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May 19, 2003
Gimme a break: iPod edition
Spymac.com :: iPod petition continues tradition
Some owners of earlier generation iPods are petitioning for Apple to support the Version 2.0 firmware on older iPods.
I’ve got to say, I don’t see much in the 2.0 firmware that’s worth a firmware upgrade. Yes, there are a couple of new games, on-the-fly playlists, and customizable menus. So what?
I’ve asked the folks at the Apple Store what they could say to talk me into the new iPod, and I can’t really see upgrading (don’t tell Christy). I love that it’s smaller, but that comes with a loss of battery life, down to around 7.5 hours.
Down in my most secret soul, I was hoping the new generation would support some photo or video features. I would love to be able to watch TV shows captured by my EyeTV on a device the size of the iPod. It wouldn’t even have to be color, although I doubt Apple would ever introduce a TV-like device that wasn’t.
The bigger drive capacity is somewhat attractive, but I usually only have about 2.5 gigs of songs on my 5-gig iPod, since I don’t put any songs rated less than 4 stars on the handheld.
If anything, I’m glad that Apple supported original iPod users for the AAC, iTunes Music Store, and reconfigured menus in Version 1.3.
May 19, 2003 in Apple - iPod | Permalink
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Tracked on May 20, 2003 2:52:39 PM
Comments
I agree that the new iPods are not exactly a breakthrough compared to the old ones: I'm hoping the new ones drive the prices down on the old ones, all the same (eBay always has a few, if revealing that doesn't invoke Murphy's Law).
Posted by: paul at May 20, 2003 1:46:26 AM
I agree, I'm not trading mine in. And I'm not missing any of the features of the new firmware, perhaps i'm not a heavy enough user. I agree I would love to see a video ipod. Now that I would upgrade to.
Posted by: nf0 at May 20, 2003 9:53:12 AM
I like the new ones. The dock is perfect for me, so my one iPod will easily be transportable from home or the office. I'm of the impression that the plug/play/charge dock is new.
Now, where is an in-dash dock for cars?
Posted by: john m at May 20, 2003 8:02:52 PM
The dock is new, but it's not necessarily an improvement. With the previous iPods, you just set the iPod down next to your computer(s), and plug in a FireWire cable. Apple makes a .5-meter flexy FireWire cable that's perfect for that and packs small and light.
With the new iPods, I'll either need a special cable to go to the new proprietary iPod interface (which supports USB 2.0 or FireWire docks) from my computer, or I'll need to haul along a dock on trips, which seems cumbersome.
One thing I neglected is that the iPod's out is now a line-out instead of a headphone, which means you don't need an amplifier all the time. That's a useful and valuable improvement.
Posted by: Frank at May 20, 2003 9:10:58 PM