• What to Expect from the Apple iPod Refresh

    What to Expect from the Apple iPod Refresh

    Rohan Naravane, Aug 30, 2010 1834 hrs IST

    With two days to go for the event we make some well thought out predictions

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Other iPods

While we're fairly confident with our predictions, there were a few things in the news that made us wonder about other changes in the iPod line. For example, some time back we saw leaked images of tiny 1.8-inch screens. Under regular circumstances we could believe that Apple is finally giving up the "Be surprised by your music" attitude of the iPod Shuffle and fitting it with a screen so that you don't have to depend on fate to listen to the track of your choice.
However, it also seems a little unlikely since they only recently redesigned the Shuffle from a clip-on format to a mini cigarette lighter shaped one. Some sites are suggesting a wearable iWatch of sorts, which we aren't very keen to agree upon. But that's how it is with Apple, the craziest of thoughts have become widely accepted products. So, we won't speculate on other iPods till we see them on September 1st.  



Image courtesy of 9to5mac.com

Streaming iTunes service

This is a big one for Apple. It all happened with their purchase of a streaming music company Lala. Then they shut that service down this May. For people not quite updated with the concept of streaming, here's an explanation. Currently people use iTunes in many countries to buy their music. After paying for the track, you get to download the audio file onto your computer which you can listen to offline or in any other device that supports digital audio playback.

Now that unlimited broadband Internet has become a common fair, especially in the West where speeds of 10Mbps are considered 'normal', streaming music is actually workable now. At such speeds, the entire song should stream in a matter of seconds, as soon as you hit 'Play'. There will be no need to download and store them on the hard drive. The one disadvantage we see in this is the hit in battery life on devices connected over Wi-Fi. According to all the insider stuff, the streaming service will not just be for music, but also for movies, TV shows and other video. However, we in India need not get too excited, as we still don't even have a regular iTunes music store here. So there's no need to jump around the launch of this one.

iTV

Some people are suggesting that the iTV is a redesigned Apple TV with an iOS interface and iPhone 4 hardware for USD99. This box will possibly connect to your existing TV to let you stream content from the iTunes store. Then there were also talks of Apple selling an actual TV embedded with the above said interface. It is probably a good compliment to launch the iTV with the streaming iTunes service. But since the whole thing is shrouded in mystery, we would again not like to comment till we see what it is. 




I'm sure the world will keep its eyes wide open waiting to see what's coming on September 1st 2010. Till then, I leave you with this one question I've been pondering over since long. An iPhone is probably one of the better convergence electronics device one could own and can do everything an iPod Touch can. Then why would you prefer buying an iPod Touch over an iPhone? Is it because you find the iPhone too expensive or the iPod Touch a great value for money? Or is it because you want to keep your phone and your entertainment device separate? Make a choice in our opinion poll above. And as always, comments are more than welcome to counter any of our assumptions, or add two bits of your own.

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Tag keywords
iPod Touch Apple iPod Nano iPod Shuffle iTunes iTV Apple TV Apple september 1 iPhone 4 iPod Touch 4G iPod Touch 8GB 32GB 64GB



Discussion Board
(10) Comments
shobhit
,bhopal, on Sep 01, 2010 12:50 PM
excellent article....rohan,can u tell me abt the difference in india n us ipod touch launch difference or when was ipod touch(3rd generation) launched in us and in india(difference)....i hope it won't be the case like iphone 3gs or ipad......
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Rohan
,TechTree, on Sep 01, 2010 05:30 PM
As of today there are two versions of the iPod Touch, and both of them are officially available in India. The 8GB model has the older iPhone 3G-like hardware and doesn't get multi-tasking feature of the iOS 4. Whereas the other two (32GB and 64GB) don't just differ in higher capacity, but hardware too. They have the iPhone 3GS-grade hardware due to which apps/games work faster, plus you get multi-tasking too. Finally, you also get a micro-phone headset with the latter two.
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shobhit
,bhopal, on Sep 01, 2010 05:58 PM
thanx rohan!!! what is the launch date difference of ipod touch in us and in india? like for eg. ipod touch(3rd generstion) was launched on 9th september 2009....bt it came late in india(i don noe exactly bt m quite sure seeing the apple india's policy) so if ipod touch(4th generation) is launched today,will it be available worldwide or indians have to wait for it?
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Rohan
,TechTree, on Sep 02, 2010 12:31 AM
Usually it comes in a month or two. Keep tuned into TechTree to know the day when it does.
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sid
,thane, on Sep 01, 2010 10:50 AM
are you guys going to b present there ?? so that we can get live updates from mr steve jobs presentation..
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VicVicVic
,San Francisco, CA, USA, on Aug 30, 2010 07:39 PM
Very well-written article! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. To answer your question of why some people may buy an iPod Touch over an iPhone, my personal response is that here in the United States, to get an iPhone, one would need to sign up for data service, which means I have to fork out money every month to get Internet service. I already get Internet service at home, and although it may be convenient to have Internet on-the-go sometimes, it's rather expensive. Worse, there's a limit - the cheapest option is US$15 for 200MB of bandwidth, which isn't very much.
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XsK.SimKill
,Mumbhai (Raleigh, NC), on Aug 31, 2010 09:52 AM
And you forgot the legendary AT&T to top everything else...
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xiaoa
,N.Y., on Aug 31, 2010 07:05 AM
ohaha~i am so exciting !! hardware upgrade , video-call camera , so wonderful , but i also heared that, the new ipod touch will just expand the size to 2.8 inch instead of adding a camera , which will make me disappointment , i chose to buy a ipod touch as it is small and exquisite at the outset , but why the ipod touch expand to 2.8 inch. i think the new touch released with a Camera will be more better than expanding the size , than i have to tell you a good news , if you own a ipod , you can download a Aneesoft free ipod video converter !B)
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esmaell
,fathzade, on Aug 30, 2010 11:24 PM
esmaell
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dan
,Perth, on Aug 30, 2010 07:13 PM
Nice considerations. Have you read enough gossip, though? Most people are certain there'll be a camera, especially with those case leaks. It may be on the top middle on the front. :o I believe they may get rid of the 8 GB models completely. Replacing them with a 16GB, or making no 8 or 16 GB at all and putting down the price of the 32 GB some bit would be reasonable. Your article was well-written, but not very informative, and looks a 'bit outdated' (even though it's very new). That's just my opinion. Good day/night.
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