Player Blog Category Archives: Apple

Bluetooth for the iPod with the Thanko iCombi

The iPod accessory parade continues. Korean company Thanko is debuting the iCombi AP11, which turns your iPod into a Bluetooth transmitter. Now you can listen to your iPod, wirelessly, through Bluetooth headphones or on your laptop.

The AP11 supports A2DP, AVRCP, Headset and Hands-free Bluetooth profiles, though Headset and Handsfree wouldn't give you stereo sound. Range is said to be around 10m (32 feet). [Via DAPReview]

BTI Tunestir iPod Remote/Receiver/Transmitter

BTI has announced an interesting new iPod accessory, the Tunestir. It combines an FM receiver, an inline remote and an FM transmitter into one package. The Tunestir even has 5 presets for listening to radio stations and another 5 presets for open FM channels to transmit on. Everything is controlled from the inline remote control unit.

Retailing for $69.95, the Tunestir is supposed to be available later this month. [Via Engadget]

iPod Buyer's Guide 2005

The ever-industrious worker bees over at iPodLounge have a new 2005 Buyer's Guide for all things iPod. It covers just about everything: which iPod might be the right choice for a first-timer, lotsa iPod accessory review and a look at upcoming iPod paraphenalia.

iPod Camera Connector Review

The all-things-iPod guys at iPodlounge have written up their review of the newly release iPod Camera Connector. If (and only if) you have an iPod Photo, the Camera Connector will let you import photos directly from a digital camera (but not another iPod Photo). The verdict:

Overall, the iPod Camera Connector is a suitably inexpensive and simple way for digital photographers to transfer to and view their pictures on an iPod photo. It remedies the biggest single complaint that early iPod photo purchasers (and potential purchasers) had about Apple's newest iPod, and though it is technically more powerful because it's doing more with the photos it imports, it preserves the slow overall transfer times of the photo transfer peripherals we've previously tested. On balance, serious photographers will like some of its features, but because of the long transfer times and battery issues will probably continue not to view the iPod photo as a legitimate alternative to a dedicated hard disk-based photo vault.

Related Links:
iPod Photo Camera Connector Available
Apple Camera Connector
New iPod Photo Gets Digital Camera Download
Apple Rolls Out New iPods

DIY iPod Dock

Coming to the rescue of dockless iPoders, Piers of Lists and Diagrams has devised a creative (and cheap!) way to make your own iPod dock.

The JamPod: Play Along With Your iPod

DVForge has announced an interesting new iPod accesory, the JamPod. The JamPod lets you plug your guitar into your iPod, jam along to tunes and hear the mixed result in your headphones. Perfect for when the neighbors are asleep and you feel the need to exercise your inner Jimmy Page.

Any instrument that has a 1/4" output (guitar, bass, keyboards, etc.) can be used so you can exercise your inner Geddy Lee and Vangelis too. Also, it runs off the iPod's battery.

The JamPod retails for $29.99 and is supposed to be available April 8th.

iPod Photo Camera Connector Available

Apple has just added the iPod Photo Camera Connector to its online store. The $29 accessory lets you connect your digital camera to your iPod Photo and import photos directly from the camera. A nice touch for the photographer who needs the extra capacity of the iPod Photo's large drive. However, it's been mentioned more than once that Apple should have built this functionality into the iPod Photo rather than charge an extra $30. It is called the iPod Photo after all.

Even though you can order it now, Apple says that it will be 1 to 3 weeks before the Camera Connectors ship.

Related Links:
Apple Camera Connector
New iPod Photo Gets Digital Camera Download
Apple Rolls Out New iPods

New iPod Speaker Trifecta

The avalanche of accessory posts continues with 3 brief reviews of iPod speaker systems by iPodlounge.

First up is the Altec Lansing inMotion iM4 (review here). Shown at right, it kind of looks like a briefcase with speakers. It retails for $99.99 and reportedly gets 18 hours of battery life from 4 AAs.

Also reviewed is the Macally IceTune, shown at left. Powered by a wall outlet only and retailing for $69.99, the IceTune's speakers and dock can be piled into one big stack or separated for stereo sound.

Speaker review number three looks at the Logitech mm22, shown at right. The mm22 retails for $79.99, runs on 3 AAA batteries and folds up nicely into a zippered nylon bag.

DLO iDirect Remote Control Review

MediaBlab has a brief review of yet another iPod accessory, the Digital Lifestyle Outfitters iDirect. The iDirect is a wireless remote control system for the iPod that has all the basic controls (play, pause, track and volume) on the remote.

According to the review, they got at least 30 feet of usable range from the remote, which should be sufficient for most household, line-of-site purposes.

The iDirect retails for $49.99.

iPod iBeam Review

Out of the hundreds of different iPod accessories now available, the Griffin iBeam is likely one of the oddest. For only $19.95 you actually get two separate attachments. The first is an LED flashlight and the second a laser pointer.

But in case your wondering "is the iBeam the right flashlight/laser pointer combo for me?", Pocket Lint has come to your assistance with their iBeam review.

Is the iPod Dock Worth It?

More answers, opinions and goodness from Ask MetaFilter.Today's topic is whether it's worth spending an extra $40 on a dock for your iPod. The general consensus: probably not.

Guide to iPod Diagnostics

PC Magazine's ExtremeiPod site has published a guide to the iPod's diagnostics system. This isn't something you'll need every day, but if you'd like to test out your iPod, this shows you how to do it. [Via LifeHacker].

Repairing a Scratched iPod

If your iPod has taken a beating and you'd like to erase the scratches, this Ask MetaFilter thread has several suggestions.

However, don't miss the recommendations for scratching it more.

Playing the iPod's Firmware

Nils Schneider is one of the hackers working on the iPodLinux project that is attempting to bring the open-source operating system Linux to the iPod. Nils's fourth-generation iPod is not currently supported by the project, but he's documented a pretty amazing story of how he and some others managed to reverse engineer the 4G iPod's bootloader code.

Essentially, Nils programmed his iPod to beep the 1s and 0s of the code, recorded the sound as it slowly "played" its bootloader and then decoded the results. It took several trys, but their persistence paid off in the end. [Via Engadget]

Related Links:
Linux Comes to the iPod

Apple Camera Connector

If you can't wait a month until it hits the stores, Apple Insider has a photo of the upcoming iPod Camera Connector.

Announced last week with Apple's iPod lineup changes, the Camera Connector will allow you to connect an iPod Photo directly to a digital camera and move the photos onto the Photo's harddrive. [Via MacRumors]

Related Links:
New iPod Photo Gets Digital Camera Download
Apple Rolls Out New iPods

Apple Cuts Firewire Cable from New iPods

CNet has an article on Apple's decision to stop shipping FireWire cables with the latest generation of iPods.

Whether Apple does or does not include a cable for a technology that is dwarfed in popularity by USB may not seem to be that big of deal, but for Apple it is. Apple is has long been the driving force for FireWire adoption and only recently has Apple been including USB connections for Mac desktops and laptops. It is telling then that Apple's own cost-cutting measures negatively affect a technology that it is a big proponent of.

The new 5G iPods still have FireWire capabilities, you'll just have to buy the $19 cable from Apple before you can use it. [Via Digital Media Thoughts]

2G iPod Mini Review

When Apple ships a new audio player, iPodLounge wastes no time in getting one and getting that review written. Two days ago Apple, among other lineup changes, launched a revised, second-generation (2G) iPod Mini and iPodLounge has already posted its review:

Though the second-generation iPod mini is very similar to its predecessor, there's no doubt that its extended, 26-hour battery life alone is a major improvement, fully remedying perhaps the only gaping performance hole left in the mini by advances across the rest of the iPod family. By adding a 6GB option and putatively dropping the 4GB model's price by $50, Apple unquestionably elevated the initial attractiveness of the iPod mini, and will win many new iPod owners as a direct consequence. We underscore that point, and further note that Apple could have gotten away with just dropping the old iPod mini to a $199 price point and achieved similar results. That they did more - if only a little more - surely deserves some commendation.

New iPod Photo Gets Digital Camera Download

Among the changes that Apple made to its iPod lineup today there really weren't any new features, just price and capacity changes. There was oneone notable exception however. Today Apple also announced the iPod Camera Connector. The Camera Connector will let you connect an iPod Photo to a digital camera and import photos directly from the camera onto the Photo's larger harddrive.

This comes as good news for iPod Photo owners since the lack of digital photo importing was a glaring omission for a product touted for viewing and transporting digital photos.

The iPod Camera Connector will be available in March and will retail for $29.

Apple Rolls Out New iPods

As expected, Apple pulled the covers off changes to its iPod lineup today. They weren't exactly what we thought, but at least a few of the rumors were correct.

Here's the lowdown:

• The iPod Mini will come in 4GB and 6GB flavors (this was expected) at $199 and $249
• The iPod Mini did not get a color LCD (it was thought that it would)
• The 40GB iPod has been dropped (expected), but the 20GB is still available at $299 (unexpected)
• Photo iPods will now come in 30GB and 60GB models at $349 and $449 (expected)
• The gold iPod Mini color choice has been dropped (expected)
• iPod Mini battery life is reported to be 18 hours now

Most at Microsoft Carry an Apple, Just Not Bill Gates

According to "a high-level manager who asked to remain anonymous", around 80% of Microsoft employees own an Apple iPod. It shouldn't be suprising that well-paid, high-tech workers carry the popular audio player, but it is ironic. Apple and Microsoft are direct competitors and the Apple iPod is the most notable MP3 player that is not compatible with Microsoft's online music store technology PlaysForSure.

There is at least one notable exception to the iPods-at-Microsoft rule. Bill Gates carries a Creative Zen. [Via Engadget]

More Apple Rumorage

More Apple rumors are floating about now. MacShrine is reporting that on Wednesday Apple will make sweeping changes to the iPod line:

• The current iPod line will be dropped and replaced by the color iPod Photo
• New 30GB ($349) and 60GB ($449) iPod Photo models will be announced
• A new 6GB (not 5GB) iPod Mini ($249) will be announced and the 4GB iPod Mini will remain, but get a $50 retail price drop to $199
• The new iPod Minis will also have color screens
• The gold iPod Mini color choice will be dropped

More bits at AppleInsider and ThinkSecret

5GB iPod Mini Coming Next Week?

Through the last few Apple rumor mill cycles, it's been apparent that Apple would update the iPod Mini with a 5GB harddrive. Bumping up from 4GB to 5GB would finally bring the Mini up to par with all the other 5GB audio players currently on the market (such as the iRiver H10 and Creative Zen Micro).

