“For a company that’s known for its bold innovations, Apple Computer has moved slowly and cautiously into the realm of portable digital video. Although its iPod MP3 players are market and mindshare sensations, until recently they’ve lacked features that Microsoft’s portable hardware partners have offered for years. Chief among these features is digital video,” Paul Thurrott writes for Connected Home Media. “In fact, publicly, Apple executives have maintained all along that portable digital video just isn’t very interesting. Consumers, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has said, just don’t care. Until the iPod with video, of course.”
“The new iPod gets dramatically better battery life than previous versions (for music), although it’s unclear why this is so, given the larger color screen and smaller case (and, thus, smaller battery). The big change, of course, is video support. Thanks to the iPod’s gorgeous—if small—320 x 240 screen and a new video chipset, it can play MPEG-4 and H.264 video at 30 frames per second (fps),” Thurrott writes. “Unlike other devices, the iPod is also backed by a unique online service that lets you purchase video content relatively inexpensively… The new iPod features everything that was right about iPods to begin with and adds video as a bonus. Thus, it is the new standard by which all portable media players are measured. Highly recommended.”
Full article here.
Advertisement: The New iPod with Video. The ultimate music + video experience on the go. Buy it now at the Apple Store. From $299. Free shipping.
Related articles:
Chicago Tribune: Apple’s new iPod is a showstopper – October 26, 2005
PC Magazine review gives Apple’s new video-capable iPod 5 out of 5 stars – October 21, 2005
CBS News: New iPod shows ‘Apple will continue to dominate portable digital media player market’ – October 21, 2005
Apple’s video-capable iPod and iTunes are first vital link in new distribution paradigm – October 21, 2005
USA Today: Apple’s new iPod + video: world’s foremost portable music players have gotten only better – October 20, 2005
Comprehensive review of Apple’s iPod 5G with Video – October 20, 2005
The Motley Fool: ‘Apple’s new video-enabled iPod is about to save the televised content industry’ – October 20, 2005
Ars Technica reviews Apple’s new video-capable iPod – October 20, 2005
NY Times Pogue: ‘watching video on new iPod’s 2.5-inch screen is completely immersive’ – October 19, 2005
MSNBC columnist: after initial coolness wears off, Apple’s video iPod will wind up in dresser drawer
Apple’s $1.99 iTunes TV show downloads may be ‘the savior of good television’ – October 17, 2005
Apple opens Pandora’s box for the media business, could have profound long-term consequences – October 17, 2005
BofA analyst: Apple video play an ‘evolutionary opportunity,’ 9.3m iPods to be sold this quarter – October 17, 2005
Apple has the potential to change not just the audio industry, but the whole entertainment industry – October 17, 2005
Advertisers welcome Apple’s iTunes Store commerical-free content – October 17, 2005
New York Times writer can’t think different: ‘video iPod may not be ready for prime time’ – October 17, 2005
Podfather: iPod porn is going to be huge – October 14, 2005
Forrester Research: Apple transformed music distribution, now it is doing the same for video – October 14, 2005
Watching episode of ABC’s ‘Lost’ on 2.5-inch iPod screen surprisingly compelling – October 13, 2005
Get ready for the iPod video torrent search sites – October 13, 2005
Apple’s new iMac G5, iTunes 6, iPod video designed to bait Hollywood – October 13, 2005
Apple video iPod+iTunes could create mass audience for video on the go, despite studios’ misgivings – October 13, 2005
Using QuickTime Pro to create videos for playback in new Apple iPods – October 13, 2005
Analyst: Apple has just produced ‘the tipping point’ for entertainment content – October 13, 2005
Apple’s video play likely to unsettle movie, TV, advertising and retail markets for years to come – October 12, 2005
Apple unveils new 5th generation iPod, now plays music, photos, and video – October 12, 2005
Repeat after me, “it’s not just the hardware”.
So Windows Mobile Edition Media PC XP SP2 has been able to play video. How well does it handle those 30fps 320×240 videos? Jumpy?
And even if the clarity rocks, where would you get the content? Apple makes it easy to take MY hoem movies, import from my Canon Hi8 camera to iMovie, encode and sync to a 5G iPod. Or just go to iTunes and drop less than two bucks on over two thousand music videos, tv shows, and film shorts.
MDN word: able
Paul continually amazes me. Sometimes he sounds like a normal sane human being and sometimes well since he is currently be sane I won’t say anything bad but sometimes the case is different.
i wonder if its the meds, i hope his psychiatrists watches his posts and whatnot to monitor whether or not paul is taking them.
The iPod will fail.
I am Paul Thurrott, when I take my medication.
I have to say I’m getting a little tired of hell freezing over so much. Better get used to it I suppose.
“The new iPod features everything that was right about iPods to begin with and adds video as a bonus.”
