Apple iPod is close to ‘perfect technology’

30 Comments

“Thank the gods for Apple computer. They took what some of us perceive as a bitter pill and made it palatable. For years now, I

30 Comments

  1. As perfect as technology allows I suppose. My biggest gripes are less than 8 hours of run time and no way to recharge the battery except from a 120 V wall socket. I would pay good money for a manual charger similar to the Sidewinder for cell phones.

    Reply

  5. “…except from a 120 V wall socket.” ??????

    or get the car adapter…
    or the external battery pack…

    “I would pay good money for a manual charger similar to the Sidewinder for cell phones.”

    That’ll be cool but I suppose it’ll take more gumption, I mean juice (amperes) to get the HD a-rollin’ – good thought though

    Jb

    Reply

  6. “These mavericks built an empire founded on going against the grain and defying the status quo in a world ruled by corporate dullards with narrow minds and no vision. It�s why us creative types will always rally to Apple�s corner and support them,”

    That comment is one of the secrets to Apple’s amazingly loyal following. So be it if fellow mavericks make up only about 2% of the world’s computer user population. I’m happy and Apple is doing well.

    What’s the latest on getting out enough iPods and Minis to flood the world market? The last I heard was they had run into a shortage of hard drives and were ramping up the production lines but there’s been no recent news about this. Also how close are we to clearing the way for iTunes in the rest of the world? The clock is ticking and competitors are preparing to jump in.

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  10. cpr86:

    OK, I can juice up my Pod from a 12 V DC battery. What if my vehicle is 60 plus miles from my Pod and me? I don’t think that extension cords are made that long. Are there any photovoltaic Pod chargers out there?

    Reply

  12. John,
    iPod keeps Apple’s name out there and gets people interested in the company. They are not a “one horse race.” If people use and enjoy the iPod, they may look more closely at the Macintosh and the elegance of OSX.
    Just be happy Apple is enjoying some success again and hope they don’t mess this one up.

    Reply

  14. Meat of Mouse,

    There are 12 volt photovoltai cells out there to charge portable items. So yes, you can charge your cell phone, laptop and ipod while getting away fromt he world

    Reply

  15. Hey, if the iPod can make someone like me who has been using PC’s since the mid 80’s convert to Apple, All hail iPod! I have a 15 inch powerbook in my shopping cart @ Apple, but I’m hesitant, because of an article that was posted here. They might be releasing newer models of powerbooks in april or may. Any truth to these rumors?

    Reply

  16. Skeptic: There are always rumors, but the April/May period, seems to be the time that Apple makes significant hardware announcements.

    Also, there is always a better/faster/less expensive right around the corner if you wait long enough.

    I know that this is a non-answer, but I am equally happy with my PB667-DVI purchased just months before the 1GHz PB were released, with corresponding price drop.

    Zac

    Reply

  17. If you want the latest and greatest and have the $$ and willing to sit through possible glitches of a new product then wait for the Powerbook G5’s and soon as announced place a pre-order.

    Or wait some more after the glitches have been worked out and not get a machine for 6 months sometimes. The Powerbook G5 is going to be a very hot seller.

    If you want to save a bit of money and don’t mind having last years model, then wait for the price drop after the announcement or buy a used model as a lot of the Mac Powerbook G4 owners will be selling them used and upgrading.

    Reply

  18. Skeptic:

    See Apple portable updates on the horizon and a zillion other discussions like it on Mac rumor sites.

    My “hunch” is that new models of Powerbooks (e.g. G5s) won’t be announced until at least late this year. I’m not convinced that all the hardware components necessary to “do them right, the Apple way” are ready and available yet or I think we’d have heard more hardware-related news from companies that provide them. For instance, is there a solution for cooling the system (using the 90nm 970FX chip) and providing at least the same battery life as current G4 models? Personally, I wouldn’t be interested in a G5 Powerbook if either of those characteristics was worse than the G4s.

    Updates to current G4 Powerbook models seems likely, tho’ I won’t add more to the already overcrowded speculations about when that may happen even if I have a “hunch” about it.

    Anyway, my logic says if you don’t need a Powerbook right now and can hold off ’til WWDC that would be a reasonable cutoff date to make a purchase decision, unless something happens before then to entice you. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

    Personally, I’d be satisfied with the current 15.2″ G4 Powerbook if I bought one right now, tho’ I’m overdue to get a desktop system and have been using the same “logic” I just described to my purchase dilemma. It may feel better buying a system�that’s just�been released rather than months afterwards but any “if only I’d waited…” remorse seems counterproductive to me nowadays. Sure, the next G3 iBook released after mine had enough VRAM for QE, but it would be silly fretting about it.

    Reply

  19. P.S. – I agree with Sailfish’s tips, e.g. a price drop could be that enticement I mentioned; it may�convince me to buy a desktop system sooner rather than later. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  21. There seems to be a MAJOR problem with the mini. Yesterday my iPod started making crackling noises while listening to it. Today the ouput is totally distorted. I did report this to Apple Product Service and am waiting an email that a box to return it is route. Slashdot.org (via iPodLounge) is now reporting this happening to many iPod mini’s. It has to do with the phone jack. They even speculate that this may be the reason for short supply and a delay in rolling out the player to other markets. Bad bad.

    Reply

  22. Skeptic,
    You may notice this already, but product rumors and poduct release rumors are always a huge part of Mac websites and sometimes even mainstream newspapers quote those rumors, which only fuel more rumors. It ranges from complete fabrications with doctored images to speculations to pieces of the truth. More likely, due to Apple’s policy of secrecy, fabrications and speculations rule the net. Sometimes, they are intended to drive the site traffic, other times, they are intended to make fools of believers. Always take a couple spoons to a couple cups of salt when reading rumors. In general,
    1. MacOSRumors.com prints fabrications
    2. MacBidouille has spotty track record
    3. AppleInsider and Think Secret are mostly on the right track with incorrect details, but occasionally miss spectacularly
    4. MacRumors page 1 is pretty good, page 2 rumors are generally speculations.
    Above all, never base your purchase pattern solely on rumors because it mostly leads to huge disappointment (the latest being iPod mini sold at $99-199)

    Reply

  23. Skeptic,
    If you havent noticed.
    Apple Screws it customers every year with Shitty upgrades..You should just go get a athlon xp mobile and call it a day.

    Apple – “All Show, No Go”

    Reply

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