According to AppleInsider this may happen as early as next week.

No word on whether there will be any new features in the Mini and presumably the retail price will stay the same.

Cephal-iPod Case

Welcome your new squidy overlords in style with this Cthulu-shaped, felt iPod cover.

Do note that the Cephal-iPod is "guaranteed to be real", but is "not meant to protect your iPod if it crashes to the ground". [Via Gizmodo]

The iPod Get Its Own Search Engine

In hindsite we guess it was inevitable, but the iPod is so big that its got its own search engine now. FINDiPod is a searchable archive of iPod articles, tips, reviews, accessories and generally all things iPod. [Via The Uber-Review]

iPodlounge in Wired

If you've ever wondered about the people behind MP3 player websites, Wired News can fill you in. They've writen an article about Dennis Lloyd, founder of iPodlounge.

The site was started in late 2001 by Dennis Lloyd, a web designer form Irvine, California, just a couple of weeks after Apple Computer launched the iPod. Shortly after starting the site, Lloyd became unemployed.

"I turned it into a full-time job because I got laid off," said Lloyd. "I was just sitting at home collecting unemployment. I had this site, so I started working on it every day."

These days iPodlounge gets 2 million visitors a month, Dennis has 2 employees and iPodlounge is still the best place to get assistance and information on all things iPod.

Apple Shuffle: 'A Gift to Mankind'?

Singaporean reporter Ian Tan has written a thought-provoking article on Apple's ability "to make a no-frills gadget 'a gift to mankind'". The gadget in question is, of course, the Apple Shuffle.

Don't miss the reactions of the CEOs of Creative Labs and iRiver...

Marlboro iPod Mini Case

For the chain-smoking nicotine addict in your life comes an iPod Mini case made from a pack of Marlboros. We're not so sure about being happy that school-aged children are excited to find empty cigarette boxes, but here's a chance to get the original.

No Satellite Radio in the iPod

If you pay attention to it, the Apple rumor mill never seems to leave high gear. One of the many recent rumors was that Apple would somehow integrate Sirius satellite radio capabilities into the iPod.

This one, at least for the near future, won't turn out to be true. According to Orbitcast, Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin spoke to Apple CEO Steve Jobs about just such a deal, but Steve said no. Karmazin says that Apple thinks "they don't need to put a satellite radio in their box." [Via Gizmodo]

The iPod: Razor or Blade?

PBS technology columnist Robert X. Cringley has some thoughts on whether the iPod is a razor or blade, in the sense of selling single razors at a loss while selling profitable blades over and over.

According to Cringely, the margins on the iPod Mini are 30% for retail sales and 60% for Minis bought at full price from the Apple site. On the other hand, the profit on a iTunes song is around $0.20. Even though Apple sells millions of songs though iTunes, Cringely still thinks that the iPod is the blade.

While the iPod is most definitely a "blade", we don't exactly agree with him on the relationship between the iPod and iTunes. We're still convinced that Apple very much thinks of iTunes as a blade as well because it wants its DRM system to be the eventual winner against Microsoft's WMA system. We think that this is the reason why Apple cut the iPod's price by $100 last year and is now selling the iTunes-compatible Shuffle for less than $100. [Via Slashdot]

iPod Rumor Mill Back in Action

The MacWorld show that brought us the new Apple Shuffle was only 2 weeks ago, but new iPod rumors are already circulating. The source, once again, is ThinkSecret. They got the scoop on the Shuffle first (quickly followed by a lawsuit from Apple), so they've got a track record to go on.

The first rumor, according to ThinkSecret, is pretty much a no-brainer for Apple. They predict that the iPod Mini will be updated to include a 5GB Seagate drive, replacing the current 4GB Hitatchi drive. Hitatchi is currently working on 8GB and 10GB drives, but they won't be ready until later this year. Presumably Apple will go with the drive it has now, and maybe drop in the drive it wants later when they're ready.

Besides the space increase, it's not known what else might change with the iPod Mini.

A fifth-generation iPod is also supposed to be in the works for delivery in the 2nd half of this year. The no-brainer for the 5G iPod will be swapping in new drives, namely an 80GB Toshiba drive and a 40GB Toshiba drive that is smaller than the currently used 40GB drive. With the more compact 40GB drive, Apple should be able to shrink the iPod's size even further.

Also, in a departure from the now-iconic white case, Apple may change the iPod casing to match the new Apple Mini computer.

Again with the 5G iPod, no word on what new functionality will be added. Unless, of course, you consider a different case a new feature.

Roundup of Apple Shuffle Stuff

Needless to say, there's been a deluge of information on the new iPod Shuffle since its introduction, so we thought we'd lump some of the more interesting bits together in one place.

First is the ever-dependable Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal:

[T]his is a good product that will enlarge the iPod's appeal, especially with kids, people on low budgets, or people who work out. I imagine some existing iPod owners will also buy Shuffles as sort of add-on players. And the iPod juggernaut will roll on.

The iPod community forum iPodLounge continues its tradition of doing 2 reviews of any new Apple music players with their New User and Power User reviews. Did we mention that iPodLounge really likes the iPod?

We think that Apple knew exactly what it was doing when it picked the iPod shuffle's features and price point. It is looking to utterly slay the competition for new portable digital music consumers by blending the iPod brand name with a fair amount of capacity and an ultra-low price point, yet keep its profits strong regardless of the iPod someone buys. Barring the unforeseeable, we think that Apple will succeed in dramatically expanding the iPod's market share with the iPod shuffle, moving at least four or five million units in 2005, perhaps more.

In fairness, though they did rate it a 'B':

The Good: Apple's smallest, lightest, and cheapest iPod yet, with an industry-leading price point and enough music playback features to satisfy some users.

The Bad: Major compromises on features (especially the absence of a screen) will suit new iPod users more than experienced ones, and force old users to adapt to the shuffle's limited ways of organizing and playing back music. By no means a must-have product for current iPod owners; not an innovative product in any way except bottom line price, size, and aesthetic style, which are of less interest to savvy iPod and competing product owners than new and mainstream buyers.

Here's a review from Russell Beattie that compares the Shuffle with his older Creative flash player:

Soooo... anyone want to take a slightly used Creative MuVo Sport 100 off my hands? :-)

Finally, i4u has video of the actual introduction and demo of the iPod Shuffle from the MacWorld show.

iPod PowerStick Auxillary Charger

Accessory maker Audio Outfitters has created an auxilliary power source for all versions of the iPod called the iPod PowerStick.

Essentially it runs your iPod (and charges the battery) from 4 AA batteries. This could come in handy on that long backpacking trip. The PowerStick retails for $24.98.

iPod Shuffle Photos

The iPod Shuffle is now available from the Apple Store (which is currently difficult to get through to because of heavy usage ) and Apple is offering free shipping on iPod Shuffles.

One feature of the iPod Shuffle we missed in the first post is "Autofill", which fills the Shuffle with all the tracks from a specific playlist.

Also, a number of accessories are available for the Shuffle, each at the cost of $30: an armband, a dock, a AAA external battery pack, a USB charging adapter and a sports case.

HP iPod Photo Officially Official

While this isn't terribly big news, HP CEO Carly Fiorino announced that HP will be offering an HP-branded version of the iPod Photo. If HP remains true to the model it established with the HP iPod, it will be no different than the Apple model, but possibly a little cheaper. [Via MacRumors]

Apple iPod Shuffle (AKA Flash) Officially Official

• No display
• Smaller than a pack of gum, like a flash drive
• Plays tracks randomly or from one playlist only
• Weighs less than 1 oz.
• Buttons for play, pause, track forward and back and volume up and down only
• USB 2.0 connector
• Can be used as a flash drive
• Compatible with both PCs and Macs
• 12 hour battery life
• Integrated with iTunes
• Shipping TODAY
• Only $99 for 512MB version, 1GB is $149

More details and photos, hopefully, when they're available.

Audiovox iPod Mobile Interface Kit

Audiovox has joined Monster, Dension and others in the iPod-to-car connectivity market with the annoucement of their iPod Mobile Interface Kit. Like similar kits, it lets you play tunes from your iPod through your car stereo. Also, you can play, pause and change tracks on the iPod via car stereo controls or steering wheel controls if they're available.

Like the Monster kit, the Audiovox will retail for $200. [Via Engadget]

Related Links:
Monster iCruze iPod Car Stereo Interface
Dension Updates the ice>Link
Dension ICELink Connecting iPods to Your Car

Keep Your Desktop on Your iPod

One of the nice features of higher-capacity MP3 players is that they can (usually) be used as portable disk drives. However, there are packages, one for the Mac and one for Windows, that let your iPod do quite a bit more as you move from place to place.

The first is Migo for Windows which replicates your personal desktop on whatever computer that you're using. Attaching your iPod to a Windows 2000 or Windows XP machine with Migo gives you access to your email, calendar, address book, Internet favories and your desktop preferences. Also, it will keep selected important files in sync.

Migo for the iPod is currently $70 after a $30 rebate.

If you're a Mac user, the iPod already lets you view a copy of your calendar and addresses. But youPod let's you take this a step further. It can sync not only your calendar and addresses across different Macs, but also Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer bookmarks and your password Keychain.

youPod for Mac is $12.95

iPod Flash Coming Soon?

Think Secret is at it again with new, enticing rumors on the iPod Flash. Apple is probably the only audio player maker who won't be making an annoucement at CES this week. Their time will likely come next week at MacWorld.

According to ThinkSecret's sources, the iPod Flash will debut in 1GB and 2GB models, rather than the 128MB, 256MB and 512MB models that are common in flash players these days. Also, an LCD screen will be included and will be 2 lines shorter than the iPod Mini's screen. There was some speculation that Apple might have to sacrifice the LCD to conserve space and/or cost of manufacturing, but apparently not.

The most suprising rumor, though, is about pricing. ThinkSecret says that the 1GB model will retail for the very reasonable price of only $150, with the 2GB at $200.

More bits at Engadget.

On a related note, recently Apple has sued Think Secret over reporting leaked new product information.

Related Links:
More iPod Flash Speculation
iPod Flash Editorializing
Flash memory iPod a Reality?
New Apple Flash Player Coming Over for Christmas?

Monster iCruze iPod Car Stereo Interface

Monster (they of the million dollar stereo cables) has announced the iCruze, a car stereo/iPod interface. Once installed, the iCruze docs with your iPod to play tunes through the car stereo and will integrate with CD changer or steering wheel audio controls if they're available. At $200 it's not exactly a bargain, but eventually there will be an add-on display of some sort to show track information. [Via Engadget]

More bits at AutoBlog.

iPod Photo Reviews

iPod community forum iPodLounge has gotten into the pattern of doing two reviews when Apple debuts a new audio player. The first is for power users wondering how the new differs from the old, while the second is for the new users considering a first iPod purchase.

