What is it?? "Apple's unveiling of a breakthrough digital music device" (1 Viewer)

[Joseph S]

Anybody got a guess?
Mine is a QT based Multimedia PDA perhaps with a camera and coax, firewire, and usb connections for transfer.
Hmm...
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-202-7556055.html
quote: Apple to launch music device
By Joe Wilcox
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
October 17, 2001, 8:10 a.m. PT http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200...tml?tag=prntfr
Apple Computer may be looking to trump Microsoft's Windows XP launch by unveiling a new product of its own.
As Microsoft prepares for the Oct. 25 liftoff ceremonies for its new operating system, Apple will be gathering journalists and industry analysts for "the unveiling of a breakthrough digital device," according to invitations received Wednesday.
Apple will unveil the new device--"hint: it's not a Mac," according to the invitation received by CNET News.com--on Oct. 23 during an event at Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.
Apple could not immediately be reached for comment about the event or the product, but sources familiar with the company's plans said to expect a digital music device.
The device would fit in with the company's message regarding the Mac OS X operating system, to be used as a hub for what Apple CEO Steve Jobs calls the "digital lifestyle."
Compaq Computer and Dell Computer also offer digital music entertainment devices that work with either a television or a PC. [/quote]
Heres' another link: http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi...3exRWZQXBwbGUg
[Edited last by Joseph S on October 17, 2001 at 03:53 PM]

 

[Joseph S]

Less than 12 hours away and still no guesses??
Fine here' s my second one:

A DVD Playing Tivo with mp3 player, Airport, Firewire, USB, and some sort of Memory card to take it with you.
Maybe, if it's not a Mac than it could be a PC running Mac OS X?
10AM PST is supposed to be the unveiling time.

 

[Gary King]

Hmmm..
Maybe a tactical nuclear missile, aimed at the RIAA's headquarters.
Digital music lovers everywhere would be buying them in droves.

 

[Joseph S]

Well it ain't a missle...

Name: iPod (better than iWalk rumor, but not the greatest)
Specs:

Sounds interesting. It charges over firewire and is about the size of a a pack of cards. Another thing is if you enable firewire target disk mode you essentially have a nice small portable 5GB drive as well. Thus it's compatible with all Firewire enabled OSes. Interfaces with iTunes and plays WAV/AIFF, MP3, MP2 etc. I'm guesing we'll find out more when the reviews arrive.
Still waiting for the PDA/Digital Camera/DVD Player/Tivo in one 5"x2" handheld.

[Edited last by Joseph S on October 23, 2001 at 01:04 PM]

 

[David Lawson]

What is it? Overpriced and disappointing come to mind...
http://store.apple.com
He obviously misinterpreted what it means to "be bullish."

 

[Kelley_B]

Overpriced??? Yes, but most Apple things are in my opinion.
Disappointing??? To some degree. About the only thing that is revolutionary about it is its size, firewire, and ummmm its made by Apple.
Will I buy one??? If I lived in a major city where I had to walk/bus/subway to work then yeah I would probably get one, but where I live we drive cars and we drive long distances, so its just not worth it to me.

 

[MikeAlletto]

Bah, I'm not impressed. Instead of trying to crank out different hardware apple should focus on improving its existing stuff and lowering the prices for it.
For $219 you can get a nomad jukebox with a 6GB HD. Basically the same thing, more space and without firewire.
[Edited last by MikeAlletto on October 23, 2001 at 01:24 PM]

 

[Joseph S]

Overpriced??
Maybe by $40-50, but not anything excessive. All the mini players run about $200 for 128MB versus 5GB and it's got firewire to upload/download the whole five gigs in 10 minutes versus hours. The only comparable player is 4-5x the physical size, runs for only 6 hours, uses much slower USB to transfer and runs about $350 with 4x capactiy. The iPod's battery lasts 10hours and charges in 1hr. I wish it would have been about $350, but for the $50 you also get a portable Hard Drive and compatiblity with more than just mp3s which is why I'm actually considering purchasing one.

 

[David Lawson]

Overpriced??? Yes, but most Apple things are in my opinion.
While I do agree with that to an extent, Mac users like myself can at least take pride in knowing that the computing experience is worth the extra money. I do have a fairly powerful PC as well, but there isn't a question as to which computer I'd rather use for just about every task I can think of.
I think the fact that this product is an "Apple thing" is what's going to hurt it. It's definitely being pitched as an Apple thing, considering its close integration with iTunes 2, currently a Mac-only offering.
While I don't have a problem with the specs on the device itself (although the hype for the iPod did make me expect quite a bit more), I think the price is excessive for what will end up being a Christmas present in most cases. This is priced as a device for the elite, which is exactly how most people view the prices on Macs themselves. Something truly revolutionary (for Apple, at least) would have been iTunes for Windows and a price point that wouldn't even make the Rio models a consideration.
Hint: it's not a Mac. Why price it like one?

