a few times before
- "Updates to everything else"? The iMac, Mac mini, iLife and iWork all just got updated. That leaves the MacBook and displays.

What do I realistically imagine could be the case, taking the above into account (and realizing these shows are NEVER wall-to-wall "unveiling orgies" with 7-8 products getting unleashed):

- Some sort of event in September or October, ushering in new iPods...full-size models and new nanos
- At same event, some new iTunes announcements (new artists, labels, TV shows, etc.)
- At same event, an actual date given for Leopard's release
- Possibly some MacBook news or update...Santa Rosa? LED displays? Maybe an iMac-matching redesign? I don't think Apple will leave the MacBook as the sole "white plastic" item for too much longer, and I'm betting a redesign - if only the casing style/color - also accompanies the inclusion of the Santa Rosa stuff, making this MacBook a real "bang for the buck": new design and spiffy new guts.

It'll sell like crazy. But the more I think of it, I could see the above being strictly iTunes/iPod-related. Any MacBook updates may just come via press release or simply pop up on their website (the same way that the iBook G4 just appeared one day, out of the blue, on Apple's homepage...we weren't even talking about it, and *BAM!* there it was!). Definitely one of their more unexpected, "take us by surprise" updates ever.



They may do the same thing with new MacBooks, especially if it's just a mild move to a slightly different processor (and they hang on to the plastic white case for another cycle).

I don't think anything happens to the monitors until the towers are updated. Those two things go together in people's mind, so don't expect some "special event" just to announce new displays or whatever. I don't think that would ever happen, in a gazillion years...



In any case, your "everything in the world happening at this one event" is sure to let you down if you think all those things are going to take place. These things usually tend to center around 2-3 products, a mixture of hardware and software...and they're never as wide-ranging and "OHMIGOSH!!!" as we like to imagine and build up.

In fact, they often come across quite "ho-hum" in retrospect: the iPod hi-fi/mini event last year, this year's WWDC keynote was a bit bland, last week's iMac/iLife/iWork thing didn't exactly make anyone faint, etc.

It's a lot better to go into these things expecting little. At least if anything remotely cool happens, you're happy. But you go into them expecting everything Apple owns to be updated/addressed in 90 minutes...yeow...good luck!

[kieran]

I was just playing around 'scates.

I know they don't update everything all at one event. If they did, it would be about a 4 hour long event. I can barely take the two hour ones now.

As long as Leopard comes out in October, I'm happy. Anything else is just icing on the cake.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

I'm thinking if anything gets touched at the new iPod unveiling event it would be AppleTV. To me they're in the same bucket, which is they are both consumers of iTMS content.

If Apple were to serious upgrade video offerings from the iTMS, then both may need to be upgraded. The new iPod will obviously be some kind of hardware + software upgrade while the AppleTV could just be software upgraded to handle the new content.

[Robo]

The Paris Apple Expo at the end of September would be the logical place to announce A) the iPhone release date in Europe and B) the release date in Leopard. I'd say C) Movies and TV shows on iTunes internationally, but that makes more sense at the iPod event. Unless, you know, PAE basically is the iPod event this year.

So:

PAE - iPhone for Europe, Leopard release, maybe that 13" MBP AppleInsider is so sure that we'll see

iTunes Event (October, may be PAE) - 6G iPod, iTunes 8, Apple TV update, price drops on iPod nano/shuffle/Hi-Fi

November - upgraded MacBook with Leopard - "The ultimate holiday combo"

MWSF - new "Core 3" (45nm) Mac Pros and displays, iPhone update/price drop?

[homeboy87]

Wow, so Apple has an annual expo in Paris?
I didn't know that. Just did some quick research and found out that it takes place between 25-29 September. Hopefully we'll see a new iPod then. Stevie J had already demonstrated Leopard so he'll probably just announce the release date during that expo.

[pscates2.0]

I thought I read somewhere the other day that Jobs wasn't going to be giving a presentation at the Paris thing this year...or did I dream that?



Anyway, if he's not that kinda rules out anything too earth-shattering, IMO. He'd want to be present for the launch of something really extraordinary and "revolutionary", just so he can say "boom" and "we think you're really going to love this" to a roomful of silence.



Poor guy, that event last week...he was working his ass off, and getting no love back.



I know, I know: it was a jaded, more reserved "press" crowd and not a roomful of iDorks spraying their shorts at every word Steve utters, but still...