Now that the iPod Photo is the new kid on the block, here are iPodLounge's power user iPod Photo review and new user review.

5GB iPod Minis Coming Soon?

According to AppleInsider, "highly reliable sources" have said that Apple has just put an updated, 5GB version of the 4GB iPod Mini into production. This news, of course, isn't unexpected since just about every iPod Mini competitor already has a 5GB capacity.

There's no way the new Mini can make it out in time for the holiday season, but Apple is said to be stockpiling to meet an expected high initial demand. Apple Insider's source speculate that the new model will be announced at the upcoming MacWorld San Francisco show, along with the rumored iPod Flash.

Notably though, is word that Apple switched mini harddrive suppliers. 4GB iPod Minis use Hitatchi drives, while the upcoming Mini is said to be use a Seagate drive. [Via Mac Rumors]

iPod Shortages

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that there is a widespread iPod shortage (WSJ subscription required) across the US. How badly do people want iPods in time for Christmas?

The spotty availability of the iPod has created a booming aftermarket for the devices on eBay Inc.'s auction site, where a pink iPod mini earlier this week fetched $380, or more than $130 above the music player's suggested retail price. In April eBay created an iPod category on its site in response to active trading of the gadgets among its users. In its first month, there were 3,000 iPod-related listings, according to an eBay spokesman. Now there are about 18,000 listings in the category.

Hacking iPod Graphics

This week's how-to column over at Engadget shows you how to easily change the graphics on the iPod. Don't like the "Do Not Disconnect" image? Drop in Hello Kitty or baby photos instead.

The iPod Wizard software that they use should allow you change images on 3G and 4G iPods, iPod Minis and even iPod Photos (yay color!).

More iPod Flash Speculation

After yesterday's imagined mockup of the iPod Flash, here are two more takes on the would-be Apple audio player. First up are comments by Dan Torres of Rio in BusinessWeek magazine [Via Gizmodo]:

Q: What will happen to the market if Apple comes out with a flash-memory-based player?
A: I think there will be a combination of things. It will be interesting to see how they change their position in coming into that market. Will they go after sports, which is one of our targets? It will be an interesting addition to the market. Apple will call attention to the importance of flash. Just a year ago they had said flash is passé.

Second is the striking, what-if mockup by Isamu Sanada shown above. More discussion on Sanada's take at Cult of Mac.[Via Shiny Plastic]

iPod Year in Review

The Editor-in-Chief of iPodLounge has written up his thoughts on Apple's 2004 in their iPod Year in Review 2004:

With that, we have come full circle: Apple entered the year with critics, and so it leaves the year with critics - the crucial difference being that there are now far fewer than before, and around four million new iPod owners, besides. Having defied expectations with the iPod mini and vaulted the iPod to new sales heights, partnerships and functionality with the 4G iPod, U2 iPod and iPod photo, Apple has clearly had a spectacular year, one far better than any of the doubters would have imagined.

Beware, this article is NSFAOIPH (Not Safe For Apple Or iPod Haters). You've been warned.

Creative Zen Micro vs. iPod Mini

On the heels of his Creative Zen Micro review, Jon at MonsterNet now has a head-to-head review of the Creative Zen Micro vs. the Apple iPod Mini. Conclusion? A tie, sort of:

In conclusion, the Apple iPod wins for the very reason that it is an iPod. We love it for the winning design, proven by the sales of iPods, and the "cool" factor. The Zen Micro, while seeming like an imitation, has several extra features over the iPod Mini. Personnally, it would be very hard to choose between the iPod Mini and the Zen Micro. But, being the geek that I am, I think I would go for the Zen Micro.

Apple iPod Mini 4GB: 9 out of 10
Creative Zen Micro 5GB: 9 out of 10

Related Links:
Creative Zen Micro Review
Four Creative Zen Micro Reviews

Apple iPod Flash Details?

TheMacMind says that it has the scoop on the rumored-to-be-coming iPod Flash. The image above is just a mockup. But according to their tipster the iPod Flash will measure only 2.5"x1.5"0.5" (which is smaller than the business card shown) and have NO LCD. The only controls will be track forward and back, volume up and down and play/pause.

The only price information is that the 256MB version will retail for only $99. Also according to their source, the iPod Flash will be officially announced at MacWorld San Francisco.

3 Books for the iPod

Slashdot has posted reviews of 3 iPod books: The iPod Fan Book, Hacking iPod + iTunes and iPod & iTunes Hacks.

Thus far most of the Slashdot commentary seems to revolve around why a device so easy to use needs books that teach you how to use it. We tend to agree.

Clarion iPods Your Cap

Car stereo maker Clarion (or as they prefer to be known, "aftermarket automobile entertainment system manufacturer" Clarion) will debut an iPod/car integration system at the upcoming CES 2005 show in Las Vegas. The Clarion VRX755VD will have a 7" LCD monitor that can be used to display track, artist and playlist information from your iPod. It will also play DVDs.

This sounds pretty cool, but the price might be pretty steep. There's no pricing yet on the VRX755VD, but the linked article says that DVD systems for cars usually run $1800 to $2000. Ouch. [Via Gizmodo]

iTunes Music Store Goes North

Apple has opened yet another branch of its iTunes Music Store with the launch of its Canadian site. Their breathless press release features words like "revolutionary", "pioneering" and "legendary" throughout, so don't bother reading it or you'll have to wash your eyes out with soap. We just wanted you to know that iTunes Canada opened.

Tunes are 0.99CDN (about 0.84USD). As tempting as it sounds, we're not sure if you can buy tunes from the US from the Candadian store.

Color Coordinated iPod Mini Earphones

For those of you (and you know who you are) dying to take color coordination to the next, Audio Technica has come to your rescue with earphones that come in each of the 5 iPod Mini colors. Mix and match colors to your heart's content for only $59 each. [Via i4u]

Apple iPod Photo Review

Review day rolls on with PC Magazine's Apple iPod Photo review:

Apple retains the iPod's famous ease of use and applies it well to digital photos, but with some odd limitations. If you want primarily a music player with the added ability to see and show photos, too, you'll be thrilled. But digital photographers will wish for more on-the-road-friendly features.

Dension Updates the ice>Link

Dension has updated their iPod to car connectivity system with the new ice>Link: Plus. Rather than just a way to pipe audio from your iPod into your car stereo, the ice>Link: Plus is a more extensive hardware solution to connect and control your iPod with your car stereo.

If your car or replacement stereo supports it, the ice>Link: Plus lets you control your iPod with radio controls or, vice versa, control your car stereo from the iPod interface.

The new version is also more modular than the original and has upgradeable firmware. [Via iPoding]

Related Links:
Dension ICELink Connecting iPods to Your Car

iPod Photo Review

A new review of the iPod Photo has been posted over at The Gadgeteer ([Via MacDailyNews]):

Pros:
iPod quality
60GB storage, plenty of room
iTunes supports it flawlessly
Windows or Mac, does not matter
USB or FireWire
Sounds great, and photos look awesome, especially on your TV

Cons:
Very expensive (but Apple provides financing, har har)
A little heavier than previous iPods
Photo display bug
Device's cosmetic delicateness a bit scary

Chipset Maker PortalPlay Goes Public

PortalPlayer (PLAY), who makes the chipsets that are the heart of the Apple iPod line, went public last Friday, raising over $100 million. Although the offering was priced at $17, shares opened $25.60 (and closed today at $28.76).

Inside of every iPod is a PortalPlayer chip that makes all the hardware (harddrive, LCD, etc.) work together, reads audio files, decodes them and plays them. Adding signifcant functionality (playing movies, for example) that is not in your devices chipset is difficult and expensive. This means that audio players rely heavily on their chipset and that new features don't come out until the chipset makers get it done.

Apple, though, always keeps its cards close to its vest and its relationship with PortalPlayer is no exception. PortalPlayer reports that 92% of its 2004 income came from the Chinese company Inventec Appliances, not Apple. Inventec is one of the companies that actually manufactures iPods for Apple (and likely HP as well).

It even sounds like the company itself doesn't know whether Apple is a customer or not:

We believe that nearly all of our platforms sold to Inventec are incorporated in the Apple iPod product family. Apple may choose to use platforms in addition to ours for its products, use a different platform than ours altogether or develop an in-house solution.

Such confidence! Makes you want to dump your life savings into the stock doesn't it?

Related Links:
Apple Video iPod Demystified
iPod Can Supprt WMA?!?

iPod Flash Editorializing

Editoral mode on: We're still scratching our heads over this one. We can think of so many reasons why Apple wouldn't want a flash iPod, but far fewer good reasons for the iPod Flash. First off, the low price will cannibalize regular iPod and iPod Mini sales. Second, we can't imagine that iPod Flash margins will be that large anyway.

Third, how much can Apple differentiate the iPod Flash from the iPod Mini? The iPod Mini and 4G iPod are already quite small, how much lower can Apple go? Not much if it has a click wheel and an LCD of any size. The iPod Mini already added color choice, so expect the flash version to come in colors as well. Finally, and we feel most importantly, how can Apple sell people on a 256MB device when a 4GB or 20GB device doesn't cost much more?

On the positive side, however, a flash device will probably have great battery life. But then again, Apple sold plenty of 3G iPods with pathetic battery lifetimes.

The iPod Flash pros both come with a couple of big ifs. First is that Apple may only be using the iPod Flash as a low-cost way to lock consumers into the iTunes Music Store, keeping them away from competing, Microsoft-based online music stores. This only makes sense if Apple makes its money from the store (blades) rather than the devices (razors).

Second, it's also possible that Apple thinks that a flash iPod won't cannibalize iPod and iPod Mini sales, but we flatly disagree.

More on the iPod Flash?

AppleInsider has several new rumors regarding the upcoming Apple iPod Flash, with its information "confirmed through well placed and extremely reliable sources". The new bits are that Apple won't make it in time for Christmas, but that they're expecting huge intitial demand and will stockpile 2 million units for release time.

Capacity is supposed to range from a paltry 256MB to a slightly-less-paltry 1GB with retail price below $200.

Not suprisingly, the flash version will supposedly inherit its older sibling's click wheel interface.

Related Links:
Flash memory iPod a Reality?
New Apple Flash Player Coming Over for Christmas?

