View Full Version : iPod flash details?
Unbeliever
2005-01-10, 07:03
Here`s what i found on ipodlounge.com this morning. they are reporting that MacityNet.it had taken pics of the iPod Flash banner and that it WON`T have screen and hold 240 songs (which implies 1GB card).
if the "no screen" part is true, that is a total deal braker for me. iPod without a screen is as useful as Windows on my comp, which means utterly usless :/
my sister wanted to buy one and i wanted to get one to accompany my 3G 15gigger but no matter how well Apple implements it, iPod without screen just seems pointless to me. I`m hoping it`s not true. Screen (UI) and wheel is what makes iPod stand out from the rest of the crowd.
MaccityNet (http://www.macitynet.it/english/aA20182/)
iPodLounge (http://www.ipodlounge.com/ipodnews_comments.php?id=6056_0_7_0_C)
Moonmonkey
2005-01-10, 07:11
"We cannot show the images of the new iPod because we were forced to delete them from our cameras, but we can describe it."
What a load of rubbish, the posters are real, but "we were forced to delete them from our cameras" is a crock.
InactionMan
2005-01-10, 07:19
"life is random" I don't like that slogan. Don't know why, I just don't. Seems to work for the no-screenie iPod. Sync a playlist, hit play and listen. It's random because there is no freaking screen so you don't know what's coming next. Doesn't need a screen anyway, I keep my iPod in my pocket most of the time and only look at to check the time.
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 07:32
I wouldn't use an iPod unless it had a screen. Hopefully there's some clever way to get around this. Maybe through-headphone speech of what the next song will be? haha
MacRGood4U
2005-01-10, 07:33
Apple doesn't put posters or banners up until late Monday evening/early Tuesday. They are immediately covered up. In all previous MW and Paris Expos this has been the case. Also, no new product is taken out of the sealed crates until that time. At approximately 12 noon on Tuesday right after the Keynote, admission to the show floor will begin. During the Keynote, those banners are uncovered and the new product is also uncovered, having been previously under tarpaulins. All the competition flash players in the $150 price range have a screen. Apple's will. iPodlounge is just quoting somebody else. It's all B.S. It gets the sites more hits. We'll know in about 30 hours.
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 07:35
Apple doesn't put posters or banners up until late Monday. They are immediately covered up. In all previous MW and Paris Expo this has been the case. Also, no new product is taken out of the sealed crates until that time. At approximately 12 noon on Monday, admission to the show floor will begin. During the Keynote, those banners are uncovered and the new product is also uncovered, having been previously under tarplins. All the compeition flash players in terh $150 price range have a screen. Apple's will. iPodlounge is just quoting somebody else. It's all B.S. It gets the sites more hits. We'll know in about 30 hours.Ahhh, a voice of reason. :)
Welp, time for Spanish class...
Unbeliever
2005-01-10, 07:42
Apple doesn't put posters or banners up until late Monday evening/early Tuesday. They are immediately covered up. In all previous MW and Paris Expos this has been the case. Also, no new product is taken out of the sealed crates until that time. At approximately 12 noon on Tuesday right after the Keynote, admission to the show floor will begin. During the Keynote, those banners are uncovered and the new product is also uncovered, having been previously under tarpaulins. All the competition flash players in the $150 price range have a screen. Apple's will. iPodlounge is just quoting somebody else. It's all B.S. It gets the sites more hits. We'll know in about 30 hours.
i know it`s fishy, that`s why i put a questionmark in the title ;)
MacRGood4U
2005-01-10, 07:43
I have a feeling that the flash iPod is the main attraction and that any low-priced or headless Mac is a red herring and really doesn't excist. When was the last time Apple introduced two new hardware products at a MW? (I'm not talking about any upgrades to excisting ones).
As far as the slogan, it's OK. It depends on how it is used in the context of the media and tv ads. I went to the site to look at the banners. I would be terribly disappointed if there was no screen. I really don't think Apple would do such a thing.... or should I say, I hope.
Updated thoughts. "Life Is Random" certainly is a clue to there being no screen.... just shuffle play. Price $129.
Daveydweeb
2005-01-10, 08:14
When was the last time Apple introduced two new hardware products at a MW? (I'm not talking about any upgrades to excisting ones).
MacWorld 1999: Apple released the iBook and Airport within half an hour of each other ("So, we needed a consumer laptop - check it out, its the iBook. But there was just one more thing - let me show you the intarweb on this thing! *wakes up iBook, fires up IE 4.5* Wait... you guys over there can't see, can you? *picks up laptop, walks across stage* Oh, wait a sec. Introducing Airport.")
Then he got Phil Schiller to jump off a lighting rig to prove it's wirelessness...
Good times.
They've done it before, they can do it again, and they can do it with style.
bperkins
2005-01-10, 08:30
BS....bet that is the solgan for iLife 05'
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 09:10
I bet it isnt the slogan at all.
BuonRotto
2005-01-10, 09:33
Well, the pics that I saw looked real enough, but I only saw the green banner, the slogan mentioned, and what looked like the shuffle icon (crossing arrows). I either missed the graphic of the new iPod on that banner or else it's just their word on the subject.
Apple's banners typically have little aphorisms on them, but aren't necessarily the tagline for the product(s) shown. For example, when OS X came out, they had all sorts of banners in NYC with OS X icons that said different things.
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 09:42
Well, the pics that I saw looked real enough, but I only saw the green banner, the slogan mentioned, and what looked like the shuffle icon (crossing arrows). I either missed the graphic of the new iPod on that banner or else it's just their word on the subject.
Apple's banners typically have little aphorisms on them, but aren't necessarily the tagline for the product(s) shown. For example, when OS X came out, they had all sorts of banners in NYC with OS X icons that said different things.
How could you have seen this? :confused:
I bet it isnt the slogan at all.
maybe not THE slogan... but definitely A slogan... and the silhouette certainly implies iPod
http://www.macitynet.it/artimgs/aA20182/img4.jpg
the thot plickens...
all this security and all you had to do was stand by the window!!! :lol:
I do think they are lying about having gotten pictures of the actual device... but I guess anything is possible...
thegelding
2005-01-10, 09:55
adding shuffle to all their iPods doesn't mean there won't be any screen at all
soon enough we will know
g
How could you have seen this? :confused:
What are you so :confused:'d about?
