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60GB Color iPod Coming Soon! |
Jools
Joined: May 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
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After three years of being synonymous with "digital music player," Apple's iPod will widen its horizons and gain photo-viewing capabilities within the next 30 to 60 days, highly reliable sources tell Think Secret.
The new iPod, which will sit at the top of Apple's fourth-generation line-up, will pack Toshiba's new 60GB 1.8-inch hard drive, a 2-inch color liquid crystal display, iPhoto synchronization, audio/video-out capabilities, and will sell for $499.
The new iPod is currently in production in Asia after delays from Toshiba in delivering its new 60GB drive hampered a planned early-September ramp up. Sources confirm Toshiba started shipping the drive to Apple in mid-September and iPod manufacturer Inventec began building the new device in the last two weeks.
The new iPod's form factor will be identical to the existing 4G iPods, sources report, but will be two millimeters thicker than the current 40GB iPod and marginally heavier.
The 2-inch color screen is identical in size to other iPods, but will sport a higher resolution for photo viewing. However, the new device's real shining feature will be its video-out port, which will enable users to tote their photo galleries with them, ready to be plugged into any television for big-screen viewing.
The 60GB iPod will feature only rudimentary built-in software for viewing photos, with no editing tools, sources say. Photo albums will be navigated in a similar fashion to music playlists, and a slideshow feature will provide transitions with user-specified background music, similar to iPhoto. Synchronizing features similar to iTunes will also be added to iPhoto.
The new iPod won't feature built-in flash memory stick slots for downloading photos from digital cameras, although such a feature will presumably be able to be employed through Belkin's $99 Media Reader.
Sources indicate that Apple will market the new photo iPod as being capable of storing 20,000 music tracks and 25,000 photos. As an added bonus for music fans, album artwork will be displayed on screen when it's available for a selected track.
Rumors of a 60GB iPod first surfaced in June, when Toshiba said that it was in the process of developing a 60GB drive and, much to the ire of Apple, confirmed that the iPod maker had already committed to buying it in quantity.
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L
Joined: Sep 23, 2004
Posts: 30
From: kaliem galaxy
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interesting! >_<
my logic is undeniable. |
methylated_spirit
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bonnie Scotland
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£500? For an mp3 player? If anyone pays THAT then they are an idiot, 60gb or not! And it dupplies only the most basic photo viewer!
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[ This Message was edited by: methylated_spirit on 2004-10-08 11:57 ] |
mixin
Joined: Jan 26, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Notts, UK
PM, WWW
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It needs built in camera support to transfer pics across, instead of accessories.
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Jools
Joined: May 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
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You mis-read - its 500 dollars, not pounds - big difference.
And as you well know, its not just an MP3 player.
"a slideshow feature will provide transitions with user-specified background music, similar to iPhoto"
What more would you like? A full version of Photoshop on a 2" screen? Lets wait until this product is a reality before debating its rumoured features!
Like a lot of things these days, you pay a premium for quality.
Why do people go to Bose or Bang & Olufsen for a hi-fi system costing £1000's when they can get something that does the same job from Alba or Goodmans in Argos for £50?
Anyway, this isn't an iPod bashing thread or an excuse to insult people who do have the money to spare and an independent mind to choose the product they want, rather than just compare on cost alone.
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[ This Message was edited by: JoolsG3 on 2004-10-08 12:16 ] |
Merovingian
Joined: Aug 29, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Norway
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for that price, I rather buy an iRiver.. they're 100 times better than the iPod...
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50Cent
Joined: Nov 08, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: ...whatever psycho!!!
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indeed
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methylated_spirit
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bonnie Scotland
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Its a like they couldnt be bothered, they have made a half-assed attempt at a picture viewer, whats the point?
Hello, Scroto!
U.G.L.Y. You ain't got no alibi, you ugly! |
Jools
Joined: May 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
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Well, as none of us have actually seen this new photo feature in the as-yet-unannounced-and-unreleased iPod I think its a little early to judging whether the feature is half-assed!
To be honest, I can't really see what else you need from a slideshow... you can plug it in the TV, it displays your photos with a transition between (maybe even a choice of?), and you can set a background soundtrack. What more is there?
If it syncs with iPhoto, then I guess it will be as easy as iTunes for making Playlists (showlists?) and will automatically sync your photos when plugged in.
What will be interesting, assuming this rumour is true, is how Apple will implement the photo syncing on a PC, which doesn't have the luxury of iPhoto, unless Apple are secretly porting that to Windows too...
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masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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as with the smartphone/pda discussion where I choose PDA everytime, I'm sure its the same here, especially with my latest 4" screen ipaq.
Ok so I don't have 60gb but in the 3gb I do have 6 full length movies, 57 music videos, 8 30 minute TV shows (mr bean, simpsons) and several 1 hours programs (star trek) and 500+ wma songs and I still have 1/2 gb to play with
I remember having a chat on here nearly a year ago about rumours of a colour ipod but its past its time for me.
no doubt it will be the same spectacular success that ipods are...
edit: oh.. there is also several hundred of my favourite photos
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[ This Message was edited by: masseur on 2004-10-08 15:30 ] |
Jools
Joined: May 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
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I remember being involved in that conversation too and it appears Apple still haven't decided to add video playback to the iPod. This colour screen is used for stills and album artwork only it appears, with a TV output for viewing photos in high-res...
Steve Jobs is adamant that there isn't a mass market for viewing video on a tiny screen yet. No doubt as soon as it becomes commercially viable and the mass market starts asking for it, Apple will do something.
It'll be interesting if it happens, because it'll open up another whole load of copyright issues.
As far as I'm aware, no film/video/music companies have released their products in a PDA viewable form, so some kind of copyright infringment has gone on in the process of putting them on your iPaq. I don't even know of the legalities of converting DVD's and videos you own to iPaq viewable format, assuming that's what you've done.
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masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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hmmm... while Steve Jobbs and the film companies are biding their time I guess they are losing potential revenue as many people are keen to utilise their PDA/smartphones/digital video device etc to watch movies, music clips, tv shows etc. shame really. I for one would gladly pay to download such content if it was reasonably priced
as for copyright issues, well I made most of my stuff myself from my own DVDs and there is now an industry accepted "fair use" policy for doing this as long as it is viewed privately, not given away and not sold
going back to topic, if the 2" screen proves to be correct thats a bit of a shame that its so small too!
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methylated_spirit
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bonnie Scotland
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It clearly will become a mass market, so why not get ahead and release one? It certainly will sell, if ipod sales are anything to go by, and the demand is larger than Steve Jobbs probably realizes.
Hello, Scroto!
U.G.L.Y. You ain't got no alibi, you ugly! |
Jools
Joined: May 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
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There's no point launching a product before there is sufficient demand. Better to be ready for when there is demand and who knows what Apple has in it R&D Dept. The risk of launching a product too soon is that it may not be as good as it could be, and no matter how good the idea, might even end up being a bad experience for the end user and put them off in the future. (Anyone remember the general publics expectations for WAP and how that flopped because it wasn't really mass market ready)
Remember, Apple were one of the first to launch a PDA (they even coined that term) but launched the Newton really before the general public were ready for it.
Same with Phillips and its CD-i Interactive CD player with VideoCD playback. Technically advanced but launched well before the general public was ready and flopped!
Even the iPods success is miniscule in comparison to CD players, Walkmans etc.
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methylated_spirit
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bonnie Scotland
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I wwouldnt say these products flopped, they just got outdated by new models, it happens all the time. Its called progress.
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Posted: 2004-10-08 10:02
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