Upgrade Your iPod Battery

Before the release of the 4th generation iPod, battery life on Apple's runaway hit audio player was, in a word, dismal. Just about every competitor beat the iPod on battery life, but those iPods just kept on selling. So if you're one of the folks who still have one of the older (1G, 2G or 3G) iPods and are disappointed in run time, there are some replacement batteries that would give you significantly better battery life.

Other World Computing is a good place to start and has a couple of inexpensive choices. For about $40 you can upgrade your 1G or 2G iPod to a 2100mAH battery that should give 20+ hours of life. Not a bad price if you want to extend the life of your older iPod.

Slappa iPod HardBody Case

Vaja has just about everbody covered in terms of cases, but the iPod is still the king of accessories. Here's one more, the Slappa Hardbody iPod Case. $30 gets you a case for 3G and 4G iPods and even the iPod Photo. [Via Gizmodo]

How To Get Music OFF your iPod

If you own an iPod, you are no doubt familiar with the way to get music ON to your iPod: synching with iTunes. But what if you want to get music OFF that iPod. iTunes and Apple are no help.

Coming to your rescue, Phillip Torrone has written up a nice how-to over at Engadget:

Never did we think we'd need to do a How-To on something which should be part of the basic functionality of a portable music player, but once you put your tunes on an iPod unfortunately it's a one-way sync unless you know the tricks for getting them off. There are already a lot of different ways to copy music off of an iPod, Apple is just choosing to spend a lot of time and resources to make it hard to do. In this How-To we show you several different ways of getting the music off of your iPod and onto both Macs and PCs, all with free tools.

iPod Photo First Look

Pocket Lint has already posted their first look at the iPod Photo. That's no small feat if, as they say, there is only 1 iPod Photo in Europe until the UK release in a few weeks. What do they think?

So is it worth the extra money to turn your iPod into a Photo booth for your family album. First impressions make us in two minds. On the one side, you've got an iPod that can view images on a small 2in screen not much bigger than most camera backs or camera phones, but on the other you've the ability to plug it in to your television and view your digital snaps just as you would take around a pack of photos to a friends house.

What's stopping us getting over excited? To view the images properly you really need to view it on a television and that two, to view images on the television, in our minds the killer app here, you need to carry around a long cable with three phono plugs in your pocket, which suddenly makes this a rather bulky package.

iPod Photo Dissected

Wasting absolutely no time at all, iPoding has pried the cover off their new toy and taken photos under the hood of the iPod Photo. [Via Engadget]

iPodlounge also has a bunch of photos of the iPod Photo and its packaging.

Black U2 iPod Officially Official

Usually the mega-band U2 doesn't get second billing.

Today, though, is the exception. In addition to the new color iPod Photo, Apple also announced a special edition iPod, the U2 in black and red. The U2 iPod retails for $349, which is $50 more than the standard 4G 20GB iPod. However, your extra $50 does get a few extras.

Beside the first-of-its-kind black face, the scroll wheel is red and the name and autographs of each of the band members is engraved on the back. Since that alone probably isn't worth $50, you also get a U2 poster and an iTunes Music Store coupon for $50 off purchase of "The Complete U2".

Otherwise, the U2 Special Edition is the same as the 4G 20GB iPod. Same size, same weight.

Color iPod Photo Officially Official

Apple springs a big suprise today with the official announcement of the oft-rumored iPod Photo! A spin-off of the basic iPod, the iPod Photo incorporates a 2" color LCD screen and comes in either 40GB ($499) or 60GB ($599) flavors.

It's a bit bigger and heavier than the standard 4G iPods at 4.1"x2.4"x0.75" and 6.4ozs, but Apple says the iPod Photo has 15 hours of battery life (compared with the 4G's 12 hours).

The color LCD is 2" diagonally, displays 220x176 pixels at 64k colors. With iTunes syncing, the iPod Photo will display album cover art and images in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF and PNG format.

Also new to iPod Photo is a video output and an AV cable that allows it to display photo slideshows (with music!) on your TV. Also, both standard (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) formats are supported.

The iPod Photo is said to be available in 1 to 2 weeks.

More bits at every news outlet on the planet.

Flash memory iPod a Reality?

A few weeks ago we reported that an industry analyst mentioned that Apple was cooking up its first flash memory-based audio player, to be available by the end of the year. Needless to say, this rumor was taken with a grain of salt. But now the analyst in question, Jason Pflaum of Thomas Weisel, has reconfirmed his statement:

I recently spent two weeks in Asia meeting with a number of folks who are in a position to know details of SigmaTel's supply chain. Based on our industry contacts, we are confident that, one, Apple is planning to launch a flash-based player, and two, SigmaTel is the provider of controller chip for that device.

Related Links:
New Apple Flash Player Coming Over for Christmas?

Where's the New iPod Mini?

OK, we know a few basic facts. First, we know that Apple owns the audio player market right now. The iPod Mini is so popular it can be hard to find it on shelves or in stock online. Even though it is quite small and stylish, the iPod Mini only has a 4GB capacity and at $249, only slightly less expensive than its not-much-larger 20GB breathern.

Furthermore Rio, Creative Labs, Virgin Electronics, Dell and who knows how many other audio player makers all have 5GB models that are pretty close to the iPod Mini in size and weight. In terms of style,

All this begs the question, where is the new iPod Mini? You know, the one with the 5GB (or 8GB or 10GB maybe) capacity, even smaller than the first and a couple of other changes. Rumor has it that yet another full-size iPod revision is coming before Christmas. Will Apple update the iPod Mini by then as well?

PS: The same goes for iRiver. Where is your mini-sized audio player? You cancelled your 1GB player way back when and it hasn't been heard from since.

Related Links:
Apple Continues to Rule the World
The iPod's Tipping Point?

Printable iPod Tattoos from HP

Aside from the HP logo engraved on the back, the HP "version" of the iPod is no different from the Apple model. But HP has brought at least one new thing to the table with their "iPod Tattoos". Essentially the tattoos are paper sleeves that wrap around the iPod, like a skin.

HP has several tattoos that you can download for free (either of bands or free designs). Also, HP is selling special paper (which has an adhesive of some sort to hang onto the iPod, we presume), 10 sheets for $15. [Via ChiatGear]

Update: from looking at the HP printing instructions, the tattoos are just great big stickers. Presumably you could do it yourself with label sheets from OfficeMax, but we dunno if HP uses a different adhesive that is better suited to being cleanly removed from your iPod.

Apple Continues to Rule the World

92.1%. Apple has 92.1% of the harddrive-based audio player market. 92.1%, so says Stephen Baker of the NPD Group. By comparison, Creative has 3.7% and Rio has 3.2%. That leaves just a 1% scrap for iRiver, Cowon and all the others to fight for. Absolutely amazing. Both CNet and The Register have good summaries.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple sold more than 2 million iPods in the last quarter. Also, Apple said that sale of HP-branded iPods already accounted for 6% of sales.

In the past we predicted that the biggest hurdle would-be Apple competitors would have is recognition that there are other audio players besides the iPod. CNet's report bears this out:

Competitors will have to contend with daunting brand recognition, however. In a recent survey of buying preferences among U.S. teenagers, analyst Jeff Klinefelter of Piper Jaffray found a strong preference for the iPod over competing products. Of the 600 teens surveyed, 16 percent already owned an iPod, and 24 percent planned to get one within the next year. Only 8 percent planned to acquire another brand of music player in that time.

Another recent Piper Jaffray survey found that the iPod was the fourth most-requested Christmas gift among U.S. high school students, trailing clothes, money and cars.

60GB Color iPod Coming?

Apple rumor site Think Secret has reported that Apple's next iPod will offer a 60GB capacity, a color LCD screen, synchronization with iPhoto and audio/video outputs. According to "highly reliable sources", the "new iPod is currently in production in Asia after delays from Toshiba in delivering its new 60GB drive hampered a planned early-September ramp up."

Retail price is said to be $499, $100 more than the current 40GB iPod.

Both the 60GB capacity and the color screen/video out rumors have floated around separately in the past several months, but maybe this time around they'll come true.

Related Links:
Apple Video iPod Demystified
4th Generation iPod
New iPod Rumor

New Apple Flash Player Coming Over for Christmas?

News reports have indicated that chipmaker SigmaTel has inked a deal with Apple to provide chipsets for an upcoming MP3 player. The stories note that the player will NOT be a harddrive-based model like the iPod and iPod Mini, rather a flash-based device that will likely be much smaller than the iPod Mini, but with smaller storage capacity. When will we see it? Not long from now:

Citing ``numerous sources in Asia,'' Thomas Weisel analyst Jason Pflaum said Apple will use SigmaTel's controller chips for a player it's planning to launch this Christmas.

Of course any new Apple MP3 product announcement is a suprise, but we are especially suprised that Apple chose SigmaTel to provide the chipset over their long-time chipset partner, PortalPlayer.

Related Links:
SigmaTel Inside
Some Corroboration for the New iPod Rumor?

Update:
SigmaTel itself announced today that it has cemented a partnership with Rio. So it is possible that the quoted source confused Apple with Rio, but that would make "Thomas Weisel analyst Jason Pflaum" an enormous idiot (or at least the person who misquoted him).

Color iPods

If you're style-conscious enough to deplore the limited color selections for the iPod Mini and are aghast that there is still only one iPod color, ColorWare has come to your rescue: they offer new 4G iPods in a choice of 20 colors. Of course, you'll pay a premium for the priviledge, but as a fashionista you already knew that. The 20GB ColorWare iPods are all $365 (compared with a $299 retail price).

And if you've already got an iPod, ColorWare will color it for $49.00.

Xeni, Her iPod and the BMW Loaner

Xeni over at BoingBoing has a writeup of her experience with the in-car integration between the iPod and new BMWs:

I loved the car, and I loved grooving out to my own digital tunes by way of the iPod. The abilty to select songs, playlists, and control volume from the steering wheel was great. But some aspects of the system seemed lacking. For instance -- the iPod sits inside the glove compartment, but just sort of bangs around loose inside there. No special case to protect it, and passengers in the car with me were always cramming keys or sunglasses in there. Damage seemed inevitable. Also, when I'm in iPod mode -- why can't I see what's playing? The stereo display shows you names of radio stations, even program and song details -- but you get nothing but playlist number and song number when you've selected the iPod mode. Other aftermarket products do display the names of songs when you're in iPod mode, and I was frustrated by the fact that this system didn't.

Xeni's post also spawned another thread with several good suggestions for in-car connectivity for your MP3 player.

