APPLE'S IPODS ARE SET FOR A MASSIVE UPDATE TO START THE SCHOOLYEAR. WHAT SURPRISES DO YOU EXPECT FROM APPLE?
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Recent comments
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Seth first of i must say 9
27 min 31 sec ago - i think that apple won't go
49 min 20 sec ago - Looks like $59.99 per month.
1 hour 13 min ago - Not a lot of details on
1 hour 49 min ago - Actually, I do. I buy
2 hours 14 min ago - What does this cost? Seems
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Comments (18)
The results of the survey make me think there's gonna be a massive disappointment among all of us waiting for a next-gen, touch-screen ipod... so I have voted for "just bigger hard drives" :P
You already have a touch screen ipod. It's called an iphone. Maybe they'll release it without the 'phone' and an HD?
In reality the last thing I want to to is have to keep looking at the ipod every time I want to change volume or advance a song...
New "Nano Video", same width as std iPod, but shorter, and thin as a Nano. 4GB ($199) and 8gb ($249).
New "iPod movie" or "iPod widescreen," iPhone without phone, 8GB ($399) or 16gb ($499)
80GB iPods upgraded to 100GB ($349), 30GB stays ($249)
Nano 2GB price reduced to $129, 4GB and 8GB dropped.
NEW LINEUP
$79 Shuffle
$129 2GB Nano
$199 4GB Nano Video
$249 8GB Nano Video
$249 30GB iPod Video
$349 100GB iPod Video
$399 8GB iPod Widescreen
$499 16GB iPod Widescreen
I'll take it!
Your prediction creates two whole new iPod lines, which I find silly. A new line to replace the current iPod seems the most likely, and it's the iPod (video) line that is the most due for an upgrade. The Shuffle is too new, and the 2G nano is perfectly fine as is.
The most reasonable possibility is an iPod with a new look, somewhere between the nano and iPhone, it would ONLY include the iPod music/video functionality, but with the 30GB and 80GB (maybe 100GB) hard drives. No wi-fi, no bluetooth, no safari, email, SMS, etc.
The second most likely possibility is a hard drive based iPod with everything the iPhone has EXCEPT the phone.
The Nano video is just a very silly idea. The biggest reason of all is that it would have too small of a screen.
I expect Nano's to maintain the same price point, and storage, but drop the low end model. The new nano form factor sounds plausible. Leaving 4GB at $199, and 8GB, at $249. The only way I see them keeping the low end model would be if they bump up the storages on the Nanos to 4, 8, and 16GB, but I doubt them doing that at this point.
I do expect a touch iPod, but I don't expect it to stay at 250, and 350. I expect it to go back to the $299, and $399 price points it has been at for ages long before this.
I would like to know how you know all this stuff? If you do--just put the real deal on this website. If Apple Legal contact you to remove it then we will know for sure that you're right.
Not trying to get in trouble with Apple. All of our cards are laid out on the table...When we know more - which should be soon, we'll post it
I don't know about the guys that run this site, but I have zero contacts at Apple, it's suppliers, or anywhere else. My predictions, err, guesses are just that, but based on what I believe is common sense and good business strategy:
Putting a bigger screen in Nanos and changing the form factor would cost very little, so video Nanos could replace current Nanos and be sold at the existing price points.
Dropping the price on the 2GB std Nano probably makes sense at this point. (They've already been running a "special" on 2 GB refurbs for $99.)
There are 100GB drives available to replace the 80GB drives currently used in the conventional iPod.
The widescreen iPod is obviously easy, just an iPhone without the phone.
This plan would add several new high-volume units at $200 and below, plus add several high profit (and high prestige) units at the high end.
Something occured to me just now...
We have heard that the shuffle may get a screen and be called the Pico. We have also heard that the nano will become square, a shape that is currently held by the shuffle.
Now...could it be possible that the design we think is for the new Nano COULD be the design for the Pico? Just a thought.
Obviously it is time to go back to school to learn how to spell "surprise"
You try typing on a french keyboard
I have no sources or anything, but here's my two cents; The iPod will become a widescreen player (duh) with 40gb and 100 gb capacities. Prices should be in the ballpark of 299-499. The screen will be 4 inches and have the same ppi as the iphone. The ipod's home screen interface will be similiar to the iPod interface within the iPhone. No internet, no wi-fi, no camera, ect. I think this would distinguish the iPod well against the iPhone; as the iPod is the best at playing music and movies (larger hard-drive, larger screen, longer battery perhaps), yet the iPhone would still include many more features in a similiar package for a little more buck.
ps: people are whining that a touchscreen is more difficult to operate in your pocket than a click wheel. Here's a couple brainless solutions...
1. Physical buttons on the side of the device ala iPhone (including the clickable earbuds)
2. Those virtual clickwheel patents. When in a certain mode (let's say "pocket mode") and you touch the screen, a virtual clickwheel with force-feedback is emulated. So, you touch the screen while the device is in your pocket and a clickwheel immediately appears below the present location of your finger.
This new iPod Nano that's wider just doesn't seems right to me.
It has no advantage except more minutely more storage and an only marginally larger screen which would be terrible for video.
Wouldn't it make sense that the iPod Nano would have the click wheel or touch interface on the back since the new wider shape of the Nano would be perfect for a full widescreen display? Also with the leaked videos of the display, They wouldn't make any sense for the iPod nano unless the screen was fullscreen, otherwise the double screen look would seem too small.
Please reply
I disagree with what centerpunch wrote... in the part concerning the wide-screen iPods.
Here is what I think:
30GB widescreen iPod
(60GB widescreen iPod?)
100GB widescreen iPod
The old iPod will disappear in the high-end line. The widescreen iPods will have a combination from a simulated click-wheel (on the touchscreen) and the cover-flow flip thingie from the iPhone. There will be a remote, and possibly some way to control the thing without looking.
Reasons?
Well, the iPhone runs OSX, so it makes sense to consolidate that. The widescreen-iPod would be High-End, so equipping that with 8GB and 16GB would not make sense at all, noone would buy it. So it will be a fully-fledged iPod. The nanos seem to get the new form factor, but I would believe they stay as wide as they are, just get shorter. Although the larger screen makes sense....
Eh, to be honest.. I kinda HOPE there are just bigger hard drives. I like how my iPod is now- I just need more than 30gb of space. My current 5G video will have lasted me two years this October.. I use my iPod for music, and I'd use it for video and pictures if I had more space. So actually I'm kind of hoping they don't do the touch screen ipod. Don't hate :X
I am very intrigued at the prospect of the virtual click wheel. Like one user said earlier, maybe you could set into a mode that would allow you to not look at the screen but still do the finger movements on the screen as if the wheel was there. I don't know how in the world they would pull it off but maybe the "smartness" of the iPhone touchscreen could be configured to do the same? Who knows? Apple always comes up with something innovative and finds a way to make everyone want to buy their new product so they make enormous amounts of money. I say Apple keep doing what your doing and wow us again with the 6G iPod!
Everytime Apple is about to update a product the expectation is so high & Apple rarely delivers (wifi/bt/touchscreens and the like), the money is on slight shape change, slight colour change & slight capacity change. Get the idea? Think Slight.