 

[Kelley_B]

David,
I think you got me wrong, I am Mac user also. The only thing I use a PC for is games and that is more and more going towards the Mac, especially with a 733+Mhz G4s, GeFORCE 2/3 graphics cards, and MacOS X.1
I love the Mac, always have, always will. I think if they priced the iPod at $199-$299 it would have been a much better sale, but I am afraid this will turn into another PowerMac G4 Cube.

 

[David Lawson]

Kelley -
I wasn't really bemoaning the fact that Apple's computers cost more, and I apologize if I came off as being curt. I totally agree with your price point for the iPod; I don't think I'd pay over $249 for it.
I don't know that it's going to be the debacle that the G4 Cube was, but I would like to see an Apple-branded iPod software solution for Windows, or at least the announcement of one. That would go a long way towards positioning the device as more than just an "Apple thing," but I don't think it will happen. They probably think they can get some people to buy a Mac just to take full advantage of an MP3 player. Sad, but true.
That said, I can't wait until our Apple Store opens here.

 

[Joel Mack]

Can someone point me at a CD-DROM that can transfer data at >64MB per second?
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"The internet is a place where people from all over come together to
bitch about movies and share pornography."

 

[MikeAlletto]

Does this look familiar?
http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=GN835

 

[Joseph S]

quote: Does this look familiar?[/quote]
Not really.
You don't get a HD with it and it's required for use. The rechargable battery only gives 1.5 hours. 1MB vs. 32 MB buffer. Doesn't support WAV/AIFF. No backlighting and it's USB so it's on the order 25 times slower as well.
[Edited last by Joseph S on October 23, 2001 at 05:09 PM]

 

[Kelley_B]

The Screen Savers just had a thing about the iPod, where they took it apart! OH MY GOD!!!! I can see why this thing is costing $399.....you have to see the HD in the unit, its so tiny.

 

[David Lawson]

Q. Do I need to have a Mac to use iPod?
A. Yes, iPod is compatible only with Macintosh computers that have built-in FireWire. You use iTunes 2 on your Mac to create MP3s from your CD collection, manage your music library, and create custom playlists.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. I've also read an unconfirmed report that the internal drive on the iPod is formatted in HFS+ format, which means a Windows machine won't even be able to read it as an external FireWire drive. This thing is D.O.A. if Apple keeps it a Mac-only accessory.

 

[Joseph S]

Stupid, stupid, stupid. I've also read an unconfirmed report that the internal drive on the iPod is formatted in HFS+ format, which means a Windows machine won't even be able to read it as an external FireWire drive. This thing is D.O.A. if Apple keeps it a Mac-only accessory.

Jobs apparently mentioned they're planning on building a PC edition of iTunes but that it wouldn't work as well. (It wasn't me who said that. ) I don't see why you couldn't reformat the drive to UFS, HFS+, or whatever you want in windows. It functions in target mode as a Firewire HD and is thus capable of reformatting with ease. I'm not going to be the guinea pig formatting it in NTFS or FAT32 just to see if the device can read from these formats. My Christmas present is going to be replacing a busted discman, it's boatload of batteries, and my old SCSI external HD used for transporting files and work. I see this thing hanging around and am glad it's not called iMP3. I want something like this for video and media playback in 3 years or so.
Those "unnamed.com" referal discounts sure have fallen though the 2% back didn't pay the sales tax.

There goes 40% of my IRS "Lifetime Learning Credit."

 

[Scott H]

While Apple products usually debut at perceived high prices, I would point out that there are always great opportunities to purchase them way below list. Additionally, the iPod is already listed on Apple's own site for $369 for education sales. Like new technology products from most companies, look for a much lower price after the holidays.
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[DonRoeber]

Scott,
While this is true for most companies, Apple products rarely vary from their origional price until they're replaced by a newer model. I'm not sure if this is something Apple forces their resellers to do or not. But many online resellers often bundle things with systems to make the deal sweeter. The most common "bonus" these days seems to be extra ram, and in the case of a Powerbook, a carying case. Apple accessories, like the Airport products and Apple displays are still at the price they were introduced at.
Apple's education store is a great way to get a deal though, if you qualify. Fortunately, I do! I ordered my iPod yesterday. And just last week I was ready to break down and get a Nomad. Glad I waited.
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Donald Roeber
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