Sonance In-Wall iPod Station

The unending torrent of new iPod accessories continues with the Sonance iPort, a novel in-wall docking station for the home. The iPort is intended to integrate your iPod into Sonance's line of home multi-room audio distribution and control system. Engadget has more pictures here.

More bits at Digital Media Thoughts and Engadget.

DIY iPod Battery Replacement

Mark at BoingBoing has written up his experience with do-it-yourself iPod battery replacement. It's great to know that replacing a dead or dying iPod battery is quick, easy and not too expensive. Unfortunately, a lot of batteries are going to need replacing as those early model iPods turn 2 or 3 years old.

The hPod Debuts

As expected, the HP-branded version of the iPod was officially announced today. It was thought that HP might make at least a few changes to the original, possibly an HP-blue exterior for one, but it appears not.

As far as we can tell, it's exactly like the regular 4G iPod and has the same $299 and $399 retail prices for 20GB and 40GB models. If there were any differences, it's reasonable to assume that HP would call attention to them, but they have not.

The only new feature are "HP Printable Tatoos for iPod", stick-on (and removable) skins for the iPod casing. Actually this is kind of a cool idea, not earth-shattering, but a good idea nonetheless. Likely they will adhere just as well to the original iPod. Shades of NEXkins...

If you're wondering why Apple and HP went through all this trouble, it is all about enlarging the iPod distribution channel. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has about 12,000 retail outlets (the Apple website, Apple stores and others), while HP computers are sold through 110,000 outlets. New HP PCs are going to be pre-loaded with iTunes and likely the iPod will be an accessory to any PC purchase in the way that printers are today.

HP iPod Coming Tomorrow

At first it was rumored that the HP-branded iPod would be coming on September 5th, but it turns out it's even sooner than that. CNet is now reporting that HP CEO Carly Fiorina will introduce the new device tomorrow in Miami. Even if you're not invited to the press event, you can join in via the HP webcast.

We do know that the hPod will be based on the new 4G iPod, this being the cause of delays, in favor of launching earlier with a device based on the older, 3G iPod. What, if anything, will differentiate the HP version from the Apple original is unclear, however.

iPod Accessory Round-Up

For quite a while the iPod has been the king of audio player accessories with literally hundreds of add-ons and extras for the device. Here's a run down on a few that have recently appeared.

The "ergonomic and luxurious" leather iPod case from cigarette maker Dunhill. [Via BoingBoing]

iPod bags from Gucci and Fendi. [Via i4u]

"MUST HAVES" (their words, not ours). [Via Endaget and Gizmodo]

DIY iPod superCase. [Via Engadget]

(This one is actually useful, we swear). The Griffin RoadTrip: FM transmitter, car charger and cradle in one. [Via Engadget]

Another Zen Touch vs. 4G iPod Matchup

IT Asia One has another matchup between the new Creative Zen Touch and the 4th generation iPod. Not suprisingly the iPod wins again, but the reviewer does note how the market landscape has changed:

The price war is on, with the price gap between the Zen Touch and the iPod narrowed to $49, from a considerable $269 difference between the previous 20GB Zen NX and third-generation iPod, only less than a year ago.

Gadgeteer 4G iPod Review

4G iPod reviews are really starting to roll. Today's review is from the Gadgeteer:

People in the market for an iPod should not hesitate to buy this model, but do I recommend that 3rd generation owners rush out and upgrade? No, not unless your current device has some type of defect or you just have to have the latest model. The 2hrs additional battery life and new clicker design are nice, but for me these features aren't that compelling. As far as power, most of the time I'm near an outlet and can grab some juice when needed. I didn't have any real complaints with the old wheel design. My advice to 3rd gen owners is to just wait for the 5th gen devices. Maybe they'll have some of the cool new features that were rumored for the 4th gen.

iPodFilter: 60GB Model in time for Holidays?

Toshiba has announced a new 60GB drive in the 1.8" form factor presently used by the iPod. Reportedly Apple has already ordered a large quantity for what would be the highest-capacity iPod to date.

Toshiba notes that the new drives (also available in a slimmer 30GB model) consume 20% less power than the previous 20GB and 40GB models. Unfortunately, they won't be available in quantity until near the end of the year. Apple will likely be one of, if not the first customer to get them, so 60GB iPods may appear by holiday gift-buying time. [Via Mac Observer]

iPodlounge Power User Review and "Secrets" Probed

To complement the new user review, iPodlounge has published its power user review of the 4G iPod. Ironically, this iPodlounge review seems to be hardest on the new iPod out of all the reviews that we've read. Presumably this is because most reviews are written from the perspective a first-time buyer rather than a potential upgrader:

For new users, the new fourth-generation iPod is an imperfect but solid update of Apple's earlier high-capacity iPods, and the new hardware is highly likely to appeal to virtually any prospective iPod user out there. With few exceptions, what was great about the iPod has become even better. And to the extent that some Power Users may be looking for an excuse to replace their iPods, these will no doubt make excellent birthday and holiday gifts.

But other Power Users will unquestionably find that the new fourth-generation iPod is no mandatory replacement for older iPod hardware. It's actually a snore in that it offers only minor updates to the features that Apple introduced in last year's third-generation iPod and February's iPod mini. Click Wheel and battery life aside, the 4G iPod's other changes are iterative software tweaks mixed with one or two small aesthetic downgrades, and therefore we don't see this as a product that long time iPod lovers will line up to buy. It's also no surprise that some 3G iPod users are demanding that Apple support the older hardware with the 4G's software features. When a new iPod looks and functions so much like its predecessor, such complaints and requests are only natural. No one would be begging if the new iPod had shipped with a color screen and a dramatically enhanced interface.

As you may have heard, there is a lot of speculation on what, if any, tricks Apple still has up its sleeve with the new iPod. In the past we've written quite a bit on the chips that power devices and how their potential isn't always utilized.

Along those lines, iPodlounge has done some excellent analysis of what's under the hood in the new iPod, what Apple could do if it wanted and what they think Apple actually will do.

Related Links:
Hidden Features In 4G iPod?
Some Corroboration for the New iPod Rumor?
Apple Video iPod Demystified
iPod Can Supprt WMA?!?

PC World on the 4G iPod and Zen Touch

PC World has a brief review of both the 4G iPod and the Creative Zen Touch. The new iPod gets high marks even though the reviewer includes a thorough list of what is still missing in the latest rev. The Zen Touch, however, doesn't fare as well:

You might remember that a few months ago I went a little nuts (in a good way) over the playlist interface for Creative's Nomad Zen. I mean, I loved this thing. It absolutely changed the way I listen to music. The idea of an IPod-sized player with that interface had me drooling.

But no, Creative wanted to simplify things, to aim for the ease-of-use found in its IPod rivals. So with its latest player, there's no more moving songs around within a playlist. No more treating albums and artists as objects so you can collapse them for easy navigation or move a full album of tracks with a few clicks. Gone. Poof. No more. And no "advanced menus" option that brings these features back.

Hidden Features In 4G iPod?

There have been some rumblings about "hidden features" in the 4G iPod that Apple would spring on its competitors at a later date. Not suprisingly, heavy speculation ensued. However, an iPodHacks user has it nailed down definitively:

I have it on good authority that the secret code in 4G iPods is a portable version of RealPlayer, as users have been clamoring for stuttering, scratchy sounding audio for the iPods. According to beta tester Audrey Helpern, "Having RealPlayer on the iPod is like being in touch with the very beginning of multimedia on computers. Sometimes I close my eyes and pretend I'm on my Quadra 660AV listening to a distant sounding AM-radio feed over a 33.3k modem. Then I open my eyes and realize I'm on a 4G iPod. It's a trip."

4G iPod Dissection Photos

A brave soul over at iPoding has dissected and photographed a brand spanking new 4th-generation iPod to see how the new click wheel works.

4G iPod Gets the Device Viking Treatment

Today we get two new updates from the Device Viking. Earlier he reviewed the Creative Zen Touch. Now we get the 4G iPod as well (machine translation here).

Motorola Enters the Market

A couple of days ago, Motorola announced a first-of-its-kind deal with Apple that would let Motorola cell phone owners play iTunes music on their phones. We didn't note it here at Player Blog because this site is geared towards devices that are full-time, high capacity MP3 players rather than devices with MP3 playback tacked on and with limited storage. Cell phones certainly fit in the latter category. However, Engadget snapped a photo at a Motorola press event of what is said to be the m500, a 5GB audio player. No word on whether it too will play iTunes music, which would be questionable given Apple's refusal to allow any devices but its own to play songs from iTMS.

Apple Out of Tune With Harmony

Don't say we didn't warn them. The introduction of Harmony from Real Networks, a way to make Real's Helix DRM technology compatible with the iPod, has drawn the ire of Apple's legal team. Apple says that it is "stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod".

Reportedly, Apple is looking into taking legal action via the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998. The DMCA includes provisions against "circumvention" of copy-protection technologies. IANAL, but is Harmony really circumventing FairPlay? In DRM terms, I would characterize circumvention as removing DRM from a piece of protected music. As I understand it, Harmony adds FairPlay DRM to music rather than subtracts it. All it really circumvents is Apple's iTunes Music Store.

More bits at the Wall Street Journal, Mac Rumors, Dan Gillmor's eJournal and BBC News.

Related Links:
Real Networks Introduces Harmony

Turn Your iPod into a Universal Remote

Engadget has posted yet another interesting how-to: using your iPod as a universal remote control. It's probably not the most practical solution to remote overload, but it's pretty cool that you can do it at all. Their solution does require a Pocket PC and a Griffin Total Remote, so if you've got one lying around, give it a go.

More bits at BoingBoing and Slashdot.

4G iPod Sound Problems?

iPodlounge is reporting that some owners of the new 4th-generation iPod are experiencing some sound distortion:

The defect manifests as audible static and noise interference in the earphones that is most prominent whenever a new iPod's hard disk is accessed. Similar interference was not detectable through line out (Dock Connector) output.

Users of affected iPods will be able to hear a hard disk-like whirring sound in their earphones, coupled with several seconds of light static at the start of a song that has just been loaded. This should not be confused with the quiet hard disk loading sounds that an iPod makes, which sounds are not audible through earphones, or with normal static-like compression artifacts in your audio.

In the words of Astro Jetson, "rhut roh rorge". From the responses to the iPodlounge post, not every 4G iPod owner has the problem, but it definitely seems to exist. No word from Apple on this yet. [Via Engadget]

Related Links:
iPod Mini Sound Problems?

