“Apple is nearing completion of a completely revamped video iPod that will shed the ubiquitous mechanical click wheel for a touch screen and will sport a 3.5-inch diagonal display,” Ryan Katz reports for Think Secret. “This video iPod, which has been in development and on the table since before Apple released the 5G iPod last year with video playback, will feature a display that will occupy the entire front face of the device. Sources who have seen the device report that it features a digital click wheel, one that overlays the touch-sensitive display and appears when a finger touches it and disappears when the finger is removed.”
“Additional details concerning the new iPod have yet to be confirmed, including capacity and a release date, although all indications point to the Spring, possibly as early as late March or early April. During the Macworld Expo San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs alluded to a major announcement on or around April 1, Apple’s 30th anniversary as a company,” Katz reports. “While Apple no longer publicly releases the numbers for how many specific iPod models it sells, Think Secret has learned exclusively that during Apple’s most recent December quarter, the company moved 3.9 million 5G iPods, exceeding internal estimates and confirming that strong demand remains for higher capacity, higher priced iPod models, especially with additional functionality. By comparison, 8 million iPod nanos were sold during the same period.”
More in the full article here.
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The question is…will it offer higher resolution playback? If it does…will that coincide with the release of a mac mini/tivo style unit that will sit in the heart of the digital home? If so…I think I have a 30 gig black ipod with video I want to sell.
I envisioned this vitual clickwheel when thinking of a fullscreen video iPod. I cant wait to see how they’ve implemented it.
Think Secret’s track record hasn’t been all that great recently, so I’d take this story with a HUGE grain of salt.
Oh great. Now I’m choking on salt.
Not to bring the whole worthiness-of-the-shuffle thing up again, but just as an observation, I guess we can deduce from this information that 2.1 million shuffles were sold last quarter? (14 – 8 – 3.9 = 2.1) And that was before the $30 price drop.
im very dubious about believing any of this ipod news, its all speculation, dont get ya hopes up ot sell ya 5G ipod just yet, that said, stranger things have happened.
Shouldn’t analysts use a random number generator to deduce Shuffle sales?
that’s a lot of wear on one part of the screen
If the new iPod video is going to be “all screen” then I just hope that it’s more scratch resistant than the current models. If it’s not, we’ll never hear the end of the whining.
i totally predicted, i think reason for the track wheell or click wheel is to open up space for the WIDE cinema screen on ipod videos.
It makes sense because Steve Jobs wants to make full use of PIXAR and DISNEY content.
Remembered steve jobs was making a joke in MacWorld show saying ” 10 inch ipod”
Well this is probably gonna be it.
“stranger things have happened.”
Yes, Andy. Kelly Clarkson winning two Grammys is right up there.
Good stuff. Now add phone, OSX et al and you have the iSlate – successor to the Newton – at last.
Sorry, Ampar – here’s a huge glass of water to wash it down…
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(and thanks for the laugh)
Ampar, I’m offended…..my wife’s first name is “Kelly”
Damn, I’m thirsty….must be all that salt…
Yes, I want an iPod/phone/OSX-pocketMac!! Gimme, Apple! PLEASE!!!
http://musobs.blogspot.com/
I lost $100 today in apple stock. F***** Steve Jobs..
@Sumer…take your money out and put it in a savings account…you shouldn’t be in the market.
I don’t see this rumor happening, sounds to good to be true. Screen covering the whole of the iPod, with a digital touch wheel!
Dream land!
TF: Bigger question is how she feels introducing you as Turd? Nice SNL reference by the way. I assume you have a huge foam cowboy hat.
I’ve decided to take this with a grain of paprika. Widescreen would be cool but I just hope it vibrates. Take that to show and tell.
if you have been looking at all the patents recently, this rumor sounds like an educated guess.
Yeah, make the screen 640 x 480, or 16:9 aspect ration.
• Then add a PC Card slot so I can dump digital photos on it.
• Let me use it as a remote. Bluetooth and IR.
• Let me to my Wi-Fi network to access and control my Macs and PowerBook.
• Then, toss in UNLOCKED cell phone capabilities, so we can use whatever cell service provider we choose.
SOLD
3.5 in screen sounds kinda small to fit a touch screen click wheel. I hope the real video iPod will be more of the form factor of a PSP, wouldn’t that be cool?
Yeh true, i am not a stocks person. I was born to be a failure..
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Won’t scratch? Start prepping a class action suit for smears.
Wouldn’t the guys who wrote that iPod simulator for Pocket PC have dibs on a virtual scroll wheel interface implemented on a touch screen?
This will be sweet if it’s true, but MDN, reporting it over and over again doesn’t make it more true.
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