Thoughts on the Apple event today
by Volker Weber
This was a very packed session today. But it went without major milestones. Instead there are quite a lot of small updates to the iPod line.
- No big changes to the iPod touch. The 8 GB model is obviously the same as the old entry level 2G model. Apple lowered the price by $20, so the cheapest Sonos remote just got cheaper. The new 32 and 64 GB models come with microphone in the headset and voice control. They are also supposed to be "faster", whatever that means. The rumored camera did not show up in this refresh.
- The iPod nano gets new colors and a video camera. Not a photo camera. It will only let you shoot VGA videos at 30fps. I am not holding my breath on the quality. Interesting that this small sucker can shoot videos but the iPhone 3G can't. Other than the touch, it also has a built-in microphone. There is now also an FM radio with time-shift and tagging, which only works in the US with selected radio stations.
- iPod maxi (just kidding, classic) gets bumped from 120 to 160 GB. That is more than Nokia has in their Booklet 3G notebook. Packrats rejoice.
- iPod shuffle gets a repaint. Still has no control on the device.
- Version 3.1 of the iPhone/iPod touch adds genius features here and there, as does iTunes 9. Nice touch: iTunes can move around the icons on the device workspace pages.
- Homeshare lets you share iTunes purchases with five devices in your home. Not between home and office, and not with the music you ripped yourself or bought elsewere.
- iTunes store gets a overhaul, and brings back the LP feeling with addons for select albums.
I can't help it, but something is wrong. Shouldn't the iPod touch be the mother of all iPods?
Comments
Well, you can share non-purchased music via Homeshare. But not automatically.
Apple.com has three sample vids taken on the Nano. If they are to be believed, I would actually quite like one.
Disappointed and surprised that the Touch doesn't have a camera.
Yeah I was a little puzzled about the (un)Touch(ed) in light of the Nano's adoption of an FM radio, the most obvious missing feature on MP3 players. Considering that the most obvious missing feature from FM radio today is time shifting, I suppose it makes sense to be doing FM right if you're going to do it. Kudos to Apple for that. Maybe this will finally force that feature into car radios. If I had a nickle for every time mein kind yelled "again" from the back seat after hearing a song on the radio...
Colin, look at their sample photos. Do they look anything like your photos? ;-)
A lot of the rumour sites suggested that the iPod Touch camera was due to be announced but pulled at the last minute due to technical issues. As always, it's impossible to verify these things, but it does seem a very odd omission.
The iPod nano 5G's ability to record FM stations is billed as "Live Pause" where you can pause a station and then play it (for up to 15 minutes of recording). From what I've read, if you already were listening "Live", you can't go back and listen again. And you can't take the content that was recorded and save it via iTunes sync.
Bob, Apple says:
iPod nano lets you pause it with a click. Another click and you’re listening to your station again. You can even rewind as far back as 15 minutes, then fast-forward to catch up to the live broadcast.
Sounds like they are recording in the background automatically to enable this feature.