DesignTechnica Reviews the iPod Mini

Just days after the overseas launch of the iPod Mini, DesignTechnica has published a new review:

“A thousand songs in your pocket�, smaller, lighter, more colorful, and with loads of extra features, the iPod mini easily outdoes all other portable audio players on the market in terms of style and quality. It is too hot to handle, too easy to play with, and too lovely to not obtain one. Apple has surely scored another homerun with this little sister to the original iPod.

It's clear that the iPod Mini is very popular since it is almost never in stock at major online retailers, but we're curious as to how much Apple was able to increase production to meet worldwide demand. Presumably the wordwide release coincided with the 4G iPod launch, possibly taking some pressure off iPod Mini demand. [Via i4u]

Related Links:
iPod Mini Finally Available Worldwide

CNet Reviews the 4G iPod

Another short review of the 4G iPod has appeared, this time at CNet:

The good: Click Wheel improves user experience; better battery life; useful firmware enhancements such as multiple On The Go playlists; more bang for the buck.

The bad: Dock, remote control, and carrying case not included.

Related Links:
Early 4G iPod Review

Want to Build Your Own iPod Remote?

Someone has done a bit of reverse engineering on the iPod dock and remote control and determined how the iPod communicates via its connector. Theoretically at least, this is pretty much all you need to know if you wanted to make a homebrew remote.

There's no mention of song title or other track information, so I'm curious as to whether there are command strings to fetch this. Then you could build an LCD remote along the lines of the iRiver H-series. Or scroll your playlist along a LED reader board. [Via DAP Review]

Present at the Creation of the iPod

Wired has an interesting look behind the scenes during the creation of the original, 1st-generation iPod. The story is based on the experiences of Ben Knauss, a former employee of PortalPlayer, the company that helped engineer the first iPod and continues to produces the internal iPod and iPod Mini chipsets. [Via Slashdot]

Related Links:
Some Corroboration for the New iPod Rumor?
Apple Video iPod Demystified
iPod Can Supprt WMA?!?

Early 4G iPod Review

iPodlounge has just posted a lengthy review of the new 4th generation iPod. This review was written for the "New User", someone who is looking to buy their first MP3 player, but still does a good job of pointing out the differences between the 3G and 4G iPods. A "Power User" review is supposed to follow. Also, they have a big batch of photos. Not surprisingly iPodlounge likes the new iPod:

From a new iPod buyer's perspective, the new fourth-generation iPods from Apple are pretty exciting. At $299 (20 gigabyte) and $399 (40 gigabyte), they're cheaper than their comparably sized predecessors, feature better battery life, and have all the features that iPod owners have known and loved for the past year and three months, plus the iPod mini's superior Click Wheel. Fully compatible with existing iPod electronic accessories and likely to be more widely available in stores than iPod minis through the end of 2004, they're strong competitors against virtually every other music player on the market today.

Also, they agree with us that the 4G model and the $100 price cut is Apple's move to hook the masses:

Today, Apple's fourth-generation iPods have taken another step towards global ubiquity. While not substantially different from their predecessors, they offer better battery life, value for the dollar, and a collection of small user interface improvements that are mostly of interest to current iPod owners. But importantly, the new iPods - like this review - were not designed to appeal to current iPod owners. They were mostly made for converts and first-time digital music buyers. And judged by that standard, they are an almost unmitigated success.

Related:
The iPod's Tipping Point?
4G iPod Officially Official
More on the New iPod

The iPod's Tipping Point?

Now that the dust has settled a bit from Monday's surprise announcement of a 4th generation iPod, I'd like to step back and analyze the strategic implications of this move.

First the backstory. As is widely known, Apple has an enormous lead on its nearest competitors in the audio player market. In the minds of much of the American general public, MP3 player equals iPod. Period. The average person has probably never heard of iRiver or Creative (unless they happen to own a Soundblaster or some other accessory where Creative is a brand leader). Simply put, to the masses, Apple has total mindshare and its hardware competitors might as well not even exist.

However, hardware competitors such as Creative and iRiver (and Rio and Cowon and on and on) are not what drive Apple's business strategy. Microsoft drives Apple's business strategy. This is because the real, long-term, clash-of-the-titans fight is over whether Apple or Microsoft ends up as the dominant digital rights management (DRM) technology. Apple has iTMS that powers its iTunes online music store and only works on its iPods. Microsoft has WMA, which works on just about every audio player on the planet except the iPod.

So how does new-iPod-Monday figure into all of this? Normally when a company has such high brand awareness, it can charge a hefty premium for its products. Until Monday, this was the case. iPods have always been quite a bit more expensive than rival devices. But the hipsters had to be seen with the white headphones, so they bought them in droves, prices by damned.

Why then did Apple lop $100 off the price? This is the key to their strategy: they've already sold the hipsters, now its time to cleanup selling to everyone else (translation the other 99% of the population).

I think that Apple is trying to manage the iPod's Tipping Point, a la the Hush Puppy revival that rapidly quadrupled sales of a moribund brand sparked only by a few New York City hipsters. As an aside, I can't recommend Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point highly enough, which explains and gives endless, highly-entertaining examples of the Tipping Point in effect. What Apple wants is for the iPod to "tip" into being a nearly ubiquitous device in the way that cell phones and DVD players are now. This, I believe, is the "it" Apple CEO Steve Jobs referred to in the Newsweek article:

Steve Jobs noticed something earlier this year in New York City. "I was on Madison," says Apple's CEO, "and it was, like, on every block, there was someone with white headphones, and I thought, 'Oh, my God, it's starting to happen'."

That big price cut was designed to fuel this. Today the iPod is a whole lot more appealing to all of us less hip and more price-sensitive types. Before Monday the two main drawbacks of the iPod were high price and short battery life. Guess what? That's exactly what the 4th-gen iPod ponies up. The remaining gripes about the iPod pale in comparison and I can be cool with the cool kids without having to break the bank. Oh and there are hundreds of accessories available too.

At this point, I think that this is a very astute (dare I say brilliant?) business move on Apple's part. I expect them to immediately follow up with expanded marketing efforts to the mass market. And assuming they can deliver 4G iPods in volume, I expect Apple to blow the lid off iPod sales records.

Microsoft, for the time being at least, has put its money on portable video players (or at least has its attention divided between audio players and PVPs). Apple disagrees and has gone all-in with the audio-only iPod. Only time will tell who has the winning hand.

Related:
4G iPod Officially Official
More on the New iPod

4G iPod Officially Official

As previously reported, Apple did indeed make the 4th update to the iPod official today, updated the iPod specs page and put it up for sale online at the Apple store. Changes are pretty much as expected: a bit slimmer, iPod Mini-style click wheel and a lower price on the 20GB and 40GB, while the 15GB iPod takes a dirt nap.

More bits at Gizmodo, Slashdot and Engadget.

iPod Software Updated

Along with the new 4th-generation iPod, Apple has released new software for all models of iPod and iPod Mini. Here's what's new in this version:

New for Click Wheel iPods

• Shuffle songs with one click
• Create multiple On-The-Go playlists
• Delete songs from On-The-Go playlists
• Select reading playback speed for audiobooks
• Hear the clicker user interface sound through headphones
• Charge via USB 2.0 connection
• Enjoy improved playback performance

• Compatibility with iTunes 4.5 or later and the iTunes Music Store
• Improved playback performance
• Support for the Apple Lossless Encoder, to enable compressed music encoding at high quality

• Compatibility with iTunes 4.5 or later and the iTunes Music Store
• Improved playback performance

[Via Mac Rumors]

More on the New iPod

The set of Newsweek articles that will hit newsstands tomorrow are already online, including the one on the new iPod.

Even better, more substantial details on the next-generation device are coming out:

• 12 hours of battery life, a 50% improvement (hopefully Apple didn't pull a Sony here, though). "This is accomplished, Apple says, not by a heavier battery but diligent conservation of power."
• One millimeter thinner (roughly 0.6" thick, instead of 0.62")
• Removed buttons under the display in favor of controls on the revised scroll wheel (a la the iPod Mini)
• "More efficient menus"
• Multiple on-the-go playlists
• Retail price drops by $100
• 20GB and 40GB models only, no more 15GB
• New colors include white and white in addition to the original white

More bits at Mac Daily News, MacRumors and Engadget.

Yup, New iPods on Monday

Apparently there is some truth the rumors of new iPods on Monday. It was said that they'd be announced via "an out-of-the-ordinary publicity medium". In the Internet age, I guess the print edition of Newsweek magazine qualifies. In any case, the new iPod is right there on the cover, with its re-worked scroll wheel. [Via Engadget]

Related:
New iPods Re-Rumored for Monday Launch
New iPods in August?

New iPods Re-Rumored for Monday Launch

Think Secret has published an update to their previous murmurings on new iPods. Their sources say that the new iPods will be announced this Monday, July 19th through "an out-of-the-ordinary publicity medium". Instead of color LCDs and other big changes, reportedly the new models will be slightly thinner, less costly (wha?) and have a re-engineered scroll wheel.

Also, the previously rumored August announce date and color choice expansions reportedly refers to the iPod Mini.

More bits at MacRumors, Gizmodo and Engadget.

Related:
New iPods in August?

Free iPods? Maybe not...

Maybe you've seen the webads for FreeiPods.com and their deal for getting a free iPod or a $250 iTunes store credit. Engadget thought that the deal was maybe to good to be true and did a little sleuthing:

The company rep we spoke to insisted that this thing was for real and that they had already given away about 400 iPods to people. To get it to work you actually have to sign up for one of their sponsors’ offers (like the Columbia House DVD club, the GM credit card, AOL for Broadband, etc.) and also get five other people to also take them up on one of their offers.

Even if you've got 5 friends lined up, do read the comments on the Engadget post first. A least a few people there were burned.

HPod Back on Track

Remember when HP said that it was going to sell an HP-branded iPod? According to iPodlounge, it's actually going to happen. The HP iPod will reportedly appear sometime this summer and will compete head-to-head with the Apple original. [Via DAP Review]

iPod Your G35

This is what happens when web designers mod their iPod into their car: G35iPod. Actually the site documents (very prettily as you can see) two mods, the original FM transmitter mod and then a later hardwire.

