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Apple Releases Video iPod

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Started 6 years ago by Brewmaster
Latest reply from Ndcent

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Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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It didn't take long for my new iPod Nano to become obsolete :lol:
http://playlistmag.com/news/2005/10/12/ipods/index.php
The long-rumored and highly anticipated new iPods play video on a 2.5-inch, 320 x 240, 260,000 color TFT display. The new iPod features realtime decoding of MPEG 4 and H.264 video at 30 frames per second (FPS). The video iPods come in two configurations. A 30GB model with a $299 price tag, and a 60GB for $399. The new iPod holds up to 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos or over 150 hours of video and is available in either white or black designs. Users can connect the new iPods to a television via the Apple iPod AV cable.
Apple also announced iTunes 6 (video enabled) at the press conference. Now I can watch "That's so Raven" anywhere I want!!! My life is complete!
http://playlistmag.com/news/2005/10/12/itunes6/index.php
iTunes 6, available for download today, will allow users to purchase TV shows, short films, and music videos online for US$1.99 from the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). Some of ABCÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s most popular television shows, Ã¢â‚¬Å“Desperate Housewives,Ã¢â‚¬Â and Ã¢â‚¬Å“Lost,Ã¢â‚¬Â and the new drama series Ã¢â‚¬Å“Night StalkerÃ¢â‚¬Â will be available for $1.99 per episode, as will two titles from the Disney Channel, Ã¢â‚¬Å“ThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s so RavenÃ¢â‚¬Â and Ã¢â‚¬Å“The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.Ã¢â‚¬Â
Ã¢â‚¬Å“For the first time ever, hit primetime shows can be purchased online the day after they air on TV,Ã¢â‚¬Â said Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Co. Ã¢â‚¬Å“WeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re delighted to be working with Apple to offer fans a new and innovative way to experience our wildly popular shows like Ã¢â‚¬ËœDesperate HousewivesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ Ã¢â‚¬ËœLostÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ and Ã¢â‚¬ËœThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s So RavenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢.Ã¢â‚¬Â
Over 2,000 music videos from hundreds of artists are also available for $1.99 each, including works by Coldplay and Kanye West, and exclusive videos from the Beastie Boys and U2. In addition, the first ever video iTunes Originals is being released with an exclusive performance and interview from Death Cab for Cutie as well as an exclusive video album from Brazilian Girls. The store will also include six short films from Academy Award-winning Pixar Animation Studios for just $1.99 each.

Posted 6 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I wonder how this will effect the PSP. They've not been doing as well as they had hoped in terms of UMD movie sales (here in the US anyway) and with a new video device being thrown into the mix it'll probably hurt them even more. Hrmm...

Posted 6 years ago #
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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Sony has always taken the route of creating media that is unique to thier hardware, with the hope that it will take off. Sometimes it's worked, other times it hasn't.
Apple seems to take a different approach. Create easy to use, appealing hardware, with on-board storage. Then they use the internet to add the media and improve the interface (iTunes). I guess that comes from thier PC roots.
I'm sure Sony is pretty upset about this. Apple is going to beat them almost across the board. iTunes is easier to use, cheaper, and iPods are more portable. Screen size/quality might be the only issue, but I think most users will overlook that for the size.

Posted 6 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Brewmaster wrote iTunes is easier to use, cheaper, and iPods are more portable. Screen size/quality might be the only issue, but I think most users will overlook that for the size.
Well, I think the big advantage that Apple has is that when you download these videos you don't have to put them on your iPod video to watch them if they're going the same route as with the music downloads. You don't have to own an iPod to use iTunes, and that's my favorite part.
If you purchase a PSP for video watching, you have to purchase the small UMD disc version of a movie, which is MORE expensive than a DVD in most cases and you can only watch it on your small PSP screen. If you're paying that much it would be nice to be able to use it for multiple formats.
iTunes appears to be cheaper and more versatile. It's a shame that Sony hasn't been putting more effort into PSP games... they're going to need a killer app sometime soon to save their system and I don't think their GTAIII port is going to be that killer app.

Posted 6 years ago #
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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http://playlistmag.com/news/2005/10/14/ipodpsp/index.php
Here's an article on this very topic...PSP vs. iPod Video.
I think the moral of the story is, the iPod will appeal to the masses b/c of versatility and ease of use, while the PSP will appeal to the gamers and video connoisseurs.