Geez,
You guys walk around for decades with your Walkmans, drive around with your CD players showing "Track X," proving that hundreds of millions of people will buy devices that don't show what is playing.
Why? The frigging "skip" button.
Even if you've got a 10-CD changer in your car, I bet you subconsciously know what songis next, what CD is next, and skip from song to song to CD to CD to get to where you want.
No screen. NO BIG DEAL.
I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble, but couldn't these just be new iPod ad campaign banners? I don't necessarily see anything in that picture, or about the slogan, that says, "We built a flash based iPod, omg wtf!"
I do think we'll see one, but that banner doesn't really prove it.
I can't believe Apple is letting a guy wearing a shirt like that handle the banners.
BuonRotto
2005-01-10, 10:11
That's just it, LoCash, it's not really indicative of anything in particular as-is.
Well, Apple *did* just introduce the 'Shuffle Songs' option in the main menu:
Do the iPod Shuffle
You can put the Apple Click Wheel to use the next time you want to set your music to shuffle. Right there on the main menu — where it’s very easy to find — you’ll spot a new option — Shuffle Songs. Everyone’s favorite option for mixing things up, Shuffle Songs randomly plays the songs in your music library. You’ll never guess what’s coming up next, so you’re always surprised by startling juxtapositions — like a melodic Coldplay song hot on the heels of a Caballé aria.
This might be a foreshadowing to a new screenless iPod...who knows. Apparently Apple's R&D Dept finds most user's knickers get moist with this option...me, I didn't even know it existed until today. :\
thegelding
2005-01-10, 10:24
i actually always use shuffle...hardly ever look at the screen...doesn't mean that i don't want a screen though...even a simple one line screen would make people feel better and would help when a song comes on that you have forgotten the name of and just need to know right now what it is...happens to me jogging from time to time
g
psmith2.0
2005-01-10, 10:27
Two things:
1. I don't think that black stuff on the green banner is a "silhouette dancer". It looks so angular and sharp...instead, I think it's black vinyl or something covering images underneath. Just my opinion...
2. The folks at that site said they didn't see a screen. If all they saw was the front of this thing (describing it as "more vertical" - skinnier? - than the iPod mini, then what about the notion of the display being on top, where, at a casual glance of a "front-on" photo, you indeed wouldn't see any display). It's hidden from view, on top. Kinda makes those "two line display" rumors make a bit more sense, right?
Imagine this thing being a tad narrower than the iPod mini, BUT maybe just a bit deeper, front to back. That could hold a little two-line display, kicked slightly to one side to allow just a bit of room for a headphone jack?
I'm imagining a pack of Bubble Yum or some other thick pack of bubble gum...narrow (almost square, but not quite).
BuonRotto
2005-01-10, 10:31
Paul, doesn't the black marking on the banner that we can see look like the shuffle arrows? One arrow dipping down on the left, the other coming up with the arrowhead on the top right. That much seems pretty clear to me anyway.
I completely agree that you need a screen if you're using it as a music player primarily. But, what if...and this is a big what if...Apple's decided to tout this as not only an iPod, but also a file transfer device. Sure, *we* know that, but I really couldn't tell you the amount of times I've brought in an iPod to agencies and whatnot, whipped out a FW cord, and they're all big-eyed "What are you doing?". Seriously. A GB USB flash-drive thingy is ~100 bucks, why not tout that much overlooked feature as an extra bang-for-the-buck? And yes, on your way to the client you can listen to music too. :)
LudwigVan
2005-01-10, 10:34
A quote from the Italian site (http://www.macitynet.it/english/aA20182/index.shtml):
So here we are: what's new. A new adverstising photo that show the brand new iPod. A special one, because it will be narrower and probably without a large display.
And a little later on the text reads:
We cannot show the images of the new iPod because we were forced to delete them from our cameras, but we can describe it. It is without any screen (that's maybe because the slogan is "Life is random!"), small, with a shape more vertical than the other iPod. The color is white, and it seems like a small remote control that fits confortably in a single hand.
I can't quite reconcile the "without large display" with "without any screen"; if anything, it leaves room for the small screen as described on the ThinkSecret site.
Either that, or someone's slightly tenuous grasp of English caused this confusion for me.
psmith2.0
2005-01-10, 10:35
BuonRotto: ...okay, I can kinda see that now. Yep, I believe you're right, about the arrows and all. Sorry, my mistake. :)
I didn't think that would be so confusing for people.
http://www.nullface.com/ai/mtosh.jpg
It's probably all a series of signs based on various playback buttons, nothing specific to a new product.
Interesting stuff -- the above banner looks quite real, semi-obscured shuffle play arrows and all.
So the iPod flash is all about tiny, minimal compactness, with no screen -- to both lower costs and not mar the minimal design -- with a huge emphasis on shuffling songs. (A pretty popular and fun listening style... in fact I wouldn't be surprised to hear statistics from Jobs saying something like 50-75% of people listen that way.)
But. There's still room for, let's say, 240 songs, or about 20 albums. If you *do* want to listen to a particular album, or playlist, how on earth do you do it?
Optional remote, w/ a tiny screen? (Optional?!)
A modest audio navigation interface? (How would *that* work?)
Special button controls to skip by album? (No screen, but extra buttons??)
Or is this thing just a tease, to draw people into getting a "real" iPod? (But I can't believe they would do that -- it'd be disastrous.)
Most intruiging.
Geez,
You guys walk around for decades with your Walkmans, drive around with your CD players showing "Track X," proving that hundreds of millions of people will buy devices that don't show what is playing.
Why? The frigging "skip" button.
Even if you've got a 10-CD changer in your car, I bet you subconsciously know what songis next, what CD is next, and skip from song to song to CD to CD to get to where you want.
No screen. NO BIG DEAL.
Cuz that was indeed 10 years ago. I'd hope we could have progressed to never shuffle blindly again. :)
In a CD changer, you can jump between CD's (which are of normally organized in some relation). With a screenless 1GB flash iPod, I can't imagine skipping to song number 239 when I'm at song 2.
I think I've got it.
One new button (or switch, perhaps?) to toggle between shuffle and non-shuffle.
Then either two new buttons -- last and next album -- or a special button combo (e.g. holding down fast-forward for 1 sec.) to skip to next album. Worst case scenario, you have to press it 19 times to get to the last album on your iPod. Sounds crude, but think how many scrolls and clicks it takes to get to what you want on a standard iPod. It'd be quite intuitive and easy in RW usage, I bet.
