How would you change the iPod?
posted April 15th 2005 3:15PM
Lovers, haters, all are welcome here in this thread on retooling Apple's flagship player (but if you must hate, you must hate constructively!). We'll keep this open broadly to all of the iPod models because a whole series of these for each model would be a bit much — so in your comment, please be sure to first specify which iPod model(s) you're talking about, or whether you're speaking for all iPods in general. Feel free to go off on multiple versions, if that's your thing. We'll start it off:
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iPod shuffle: ability to not have it tethered/paired with any particular machine, and have its contents blown away when wanting to connect it to a different machine.
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iPod photo: video playback, with support for S-video out.
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iPod mini: something to prevent that white scroll wheel from getting so dirty. And 10GB wouldn't hurt, no how.
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iPods, general: voice recording, line in, native FM broadcasting.
How would you change the iPod?
Just add XM or Sirius....I can't believe you people are suggesting FM Tuners? WTF, it's not 1999..
Ipod Photo- Built in camera, if you can put photos on it, why not take them as well?
All ipods: voice-activated command system for when driving. "ipod, NEXT!" or "ipod, Rollin With My Homies!"
- crossfade
- some sort of wireless (FM/BT) transmitter
- longer battery life
- soft/gel/sizeable/comfortable/better headphones
I think the next big step is to send all iPods in to the solid state era. And don't start flaming me that it wouldn't fit cause there's an 8GB flash drive out now ain't there? Besides, even if it wouldn't quite fit, we all know they're damn close.
no DRM - not made by Apple or a more reasonable CEO running the co. that makes it - dark colors > what is it with pastel and white and only one dark colored special edition??
There is no hope for the iPod. It fails at being a DAP.
1. Manual On/Off switch for HDD iPods
2. More effective battery meter for Shuffle
3. Color screen on Mini
4. OLED for Shuffle
5. FM Tuner for all iPods
6. Bluetooth
7. Voice recorder
8. Build HDD iPods with a USB connector so you don't need to carry around a cord
9. have Shuffle hold multiple playlists (probably add another button to switch between them)
10. Change the off/mode switch on the Shuffle: add grooves to it or something to increase friction with the finger, make the switch harder to slip into the wrong mode.
11. Make better headphones and remotes...2 pairs of mine have suffered from wear & tear (usually the wiring and white plastic/rubber coating)
Rofl @ #116
I would add the option to flag a song with some method other than the stars. For instance, if I find a song that cuts off prematurely, I have to mark it 1 star and then later remember to sync it with the computer, see the 1 star songs, and expunge them.
If there were a dedicated button for just flagging a song I'd like that.
Also, change the way the clock works. Have the wheel first change the hour, set with center button, then change the minutes. Every weekend when I change my clock alarm from 6:00 to 7:00 it takes a bit of scrolling rather than how easy it would be with my method.
I own a 4th gen 40gb ipod
one word: bluetooth.
I don't need wires for the headset on my phone and the wires on the iPod headphones are a large pain in the posterior.
One WORD BLUETOOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most of the existing iPod is fine with me. Hardware-wise, I'd just add high quality voice recording.
I think, though, that with some better software a huge number of additional buyers would come from business and education. Here's all you need:
1. Pick up IBM's orphaned Via Voice and spruce it up. Make it so that the notes you record on the iPod are automatically transcribed as soon as you hook up to your Mac.
2. Also, do the reverse. Open up a URL, PDF or Word document in iTunes and have it automagically converted into a smoothly narrated MP3 for listening to later.
Suddenly you can justify buying iPods for business people and for K-12 kids who are not yet good readers, and for the visually impaired.
Dictation and speech generation from text are well established technologies. All that remains is to make it seemless and transparent in that inimitable Apple way.
Basically, I want it be this design.
I own Sony Clie PEG-TH55, I got use to the jog dial on the back. By moving it to the back, you get to equip a bigger screen on the iPod.
You can't never the throw out the click-wheel. I don't know.. I used to hated iPod. I thought I would be selling a soul and plus didn't think it was the best design(1st sight was good but I don't think it is a good aethestic design and worthy design once everyone is carrying it around) However, I had to choose iPod, being the gadget to top with stable system and the satifier language support. And the size was no competition.
I started to really get into the iPod while I was started to get familiar both the iTunes and the iPod together. WOWhopper!!! Only the users will know~
By the way, I would like the apple to develope a way to access/sync music directly as a hard drive. (some copyright law..., why doesn't the government just fine any one singing industrial sold music on the street... stupid law, really...Well, I guess it was the only way to protect the artist) --Just consider mp3 as any one of the file on one's computer.
*That's just a bad feelings toward the government.
That's just the 1st tip to the software developers.