If you're interested in hacking your MP3 player, iPodlounge has a whole forum devoted to MP3 players in the car. It's an excellent starting point, even if you're aren't using an iPod. [Via Engadget]

One Way to WiFi the iPod

Simeda has released Pocketster Pro, an upgrade to their Pocketster product, that (in a sense at least) brings WiFi to the iPod. Pocketster started life as a way to transfer files between Pocket PC devices, but Pocketster Pro brings the iPod into the fold as well. The solution is unwieldly to be sure. You still need a Pocket PC to connect to the iPod, but you can share playlists and transfer or stream songs wirelessly. [Via Engadget]

More bits at Slashdot.

iPods Not Only Illegal, but Should Be Banned

As if the way Congress could be make the iPod illegal under the INDUCE Act isn't bad enough, now a Gartner analyst thinks iPods are a security risk:

Small portable storage products can bypass perimeter defences like firewalls and antivirus at the mailserver, and introduce malware such as Trojans or viruses onto company networks, claimed analyst Gartner in a report issued this week.

Aren't laptops, floppy disks and CD burners just as risky? I pity anyone who has to work in an iPod-free environment. But then again, this is coming from an analyst. Who listens to analysts?

More slack-jawed disbelief at Slashdot, BoingBoing, Gizmodo and MacWorld UK.

iPod Mini Finally Available Worldwide

After a delay of many months, iPod Minis will finally be available for order worldwide on July 24. Retail price in the UK will be £179.

Phrase Book Your iPod

BoingBoing pointed us at the Talking Panda travel phrasebooks for the iPod. For $10 you get 300 useful phrases ("Get a doctor!") in either French, Spanish or Japanese navigable by the iPod menu system. A Flash demo is here if you want to check it out. You may be out of luck if you only have a PC though. You must use a Mac to load the phrasebook onto your iPod.

iPod Your Alpine

Even though they first announced it last January, Alpine has said that its Interface Adapter for iPod will finally ship "in the fall". For Alpine head units that have an Ai-Net connector, the Interface Adapter connects your iPod to your car stereo. It will even display track information on the head unit's display. [Via Slashdot]

History of the iPod

iPodlounge has published an interesting chronology of the iPod.

As the pace and importance of iPod announcements have accelerated in recent days, iPodlounge has taken this opportunity to assemble an "instant expert" guide to the history of Apple's popular device.

Gizmodo Gets the Goods on the BMW/iPod Connection

Gizmodo has all the details on BMW's method for connecting an iPod to your car stereo. It only works with 2002 or later 3 Series, X3 SAVs and Z4s and will reportedly cost around $235. (Of course everything in a car's price is up for negotiation.) It sounds, though, that the amount of control you have over the iPod is fairly limited:

The iPod slips inside a dock in the glove box and controls are on the steering wheel, and they look to be pretty basic, with only an track up/track down selection and what looks to be a mute button. BMW asks that you create five selectable BMW-specific playlists ... on your iPod which are controlled by the 1 through 5 button on the dash, while selecting 6 will play through your entire iPod library. This implies you won't have as much control over your iPod as you would with its native interface. If that's the case, that will be a serious ding against the usefulness of the kit.

iPod Definitely In the Beemer

More or less confirming yesterday's post about BMW integrating iPod controls into new vehicles, MacMinute got their hands on the ad and posted a scan of it.

"The first seamless integration of iPod and automobile. Connect with your music like never before. With the installation of an integrated adapter developed by BMW and Apple -- now available for the BMW 3 Series, X3 and Z4 -- you can control your iPod through the existing audio system and multi-function steering wheel. Which means no loss of power. No loss of sound quality. And no loss of control."

More bits at Engadget and Gizmodo.

iPod Mini Remotes & BMWs to Become iPod Compatible

AppleInsider reports that Apple will be releasing color-coordinated remote controls for the iPod Mini later this month. Unlike the monochromatic iPod, remotes will be available in each of the iPod Mini colors.

The Apple Insider article also mentions that BMW has plans to integrate iPod controls into their recent vehicles:

The device will reportedly allow users to control their iPod or iPod mini through a auxiliary headset unit or cruise-control-like controls mounted on the steering wheel. The device will also allow users to view playlists or song tracks, and charge their iPod.

Apple Works on 60GB iPod, Toshiba Manager Works on Resume

Still catching up with news here. Last week several sources reported that Toshiba had plans for a 60GB drive in the same form-factor as the 40GB presently filling iPods. Furthermore, a manager at Toshiba confirmed that Apple is customer #1 for the product and will release a 60GB iPod. Apple, traditionally a very tight-lipped organization, didn't take the news of this leak lightly.

"Somebody opened their big mouth and either it was taken out of context or was 'off-the-record' or this person really did just confirm it all," said a hard drive industry analyst familiar with how technology companies work business relationships. "There is no good way to handle this now. Toshiba screwed up and it could have major consequences, depending on how upset Steve Jobs is."

Ladies and gentlemen, start updating your resumes.

More bits at MacRumors, Engadget, Gizmodo and Slashdot.

Gizmodo to Apple: Give Me Ogg

While I was away last week an amazing sequence of events occured over at Gizmodo. I'm a week late to the party, but if you hadn't heard already, this is what transpired.

It all started April 28th with a question for Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, regarding iPod support for the open-source Ogg Vorbis audio format. Jobs replied that "We're certainly not getting any requests from customers for it."

Well the Gizmodo gang took it upon themselves to make sure that Apple started getting requests. The immediate result was the Open Letter to Apple.

Then things started to get really interesting. An engineer on the Rio design team speculated that the iPod might not be powerful enough to support Ogg. However, an Ogg developer responded with an explanation of how even current iPods could support the format.

As of yet, there's been no response from Apple.

If you're wondering why some people get all worked up about Ogg support, let me give you a few reasons why Ogg is so desirable. First is sound quality. Ogg has won numerous codec sound quality competitions. Second is that Ogg is free. The patents surrounding the MP3 format drive up costs, but with Ogg anyone can use the Ogg code for any purpose. More information on why Ogg is a good thing is in the Ogg Vorbis General FAQ.

iTunes v4.6 Released

Apple has released a new version of iTunes (v4.6) for both OS X and Windows. You can download it here.

iTunes 4.6 includes support for playing your music wirelessly using AirPort Express with AirTunes. It also includes a number of other minor enhancements.

No word on what the "minor enhancements" are as of yet. [Via Mac Rumors]

Mac OS X v10.3.4 Update Fixes for iPod

If you're connecting your iPod to your Mac via USB, be sure to install the new v10.3.4 update to OS X. Admittedly, connecting via USB isn't the most common occurence, but according to Apple the update corrects the bug where your iPod wouldn't be recognized by iTunes and iSync. [Via Gizmodo]

iPodlounge: How Sony Cemented iPod's Supremacy

iPodlounge has an analysis of how, in their opinion, Sony is shooting itself in the foot in the portable MP3 player market. Granted, iPodlounge is very much pro-iPod (well, duh), but their thoughts are well worth reading.[Via Gizmodo]

Sony's internal conflicts manifested most dramatically last week when two of its subsidiaries unveiled products that arguably contradict each other: in the Western hemisphere, a U.S.-based Sony executive was unveiling the "Walkman of the Future," PlayStation Portable, only one day after his Japan-based counterparts had debuted the "iPod killer" VAIO Pocket, a hard disk-based handheld jukebox with a color screen. Assuming that the devices came out at roughly the same time - as they might if Sony intended to stick to its announced release dates - they would be competing iPod alternatives, each based on different technologies, media formats, and marketing schemes, yet both from the same company.

Cringely on the Apple Re-Org

PBS tech columnist Robert X. Cringely has some interesting thoughts on the real reason why Apple created an entirely new business unit for the iPod. [Via Engadget]

I'm not saying this is going to happen, but I think it will happen if Apple has any trouble at all maintaining its margins under the current strategy. Absolutely look for the rape of the resellers, and then MAYBE look for the end of Macintosh hardware. But iPods and iTunes will be everywhere, even here in Charleston, which has a Target store, but is more than 100 miles from the nearest Macintosh dealer.

Apple Video iPod Demystified

eHomeUpgrade has a new editorial on the likelihood of us pundits being correct as to what the 4th generation iPod will offer. Most of the article centers on the chip that powers iPods, the Player Portal PP5020. And we're proud to say that this site was one of the first to dig up that nugget of information.

[H]ow likely is it that such a device will come out from Apple? Answer: Very. Just look at all the new portable music players coming out from iRiver and Sony that are already integrating photo and album cover art features. It's only logical that Apple will be adding similar features next.

Apple Creates iPod Division

Even though we can't begin to speculate on what the impact of the move will be and even though everyone under the sun has already mentioned it, we must at least make note of it here: Apple is creating an entirely new division for the iPod.

We heard about first from GMSV, but MacRumors, Gizmodo and Engadget have thoughts on this development as well.

The iPod Studio

The iPod Studio has recently moved into its new website. Dedicated to higher-fi gear, tips and techniques for the iPod and other players, it has lots and lots of pictures, product reviews and a discussion forum.

4th Generation iPod

A couple of months ago we reported on rumors regarding the 4th generation iPod. As you may also remember, we did some digging and confirmed that the chipset that powers the iPod does have the video capabilities that were rumored to be included in the new iPod.

Now AppleInsider has a source that largely confirms and clarifies the rumors. Essentially, the upcoming iPod will have a color LCD, will display photos and will have video output capabilities, with this caveat:

According to the source, who has reportedly toyed with a 4th generation prototype, the player may not sport a video output jack per se, but rather a greatly advanced dock connector. The feature is said to greatly utilize a much improved "Home on iPod" Mac OS X software technology, which is still under development by the iPod maker.

iPod and iPod Mini Troubleshooting

iPodlounge brings word that MacFixit has assembled all their previous iPod and iPod Mini articles into one comprehensive troubleshooting guide. If your iPod is ailing, check it out.

RSS on the iPod How-To

The Engadget gang has posted an excellent how-to on reading RSS on the iPod.

If you're not familiar with RSS, I'll try to explain a bit. RSS is a way of syndicating pieces of information. It is most often used with websites such as this one for delivering the individual entries we post. This site provides an "RSS feed" containing all recent entries. Interested readers run software, generally called "RSS aggregators" that periodically look to see if there are new entries. When there are new entries, the aggregator displays them.

If you're interested in exploring RSS and news aggregation, CNN has a good introduction. Here is a more in-depth RSS tutorial.

Of course, once you get your aggregator running, make sure you add the Player Blog feed. The feed address is http://www.playerblog.com/index.xml and is also available by clicking the orange XML button on the upper right side of this page.

