“Apple’s latest addition to its hugely popular iPod line, the iPod Photo, has moved the bar even further as the digital lifestyle continues to converge. Unfortunately, it’s also upped the cost of being chic. But that stiff $499 starting price for the 40-gigabyte model (the 60-GB model costs $599) is my only reservation about what is a superbly entertaining device,” Mike Wendland reports for The Detroit Free Press in his article, “Pricey iPod upgrade worth every dime.”
“It combines the two most important things driving consumer electronics this year: digital music and digital pictures. It makes them accessible and playable, together or separately, with what remains the iPod’s strongest draw — its brilliantly engineered, easy to operate click wheel navigation system,” Wendland reports. “And the iPod photo, which works with both Windows and Mac PCs, adds one more element: a bright, crisp 2-inch LCD screen that displays images in 65,000 colors.”
“What’s next for the iPod? Some speculate Apple will add a wireless phone and the ability to input text like a Pocket PC or a Palm organizer. Others see it having video capabilities,” Wendland reports. “Maybe. But I think Apple is wisely focused narrowly on a market it knows well and will be very slow in morphing the iPod much past the two areas it knows best — music and pictures. The iPod Photo isn’t cheap. But with the $249 Apple mini iPod and other less expensive iPods still hard to find in many places, this new color unit is going to do well despite the cost. After a weekend of playing with the iPod Photo, I may wince at the price — but I’d pay it. This iPod is that slick.”
Full article here.
I’d be willing to pay the extra money for a cool product for like the iPod Photo (that’s of course if I had the money, man I hate being poor)
Although I would then need a camera, damn
freeze, my sentiments exactly… Wait till you get divirced and all that money you eran goes to the b**ch…
why are peeps so surprised that an ipod that does more also COSTS more?
im poor and i already have a mini… 2 bad 🙁
Expensive device for something that cannot suck the pictures directly off your camera without spending more for additional widgets.
Otherwise, very nice!
Well it looks like thurrott just received one in the mail, those Microsoft kickbacks must come in handy
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Gee, I thought all Mac users were smart, rich and highly educated.
There is a lot of potential to still be realized in the photo end of things. As Zupchuck pointed out, it would be best if it could take the photos directly off your camera and put them in the display. I have heard that the currently available card reader (from Belkin?) is not that reliable and does not enter the photos so they are immediately viewable. This issue should be addressed by Apple soon.
I would like to see a full screen viewing glasses and video out option implemented at some point. The cool thing is there are so many ways Apple can keep growing this AND the name iPod fits with all of them! Truly a Sci-fi future becoming reality before our very eyes.
here is my ipod photo opening
http://homepage.mac.com/harry17a3/PhotoAlbum6.html
Nice Harry:
I opened mine about 10 minutes ago. Time to take it home and charge it up.
Now I can enjoy Christmas!!
I’m not so interested in being able to take pictures directly from my camera to my iPod. I’ve got a 1gb card and when on vacation I take tons of pictures. The last thing I want to do is sort through them on a 2″ screen or even the hotel TV. Instead I sit at my PowerBook and decide which shots go into a slide show and which do not (about 20% make it).
Does anyone know if the Olympus Eye-Trek or Innovatek video glasses can be used with iPod Photo? I’m guessing they could, since they seem to work with everything from portable DVD players to laptops and satellite receivers. Anyone have any experience with such?
bought the 60 gig saturday at the new apple store in rancho cucamonga. didn’t have one before because i’m an audio freak and you look kind of dopey walking down the street with quiet comfort2’s.
the photo feature pushed me over the edge. have my most current powerpoint presentation in iphoto mode; so a tv is all that’s needed to present (no computer/no cd/no powercord). no more computer check when you use a room for the first time. i’m looking for a rc now.
the belkin reader, mentioned above, only loads your photos in firewire drive mode, so they are not playable from the menu. workable alternative to empty your media while on a shoot or vacation without a powerbook, but hoping a rev is upcoming that let’s the menu functions bridge over to the firewire drive files.
final comment: looks like apple actually has an inventory of ipod photo. means they can reap the benefits of holiday sales with this device instead of offering rainchecks. cudos for doing this one right all around this time. keep it up!!!
but there are more articles out there that take a different slant…. like .. this one…
Some people just dont get it !!
It does need a third party solution for downloading photos from my digital camera card. Apple’s solution is more elegant going through the computer first. (you can’t download songs directly into your iPod, you must go through iTunes first) There is a small segment of us that would benefit from the ability to “card dump” in the field. Small, and therefore third party solution.
daddysteve..
the idea is that apple figures if you have 20,000 pictures, you’re probably gonna put them somwhere.. hrmm.. namely on your computer..
so.. alot of people are complaining about the need for camera to ipod link.. but where do you plan on putting your photos….
“Apple’s latest addition to its hugely popular iPod line, the iPod Photo, has moved the bar even further as the digital lifestyle continues to converge”
Bars get raised, envelopes get pushed and bowels get moved.
-a quick review of metaphors for you all.
iSteve,
I too, have a large FLASH card. When taking pictures in RAW mode, it gets filled up very quickly. Being able to store the photos on something portable and small until I get home gives me the freedom to take as many shots as I want wherever I may be, for however long I am away.
Sure I could buy more FLASH, but why? For $500 or $600 I should be able to just stick the photos DIRECTLY on my iPod without extra widgets and cash outlay. Otherwise, I’ll take my marginally more expensive iBook instead (which I’d rather leave home).
Thurrott’s quotes regarding Apple’s iPod Photo Announcement: “
Underwhelming” “Unimpressive” “Uninspiring”.
Curiously, his website now sports a new picture under “What I’m Listening On”.
An iPod Photo.
What an ignorant hypocrite.
Al said, “Gee, I thought all Mac users were smart, rich and highly educated.”
Sadly, smart and educated doesn’t necessarily mean “rich”. Smart and educated MAY be part of road to richness, but lets not leave out luck, ass-kissing and back stabbing.
For example, Paris Hilton, she would fall into the “luck” category, not the “smart” or “educated” category.
But I do agree with the part about all Mac users being “smart”
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It’s a step away from being video capable. For the money it’s not quit worth it yet. I’ll wait for the next model.
hinky dink.. i suspect you mean the cheaper version that is about 6 months away… which is fair.. this is early adopter stuff.. right now.. just getting a 20gig 4G iPod is expected.. that would be a great value proposition.. I too.. am not considering the $600 iPod…
I predict the iPod Photo will become the essential tool of every pro photographer and journalist for recoding sound and pics.
For the rest of the world it’s loading half a dozen slide shows of holidays or special occasions.
Apple must however make voice recording and camera to iPod downloads as good as the rest of it…
No freudian slip above.. meant recording not re-coding! Must re-read post in Preview not just hit Submit!