And the second... I think it's time for the movies clips. Please update us with firmware that can play a *.gif file and all known movie file.
That's all the complaints I got so far.
These are just improvement I wanted to see on the bigger storage portable hard drive(by this I mean any size over 15GB or so... any drive bigger than the inch drive--inch drive equipted iPod: mini's 4GB and 6GB)
Gapless playback.
Basically, I want it be this design.
http://www.yssy.org/data/fun/1113606909/MyUltimateiPod_Design.jpg
COPY AND PASTE THE URL
I own Sony Clie PEG-TH55, I got use to the jog dial on the back. By moving it to the back, you get to equip a bigger screen on the iPod.
You can't never the throw out the click-wheel. I don't know.. I used to hated iPod. I thought I would be selling a soul and plus didn't think it was the best design(1st sight was good but I don't think it is a good aethestic design and worthy design once everyone is carrying it around) However, I had to choose iPod, being the gadget to top with stable system and the satifier language support. And the size was no competition.
I started to really get into the iPod while I was started to get familiar both the iTunes and the iPod together. WOWhopper!!! Only the users will know~
By the way, I would like the apple to develope a way to access/sync music directly as a hard drive. (some copyright law..., why doesn't the government just fine any one singing industrial sold music on the street... stupid law, really...Well, I guess it was the only way to protect the artist) --Just consider mp3 as any one of the file on one's computer.
*That's just a bad feelings toward the government.
That's just the 1st tip to the software developers.
And the second... I think it's time for the movies clips. Please update us with firmware that can play a *.gif file and all known movie file.
That's all the complaints I got so far.
These are just improvement I wanted to see on the bigger storage portable hard drive(by this I mean any size over 15GB or so... any drive bigger than the inch drive--inch drive equipted iPod: mini's 4GB and 6GB)
Wrap the Menus... Spinning counter clockwise from A in any menu goes to Z and Clockwise from Z goes back to A.
A/B Loop Points on songs.
Pitch Shift capability during playback.
Recording to MP3 or WAV and at better than 128kbps sample rates.
Scratching with the scroll wheel would also be great.
(The Neuros does all of these except scratching but it's nowhere near as small or cool visually compared to the iPod.)
The ability to record microphone input to MP3 at a decent bit-rate. I'd be on my third iPod by now if it could do thatinstead Im stuck with Iriver
Agree almost completely w/ #107. If an album (made up of one-hit wonders) is under "Compilations" using iTunes, why do I have to see "Tommy Tutone" every time I scroll through the Artists menu? Second, why can't I hold down the Fast Forward key to shuffle by album? It would be the best of both worlds - preserve the album structure, but enjoy shuffling when you want something new.
ALL
1. gapless playback
2. line in recording
3. cheap but good quality small stereo mics for recording shows
how bout a digital optical audio output?
My list:
-Gapless Plaback (I never knew how much this would be great untill I started to listen to some Ministry of Sound music on my iPod)
-More durable case
-Get rid of the click wheel, it is stupid, back to the good old 3G buttons!
(The click wheel was what sent me away from the 4G ipod to go and buy a second hand 3G)
-A small powerbutton! Holding in play etc is not on, how about putting the power button under the hold switch, and it only activaltes when it is on unlocked, making sure you have to press it a considerable way so you don't bump it, or even replace it all with something similiar to the one on the psp?
-Screen hole in the stock leather case, I love the case but it sucks always having to take the ipod out of the case to see what it playing.
Also people, line recording can be done on the iPod, wtf are you asking for it for, get a real ipod (not a pos Clickwheel bearning one) and install ipod linux, it supports line in recording through the headphone jack.
QuickTime 7 needs to be built into the iPod.
Shuffle:
1) A built in clock, so when I get back home I can work out an album track I heard from the last played times... I swear they are keeping that for the next rev so the techy early adoptors buy another one (that'll teach me for not buying a hdd iPod)...
2) 'iPod shuffle Database Builder' fixed my other issues.
a whole bunch of things they can do to make it better... I'm not asking for all of them (I am sane) but maybe different combinations of them.
long list, here it goes.
-e-ink or oled screen
-no differentiation between ipod and ipod photo (just have the wide range of HD sizes and all have the ability to view photos and video)
-video playback with at least with s-video connecter (love to come over to a friend's place and hook it up and watch a video)
-usb host capabilites
-side mounted hold switch or hold/on off switch like clies
-presented with more options when I hold down the select button on a song (like an add to que, file info, add to playlist -blank-,
- have a more diversified ipod range (ie, colour screen or not, battery life, sports model(?) colour,)
- metal exterior
(matts stuff, post 122)
-an alphabetical index
Throw all the letters up there at once, on a chart. Scroll and click to select all the artists that start with that letter
Call it Expert Mode, or does that run against Apple's philosophy: everyone must operate in Idiot-proof Mode.