Smart.
You read it here first. ;)
byzantium
2005-01-10, 11:42
johnq: good eyes... !
I was only reiterating ;)
i should cocoa
2005-01-10, 11:49
I've just had a thought while reading this thread. Is it possible that the iPod Flash (if it exists) could be screenless, but that the screen is instead in the remote control? Then instead of the hold/pause/ff/rev 'dumb' remote from iPod G3, we get a new 'intelligent' remote for iPod G4, mini, photo and flash.
Two lines should be enough. Same buttons but with an LCD display for track and artist.
BuonRotto
2005-01-10, 11:55
Considering that iTunes has only a 2-line display at the top, I'm sure 2 lines would be enough for an iPod screen. :)
CitizenTony
2005-01-10, 12:01
I think I've got it.
One new button (or switch, perhaps?) to toggle between shuffle and non-shuffle.
Then either two new buttons -- last and next album -- or a special button combo (e.g. holding down fast-forward for 1 sec.) to skip to next album. Worst case scenario, you have to press it 19 times to get to the last album on your iPod. Sounds crude, but think how many scrolls and clicks it takes to get to what you want on a standard iPod. It'd be quite intuitive and easy in RW usage, I bet.
Smart.
You read it here first. ;)
I don't sort my music into albums anymore though. Most of the "albums" I have consist of one or two songs. Other than what I converted from CD, that is.
I've just had a thought while reading this thread. Is it possible that the iPod Flash (if it exists) could be screenless, but that the screen is instead in the remote control? Then instead of the hold/pause/ff/rev 'dumb' remote from iPod G3, we get a new 'intelligent' remote for iPod G4, mini, photo and flash.
Two lines should be enough. Same buttons but with an LCD display for track and artist.
Why the need for a remote on a device that's as small as, if not smaller than, a remote? It'd just add to the wires when this device should be simple for jogging and the like.
oldmacfan
2005-01-10, 12:08
I am sticking with my original idea of simple audio prompts that require user feedback through the signature apple scroll wheel.
defaultmike
2005-01-10, 12:13
No screen sounds like a bad idea, specially for a device which could hold 250 or 500 songs...
I don't sort my music into albums anymore though. Most of the "albums" I have consist of one or two songs. Other than what I converted from CD, that is.
That's true, and a good point -- 240 songs could consist of songs from 100 different albums.
(It also makes me curious whether people -- esp. those who are a little more casual about listening to music and in the market for purchasing a low-end MP3 player -- are far more song-centric than album-centric.)
If that's the case, though, you're clearly not album-centered, and you're going either to listen to your music on shuffle or according to playlists. In which case, the new buttons / button combo would mean skip to previous and next playlist.
Which... the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. It'd be nice, though, if there was a preference whether it skips by album or playlist, depending on your library and usage.
Why the need for a remote on a device that's as small as, if not smaller than, a remote? It'd just add to the wires when this device should be simple for jogging and the like.
I agree, but people seem just mad for iPod accessories, so who knows.
Considering that iTunes has only a 2-line display at the top, I'm sure 2 lines would be enough for an iPod screen. :)
Right, but one doesn't navigate playlists/albums/libraries via that screen. It's good for seeing what is playing but not what you'd like to play next.
datapusher
2005-01-10, 12:20
a screenless ipod doesn't make any sense at all. how would you tell if the battery was getting low?
Make the music play slower, like a cassette Walkman when it's dying. :D
Make the music play slower, like a cassette Walkman when it's dying. :D
That would be wonderful. :lol:
Flash-based MP3 players are solid state and have *very* long battery life (something to the tune of 40-80 hrs). Plug the iPod flash to your computer every once in a while and you'll never have to worry about it.
I think I must be the only person in this forum that NEVER uses random play!!!
I much prefer listening to music for the mood I'm in, not some random selection of unrelated music. I'd hate to be listening and enjoying say a Green Day album and then after track one have the opening titles to Star Wars blaring out :lol:
You can shuffle things besides the Library ya know. That'd only happen if you randomize the Library or Artists:All.
I think I must be the only person in this forum that NEVER uses random play!!!
I much prefer listening to music for the mood I'm in, not some random selection of unrelated music. I'd hate to be listening and enjoying say a Green Day album and then after track one have the opening titles to Star Wars blaring out :lol:
Well, you'd only be working with a Gig of space, That's a couple albums, all could easily be assigned a specific 'mood' make yourself your 'mood' based playlists beforehand, and pop them on the iPod micro(flash, whatever) then you'd have 1GB of that 'mood' and no worries about star wars music interrupting your green day. dig?
It's still a pretty risky move for apple, I think, even though a good case can be made that people have lived with similar and worse conditions(tapes and CDs) And the majority of people don't necessarily have the savvy to care for all the technokicks of technology. I dunno, I mean, Apple has *A lot* of clout when it comes to this mp3 stuff, it's gotten to the point where people will probably buy it in troves anyway, before realizing it's not so sweet.
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 12:58
More than likely this is just a feature that Apple will be touting for the device. I still think it will have a navigable interface based on what Steve said about "really bad interfaces on flash players" in last year's keynote.
The iPod is known for it's wheel, without that, it's just another junk-piece.
BuonRotto
2005-01-10, 13:02
The iPod is known for it's wheel, without that, it's just another junk-piece.
I would be careful with making sweeping, declarative statements like that. :)
"The iPod is known for it's wheel, without that, it's just another junk-piece."
:rolleyes:
Akumulator
2005-01-10, 13:08
I really like the jog wheel, but it's had to imagine one on a small flash iPod. For all we know the only thing on the iPod is a screen and you have to use the remote on the headphones.
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 13:16
How would the iPod be useful without the scroll wheel, or innovative/intuitive at all? The wheel IS what makes the iPod great.
If Apple leaves that feature off of the flash based player, they will have to market that product as an active lifestyle player. It will only be practical for running, biking, rock climbing (if anyone does that), skiiing maybe, and the average high school kid.
It definitely won't be the same experience without the wheel, but I guess if there's a large market of music listeners that don't need to be able to pick their upcoming song, and don't care about not being able to manipulate exactly what they are hearing; then I guess this will be fine.
