More of my sites

WinInfo Daily News
SuperSite for Windows
Windows IT Pro Magazine
Connected Home
Thurrott Dot Com
Windows Weekly at TWIT

About this site

For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Sunday, July 18, 2004

My take on the new iPod

Apple's best-selling iPod is a force of nature, and Apple can properly take credit for ushering in the age of legal digital music. This week, the company will unveil its next-generation iPod, which seems to fix some of the mistakes of previous units. Here’s my first, off-the-cuff response to this next generation iPod, with the understanding that I haven’t held one in my hands yet. That said, the iPod’s biggest strength has always been its design, so if anything, my final analysis should be even more positive.

Click wheel. The new iPod utilizes the excellent iPod Mini click wheel, and does away with the capacitor-driven button nonsense that made the previous generation iPod almost impossible to use. No more ultra-sensitive buttons? Bravo.

Simpler menus. A long time coming. Right now, the menu system on the Dell DJ blows away the iPod, but the new iPod menu looks simple, clear, and easy to use.

New features. On-the-go playlist creation and management are of little interest to me, but many music lovers will appreciate this feature. The audio book faster playback feature is liften from Windows Media Player, but is a welcome addition.

Better battery life. Finally! While the new iPod’s 12 hour battery life can’t touch the 22 hours you can get with a Dell DJ, it does so in a much smaller and nicer looking package. Excellent.

Lower prices. Again, bravo! The iPod has always been too expensive. The new prices ($399 for a 40 GB unit and $299 for a 20 GB unit) are now more competitive. I suspect Apple killed off the 15 GB unit because it was too close in price to the lowly 4 GB Mini. That’s too bad for consumers, but understandable. And where's the 60 GB version we know is coming?

No color screen. I’m mixed on this one. A color screen would drain battery life quickly, but my time with Portable Media Centers (PMCs) has proven to me that the availability of album art as you listen to music is kind of cool. This one is a toss-up: I completely understand why there isn’t a color screen, but expect Apple to release a high-end color model by the end of the summer.

Conclusion. Previous generation iPods suffered from four huge problems--interface sensitivity, battery life, price, and compatibility--and the new version fixes three of the four, which is just excellent. If we can somehow convince Apple to either open up its iPod to third party music stores and audio formats, or open up its FairPlay DRM scheme so that users of other portable devices can access iTunes, the company will have completely obliterated every complaint I have about its music products. All in all, this is an excellent improvement over an already world-class device. I can’t wait to see one in person.

[ Posted at 10:21 AM | Permalink ]