Posted 6 years ago #
Guest

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I really don't see that big of a market for the iPod video. Sure there will be the cool freaks that have to have it because it's the latest thing, but in reality you're going to be watching movies or video on a little screen, which I'd imagine gets old quick. With an audio iPod alone, you can listen to it virtually anywhere, in your car, at the gym, around the house, and the accessories are great for it. But when are you going to be able to sit down to watch a video on your iPod where you wouldn't be able to watch the same thing on a much bigger screen, maybe even for free? I can think of maybe two instances; plane rides and train commuting. I think this will be the first iPod bust...I just can't see the need for a small-screen portable video player.

Posted 6 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I agree. Here in the US there's not a whole lot of people who commute on a regular basis that also want to spend that commute time watching videos. As I said before with the PSP, the UMD movie sales have been dissapointing for them. Perhaps in other countries it could do better as there are more young people who commute via mass transit.
Then again, Apple has almost always targeted their products (other than the iPod) for a niche market, so even if they don't sell TOO well, would it really be a failure, or would it just be in line with most of their other products?
I think the video downloads via iTunes has the potential to be a success regardless of how well the iPod Video does, as long as you can play back those videos on other devices (or just on your computer). A lot of people want to download media content from the internet and have proven willingly to do that legally as long as it's cheap. There's not really any good and popular means to download tv shows and movies other than illegally, so someone is going to make some big money in that market sooner or later.

Posted 6 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Walker wrote I agree. Here in the US there's not a whole lot of people who commute on a regular basis that also want to spend that commute time watching videos. As I said before with the PSP, the UMD movie sales have been dissapointing for them. Perhaps in other countries it could do better as there are more young people who commute via mass transit.
Right after posting this, I read this article which shows that in a poll in Japan right now, the "must have video games" for this Christmas include PS2 games and Nintendo DS games. No sign of the PSP anywhere. Perhaps the Apple iPod Video may not fare so well overseas if the Japanese aren't really into mobile video devices in general.
It's also interesting to note that neither the Xbox or the Xbox 360 are in the top "must have" lists in Japan this holiday. I've heard from a variety of soures that American-made electronics are often times looked down upon by the Japanese, so this could also factor into how well the iPod video could sell there.

Posted 6 years ago #
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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Guest wrote I can think of maybe two instances; plane rides and train commuting. I think this will be the first iPod bust...I just can't see the need for a small-screen portable video player.
Being a frequent air traveler, I can say that it would be great to pass 45 minutes of a flight, or waiting in the terminal by watching an episode of Lost.
I also see another, potentially large, demographic you missed...kids.
Can you imagine how popular the kid on the bus will be if he/she has the latest episodes of the hit show to watch?
How about the parents who install the rear seat DVD players for the long car trips? Those can cost over $500, and are one-trick ponies. If a parent can buy an iPod video or two and download Finding Nemo, that might be a better option (and cheaper).
Even if the video doesn't take off. It's a 30 GB ipod with a huge color screen for only $300, or a 60 GB for only $400. I remember when people were lining up to buy 40 GB monochrome iPods when they were $600. I think Apple will do just fine with this one.

Posted 6 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I think a big problem with both the PSP and the iPod Video is that neither has a very good battery life. When you can only use it for 2 hours on a commute does it really become that handy for a long flight or long car trip? You can't even finish watching a longer movie like Lord of The Rings without recharging. :(

Posted 6 years ago #
shroud
Polaris
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The battery life (when playing video) is definitely the biggest drawback for the PSP and iPod video. Like Walker said, right now it's definitely too short-lived to be of much use on long trips.
Since this is still a brand-new area, I expect them to keep improving battery longevity, and hopefully new versions will include stuff like a car-lighter power adapter (though for cars/vans that have a regular outlet, you can just plug in the wall charger) and replaceable batteries, so that you could have a spare fully charged battery you could just swap-in.
If they really want to capture anykind of portable video/movie/tv market this is the kind of stuff they'll have to include in future versions.

Posted 6 years ago #
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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shroud wrote Since this is still a brand-new area, I expect them to keep improving battery longevity, and hopefully new versions will include stuff like a car-lighter power adapter (though for cars/vans that have a regular outlet, you can just plug in the wall charger) and replaceable batteries, so that you could have a spare fully charged battery you could just swap-in.
Like these??? ;)
LINK
There's 23 different chargers for iPods.
All recent iPods have used a standard plug which allows you to sync and charge. There are dozens of chargers for airplanes, cars, outlets (american and european).
They also sell aftermarket batteries for 1st-4th gen iPods, and I expect them to do the same for the video. The nano's battery is soldered onto the board, so it may be a little trickier to make an aftermarket solution.

Posted 6 years ago #
Ndcent
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I like iPods...

Posted 6 years ago #