iPod: The Next Generation - Resistance Is Probably Futile (But Complaining Can Get Results)
Indeed, Apple has never done such a comprehensive revamp of its iPod fleet, especially coming on the heels of the iPhone's debut just over two months ago. It surely proves that Cassandras who were suggesting that Apple is losing interest in the iPod were barking up the wrong tree.
If you've been incognito for the past several days. here is a broad strokes summary of what Apple announced on Wednesday.
The iPod touch: an iPod with an 8mm thick iPhone-like form factor, 3.5" display, user interface, and feature set - less the phone function but including touchscreen controls, WiFi connectivity with Safari, YouTube, Google search, etc., as well as access to the new iTunes WiFi music store. There are two iPod touch models - an 8GB unit priced at $299 and a 16GB capacity machine priced at $399.00.
Video iPod nanos, wider but not thicker in their now all-metal form factor than previous nano iterations, with a 2 inch, 320x240 resolution color display - the better for enjoying the nano's new video playback and game support, and some new colors. The 4GB nano is priced at $149.00, with an 8GB model available for $249.00.
The iPod classic, as the name indicates, is the latest (6th) generation of the full-sized iPods, but with an enhanced user interface featuring iPhone-style Cover Flow and a new all-metal enclosure. The "base" 80 GB iPod classic is priced at $249, the high-end unit with a whopping 160GB hard drive sells for $349.
Not to forget the little 1GB iPod shuffle, whose price has been cut to $79 with some new colors available, including a RED model.
Also announced on Wednesday was a price cut on the most popular 8 GB iPhone model from $599 to $399 - or $100 less than the previous 4 GB iPhone, which is being discontinued. Lotsa luck selling off the remaindered 4 GB iPhone stock, and I expect there will be some deep discounting to move them, if you can live without the extra 4 GB capacity. This announcement has been greeted with understandable howls of outrage from early adopters who complain, with considerable justification, that they essentially paid a $200 premium 68 days ago or less for the dubious privilege of being late beta testers.
While early adopters of any Apple product can expect to pay the same for fewer features and less performance and frequently spottier reliability than those who hold off for revision B or C of the same model, it's highly unusual for Apple to drop prices right away, and unheard of to drop them by 33% barely more than two months after the product introduction and without any specification change. I would certainly feel hard done by if I had bought an early edition iPhone. It remains to be seen whether the bad will created by this move will have any lasting negative effect on Apple's fortunes. I'm doubtful that it will, especially since Apple moved so quickly to mend fences.
In response to hordes of irate Apple iPhone early adopters after Wednesday's price cut announcement, less than a day later a n open letter signed by Steve jobs was posted on the Apple Website announcing that Apple has decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple's website next week.
Mr. Jobs noted that: "even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.
"We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple."
You can read the entire text of the letter here:
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter/
Just as the iPhone price cut was unprecedented, so is this degree of prompt contrition.
Still, you have to wonder, what in the world were they thinking?
That's still not the end of the Apple announcements, however. Mr. Jobs also revealed that the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store will allow users to browse the iTunes Top Ten lists of songs and albums overall or by genre, check out new releases and “What’s Hot,” or search for songs, albums or artists. You will be able to preview any song for free, then purchase and download ones you fancy directly to your iPod touch over Wi-Fi. The music you download will be automatically uploaded into your iTunes library the next time you sync the iPod touch with your computer. iTunes will now also offer phone ringtones with the wrinkle that can buy a song and turn it into a ring tone for a modest 99 cents in addition to the song price. These ring tones will work with the iPhone, which will be supported by the Apple Wi-Fi Store in about a month's time.
And finally, also announced an exclusive agreement with Starbucks coffee stores that will allow you to access the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store for free in participating US Starbucks outlets beginning in October. When you enter a participating Starbucks location, your iPod touch, iPhone, or PC or Mac running iTunes will automatically recognize the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. You can see what song is currently playing or has recently played in the store, and immediately preview, buy and download it over Wi-Fi.
The new iPods are quite awesome, IMHO, so much so that picking a favorite is a lot more difficult than I usually find it. The iPhone touch - a completely new model category - is essentially an iPhone without the phone for $100 less (or the same price if you go for 16 GB memory capacity, which isn't available yet with the iPhone) after the iPhone's rather stunning $200 price cut this week. That still makes it the most expensive or third most expensive iPod depending upon which memory capacity you go with.
