RSSApple Event Fuels iPod Speculation
By Ed Oswald | Published August 29, 2005, 4:24 PM
Apple began to send out invitations to the media on Monday for an event to take place on September 7 in San Francisco, hinting at a major product unveiling surrounding its iPod music player.
The announcement, which reads in part, "1000 songs in your pocket changed everything. Here we go again," had Apple enthusiast and technology news sites alike abuzz with guesses on what the announcement could entail.
In normal Apple fashion, very few details were given in the invitation itself. However, recent moves by the company are providing a few clues as to what will be unveiled next week. Motorola CEO Ed Zander on July 25 promised the iTunes phone would be out before the end of September.
"On one of the 66 days left in the quarter -- we're not saying which one yet -- Apple, Motorola, and our biggest operator partners around the world will announce -- and ship -- the first iTunes phone," Zander said at the time.
But Motorola had not announced any press events as of Monday afternoon. Zander said the two companies would hold a joint event to launch the phone.
Another possibility is a video-enabled iPod. On July 18, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple had been holding talks with major music companies about selling music videos, with rumors that a video iPod could be launched as early as September.
Such an announcement was seen as a way to keep iPod sales brisk through this year's holiday season.
Apple so far has refused to comment on what it calls "industry speculation."
A 5GB iPod Shuffle woule be nice.
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|I'm betting on a movie version of the iPod. It will be white and have the same features as the other portable media players out there, but for some unknown reason it will still be touted as innovative. Probably for the simple fact that it will be white.
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|Apple was smart getting out of the desktop computer business ...where they have less than 3% marketshare... and concentrating on pop music which is more Steve Jobs' forte.
The Computer Rodent
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|When exactly did Apple get out of the desktop computer business?
And for the record my ipod play's metal not pop just fine.
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|First I had to deal with people putting apostrophes in plural nouns and in possessive pronouns. But now verbs????
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|Was that a sentence? ;-)
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|Lol are you like some kinda internet grammer and spell checker police? oh noo whatever shall i do now my life is ruined, someone spelt a word wrong!
On subject, the new ipod i expect will be playing movies, however may only support a few codecs and low battery length, but will amaze people because like said above its white and is so 'cool'
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|It will amaze people because, like the iPod, Apple's design team is a breath of fresh air to the technology industry. :) Not to mention because my dad will be able to pick it up and quickly become comfortable using it, just like the iPod, which is a large feat for a man frightened and confused by the over complexity of most technology out now. Then I, being an audio and computer geek, can pick it up, forget about the tech of it all and just enjoy the music, thanks to an unobtrusive and elegant physical design, simplified and responsive navigation, and by not being bombarded by information I don't need just to see what song is playing.
Granted, there are a things it should have, like being able to click the center button to get more information about the audio file or having the option to manually EQ, but it's a very small price to pay for enjoying my music in such a way that I haven't quite found on any other player.
And, no, I'm not an Apple fanboy; I just think the iPod is a lot better than what you all are giving it credit for. If you all think the only reason it's hailed is because it's white, then you surely don't get the art that design is (both hardware and software). People are drawn to the iPod, even while there are a million other players with more features and lower price tags. Then, people find using their iPods so enjoyable that they recommend it to others, often random people, with rave reviews. It's this two step process that is a huge reason why they dominates the market. Now that, my friends, is great design.
P.S. Again, I know there is a million things the iPod could have or done differently, just like with any other player on the market, so no need to go down the list. I know it already. :) In fact, I've added many to the list.
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