Interesting iPod Tidbits

Two notable bits of Apple info today. First Apple announced that, for the first time, it sold more iPods than Macs in the previous quarter. According to CEO Steve Jobs, Apple now owns 40% of the MP3 player market.[Via Gizmodo]

Also, Apple is apparently the victim of its own success, due to their inability to produce enough iPod Minis to satisfy the US market, while delaying their availablility overseas. In response, MacSlash reports that Apple is offering Mini-deprived customers the option to recieve a 15GB iPod instead, at no extra cost. [Via Engadget]

iPod Mini Sound Problems?

iPodlounge recently reported that a number of iPod Mini owners have experienced sound distortion when there is pressure on the surface of the Mini or around the headphone connector area. Irakli Loladze has a thorough analysis and lots of under-the-hood photos.

In the meantime, Apple has responded, saying that the problem is "isolated".

"We're highly confident with the (iPod) minis that we're shipping," Mr. Cook said. "We've seen some of those reports. They're isolated online reports. We're investigating those because we want to very much understand those. But I would tell you that the number of complaints that we've had from customers through AppleCare tech support is extremely small. However, anyone that is listening to the (conference) call that has a problem, please call the AppleCare because we want to take care of the issue."

Did-it-himself iPod Mini Car Mount

Macworld has made note of iPod Mini owner Jesse Melchior's homemade car mount for his Ford Explorer. It took him four days to do it, but the results were pretty good looking. See pictures of Jesse's handiwork here. [Via Engadget]

Linux Comes to the iPod

Linux, the popular open-source computer operating system, has come to the iPod. The Linux community has a long history of porting to a variety of devices, so this shouldn't be very suprising. While it isn't quite ready for primetime, the goal of support for OGG music format could be around the corner.

Here are thoughts on iPod Linux from some others:

• Wired
• Slashdot
• Gizmodo

Gear: 3rd Generation 40GB iPod Review

While the 3rd generation iPod is not exactly new, we believe that more opinions are better than fewer. In that spirit, we note that Gear @ IGN.com has a new review of the 40GB iPod. It's written from a slightly different perspective than many other articles, the author is transitioning from the world of MiniDisc portables to harddrive-based MP3 players. And as we've come to expect from Gear, they have lots of photos.

No iPod Minis Outside America (Yet)

Various sources are reporting that Apple has been forced to delay the global launch of the new iPod Mini. Short supplies of the Mini's 4GB Compact Flash harddrive and high US demand are said to be the causes.

How To: Do It Yourself iPod Battery Replacement

iPodLounge has updated their iPod battery replacement FAQ to include MacUser UK's new article on replacing the battery yourself. Best of all, they tell the story in pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. I like when things are explained with pictures.

Some Corroboration for the New iPod Rumor?

As reported earlier, iPods are powered by a chip, the PP5002, by Player Portal. Well lo and behold, Player Portal has announced their next-generation chip, the PP5020.

What are some of the new features of the PP5020? Interestingly enough, JPEG image format support, MPG video format support and TV out!

This lends pretty strong support to the new generation iPod rumor. These chips do most of the iPod's heavy lifting under the hood. It probably wasn't too difficult for Apple to replace the older chipset with the new one.

For the interested, the PP5020 datasheet has all the technical details.

New iPod Rumor

When it rains iPod-related news, it pours apparently. AppleInsider has "reliable sources" that told them a new, 4th generation iPod is nearing completion. "Most apparent, sources say, is the presence of a 2-inch color screen for displaying photos stored on the pod, from the palm of your hand"." In addition to a whopping 50GB capacity, this new iPod could have video outs for playing movies to a TV. An interesting move for Apple if it turns out to be true.

AppleInsider also has a lively discussion going as well.

Compact Media Reader for the iPod

Boing-Boing tell's us that Belkin has delivered a compact media reader for the iPod. The $99 attachment lets you move photos from your digital camera's media card to the iPod, giving you the space to shoot more photos. It supports most popular media card formats: CompactFlash (Type 1 and 2), SmartMedia, Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick and MultiMediaCard (MMC).

Apple is selling it for full retail, but Buy.com has it for $83 right now.

Hitachi CF Drive Hacking Redux: iPod Mini

Less than 1 week after its arrival, someone at iPod Lounge has already cracked the case on an iPod Mini. It wasn't an easy journey though:

The plastic top and bottom plates are glued into place with a tacky adhesive that will soften considerably when heated so use the hair dryer on a low setting to heat up the top plate. Work the area until it's very warm to the touch. Now turn the mini around so you're looking at the Apple logo and squeeze the two rounded edges together at the top, causing the enclosure to bow a little bit in the middle. Insert the flat bladed screwdriver between the plastic and the metal (in line directly above the Apple logo) and gently pry the plate straight up.

For dissector Greg Koenig there were some good things and some bad things. The bad: he accidently destroyed his brand new iPod Mini. The good: he has photos and confirmed that the $250 iPod Mini contains a Hitatchi 1.5" 4GB CF (Compact Flash) harddrive.

As reported earlier, people have been hacking Nomad MuVo²s just for this harddrive, which retail for over $400.

iPod Mini Review at Gear

Just 4 days after they hit the streets, Gear has a short review of the new Apple iPod Mini, giving it an 8 out 10. Once again the opinion is that Mini is a fine thing, but its up to you to decide whether the small size and small harddrive is worth more than the 15GB iPod for only $50 more.

Also, don't miss the front and side size comparisons photos linked from the right side of the review.

Overall I'm pleased with the excellent design and ease of use of the iPod mini. Apple's done things right with this release, and even though it probably won't see the success of the original iPod in face of stronger competition, it holds its own as an excellent mini drive portable.

Second Thoughts on iPod and WMA

Now that I've had a little time to digest the news that the iPod already has hardware support for Microsoft's WMA format, I've realized what probably should have been obvious from the outset: this cuts both ways. Any non-Apple player that uses that same chipset is just as close to supporting AAC as Apple is to supporting WMA. All a vendor would need is a license and a firmware update.

Apple, however, has chosen not to license anyone but HP. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how the market plays out over time. On the surface of things at least, it appears that no one purchasing either WMA or AAC protected music will be left out in the cold.

Meanwhile, I've put an email into Player Portal, Apple's chip vendor. I'd like to get a list of which non-iPod products use their chip and could potentially support AAC.

iPod Can Supprt WMA?!?

iPod Lounge clued me into a very interesting bit of information. The chip inside (a Portal Player PP5002D if you must know) the iPod that actually does music decoding supports Microsoft's WMA format. This is important because iPods only support standard MP3 files and Apple's own AAC format, which is the way Apple implements digital rights management (DRM) for the songs you buy through iTunes. Today pretty much the only way you can play protected AAC songs is with an iPod or with iTunes on your computer.

WMA does for Microsoft what AAC does for Apple. It's a music file format that can also be used to protect music with DRM. However, WMA is supported by nearly every MP3 player on the market, except for the iPod.

The upshot of this is that the iPod (theoretically at least) could support Microsoft's WMA with a simple firmware update. Obviously Apple would love for AAC to become the dominant format for purchased music. But if it doesn't turn out that way, it has an easy way to support its biggest rival, WMA, without making also those iPods and iPod Minis obsolete.

This also puts a new spin on what Robert Scoble thinks about Apple not supporting WMA.

iPod Mini Video Review

Well with just 2 days to go before they hit the stores en masse, iPod Mini news just keeps rolling in. Mike Wendland, tech columnist for the Detroit Free Press, has a video review of his new iPod Mini.

CNet iPod Mini Review

CNet reviews the iPod Mini, giving it an 8.7 out of 10.

"The good: Best-of-breed design and interface; comes in five colors; excellent playlist features; clean, configurable sound; smooth syncing; organizes contacts; includes games; functions as an external drive.

The bad: No FM radio or recording capabilities; nonreplaceable battery"

100,000 iPod Minis Already Pre-Ordered

Apple announced today that 100,000 iPod Minis have been pre-ordered. They officially go on sale this Friday and will retail for $249.

With 5 color choices and a 4GB hard drive, the iPod Mini is only 3.6"x2.0"x0.5", weighs 3.6oz, has an estimated 8 hours battery life and both USB and Firewire connectivity.

Other players in the super-compact category are the iRiver iGP-100, the Rio Nitrus and the Creative MuVo².

Wired: Beware iPod Scams on eBay

Wired has brought to light "matrix" scams on eBay that use iPods as the hook. Via iPod Lounge:

"Ebay is swamped with new "matrix" schemes, which appear to be legitimate buyers clubs but are in fact variations on classic pyramid scams, which are outlawed around the world."

Crutchfield Goes Mobile with the iPod

Crutchfield, the retailer best known for car stereo equipment, just published an interesting article on mounting, connecting and using an iPod in your car. Even though the article is specific to the iPod, it's still relevant to just about every other player out there. [Via iPod Lounge]

iPod's Dirty Secret vs. iPod Battery FAQ

Late last year a pair of brothers made a splash with a short film about their experience trying to replace a dead iPod battery. As they've noted themselves, Apple will replace dead batteries for $99. Now, iPod Battery FAQ has everything you ever wanted to know about iPod batteries and replacement.

Interesting Analysis of iPod Mini Pricing

When the new iPod Mini was announced many were suprised at $249 price tag, since just $50 more buys a 15 GB iPod. In response, Ars Technica has a nice analysis of where the iPod mini will (or maybe won't) fit in.

Robert Scoble vs. Buying an iPod

Robert Scoble, a widely-read weblogger and Microsoft employee, has an interesting view on why you shouldn't buy an iPod. In a nutshell, purchasing music via iTunes (with Apple's AAC DRM) is a dead end because, so he says, Microsoft's WMA DRM is the inevitable winner in the DRM standards war. Needless to say this has generated quite a bit of discussion.

"When you hear DRM think 'lockin'" he says. Very true, but it cuts both ways. Maybe AAC will will in the end, possibly WMA or even a third standard. Or maybe DRM will go away. No one can say for sure, so in the meantime buy the player that suits you best.

Catching Up: HP to Offer Own iPod

Recently HP announced that it would offer HP-branded iPods and include iTunes on new HP PCs. While it may not seem significant for a company like HP to re-brand an existing product, this is one of the very few times Apple has entered into such an arrangement.

By contrast, my last experience with a re-branded Apple product was my Bell & Howell "Black Apple" ][+ computer circa 1981.

Catching Up: iPod Mini Announced

For at least a little while we need to play catch up to bring the site up to date with happenings in the recent past.

First off, Apple recently announced the iPod mini line. Currently the only model has a 4GB capacity (versus 15, 20 or 40GB 3rd generation iPods), 5 color choices and is only 3.6" x 2.0" x 0.5". By comparison, a 15GB or 20GB 3rd generation iPod is 4.1" x 2.4" x 0.62".