News iPod Video next week?

Errrmmm... The music quality in shuffle is great compared to mini and some others. You can have any audio file in any format with best quality, but if the "sound card" of the device is not good, then it will sound like a mess. Many factors have to be balanced in order to achieve good audio quality, blaming the sound quality to mp3 format is not very smart move.

As for the Video Ipod wharrad said that "They're classed as market leaders..." What market leaders though? Music and Video playing devices are still too spefic to their own separate market thus there is no really music/video market. Sure some people would buy video ipods, but what people? Tech and gadget fans who really wanted portable video players already have them and apple would have to make a very cheap but good quality device. The millions of snobby teens that have every ipod that was released would have to work for video ipod which would definetly be quite expensive. Or they would have to manage to squeeze an extra amount of money from their parents who with their gas and electricity prices going up would be less willing to give them any.

The other even bigger problem is the content. Sure you can make a video ipod and sell it but what content will you back it up with? There are many non popular ways to play video clips on some kind of portable device, clips that are transferred from your PC. Music Ipod had iTunes, would Apple make Video iTunes? Music videos would be cool, but would you pay 200-400$ to whatch music videos on the go? Especially when no cheap portable screen solution is bright enaugh to make the video enjoyable outside in the sun? Movies some say, well how the heck would Apple get licenses to change the format of a movie and sell it real cheap on iTunes? Would Hollywood do that when it is trying to control all digital media though Broadcast Flag? Sure it would do it for a shitload of money but would you pay $5 for a movie that could be only whatched on a small screen? Anything less than $5 dollars would be improfitable for movie industry I believe.

Oh and the final problem. If apple manages to beat all those issues. The device have to be cheaper than PSP or else people will just get PSP instead. Even with half Video Ipod's features it is still a great portable console. Beat that Apple, let me watch the Keynote on my PDA.

The only way possible for Apple to release a portable video player, is if it would be able to download content while on the go. Something of a portable tv player.

After having the ability to watch video on the go for more than 2 years I can say that you have to have a very amusing/interesting and VERY SHORT clips of content. Very few people will be watching a full movie or a long tv show on the go.

[Sry for long post, I'm on Atkin's and I lost 3 pounds by typing this]

 

Yes, because the iPod going to magically make those crappy .WMA's sound good.

And it's also going to make your crappy headphones better than they are.

I'm convinced he's got a Dell Digital Jukebox and thinks it's good.


Cheap Mod Wannabe:
Apple doesn't necessarily have to worry about how legal the content that people put on their device is, as long as they're not found directly supporting illegal use of it.

So, in theory, they could be gambling that the group of people that download things from the internet will be willing to download movies from sources on the internet, encode them to whatever format that the video ipod would use (and with if they were theorizing this, they would probably be willing to let it use a reasonably broad range of formats: wmv, divx, xvid, etc.), etc.

I would say that they would probably also make a itunes movies store, but that would most likely require for them to use a proprietary format with some form of DRM in order to use the movie industry's movies.

Apple would of course create some sort of loophole in that proprietary format so that people who want to use illegal content can with a nice program that will convert their video file to the video ipod format, so that they can get a little more profit.

I find it more likely that they'll go with the second option, because it would probably get more profit, but knowing apple, they'll do what we least expect.

 

Flib, why do you think they would like to make "just" another video player? What is the point? Almost nobody was buying them for their price, quality content price, and because it is not the easiest thing to compress/encode video for portable format for people who consider computer a box with which you can open E icon and open MSN.com.
And ipods were so popular because it was marketed for basic market, not the tech geeks who want to watch video podcasts on the go (Yes I am guilty, today I received another SD card that is intended to watch to some video podcasts)

But like you said, Apple might do something straight out of the blue that we did not expect.

 

H.264 solves the codec issue. Its Apple's own format, can be used on any platform (my cell phone has 264 support ^_^ ), and (allegedly) can scale to small sizes very well.

All Apple would need to do would be to install something like the "Covert Selection to MP3..." in iTunes for movies. Something like "Convert Selection to Portable Video..." and it would be good to go.

However...
Apple isn't unleashing a Video iPod. The Paris Apple Expo HAD a Keynote w/ Jobs scheduled, but it was cancled. Now that was only 2 weeks after the release of the Nano. It wouldn't be smart marketing sence for Apple to do another iPod release so quickly.

Anyone remember this post:

Cheap Mod Wannabe hit the nail on the head. The Powerbook line is overdue for a new design, and there have been talks about something in the works for a new Powerbook, most likly the last of the PPC variety. There was STRONG talks about it being out a while ago, but it hasn't happened yet.

So, Apple prob will be releasing either: a) A PPC Powerbook, either of the G5 or a dualcore G4 kind (rumors are strong with both), or b) An Intel Powerbook, totally shattering the prediction of having Intel based computers not being ready for a while.

Why do i say B is even a possibility? Because they said Intel Mac's wont be ready till around Christmas, but if they totally want to fook the industry over, they will shatter their own predictions and get going. Hell, OSX is ready for it, why cant the hardware be as well? ALSO, rumors have said that Apple will most likly start the Intel Mac's on the Powerbook/iBook line because of the power-saving features of Intel's procs.

Only time will tell, but i bet anything iPod related wont be unleased now. Apple is too smart for that. I could be wrong, but i bet its a Powerbook update...

Or, i should say, i HOPE its a powerbook update, becasue as soon as the new one is out, my credit card bill will be $2500 higher, i want one so badly!!!

 

Although if I had any say in Apple, I would say not to launch Intel/OSX systems just yet, I would release the last series of macs/ibooks marketing it in a way so MacFanboys would feel that this is the last series of TRUE MACS. After this the fanboy market would be stripped down, then Big Intel based system release with great power/and power efficiancy...

Just think about the possibilities..: Pentium M + "OS P" (P as a synonym for a cat) Imagine them making an Apple OS that would consume power greatly by killing of unnecessary prosses and applications after the X[user set] amount of time. Also add Pentium M in it and you basically have 6-8hours laptop.

 

I think you mean "conserve" power there, cheap, but you're right...that really will be a great laptop when it comes out. And finally intel will get some artsy design!

 

Adam Curry was commenting on this on yesterdays DSC, he asked steve jobs about a video ipod. His reply was something along the lines of whats the point of a video ipod it doesnt make sense. So I go for intel powerbooks

 

Mark my words:
apple will release an airport express model that supports video.

I promise.

 

I lost he he

It felt like a slap on a face with a wet towel. =)


$299 and $399 ... $1.99 per music vid/tv show...

They did it, and I surrender

 

why cant they have replaceable batteries
thats what we all neeeed
i carry spare batteries for my mobile
why cant i do it too for my ipod =\

 

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000617063064/