Thoughts On the Apple iPod Event

Once again, it was time for the consumate Snake Oil Salesman, Steve Jobs, to present the latest iPod lineup to the press today. Thanks to liveblogging feeds, it was easy for me to feel like I was almost there without dealing with the hassle of airport security. Oh, and by way of a disclaimer, I've owned an iPod Touch 8 GB for several months now.

Overall, I was disappointed. There were some incremental improvements, but nothing that really made me want to part with any cash. While most of the iPods got more storage, the only one that got new features is the iPod Nano, which received a camera for video. I have a problem with that for two reasons. First, they compared it to the Flip Video cameras, but these do 720p HD in the newer models, and the Nano is a 480 x 640 resolution, which is standard def. Seriously, even I have a camera in my cell phone these days, and I doubt I need my music player to duplicate this capability. The other issue is that now the Nano has features (camera, and FM radio) that the Touch line doesn't. This creates a situation of which one is the better one to get, and doesn't clearly make the Touch, the more expensive one, the top player.

I also was hoping for an iTablet, and it didn't make an appearance at the event. Overall, it seemed too short, and lacking the depth of previous ones. The one thing that pleased me was that they are keeping the iPod Classic around, with a 160 GB hard drive, which Microsoft ceded to them when they canceled the Zune 120. Hey, some of use like to keep all of their music with them at all times. In the meantime, I'll stick with my iPod Touch, and my Zune 80 (not necessarily in that order).

Jonas

NudgeCast 3/25/09

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The Nudgecast with that I seemed to keep on thinking of one more thing, including a response to our reader comment.

Download the mp3 here if you prefer.

It's Too Damned Loud!

There's no shortage of reports of consumers experiencing hearing loss from using the earbuds that come with just about all of the popular media players on the market currently. By putting the speaker so close to the eardrum (better known as the tympanic membrane, and I've included an image of a normal one in this post to show you how thin and delicate it is), the audio does sound better, but it comes at a substantial price, better known as hearing damage. The better earbuds that come with the form fitting, outside noise blocking rubber inserts are even one step worse.

While this experience is hardly scientific, I wanted to share it anyway. When I listen to my Zune 80, I generally use Sennheiser earbuds. However, I had noticed that even with the volume set to 1 (the lowest out of a possible 20), it was still too loud. Sure, the earbuds look cool, and fit into a bag easily, but how cool are that set of hearing aids gonna look twenty years from now?

As I was going to be working outside for a while, I decided to dig out a set of more old fashioned headphones. They said Sony on them, and I think I had gotten them with a Walkman purchase several years ago. I plugged them into my Zune, and to my surprise, at the volume level of one, I couldn't hear anything. I seriously had to crank the volume up to a level of 7 or 8 in order to comfortably listen to the music. Even at the higher volume setting, the audio was still substantially quieter than the earbuds at the lowest setting.

While this was entirely subjective, and no decibel meter was used, I suggest that unless you want to pay for braces on the teeth of the child of your local audiologist's kid, I'd chuck the earbuds that came with your player, and use an old fashioned pair of headphones. Newer isn't always better.

Jonas

NudgeCast 9/11/07

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--Jonas

Comments On the New iPod Line

After flipping between web pages, and coverage, I made a chart of the iPod line comparing prices and capabilities. Once I did that, my thoughts crystallized, and this is what I'm thinking.

iPod Shuffle

I think the bottom end was in need of an update, at least in the form of some memory expansion. When a Sansa Express, with a screen and the same 1 gig of memory is going for $50 (not to mention their upcoming Clip), and the Creative Stone with 1 gig of storage is $40, the Shuffle, sans screen, becomes a hard sell. I wouldn't be surprised by a post holiday season update that brings the capacity up to 2 GB.

iPod Nano

I was pleased to see that the Nano gained video capability. I didn't understand why it didn't have it last year as the SanDisk e2x0 line did have video support already.
The price points are ok for the storage, although SanDisk offers their 8 gig player for $149. I'm also divided on the new form factor. I liked the previous Nano better, as it looked more elegant, but the new one looks like it fits in the hand better. The new Nano is one of two iPods that I would seriously consider parting money with for.