-built in mic w/ voice record and be able to hook up a mic.
-fm transmitter/reciever.
-more controls. simpler is good, but not always. I dont want to have to go through a million menus to change one thing. (maybe a 8 directional click wheel?)
-longer battery life/more accurate battery meter.
-edit id3 tags on the fly (maybe in the extended select menu I talked about earlier.)
-shuffle songs with higher rated songes appearing more often.
-more recording options
-gapless playback
-replaceable battery
-I heard that the difference between the 4g and 3g battery life is a more efficiant firmware. by the time 5g rolls around I want the upgrade to 3gs! I understand that you want more weight on the 4g end cause you're a corporation and at the end you want money. try having the public trust that you can makea quality product instead of a good product that needs 3rd party accessories to make it great.
-stronger attachment for add-ons.
-integrated noise cancelling with the built in mic.
-changeable face plates (a leather faceplate would be incredible, suede, for executives to show their boardmeeting presentations on)
-a useful remote (with my iriver, I liked the idea of being able to navigate with full functionality without trying to pull my pod out from my belt-clip or bag. with a reasonable length cord. the remotes that exist now are way too long to be comfortable and the clip on it is useless.
oh and maybe a tablet style ipod with the screen stretching the whole way and a virtual click wheel.
Suggested improvements across the board....
1: Make it so you can only use impossibly painful iTunes to copy music onto it
2: Include 50 pence white plastic headphones, that ensure poor sound quality, and identify owners as potential robbery targets.
3: Build in protection so that the iPod automatically re-formats itself when you plug it into another computer O/S
4: Ensure there is no drag & drop support for windows explorer users.
5: Have a lying battery display that shows 8 hours but only really has 4 hour hours left.
6: Include a remote control with no display.
7: Remove any support for filename searching / Display.
Restore previous play state when undocking.
Selectable display type size (smaller == more visible information).
Sort albums by release date.
Options for compilation appearances in artist listings (sort by album name [current behavior], sort by date, sort to bottom, hide)
Friggin' gapless playback, already.
removable battery? Not sure I follow.. you want to be able to take the battery out once every 2 years to get a new one?
You know.. if you wait 3 years before replacing your rechargable battery, you might consider.. .... .... getting a new iPod!
Buying a $99 battery might not be that wise after 3 years of use.. prices in technology fall so fast, that after 3 years you'll want a new iPod...
This isn't the Apple line..they'll gladly replace your battery.. but I can tell you.. my own experience is that you'll use teh thing until it simplly isn't economically feasible to get a replacement.. you'll just get a new iPod..
Kinda like Cell phones..
Just a Few Things:
- Brushed Steel Back (More Scratch Resistant)
- Longer Battery Life
- Built-in FM Transmitter
- Better Apple Headphones
- Longer Memmory Buffer (Less Access To HDD)
- Built-in High Quality Audio Recorder
- Selectable Gap - Gapless Playback
- Digital EQ Setting plus a Custom Adjustable EQ in the device
- Bluetooh
- Re-start including the freakin' ac adapter again and the firewire cable
- Remove The Audio Defect Issue present in the 4G ipods and return to the touch wheel, touch buttons...
Ah.. so THAT"s why you guys don't work for Apple.. thank goodness..
A POWER BUTTON?! WTF?!
FM RADIO?!!? yeah.. way to promote the music store..
Search Songs alphabetically in reverse...
PFFFFT!! Steve Jobs has got to be smiling if you guys can't come up with anything.
I would fix the iTunes store. Nothing really needs changing on the 2 iPods I own - but the iTunes store is a mess.
I would put a dedicated power on/off button on it.
For the >20gb hd ipods, I don't care much for the rest;
1. gapless mp3 playback!! It can be done
2. colorscreen, b/w is dull and won't do with
3. video playback, incl. avi divx, xvid
4. usb-on-the-go, plug your camera in and go without a stupid "dongle"
5. picture display without the need for propriety tools. Just show 'em allready, they're there!
6. dump drm (yeah, right)
7. a way to easily backup all your music + itunes db
8. dump localized store restrictions. I can buy an american dvd on amazon.com but I can't buy the music I want that is available in the US but isn't carried by the dutch store 'cause their music selection sucks
9. longer batterylife (cut me some slack, i have a 3rd gen)
10. the 3rd gen kicks 4th gens ass design-wise, the clickwheel being a physical different part makes the 4th gen look cheaper
11. better buildquality of the headphones
12. wireless headphones using the industry standard used by all wireless headphones (okay, that doesn't really exist. Do something about it)
13. pictbridge support so your friends can directly get a print after seeing your slideshow
14. add shuffle as option for generated playlists
15. dump shuffle as menuoption, i don't want to mix philip glass with eminem with a chapter of harry potter. Or make it a lot smarter to avoid this
here's an idea for the next gen iPod photo...