If Apple leaves that feature off of the flash based player, they will have to market that product as an active lifestyle player. It will only be practical for running, biking, rock climbing (if anyone does that), skiiing maybe, and the average high school kid.
"Life is random"
naw couldn't be :lol:
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 13:31
"Life is random"
naw couldn't be :lol:Well the thing you have to understand is that it will be hard for Jobs to introduce such a product, considering what he said about them a year ago.
I still believe it will have a display.
How would the iPod be useful without the scroll wheel, or innovative/intuitive at all? The wheel IS what makes the iPod great.
It's hardly a "junk-piece" when you use the remote for it and can't see/scroll it.
It's hardly a "junk-piece" when you hit Play (a button) and switch on Hold and Just Listen™.
It's hardly a "junk-piece" when you use Back (a button), Forward (a button), Stop (a button) while listening.
It's hardly a "junk-piece" when you plug it into a Mac and copy files to and from it.
Etc.
The scroll wheel is nice. It's innovative. It's distinctive. It is the primary symbol of iPodness.
But had they used any other scrolling mechanism from day one, you'd not have known the difference and would be just as happy.
And without it, the iPod is still quality.
If the new player still had the scroll wheel... it would not need a menu button. Perhaps insted of the menu button it is the random buttom.
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 13:37
It's hardly a "junk-piece" when you use the remote for it and can't see it.
It's hardly a "junk-piece" when you hit Play (a button) and switch on Hold.
It's hardly a "junk-piece" when you use Back (a button), Forward (a button), Stop (a button).
It's hardly a "junk-piece" when you plug it into a Mac and copy files to and from it.
Etc.
The scroll wheel is nice. It's innovative. It's distinctive. It is the primary symbol of iPodness.
But had they used any other scrolling mechanism from day one, you'd not have known the difference and would be just as happy.
And without it, the iPod is still quality.How would you do that all, without the scroll wheel? Simple, you wouldn't, becuase you wouldn't have bought it.
How would you do that all, without the scroll wheel? Simple, you wouldn't, becuase you wouldn't have bought it.
I'm not saying "no scroll mechanism", I'm saying you're using 20/20 hindsight that the scrollwheel is the ultimate way to do it.
A pressure-sensitive crosspad with acceleration curve might have been even better, if well-done. (Which none of the other MP3 players I've seen have been, but they ain't Apple, after all).
Honestly, with hundreds of artists, the scroll wheel now sucks, I must say. Thank god it has a curve.
morningstarrising
2005-01-10, 13:42
You know "Life is Random" could just be about playlists, since that would be the main thing most people would use there iPod flash for, playlists, not albums.
Edit: it just hit me, they said it didn't have a name on the banner, not iPod name or anything. That makes me belie that this may not be the iPod flash, and maybe an new remote control, since they say it's white....I mean why wouldn't it have it's name on it? the Mini did all over...
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 13:44
I'm not saying "no scroll mechanism", I'm saying you're using 20/20 hindsight that the scrollwheel is the ultimate way to do it.You're damn right I am! If i want a cheap way to listen to music there are plenty of non-Apple options.
Apple doesn't just make products, it adds value to existing products by adding an innovative touch here or there.
Why would Apple just make a flash player with a randomizing software effect? I could go elsewhere, probably for less money and it would be the same experience.
The only way I could see Apple doing this is if they think they can just capitalize on the popularity of the name iPod. Maybe they know people will just buy it if it says "iPod" regardless of its functionality.
Why would Apple just make a flash player with a randomizing software effect?
I didn't say they were. I find this all to be incorrect, reading too much into the one banner.
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 13:51
I didn't say they were. I find this all to be incorrect, reading too much into the one banner.I really hope you're right.
To me, the revolutionary thing Apple could do is bring all of the great features of the larger iPod, to a cheaper, less spacious iPod. That would make it an instant hit.
I can't see how it won't just be a midget iPod:
http://www.nullface.com/ai/ipodmicro.gif
...or same thing but based on the mini.
If random is such a big deal, I don't think it is just the same as every iPod has had before. It has to be something new... humm..
Phronetix
2005-01-10, 14:11
Hey all,
I am a n00b here; a refugee of sorts from the Bones3D site.
This is a fun topic. A developer friend of mine was shown one of the iPod flashes over iSight last month. He tells me it is white, maybe two thirds of the height of the mini, but much narrower. There were buttons, but no screen. I picture about the size of the bottom part of a pez dispenser.
He had heard only 512 MB though. I believe him b/c he got the early word on garageband, the mini and the G5 iMac to me and was bang-on each time. He wasn't sure whether what he was shown was the final production model though, or whether there would be a range of configurations.
The other salient detail about the unit is that it is usb only, like a usb memory key.
I'm not expecting a screen, but that's fine with me. Perhaps there will only be one playlist allowed. At the very least you'd figure Apple would have designed the interface to do more than just skip forward or back; I'd bet there are operations controlled by holding a button in, double clicking etc..
I think they will need to place this unit in the market at an entry level pricepoint. This is an experiment for the company, that is for sure, and you can bet that if the mini wasn't the runaway hit it has been this flash iPod would never have seen the light of day. I think the experience of the mini has changed Apple's philosophy toward the music end of the business. Having this sort of a cash cow takes a lot of pressure off of the creative end of the computer hardware business for them. They can focus on their ideals of 'making the best hardware possible, with the assumption that we'll make money as well'.
Until tomorrow, I suppose.
Phro
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 14:17
Interesting comments!
I'm almost sick of speculating at this point, I just want to know.
Tomorrow is certainly a big day for Apple's strategical direction.
Apple leaded out all these rumors to make us focused off things that they don't want us to know.
:D
morningstarrising
2005-01-10, 14:45
There could be two iPod flash, which would go with the "random" slogan. One for Sports(screenless 1GB) and one for everyone else(with screen 2GB).
And that damn Radio rumor(made up by MOSR) might be in one of these two..or the new mini.
Bah, less than 24 hours to go...
BuonRotto
2005-01-10, 15:06
I'm not expecting a screen, but that's fine with me. Perhaps there will only be one playlist allowed. At the very least you'd figure Apple would have designed the interface to do more than just skip forward or back; I'd bet there are operations controlled by holding a button in, double clicking etc.
You could do things like double-click a forward or rewind button to skip 10 songs. More importantly, they would probably create a special playlist or update iTunes' preferences in some way specifically for this iPod micro to help the user get what they want on it.