iPod Classic

I know that the iPod Classic is not getting all the press, and the scroll wheel on it is not as sexy as the new touch interface. Still, on a bang for the buck, this is the iPod to get as it features the lowest price per gig. If I was buying one today, this would be my first choice. The 80 gigs for $249 will simply dominate the hard drive player market. Unless Microsoft's Zune pulls off a miracle (and their recent price drop of their 30 gig player to $199 is a mere desperation move), they might as well pack it up and go home. Also supporting my opinion is that from the chart, it is easy to see that the iPod Classic has the longest battery life for audio playback. It is a little curious that the 160 gigger last longer than the 80 gig model, but they both have more endurance than any of their flash brothers. That's right, despite the inherent advantage of flash memory over spinning discs, according to Apple's numbers, the "old" iPod Classic has the longest audio playback of any iPod ever.

iPod Touch

This is the iPhone, without the phone. We get all the gee whiz of the touch interface and the WiFi connectivity, without the AT&T contract and phone, make that iPhone with 300 page bills, service. I truly believe that this is the iPod of tomorrow, but I'd wait to get it. The 8 gb iPod Touch, going for $299 seems like a lousy deal when I can get an iPod Classic for $50 less, with 10 times the storage. Still, those fashionista teens, and those that need the latest look in electronics, will pay the premium for this one. I've heard more than one Apple devotee complain that they wish that Apple had put the touch interface on a hard drive model, but then what could they release next year? I think it's also a safe bet that there will be a 32 GB model of the iPod Touch down the road.

iPhone

I thought a $600 phone, no matter how cool, was simply too expensive. I'm happy to see that the price is already more affordable, though still beyond what I'll part with for a mobile telephone. See our review section to hear one user's thoughts after owning an iPhone for a while. Remember this price drop before you camp out in front of an Apple store to overpay for their latest creation next time.

--Jonas

Making Sense of the New iPod Line

I've been following the new iPod line story, and quite honestly, I'm having trouble making sense of it. I think this is because there are now so many models, with different capacities. Other folks are also complaining that while the iPod Classic has the most capacity, the iPod Touch has the best interface, so there is no longer one "ultimate" iPod (Would that be iUltimate? Naah, forget it.). I kept comparing specs in my mind, so I decided to make it easy, and set up a chart. Click on it to make it larger if you're on a smaller monitor.




Ahh! Now it's making sense. I'll have some more comments tomorrow as to which one I'll be saving my pocket change for. In the meantime, notice the battery life specs...

--Jonas

On the Eve of New Media Players

With AMD's Barcelona stuck in the starting gate, the major tech news story for next month is going to be digital media players. You know, the cool iPod versus "everyone else." Both camps have done a great job of keeping their new stuff under wraps, but speculation is rampant, and according to the Apple lawyers that keep handing out "cease & desist" order like Altoids at a garlic festival, some correct info just might be floating around.

Apple has a press event scheduled for 9/5, and it is widely believed that new iPods will be featured. Looking at the iPhone for clues, it does seem likely that the Video iPod, which was shafted on the last upgrade with minimal changes will get a full, no, make that full screen makeover. Whether it gets a virtual scroll wheel, or the iPhone interface is still up to speculation. The Nano is expected to grow to a healthy 16 GB capacity, and the Shuffle is expected to add a new color, red. The addition of the Mac OS X to the line should also add in some new possibilities. the open questions are what will be the hard drive capacities of the Video iPod which currently tops out at 80 gigs, and could double if they wanted it to. The other wild card is if the iPod line will incorporate WiFi like some other players have.

This brings us to the Zune. Microsoft's original Zune, a rebadged Toshiba Gigabeat, never really lived up to expectations in functionality. Still, it has a devout following among the anti-Apple crowd in search of hard drive capacity. What should we look for in Microsoft's sophomore effort? The Zune is widely expected to expand the lineup to include an entry level flash based player. This is clearly a good idea, and much needed to complete the lineup as the flash based players outsell the hard drive gear. The open question is what will happen to their flagship player. Will the hard drive capacity expand, and by how much? I'm hoping for a capacity that the Apple folks don't currently have, such as 40 to 60 gigs for the entry level, and a top end 120 or 160 gig player. That type of capacity at an affordable price should make up for its chunkiness, and less than svelte lines. The other issue is if it will continue to include WiFi, and will they make better use of it, such as internet radio, like the Sansa Connect does. Finally, is the Zune going to offer a full screen like the Video iPod is expected to, or else they will look like last year's Christmas with the same old screen size. Unless Microsoft gets more competitive here, and tries to leapfrog Steve Jobs & Crew, they will be perpetually playing catch up.