3MP camera along with a slightly larger screen...
How about making something that won't fall apart within weks/months. I hate ipods, the only reason people buy them is because they 'look cool'
Anyone interested in the tech side would go against them...
EXTREMELY prone to break down. Almost everyone i know who has one has had faults with it.
BATTERY - its pathetic at best. My apple working and loving friend boasted on his new 12hr battery.. lasted 5hrs max on full charge playing continuously without lots of ff etc..
Yeh mate, power button - so that poor battery isnt drained any longer waiting to turn off.
Direct camera connection, without having to buy an overly expensive and large adapter.
Steve jobbs is smiling cause people are dumb enough to keep buying them. And he's finally made a product that sells.
Working Equalizers. And the ability to change the Equalizer on a song or album or playlist, on the fly.
The ability to edit a playlist away from the computer. I've created a couple play lists that included songs that should not been, and wished I could add a couple songs to another.
The ability to mark and save where you've left off listening to a track and skip to another. Useful for listening to long tracks (like books) where you don't want to search the entire track for where you left, or if you just don't remember the timecount.
How about bringing the Visualizer over to the iPod, too?
FYI, I've had two ipods, the original 5GB and now the first generation 20GB. Love them, except the back light has burned out.
barnz2k,
dunno, what are you and your mates doing with the iPod, wanking with them?
I've had a 2G iPod for years, and its only issue has been battery life rundown. Had to replace it last year. Besides that, no problems from mine and 6 other iPod users I know.
BLUETOOTH with bluetooth headphones. Wi-fi would be cool too.
iPod Photo:
1. voice activated/operated (for stop and play)
2. voice recorder
3. video playback
4. smaller size
5. bigger lcd
6. GAPLESS PLAYBACK !!!!!!
7. Bluetooth
1. iPod mini:
I'd add iPod photo functionality to the mini (iPod photo mini ? ;-)) - i.e. Give it a color screen and ability to upload/display photos via that new accessory.
The current iPod photo is way too bulky for my liking. Plus, I only need about 1 GB for my photos, so the mini has more than enough storage.
2. iPod photo
I'd add video (and maybe a dock that allows the recording and syncing of TV).
3. iPod shuffle
I'd add multiple playlists (could use the +/- controls to move between playlists when in pause mode).
4. iTunes/all iPods
I'd add the ability to add labelled chapters (esp. for audiobooks and podcasts) to make it significantly easier to navigate.
Kap
Make it heterosexual.
make color screens standard and drop the price by $100 on all the larger than 20gb 'pods
ipod to ipod transfer of non protected music
Make it easier to use without looking at the screen. This is important when you're in a car or when you're jogging. It would help to have a new layout, but I realize this will never happen.
One improvement along these lines would be to have a new programmable button on the face. You could set it up to be a quick toggle between EQ settings or playlists perhaps.
The HOLD button is also too difficult to use.
Last, I agree with diem. The circular interface is not as easy to use people make it out to be. The original clicky one was, but the new one is a bit glitchy. Again, I doubt they'll ever change it though.
I'd like it in black. In a non-special edition version, please. It's sad when my only option for getting an iPod that matches everything else I own is to get one that's signed by a band that hasn't been musically relevant in over a decade.
I'd also like more functionality during playback. I'd like to be shuffling along and say, "Hey, Boom Boom Satellites...yeah I'm in the mood for some more of that..." and be able to click and go listen to more of that easily and quickly.
Dust plugs for the dock connector and remote connector on the top. Bring the mini's aluminum case to the rest of the line.
Lose the jog wheel, replace whole front with Touchscreen Colour LCD, incorporate controls onto display, enable video playback on display, gapless playback, fast transfer from CF Card/Mem Stick/etc so you don't need to connect actual camera
Look. I;m 51 years old. Steve Jobs is older then me. Have a preferance setting that can enlarge the font size so i can read the fricking word on the display! I know Steve can't read them either. Same with lame ass cell phones & pda's. I mean WTF, i got more money then all these punk ass kids so make it work for me too damnit.
Look. I;m 51 years old. Steve Jobs is older then me. Have a preferance setting that can enlarge the font size so i can read the fricking word on the display! I know Steve can't read them either. Same with lame ass cell phones & pda's. I mean WTF, i got more money then all these punk ass kids so make it work for me too damnit.
1) Bluetooth
2) Quicktime Support