Unbeliever
2005-01-10, 17:07
i`m reading these comments and i`m kinda sick of the iPod flash already :p
What Messiatosh said it`s true - Apple does add value to their products and without the "Apple touch" they are nothing more than part of the pack.
Imagine this, IF (i said IF) iPod had the same crappy interface as Dell, Creative and such, with inferior battery (both Dell and Creative have better battery times) and without all the bells and whistles the other crap mp3 players have, would you have chosen an iPod? i know i wouldn`t have. But as soon i took my 3G baby in my hands, i fell in love. It took me 5 mins to play a song on a Creative, iPod was up-and-running in literally 5 secs!
And if 50-70% of pple listen music on random, what about the rest of us? i know i don`t use random very often and i prefer to simply and quickly (without click+jump+kneel+scratch behind the ear action to) play an album/song/playlist.
If iPod flash has no screen the matter of navigation through those 250 songs becomes a problem. And don`t bring up the CD walkman comparison cause CD holds 25 songs max while iPod flash will hold ten times more. Without the screen and the wheel iPod flash will be just part of the pack of crappy, cheap-o flash stick players and i doubt that Apple would be fine with that. Think different pple! And even if the wheel is replaced with some, hopefully equally intuitive navigation device, the screen is something that is essential.
Also i`m sick of those pple who heard it from uncle's grandpa's great aunt's neighbour's son that Apple made this/that. Why should we trust you (especially cause u bring sych disturbing news? :devil: )
I don`t agree with Phronetix saying that iPod flash is just a test for Apple. We`ve all seen gazillion of different analysts' reports and we know how the stock reacted on their "news" about the flashPod. Apple just has too much to lose if this turns out to be a failure.
Now i need to calm down and wait till the big keynote :p
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 17:14
I agree with a lot of what you said, but the reason I do is because I'm thinking about this from a business point of view.
Let's think about something here.
Apple dominated the HD music player market because the iPod is special. It is special in terms of the way it is operated.
If Apple wants to come into the flash-based music player market, they are going to have to be special. Not only will the price have to be competitive (that's a given), but it will have to continue where the hard drive based iPod left off.
The flash-based iPod will have to contain a display for it to be as coveted and successful as previous iPod models.
Otherwise, as others have stated, the flash-based iPod is just a flash player with an Apple logo on it, and some sort of software randomizer effect.
Apple won't enter a market missing features or trying to market the hell out of a very specific and niche feature, to play down the fact that they are missing THE feature. The interface.
Apple's always been about the interface, I don't think it will end here, with the low end iPod.
However (and this is a big however), Apple has dropped the ball before, it's entirely possible that they will make a mis-step and do it again. Only I have more faith in their management than I ever have before, so I am leaning towards thinking that they will make the right call on this one. Though, remember when the 4 G iPod came out? What was on Apple's front page as a main *new* feature? Shuffle.
Apple, if you're listening, what I'm saying to you is not random nonsense.
While listening to music randomly is a style of listening, it is one such way to do it. Not everybody will get their head around the whole "random" idea.
iPod is about satisfying your whims, so is the iTunes Music Store. Every iPod should spoil us with this. We want one of so many songs? Well, let me just spin the wheel and get it....not click 'next' 20 times.
:)
Unbeliever
2005-01-10, 17:30
all i can say is Amen to that ;)
i really hope it`s not one of the (in)famous Apple mis-steps! Imagine what a keynote this could be:
1. Tiger demo (w release date)
2. iWork
3. iPod flash (with screen :p)
4. a headless Mac (so i could dump the years-old crappy PC and finally afford the switch)
The suspense is killing me :(
thegelding
2005-01-10, 17:33
Messiahtosh....best post from you in some time...well reasoned and well written...good show young man
g
Unbeliever
2005-01-10, 17:43
iPod "shuffle"? (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0501expo6.html)
Is TS pulling our leg on this???
iPod shuffle?
Please God don`t let this turn into another Cube-caliber disaster :(
Akumulator
2005-01-10, 17:43
It seems like there's a lot of anticipation for this cheapo iPod, but it's kind of strange considering before the iPod mini came out... the talk of a flash iPod was dumped on alot. Most people seemed to agree that it would be a crappy idea and would never happen. Now it seems the other way around.
Most of us probably already have iPods and aren't going to be getting one for ourselves. I may get one as a gift for my sister, but that's it. How many of you are looking forward to this?
It's kind of an interesting Mac World this year that seems to be about the lowend consumer. Generally we get hyped about big new things... faster computers, larger capacity iPods and what not. This year is kind of backwards.
Anyway, just an observation.
There is only one problem I see with with rumored iPod.
If the entire design/UI/usability is based upon shuffle, Apple better have fucking made the randomizer stop sucking goat ass.
Seriously, the randomizer on both the iPod and on iTunes is a joke and has been for some time.
Unbeliever
2005-01-10, 17:54
oh and if the make it only shuffle (as i`ve seen on some (yeah i know) rumor sites) what if i wanna listen to an album?
this MWSF is turning from heaven to hell and it hasn`t even started :D
The iPod interface is not just on the iPod itself. The iTunes interface is just as important if not more so. It's where you control your music collection. It's the store you buy music from. This is the logical place for the new random feature. You can't keep your whole collection on a small unit and making playlist takes a lot of time. A feature to select randomly from your collect and download it to your iPod would make sense.
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 18:12
Maybe it will actually have a slider on it to shuffle between modes?
Alphabetical----Shuffle----Satellite Radio----By Album----By Genre
:confused:
:confused: ;)
BuonRotto
2005-01-10, 18:13
It just occured to me that others have said (who? I don't remember) that Apple wants to make this flash iPod in order to break into the asian market more. While the iPod has been successful in Japan, it apparently hasn't taken off in China and other south and southeast asian countries. While you and I think that the iPod's UI is just peachy, for whatever reason ,it hasn't taken off in other places. Perhaps Apple has done its homework for the overseas market with this device. What we think sounds crazy may not be meant for us anyway. (Then again, why announce it at MWSF if it isn't?)