Well, almost an iPhone without the phone. The digital camera is not included with the iPod touch either, alas, and there are no speaker, email client, Maps application, Stocks, Weather Widgets, or Bluetooth support.
On the other hand, the touch has some capabilities and features not available on the iPhone. There's the aforementioned availability of 16 GB memory, and also a cool feature that can display the touch controls on the screen while the 'Pod is sleeping. The touch has a separate Contacts app, Video and Music apps,, and the iPod touch screen has slightly higher resolution (163 pixels per inch compared with the iPhone’s 160 pixels per inch).
The 8mm thick iPod touch also has a built-in accelerometer that automatically senses when you rotate it into its landscape position.
Being as I still have about 1.3 GB free on my old iPod after years of use, I figure 8 gigs would be plenty for me for a while yet, and it wasn't so long ago that 16 GB was considered a pretty big drive capacity in a laptop, but then again, I've always underestimated how much storage I should get, but $100 seems a bit steep for 8 GB more space.
In general, though, I'm both a bit surprised and delighted that Apple decided to release a phone-less iPhone. I'm not a user or particular fan of the cell phone experience, and it was the other features that appealed to me most about the iPhone. The iPhone is still too expensive, IMHO, even after the 33% price cut, but now we at least have a choice. Also, the iPod touch will actually be available in Canada, which the iPhone isn't, at least officially, yet. Look for early iPod touch sales to be especially strong in the Great White North.
Perhaps the biggest iPod touch advantage of all, eve if you live in the US, is that you can get most of the iPhone's non-telephony features without being stuck with having to sign a two-year, $60 per month contract with AT&T Wireless. Get the iPod touch, shop around for a more resonably-priced cell phone communications solution, and you're way ahead, except for the (minor IMHO) inconvenience of having to pack around two devices instead of one. They're small.
I'm not that smitten with the pudgy appearance of the new video nano (although while the new nano is shorter and wider than its predecessors, it has roughly the same footprint area (36 square centimeters). I thought the first two generation nanos were deliciously attractive and well-proportioned. On the other hand, I find the tiny click wheel and buttons on my wife's second generation nano awkwardly small (I have long fingers), and the new, fatter (in width) nano form factor will accommodate more human-sized controls.
The larger (claimed) 65 percent brighter, 320x240 resolution two-inch display with 204 pixels per inch will be nice, since battery life has apparently not been diminished ( 24 hours of audio playback or five hours of video playback on a single charge - I expect the larger-dimensioned case accommodates a larger battery to compensate for the bigger screen's greater current draw).
The video nano's anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel and comes in five colors—silver, black, blue, green and a (PRODUCT) RED special edition.
The new iPod nano also supports Cover Flow, so you can scroll through your entire music collection by album cover artwork using the Click Wheel.
Available immediately, the 4GB iPod nano comes in silver for $149 (US) and the 8GB model is available in silver, black, blue, green and a (PRODUCT) RED special edition for $199. I'm partial to the blue one. All iPod nano models include earbud headphones, a USB to 30-pin cable and a Universal Dock Connector.
The new iPod classic top-of-the-line 160 GB Model can hold up to 40,000 songs or 200 hours of video, if that's what floats your boat. Even the base model at $249 has an 80 GB hard drive, which is the same capacity as the one in my production Mac, which is nowhere near full, and contains my entire MP3 collection as well as the entire archives of my 15 years of computing life, all my applications and installers, my complete album of digital photographs, and much else besides. I think I could get along with an 80 GB iPod!
The classic sports a new all-metal anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel enclosure in either silver or black, and has an enhanced user interface featuring Cover Flow, comes bundled with three games
The 80GB iPod classic model is $249 (US) and the 160GB iPod classic is $349 (US).
The new generation of iPods marks a solid advance in the iPod world. It would be fun to have all three models, but right now for me, still living where Wi-Fi and even broadband are not conveniently available, it would be a tough decision between the 8 GB nano and the 80 GB classic. However, if I lived where Wi-Fi was available, it would be tough to resist that iPod touch!
Charles W. Moore
