2GB Mini-iPods in Janaury?

[iMook]

I'm skimming through this thread, and NOT ONCE did I see mention of Cornice. Does no one know of this company?!?! The guys behind the 1.5GB hard drive in the Rio Nitrus, Creative MuVo^2, and the Samsung ITCAM-7?

Cornice micro-HDDs are cheaper than hitachi/toshiba because they don't include the RAM and ROM chips in the drive chassis itself. Since they're tailor-made for the portable A/V world, they figure that the devices themselves can spare a few MB for operating ROM and hard drive buffer.

If there IS a microPod in the works, I see no reason why Apple shouldn't adopt the Cornice drive over "standard" microdrives.

Also, Toshiba has a prototype 0.85" HDD now. Think about it, a maybe-3GB (for the high end) HDD the size of a nickel, with a casing barely bigger than an SD card. If Apple wants ultra-bleeding-edge technology that's "just now made possible", it should go for either the ultra-tiny Toshiba HDD or the Cornice HDD, IMHO.

 

[Doctor Q]

Which is the better abbreviation of Mini-iPod: MiniPod or MiPod?

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

Re: Re: 1" hard drive = cell phone?

Originally posted by Bengt77
Hey, did you make that name up yourself? ... Name a funny it is.

I was typing out Firewire Wireless, and that just seems too redundant. So together they went, and I tacked on (tm) at the end, so Apple will have to send me a sweet G5 setup with the works in exchange for license to use the name.

Waking up now...

 

[breakaway1029]

Here is what I think:
1. It is a good idea for Apple to wait until after christmas to announce new products because the iPod in particular is flying off the shelves, and is someting like the #3 present kids are asking for this holiday season.
2. Apple shouldn't change the appearance of the iPod too much, if a smaller and cheaper version is introduced, because Apple has spent a huge ammont of money making sure that the design of the iPod is recognized by everyone.
3. A new version should be a bridge between the flash and harddrive mp3 players. This would make sure that the flash market becomes obsolete, while creating a huge new market of buyers. Here is an example:

person wants a harddrive mp3 player but doesn't have a large colletion or a lot of money --> buys 2gb iPod --> realizes that their collection doesn't fit on iPod --> slowly amasses a larger collection through iTMS and other music sources --> Realizes they now have a sizeable collection and enough money to buy a larger iPod --> buys a "regular" (15,20,30,40gb) iPod (with a larger profit margin for apple).

In this model, Apple lets people get a "taste" of the iPod without shelling out $300-$500, and then when the time comes to upgrade, they are so familiar with apple, they buy a larger iPod.

 

[MarkCollette]

I will have the last laugh, after all of you have debated flash versus harddrive, and Apple instead releases... a RAM based player

- Mark

 

[MacForbes]

this mini-ipod would definity sell. I mean just look at Palm. They made a low cost, craptacular (compared to other palms) pda, but it still sold very well. Even CNet said "the device went on to become last year's best-selling Palm, proving once again that price is king in the electronics business." (taken from http://reviews.cnet.com/Palm_Zire_21/4505-3127_7-30557631.html?tag=pdtl-list)

I think the mini-ipod would sell alot with the teenagers, if it had a 100-150 price range and 2 gb would be just fine. As for flash based ... not happening too expensive. Anyway if Apple make this mini-ipod, i will be happy.

 

[iChan]

the way i see it is that apple need to sell cheaper iPods to reach critical mass.

 

[McMike]

Flash or HD? Who cares! How about a new iPod with the same design, the same weight and everything but... LET IT HAVE AN EXCHANGEABLE BATTERY!!!!!!
How about that?

 

[yamabushi]

Originally posted by MarkCollette
I will have the last laugh, after all of you have debated flash versus harddrive, and Apple instead releases... a RAM based player

Actually a RAM based player isn't such a crazy idea. Very fast access. Just leave your iPod in a charging cradle when not in use. If your battery runs out of juice, you can copy your songs back quickly and start listening while it continues to recharge.

I would like to see some limited edition iPods with various color themes. Perhaps they could be prizes for a contest or sweepstakes. Stars and Stripes, Union Jack, company logos, original artwork, etc. Personally I'll take a design based on Hokusai's famous stylized wave from his series 36 Views of Fuji.

 

[Doctor Q]

Would it be possible (technically and pricewise) for Apple or anyone else to make a disk-based MP3 player that lets you pop out the disk drive and replace it with a larger version for an "upgrade" price, so you could start smaller/cheaper and pay more later when your music collection grows? To avoid it becoming a tool for bootleggers, let's say that the disk can be removed only after an "erase and release" function.

 

[OutThere]

I think that a mini-ipod would be very ideal, allowing people with less music to buy an iPod that fits better. For some people buying a 10 gig is like buying a shoe that's 4 sizes to large.

 

[Doctor Q]

I have been calling them MiniPods, but I thought of an even simpler form: A smaller iPod could be called an ipod!