The different iPods needs to target different needs.
iPod: Bring your entire music collection (+1000 songs). Shuffle or pick an album or a single song easily.
iPod mini: Bring your entire music collection (less than 1000 songs) in a smaller and more stylish package. Shuffle or pick an album or a single song easily.
iPod shuffle: Bring a few (less than 250 songs) handpicked songs (or a small library) for random shuffle. Non-obtrusive interface (no screen) for pausing, playing and skipping tracks. People who have a small music library will probably have a lot of singles and not that many albums. Either bought from the itms or downloaded of the net. And most importantly: Most people I know (including myself) use the shuffle function most of the time and don't look at the display.
If you are interested in a display and a scrollwheel, get the smallest possible iPod with these features.
Makes sense?
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 18:22
It makes sense, until Apple can bring a low cost full-featured iPod to the market. Maybe this will be a stop-gap product until the hard drives come down in price (and size) enough to allow for a full interface.
I'm almost more interested to see how the iPod mini gets placed based on its next update. Price, capacity, and so on.
If the mini goes down to $199, I won't even care much about the $99 or $149 stop-gapPod.
Trouble is, nobody else will either. ;)
Interesting to read everyone's opinions... Being a former-Apple user, now PC, maybe back to MAC again soon, I have a slightly different take. If, and I say this with the knowledge this is all speculation, Apple releases the iPod Shuffle without a screen, I will buy two.
Why?
I use iTunes and have no way to play the music (portably) that I've downloaded. (I'm a post-RIAA lawsuit convert.) The cost of the iPod, up to this point, has kept me away as the wife and I already have MP3 players which work just fine.
Considering the conversion rate of iPod users, from being PC users <to> APPLE users, releasing a flash-based iPod would be a smart move on Apple's part. They NEED to grow market share, their stockholders now include more than just the Apple FANatics, there are people expecting Apple to step up and grow the business.
Regarding the headless iMac, if you look at the price of a 17" LCD display and then take that away from the iMac G5, you're within range of the 'reported' headless machine. This will reinforce and add to the conversion rate of iPod users as well as other PC users. Once again, this grows Apple's business by increasing market share.
When I bought Apple stock for about $13/share in late 2002, I knew Apple would continue to build a niche product at a premium price. Today, with that same stock holding a closing bell value of $68.96/share I expect Apple to grow, and earn that share price. If they don't, institutional shareholders like PCMI and Lord Abbett who collectively hold just under 40 million shares valued at $2.7 billion, may reconsider their investment. These are just two of such institutional shareholders who collectively make up 71% of Apple's stock ownership. They also expect Apple to grow their business, because in the end, that's what these people are about, business. They don't fawn over the emotional aspects and warm fuzzies some of us get, they just want numbers.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow, hoping that when I come home from the office I might just be able to log into the Apple store and pick up a headless iMac and two iPod Shuffles... ;)
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 20:12
Why an iPod shuffle? Just to use it with your Mac? Or do you like the fact that it's handicapped.
I'm all for the mini getting a nice price drop to $199 and the headless Mac could be amazing. The shuffle thing is just weird.
It is not innovative or different from the market, other than the fact that it's deceptively called an iPod. It does not have any iPod-like traits except for its color.
(of course this is still based on rumor)
I just listen to my music at the gym and that's all I need in a portable player.
...and yes, the purchase would be just to use with the Mac...
I know it's hard to believe, but there are many others like me out there! :)
Regarding the statement about it not being unique; in a way, this is good and bad for Apple. Their unique products have made them stand out as a brand, but they also need wide stream appeal, and having their brand associated with a player, like the purported iPod Shuffle, would MAKE it a desirable item.
Not everyone needs their entire music collection in a device that may not survive a fall to the locker room floor. :\
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 20:27
I just listen to my music at the gym and that's all I need in a portable player. ...and yes, the purchase would be just to use with the Mac... I know it's hard for some to understand, but there are many others like me out there! :)No, I understand there is a market, I'm just not sure how big it is.
For your sake, I hope all is true tomorrow, but your iPod has at least a 2-3 line display. :)
No, I understand there is a market, I'm just not sure how big it is.
For your sake, I hope all is true tomorrow, but your iPod has at least a 2-3 line display. :)
This, too, is my secret wish! We'll all be waiting anxiously for Steve to open his mouth and speak wonders of technology intergrating with human lives. :eek: :err: :)
Of course, if we could get Conan O'Brien to host and put Steve in a monsterous chair that made him look like a midget... :lol: Did anyone see that? I mean, someone close to Bill Gates HAS to secretly hate him to not notice how much of a midget he looked like in that big chair sitting next to Conan. HONESTLY! :err: :D
Messiahtosh
2005-01-10, 20:33
This, too, is my secret wish! We'll all be waiting anxiously for Steve to open his mouth and speak wonders of technology intergrating with human lives. :eek: :err: :)Yes, every Mac fan is like this right now.
http://www.feeverte.net/forum/html/emoticons/w00t2.gif
Maybe the iPod shuffle will have a hologram coming out the end with 3D and voice recognition.
:lol:
http://www.feeverte.net/forum/html/emoticons/w00t2.gif http://www.feeverte.net/forum/html/emoticons/w00t2.gif http://www.feeverte.net/forum/html/emoticons/w00t2.gif http://www.feeverte.net/forum/html/emoticons/w00t2.gif http://www.feeverte.net/forum/html/emoticons/w00t2.gif
BlueRabbit
2005-01-11, 01:14
The other salient detail about the unit is that it is usb only, like a usb memory key.
It would be pretty cool to be able to just carry it around with you, and then just plug it into the keyboard when done. Oh, that's why they just lowered the keyboard prices! They're coming out with a new USB 2 keyboard! (I think the curent one is USB 1, which is way slow) That would make perfect sense! :smokey:
Holy crap. Am I actually the first to post here with this new info? :confused:
Macworld.co.uk confirms micro iPod details (http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?home&NewsID=10570)
There was panic at the Apple stand at Macworld Expo San Francisco 2005 on Monday when one of the covered Apple banners was briefly exposed to other exhibitors building their booths at the Moscone Center's South Hall. The banner gave away closely guarded secrets about the company's much-rumoured forthcoming flash-based digital-music player.
From their brief glimpse at the banner sources reported to Macworld the following previously unpublished information. Previously, some information about the player had leaked into the public domain.
The micro iPod is white, and will hold 240 songs – but has no screen so will play the unlisted tracks in a set order or in random fashion. Four buttons are arranged in a square formation – two large buttons and two smaller ones.