See you in September. I'm sure it will be an interesting month as we follow the introduction of these new players. Of course, I'll have plenty of analysis of whatever gets introduced, so stay tuned.

--Jonas

NudgeCast 8/21/07

This time we're guessing at Apple's next iPod, and talking about a new flash memory review I'm devising.

Listen here.

--Jonas

Or, I'm trying something new, and you can take a listen on blip.tv:




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If you have a preference, go ahead and give a shout in the comments below.

NudgeCast 7/31/07

It's hard to believe we're at the end of July, but we are. This time out, I talk about NewEgg and some price gouging, the 6th gen iPod, and answer "KnightRider" about RAM requirements.

You can check it out here, or via the embeddable player below.

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iPod iSolation

Ah, the summer is in full swing, and it's time to get our and enjoy things. Over the last few days, I've noticed several groups of folks walking past my abode all plugged in. From the title, you can guess that the headphones were white, and they were plugged into iPods.

Seriously now, it would appear that while we are getting more connected to our electronics, we are more disconnected from each other. Is some podcast or music really more important than conversing friends and family? Is the content that Steve Jobs provides really that important? I'm not sure why these folks are walking together if they aren't talking to each other! At least they could be plugged into the same iPod, and that would be more social.

I had hoped that as iPod speaker systems gained popularity, the personal music player would become more of a social experience. Thus far, this has not happened from what I'm seeing.

I'm not sure if there really is a solution to this. Folks like listening to their iPods to the point of deafness. This summer, I'm recommending that you unplug yourself once in a while, and try conversing to the person next to you- you might be surprised how truly interactive the experience can be even without the white headphones.

--Jonas

Zune 2.0 Update

While all eyes have been on the iPhone, there's been a significant mum around the sixth generation iPod. In fact, Apple does a spectacular job of keeping both the new product, and even the release date under wraps until Jobs is on the stage to the "oohs" and "aahs" of the iSheep.

On the other hand, the less popular Zune would appear to be headed for a second generation upgrade first. Sales have been ok, but Microsoft I'm sure wish they had been stronger. I took a look in May at where Zune 2.0 could be headed, and I wanted to sum up the latest from the rumor milsl...

The Zune currently is based on a Toshiba Gigabeat. It is a second rate player, and Microsoft is looking for a new manufacturer. They have apparently contracted with a Chinese factory, and that cuts Toshiba out of the picture. Secondarily, I would suspect that this means that there will also be some significant changes to the product overall.

The next issue is the hard drive. The first generation merely matched the smaller capacity of the Video iPod- 30 gigs. Seriously, I thought this was an engineering mistake. With hard drive prices plummeting like a penny tossed off the Empire State Building, expect this to be increased. How much, we don't know, but I'm hoping it will double to 60 GB. If they're smart this will set the Zune apart from the Apple product by choosing a capacity that they don't currently offer making a direct comparison with the iPod a little more difficult.

The feature that got the most hype prerelease for the original Zune was the wireless transfer. It took folks about two seconds to realize that it was rather worthless to share tracks with such restrictions. Factor in the battery life hit, and it looked like wireless was not for any audio player. However, the Sansa Connect showed that wireless can be used effectively in this segment. I'm not sure if Microsoft will follow the Sansa Connect, but they have a long history of borrowing good ideas and I don't expect them to stop anytime soon.

One of the other product launch mistakes was that there was no entry level model. even if the Zune ever dominated the hard drive segment, it's still a minority of players as flash players outsell their hard drive brethren. Also, factor in the flash memory is getting more affordable at larger sizes, and we can see the hand writing on the wall. It is highly anticipated that the new Zune will have a more affordable entry level model that is flash based at 4 and 8 GB.

Of course, that only leaves the question in my mind if they will continue to make the player in brown. While they probably will, I hope they don't as I'd rather see it in just about any other color!

--Jonas

It's an interesting read to see what I thought about the Zune before it came out. Much of what I thought was pretty close to the mark.