“TheMacMind swears up and down that [they] have the scoop on the new flash-based iPod, along with some specs and a mock-up of what’s going to look like. The hardest part is that there’s no screen or display of any kind (although that’s something that does get dispensed with on the absolutely smallest MP3 player), and the iPod flash (that’s what they claim it’s going to be called) is supposed to be just 2.5″ by 1.5″ by 0.5″ [inches] in size and start at 99 bucks for the 256MB version, with pricier 512MB and 1GB versions also available,” Engadget reports.
The MacMind.com site seems to be down currently – if you can get through, the link is here.
Full Engadget article here.
MacDailyNews Take: So, whaddya think?
So Cool
nope….I don’t buy that
Wooohoooo! I will get it right away!
First to post too! ;o)
BS no nav feedback
what no screen? Even if it only holds 70 songs you wanna have a chance to play them in any order other than alphabetical. I like the concept posted on iPodlounge a few weeks ago. Colour and a screen.
call me skeptical….
nope.. fake.
But I think it is possible that Apple could release a flash based player. I don’t think it will be hugely smaller than the Mini, because even though they could make a smaller player, that wouldn’t necessarily make it easy to use. I don’t hear people complaing about how hard it is to carry around the Mini. Heck, there’s an armband that lets you attach it to your arm. That’s not small enough?
Looks like an Apple mouse with iPod controls. Now if Apple would only add a couple buttons and a scroll wheel
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No display. No way !
My thoughts on this stay the same. The capacity is all about 1,000 songs. That’s the minimum I beleive Apple will allow. It’s the entry point.
When Flash becomes cheap enough to fit 1,000 songs on, then Apple will make a Flash iPod. It won’t be much smaller than the mini, but may well be slimmer and lighter, with greatly extended battery life.
I think that the 4GB iPod mini would not have been made by Apple without being able to get 1,000 songs on it at quality. It needed 128 k AAC. When the gen 1 iPod came out, it was pushed as 1,000 songs in your pocket rather than 5GB (or 4.6GB formatted!).
SO I think this is nonsense. Jobs has repeatedly knocked the 256MB players for not holding enough music. They’re selling plenty of the premium 4GB_ iPods, so why would they enter a cheaper market with lower margins ?
Better to be more expensive and something to aspire to.
The design sucks for a small unit. The wheel is in the center which is less than optimum while holding it in one hand. The icons are too large and too high contrast. I think it’s a fake.
No way!
No screen?… for a micro 64MB, or 124MB you can get away without a screen. But 512MB or 1GB… forget it.
The soap bar form looks ok, but that firewire plug needs more support.
And finally… the ‘click wheel’ is a certainty for any iPod.
Scroll thru the songs, select centre button, scroll for volume. This mock up just dosn’t add up. No way!
It sucks ass
Looks nice to me. Maybe apples gonna compliment it with a new remote control with a screen that you can purchase seperately and will also work with existing ipods.
Looks like screen will be in the remote control, a la sony, looks cool.
This could be it. As for navigation there is no need for a screen, a simple set of spoken prompts and user feedback with the controls does it all.
This concept is ridiculous. No screen? It’s antithetical to the whole iPod experience!
Rather, the concept by Isamu Sanada which was just highlighted over at Cult of Mac blog shows just how ridiculous the MacMind concept is. You have a screen. You have the patented click-wheel, which is an intrinsic part of the iPod brand. And it’s still smaller than the mini.
http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cultofmac/index.blog?entry_id=551420
It’s the iPod reduced to the bare minimalist basics. That sounds right.
Quoting Hywel:
SO I think this is nonsense. Jobs has repeatedly knocked the 256MB players for not holding enough music.
I agree with your sentiments, but it’s not beyond Jobs to do such things – he denounced the idea of putting the whole computer behind an LCD display during the launch of the iMac G4. Look at the iMac today.
Like any good CEO, Jobs will launch anything he believes makes sense at the time. Like you, I’m not sure a flash iPod such as this makes sense for Apple right now, but his previous comments mean little.
looks like a remote control.
Some of you who claim no way without screen or 1000 song minimum, need to wake up.
Is it just me, or is there no pause button?
whoever mentioned that it would be the smallest mp3 player is way wrong. i’ve seen players with smaller dimensions than that thing. but i think it would be a good idea for apple to steal another market.
Apple NEEDS an iPod Flash to get people started and in their camp. Like Dell’s $499 computers, when they upgrade later they will upgrade to iPods, not WMP.
Don’t know if this is real, let’s hope it’s something that can meet the $99 entry point.
NewType
It’s the iPod reduced to the bare minimalist basics. That sounds right.
It’s also ugly. Sorry, but no, I hope Apple comes up with something more elegant than this. Thanks for sharing though.
As it is the G4 iMac will always be the leaper (Lisa) in the family. It will never have a cult following like the Cube, it will never have the appeal of the original iMac, and the G5 iMac will quickly out shine it in sales. The G5’s design wasn’t truly possible, at a price Apple could market at when the G4 was created, that is why Apple didn’t release one like it then. Only with time has the technology become available.
phoney baloney. Apple would never design anything like that.