Apple's slogan for the iPod is "240 songs a million ways".
Apple's existing iPods use a small hard disk to store tracks. The new micro iPod uses flash memory such as that used in digital cameras. It is rumoured that it will be able to store 1GB of compressed AAC audio.
You guys are slow on the upkeep. :)
Messiahtosh
2005-01-11, 01:20
I already posted that, Brad. ;)
Oh sorry, that was over at AppleInsider.
torifile
2005-01-11, 01:22
Holy crap. Am I actually the first to post here with this new info? :confused:
Macworld.co.uk confirms micro iPod details (http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?home&NewsID=10570)
You guys are slow on the upkeep. :)
Ok, so how did they get all that info from the banner we saw in the photos? It's not that I doubt what they posted but I think they're getting some of their "news" from TS.
But NO SCREEN!?!?! I don't know about this one....
Messiahtosh
2005-01-11, 01:23
Ok, so how did they get all that info from the banner we saw in the photos? It's not that I doubt what they posted but I think they're getting some of their "news" from TS.
But NO SCREEN!?!?! I don't know about this one....Not many people think it's logical either. We always do this though, we dont believe that anything will be a success. It's almost always the way.
torifile
2005-01-11, 01:27
Not many people think it's logical either. We always do this though, we dont believe that anything will be a success. It's almost always the way.
I generally withhold negative judgments on products but this one has me scratching my head. If the price is right, I guess it'll work but it doesn't say "Apple designed this" to me. I'll have to see it in person.
morningstarrising
2005-01-11, 01:27
This info is in the OTHER Flash topic...
Anywho, all I know is later today I am going to be the first person to put money down a pre-order for this thing...Well either that or if the new iPod mini goes to $199, then I'll put money down on that...
Either way, all I know if these two things will be hard to come by in 2005...
torifile
2005-01-11, 01:35
I'm hoping the mini gets bumped to 6 gigs so I can "upgrade" my old old 5 gig to go with my in-the-mail Shure E2c headphones....
No screen and one gig is for the birds.
morningstarrising
2005-01-11, 01:42
Birds meaning the rest of the universe that can't go for a $300 iPod..ok...
The music world unlike the computer world is all about name value and Apple has that right now...
unlikelymoose
2005-01-11, 01:57
Here's a site that has an exclusive photo of the new Apple Shuffle. (I guess some rumor sites have been reporting that the new "iPod" will be called "Shuffle".)
http://www.unlikelymoose.com/more/apple/shuffle.html
morningstarrising
2005-01-11, 02:29
Anyway..I got a new theory, and this one makes sense.
You know those iTunes Phones are coming out soon, what would be a great way to help sell those? a screenless iPod?
With those phones having bluetooth connection, it wouldn't be hard for Apple to put bluetooth in this iPod Shuffle and have you use your new Motorola iTunes Phone to control it while you are using your Motorola bluetooth headphones.
Of course you can use it without it, but this would be a bonus for those who buy the phones and whould give the phones more space to store more thena a handful of songs(1GB). And then later on in August Apple can upgrade the rest of the iPod family with bluetooth...
It's been rumored that this iPod would have bluetooth last I checked. So here to Bluetoothmaina...
Akumulator
2005-01-11, 02:32
I got a new theory, and this one makes sense.
uhhh.. it does? :\
morningstarrising
2005-01-11, 02:39
Hey, it came to me when I was laying down...Trying to think like Jobs...
And it seems like a thing he would do...I don't know..it's 3 AM...
Bluetooth 2.0 maybe would be fast enough but I doubt this theory too. I think we may be in for a surprise tomorrow and all of this will at last make some semblance of sense and we will look back and laugh.
Baron Munchausen
2005-01-11, 02:43
Bluetooth DOES make sense, but not for $150 with 1GB flash right now, unless the BT chipset is now so cheap. Possibly for the iPod Photo/iPod 4G with boosted battery (remember, BT is a battery-hungry technology...
morningstarrising
2005-01-11, 02:47
Yeah, but from the BT 2.0 press relese they cut down on battery life.
I just know Sony-Ericson has a screenless bluetooth MP3 player that they use with there phones....Which is why I didn't count it out for Motorola to do something similar..Remember that it may not be 1G or 150....And all of this is rumors :devil:
It's so funny!
These threads are cracking me up....
I actually think they are more fun than the actual event!! ;)
Don't get me wrong I am looking forward to this stuff as much as all of you... But the detail and the energy that goes into these discussions would make you think that we were discussing spy photos that allege illegal chemical weapons dumps, or nuclear proliferation.. Not a 1GB mp3 player! :lol: :lol:
EDIT: Ok... Now my opinion on all this. Apple quite often produce kit which is wonderful in functionality and look and perhaps slightly below the spec. we would like.. This may be for cost or form reasons... I think it is unlikely personally that they will launch a modern mp3 player without a screen. It is possible though, and if they have it will have the functionality and ergonomics to make that decision work and inside the Steve Reality Distortion Field® it will make perfect sense... After we have all had some time to rant and rave it won't again. And tomorrow we will all buy it anyway! Just like we all decided with the new iMac!
I do also think the Bluetooth / phone / ipod odeas have some merit.
I really think that bluetooth functionality will feature in music iPods and perhaps Photo iPods wuite soon, and the phone remote control idea is a distinct possibility, if not a 100% third party cert.
Baron Munchausen
2005-01-11, 05:02
Funny if the phone remote control works the other way...
BT iPods have mic in the headphone lead, as in phone 'handsfree' units.
Scenario 1) Phone rings, beeps in your iPod earpiece and 'PAUSE' stops the music and answers the call...
Scenario 2) Use address book to retrieve then dial the number on the phone...listen via iPod headset.
Well...last minute punt...
Funny if the phone remote control works the other way...
BT iPods have mic in the headphone lead, as in phone 'handsfree' units.
Scenario 1) Phone rings, beeps in your iPod earpiece and 'PAUSE' stops the music and answers the call...
Scenario 2) Use address book to retrieve then dial the number on the phone...listen via iPod headset.
Well...last minute punt...
Would be good.... Fingers crossed....
The battery thing does not worry me at all. I have a Nokia 6610 which has bluetooth on all the time and a colour screen and I still get a couple of days out of it.... So I think that battery is of little concern. In any case you could have an option to turn it off...