Wow, I cannot beleive he got this right. Amazing.
word
More memory = less hard drive has to spin up to fill memory = more battery life
Terrorism, Earthquakes, Floods, Tsunamis, Hurricanes, Paul Thurrott, what the hell is going on?
well it looks like Thurrott founded his med’ again – cause he’s starting to sound like a sane person again – GOOD FOR YOU BOY!
Who are you and what have you done with the real Paul Thurott?
I’ve been willing to give Thurrott the benefit of the doubt lately, as I do here, but a cynic could look at this another way. The iPod in general, and now the iPod with video specifically, has been universally acclaimed by tech writers, including many windows-centric writers, not only what it does, but for what is possible in the future. Given that, for him to have any other opinion that a favorable one would bring his objectivity into question even to those people inclined to dislike anything Apple.
The Video IPOD just may be the greatest object in all history. And its among the greatest of all gifts ( as far as material gifts go ) It isnt peace on earth but its as close as you may get to it this holiday season. And I want that remote control thing for my PoweMac–Im sort of hoping that the Video IPOD will cause Steve Jobs to SWITCH to Mac. What I mean is
does the “roadblock” in the Intel “roadmap” create any hope that Jobs will switch back to true Macs with IBM or CELL inside?
Paul Thurrott is a schizophrenic.
Seriously, my friend’s uncle’s sister’s first cousin by marriage has a buddy who works with a woman in record-keeping at a doctor’s office.
I swear.
O.K., I’ve finally figured it out!
“Thurrott” is not a person. No, “Thurrott” is a franchise. Kind of like “Santa Claus” or the “Tooth Fairy”.
You see, somewhere in India (probably Bangalore), there is a sweat shop of “writers” that stamp out the various “Thurrott” articles on this and that. Sometimes (purely by chance) the Indian, sweat shop “writer” is competent on things relating to Macintosh. Result: the article makes sense. Mostly though someone dimmer than a pen light, writes the articles saying things like Bill Gates invented the Macintosh.
I’m glad it finally came to me; “Thurrott’s” seeming multiple personalities was driving me nuts!
lisa: I love your phrase “true Macs with IBM or CELL inside”. So, you’re the hardware equivalent of those whiny old farts who wailed that the switch from classic MacOS to OSX meant “the death of the Mac”. I wonder what happened to them.
Of course, in your mind, Apple could do a (considerably more traumatic) switch to the Cell, and it would still be a “true Mac”. You REALLY have a bug up your butt about Intel, don’t you?
See, Thurott can be honest when he wants to be honest. He forgets, sometimes, that Apple is a major Windows peripheral and software supplier. Apple makes good stuff for Windows and should be treated with respect.
Terrorism, Earthquakes, Floods, Tsunamis, Hurricanes, Paul Thurrott, what the hell is going on?
—
Paul’s doin just fine. Read his Front Row review.
He thinks Apple should be more like MS… then criticizes Apple because they’re not like MS, yet. He knows they’ll become MS, he just knows it, but resents Apple for putting out an un-MS product.
It’s called the straw man argument.
MacMania
L-O-L
So that explains PT behavior.
How many years? How many players? Spill it.
Apple’s not the first (merely the simplest), but they’re hardly “late to a big thing” here.
“Paul continually amazes me. Sometimes he sounds like a normal sane human being and sometimes… “
I believe this affliction is called “having a mind of your own.” It’s fairly rare among MDN readers.
it also known as schizophrenia. Let’s not go off the deep end here– i mean it’s Thurrott for goodness sakes. Dude has zero credibility. His readership consists of 90% mac users. So when mac users quit reading his tripe– he has to lure them back by writing something complimentary about Apple.
‘I believe this affliction is called “having a mind of your own.” It’s fairly rare among MDN readers.’
Does one laugh or cry at a comment like this. Anyone wh reads Thurrott knows the man is as objective as a pig commenting on shit. Funny how those who talk about having minds of one’s own rarely show that facility themselves.
Now the real matter. Thurrott and his ilk writes the odd seemingly objective article (still includes the odd implied swipe mind note) simply because by so doing they can claim (especially to themeselves) that this proves them to be honest critics. It doesn’t take much but just a little truth will convince much of his audience and more importantly employers that this is so and therefore keeps the gravy train on the move which is after all his true motive. He prefers to make simplistic hits in a battle where he is on the side of a vast majority whereas here he plays it safe by siding with the… yep you get it, the side that has overwhelming dominance. You know bread, butter and side.Something sounds familiar there and says everything we need to know about his character and his awareness (like those pigs) of what shit his nose should be in at any given time to further his ‘writing’ career.
If the Mac ever becomes the dominant platform you can bet who will be first in the queue to praise its superiority in the trough of profit.