“20GB-capacity 2.5cm-diameter hard drives will be a commercial reality by the end of next year, according to Hitachi Global Storage,” Michael Kanellos reports for CNET News. “Hitachi Global Storage will come out with hard drives containing 4.5GB per square centimetre, the company is expected to announce on Monday, and that means 20GB iPod minis. The company is expected to release the denser drives in 2007… The density breakthrough represents a refinement in perpendicular recording… ‘We’re redesigning the head and disc quite significantly,’ said Bill Healy, senior vice-president of product strategy and marketing at Hitachi.”
“Competitors Seagate, Toshiba and others are also working on perpendicular-recording drives. While some of the larger companies may make the transition at roughly the same time, some of the smaller companies may fall behind, Healy speculated. ‘Major transitions are watershed moments,’ he said,” Kanellos reports.
Full article here.
whoopy freakin doo…
we want tiger! we want tiger! we want tiger!
oh and a g5 powerbook too (not that were gonna get that one for a while)
Someone forgot to put their clocks ahead one hour?
Way to plan ahead …
If the current high-end iPod is 60 GB and the current high-end iPod Mini is 6 GB I guess that by 2007 a 200 GB iPod may be available. Better start re-ripping your CDs in the Apple Lossless format.
I’d say by then that an iPod video wouldn’t be too out of the ballpark.
Does anyone remember where that nice mockup of the iPod glasses is? I think it was called iPod VR or something like that. A mockup of the drawing room from the Shining. . . ?
That would be nice. Wonder what the iPod Photos capacity will be then…
An ipod photo w/ movie capabilities would be good if apple makes the front of the ipod as a screen. So then you can watch movies or short clips decently.
However, I don’t think theres enough content out there to justify a ipod motion or something like that.
Have the controls at the back or sides.
Storage alone won’t keep the iPod a hot product. Without continuing to evolve and provide new services, the iPod will wind up a marginalized product, similar to the PDA.
Witness Palm, a company with negative growth potential. There are only so many people interested in PDAs. When it comes down to it, most of those people already have one, and a new one that cost another $500 to store the same old names and contacts just isn’t interesting.
New PDAs basically do the same thing as old PDAs. There is nothing compelling about them.
Smart phones seem to excite people. Devices that marry the cell phone and the PDA. Even Steve knew the PDA market was dead, and that the need would shift to the cell phone.
With people aready starting to build cell phones that play music, what is the true need for an iPod?
Pictures?
Don’t think so.
Video?
Don’t think so.
My smart phone plays video. I can download movies to it. BORRRRRIIINNNG.
What could they add to an iPod that would suddenly make everyone who has one want a new one?
BATTERY LIFE is one thing. If you came out with the same size iPods that had batteries that A) Last a week, and B) don’t wear out, that would certainly catch my ey.
But then, what is the killer app that will keep the iPod ahead of the pack?
Gotta admit, all the podcasts have added a dimension to my iPod, but that won’t make me buy a new one.
What will Apple do?
Super Duper!
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I agree with the first post. WE WANT TIGER. lol. Also, as an unrelated note if you are reading the “Best Buy” to carry Mac Mini, it’s true. I work at best buy and we have a display already. Just an FYI.
Oh boy, Worst Buy is going to sell Mac Mini’s. With service that bad, it just might drive the “switchers” back to Windoze. I wouldn’t even walk into or call a Worst Buy if you paid me. Please Steve, don’t let them sell real Macs. That would be a bad (MDN Magic Word) decision.
A 20 gig iPod mini, isn’t a mini anymore. Why don’t people just buy the 60gig and be done with it.
theloniusMac…
An 80 or 100gig model. with better/longer battery life agreed. And an AM/FM/Sattelite reciever. Short wave would be nice to. So you could literaly listen to whatever you want.
Mini? MINI?????
forget about 20GB. How about a TB?
http://www.boersenreport.de/technology.asp?msg=004668500000001660000000000