SonOfSylvanus
2005-01-11, 08:13
I think the "iPod Shuffle" will have no screen! :lol:
God, I don't care!
Give me Tiger details! Give me a headless iMac! Give me iWork!
:p
MacRGood4U
2005-01-11, 08:20
Bluetooth wouldn't be in an entry level iPod such as the "Shuffle". Also there are no iPhones. They will be Moto cell phones with the ability to download a dozen or so songs from your iTunes library. I suspect the phone will look something like the Razr. Also, it will most likely only be available from one service provider. Currently Moto provides phones exclusively for Nextel and Cingular. They also supply a model or two to other providers. In the U.S. you must sign up with a service provider to get a phone.
Unbeliever
2005-01-11, 08:25
Holy crap. Am I actually the first to post here with this new info? :confused:
Macworld.co.uk confirms micro iPod details (http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?home&NewsID=10570)
You guys are slow on the upkeep. :)
well if this is true, i`d be really dissapointed.
few friends i was talking into buying the flash iPod have said they would get an iRiver if "Shuffle/Crapple" Pod doesn`t have a screen.
Also my sister who was supposed to get the flashPod from me is now getting nothing :p
I just hate Apple for enslaving me (while i own just and iPod, i`ve been a Mac fanatic for few years) and i hope at least hMac will help me drown my sorrow :p
MacRGood4U
2005-01-11, 08:48
While MacWorld and MacCity have posted "details" about the new flash iPod neither seems to have seen the product in the flesh. What they saw was a banner which had an illustration of the device while it was being hoisted up. So, I think it's premature to say there is no screen. It could be true, but let's wait and see and not jump to conclusions just yet..
Baron Munchausen
2005-01-11, 08:53
What next? Morpheus saying "There is no screen..."
Wow...my post ended up in a different thread then the one I posted it to. Sorry guys...
...that was weird.
psmith2.0
2005-01-11, 10:17
I've yet to weigh in on this "screen vs. no screen" debate...but now I will:
It sure doesn't seem very friendly or Apple-like. I know 240 songs isn't a lot to many of us, but it's still, roughly, 24 albums. If I just REALLY wanted to hear "Day Tripper" and had to putz around trying to find it, that would irk me a bit.
I'm all for the shuffle and "random play" stuff. But I certainly think it should be a choice, not the default, sole way the device plays your music.
Sometimes you just want to hear a certain song or artist. What do you do in that case? Perhaps, simply, this isn't the iPod model you should be looking at?
Then again, if it's only 240 songs (and you're a user with tons of songs in your library), I guess you'll pick your absolute, all-time favorites, so hearing them randomly will be pleasing, no matter what? And if you don't have a huge collection, then it's only going to be 240, or less, songs. You'll pick the ones you want.
For all we know, there's a screen on top and this is all for nothing. But if there ISN'T, I'm sure curious to know Apple and Jobs' reason and take on this...and how they're going to pitch this "feature" to the masses, to make it sound good and somehow a "plus" in an mp3 player.
On a side note, I bet there will be a new, special playlist (iPod shuffle) in the new iTunes update coming today. In that playlist you'll drop <1GB of music and when you connect the iPod shuffle, iTunes and your Mac knows you're connecting that particular type of iPod and it will go and copy only the things from that particular playlist. You can frequently change it around, add, delete, etc. songs daily or weekly, so you've always got a new, fresh batch on there?
Most interesting...
Less than two hours to go, so we'll know soon enough, won't we?
The other thing is do you honestly think that 'Apple Security' would be running around the streets of San Francisco like Narcs or National Security forcing fanatical European web site Apple Clan types to delete photos from their cameras and managing to clean up every single one of them!!!
Good grief, even Oliver Stone could not make that believable in a movie!
http://www.ipod-shuffle.com/
psmith2.0
2005-01-11, 11:01
Is that an official Apple site? :confused:
torifile
2005-01-11, 11:03
http://www.ipod-shuffle.com/
Good one. :lol: I'm sure apple used GoLive to create that page.
oldmacfan
2005-01-11, 11:13
http://www.ipod.com/shuffle.htm
http://www.ipod-shuffle.com/
Hope the $8 was worth it!
Gonna be really useless tomorrow! ;)
psmith2.0
2005-01-11, 15:12
Imagine this thing being a tad narrower than the iPod mini, BUT maybe just a bit deeper, front to back.
I'm imagining a pack of Bubble Yum or some other thick pack of bubble gum...narrow (almost square, but not quite).
Ahem...
http://images.apple.com/ipodshuffle/images/indexwithgum20050111.jpg
:p
morningstarrising
2005-01-11, 15:31
mmmm..Trident
BarracksSi
2005-01-11, 19:02
I just listen to my music at the gym and that's all I need in a portable player.
...Not everyone needs their entire music collection in a device that may not survive a fall to the locker room floor. :\
I have a 40 gig iPod, and I'm gonna buy one of these Shuffle versions for the reasons above.
I may never fill up the whole thing, but I'd like to put a few choice albums on it to take for a run or to the weight room (where Metallica, Black Sabbath, and other metal bands fit in perfectly). I really don't think that I'd need a screen anyway considering that 1) I won't put a whole lot on it, and 2) I already use Shuffle mode 80% of the time anyway.
Sign me up for a 512 MB.
morningstarrising
2005-01-11, 21:53
Hey all you who bought the iPod Shuffle(all 30 of you ;) ) i got a question...
How long did it say it'll take for your ipod to ship..Mine said 1-2 weeks....I jut want to know if it's ok, or if we have a iPod mini crisis once again...
Phronetix
2005-01-11, 22:39
Ahem...
http://images.apple.com/ipodshuffle/images/indexwithgum20050111.jpg
:p
Good one...
Looks like my friend was also bang on as well:
Hey all,
I am a n00b here; a refugee of sorts from the Bones3D site.
This is a fun topic. A developer friend of mine was shown one of the iPod flashes over iSight last month. He tells me it is white, maybe two thirds of the height of the mini, but much narrower. There were buttons, but no screen. I picture about the size of the bottom part of a pez dispenser.
He had heard only 512 MB though. I believe him b/c he got the early word on garageband, the mini and the G5 iMac to me and was bang-on each time. He wasn't sure whether what he was shown was the final production model though, or whether there would be a range of configurations.
The other salient detail about the unit is that it is usb only, like a usb memory key
Phro
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