I heard a lot of crickets last Tuesday. He'd demo something for 10 minutes and say "...and that's the new iMovie" or whatever. And nothing. At MWSF, the crowd throws their underwear on stage everytime he shows a new feature.

"...and *boom*! That's how you talk to the space shuttle in the new iChat. We think people will love this."

"OHMIGOD, have my baby, Steeeeeeeeve!"

[chucker]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I thought I read somewhere the other day that Jobs wasn't going to be giving a presentation at the Paris thing this year...or did I dream that?

That turned out to be an article from 2005.

[rasmits]

So Steve is doing a presentation at Apple Expo this year?

If he is, I'm definitely going. (But I'll probably go anyway - entrance is only 12€)

[chucker]

Originally Posted by rasmits So Steve is doing a presentation at Apple Expo this year?

Such information has yet to be revealed. It's simply unknown at this point.

[madmaxmedia]

They've already had to cut the current iPod prices by $50. Dressing it up in a new shell and making it shorter will not be enough to keep their price points. Even if the base iPod goes to say 40 or 60GB, it will not cause many waves, nor will it allow them to bump back up to $299 and $349/$399 IMO.

I think the fullscreen iPod is BY FAR the most exciting thing Apple could do right now, and would re-invigorate the full-sized iPod line. There's been more focus on movies by Apple, so it's also a natural progression. The touchscreen UI on the iPhone is oh-so-sexy, and the iPod could use that injection of sex appeal (being that it's been outsold for years by Mini/Nano.) I only hope they can hit the $299 price point for a 30GB model (without camera or wifi). With the onscreen keyboard you could even add and edit playlists (not just on-the-go).

There will be tactile controls for volume and play/skip in one form or the other. It will probably have volume buttons just like the iPhone, and probably earbuds with 'play/pause' and 'skip' button.

They can also cut the price of the radio remote, which people forget is available for the current 5G ipods-
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/ipo...o-remote-ipod/

Maybe if they cut out the radio, they can reduce this thing to $20. The shuffle control set is the easiest to use without looking. I actually use my 1G Shuffle more than I use my 5G iPod (if I didn't own a Shuffle I'd go ahead and buy the radio remote.)

With these additions, a touchscreen iPod would be easier to use without looking IMO than a clickwheel iPod. The clickwheel iPod is somewhat distracting for me to use in the car because I have to be careful not to accidentally tweak the volume.

Then next year, after the iPhone gets 3G and other improvements, they can add wifi, Safari, chat, YouTube, etc. to the next iPod. (iPhone Safari absolutely kicks ass over all other mobile browsers.) Heck they can even add Skype perhaps, since it's not a phone and is not subject to limitations by ATT.

They do these things, and other mp3 makers will basically give up at the high-end of the market. Whatever minimal chance Zune had to make a comeback will have evaporated into thin air in Paris. And how the heck is Creative or any other company going to be able to come up with an OS and UI like Apple's? Game over.
In the long run, the line between iPod and iPhone might blend a bit, but Apple wins no matter what we buy. Both are simply different iterations of the future mobile platform running OS X (sorry Palm, Windows Mobile, etc.) The only thing they have to worry about is maintaining proper feature sets between the different price points.

A year ago, everyone was talking about how Apple would lose out music sales to cell phone makers. Turns out Apple wins again, as they not dominate the music market but expand into others. In the big picture, it doesn’t really matter if the device has GSM, CDMA, wifi, or whatever- it’s all connected anyway, those are just technical specs in the long run. Those worrying about sales cannibalization between iPod and iPhone are missing the point- they’re all Apple mobile computer sales.

[jouster]

Originally Posted by madmaxmedia ....Heck they can even add Skype perhaps, since it's not a phone and is not subject to limitations by ATT..

We have no idea of apple's contractual obligations to AT&T. Their agreement might well include an embargo on things like skype in non-iPhone devices.

[rasmits]

Originally Posted by jouster We have no idea of apple's contractual obligations to AT&T. Their agreement might well include an embargo on things like skype in non-iPhone devices.

What about the Mac? That's a non-iPhone device and it makes for a great VoIP phone. No Skype / iChat / Google Talk on the iPhone? I understand. But I don't think AT&T can keep Apple from supporting VoIP through different channels.

Still, I don't think the next iPod will have VoIP (or any internet connectivity, really). Makes sense for the iPhone to remain the communications device + iPod while the iPod stays what it always has been: a media player - at least for now.

Adding Skype or any voice calling features to the iPod would muddle the differences between the two distinct product lines.