BBC accidentally reveals video iPod?
posted October 5th 2005 5:00PM
Want some more evidence that Apple is getting ready to drop a video iPod on us next week? (Yeah, we know this contradicts what ThinkSecret reported earlier today about Jobs unveiling new Power Macs and PowerBooks.) Well, according to our good friends over at iLounge, earlier today BBC 6 accidentally let slip that, "Apple is set to unveil a new video iPod at the BBC Television Centre in London on October the 12th," and that the company is "expected to reveal details of the new MP3 and video player as well as video bundles to be available from the company's iTunes stores." Stands to reason that the BBC would be one of Apple's content partners — they've been notoriously forward-thinking in their plans to put their TV and radio show archives online — and somewhat suspiciously the broadcast mentioning the new iPod has since been pulled from the BBC's website. The plot thickens.
[Thanks, Liam]
OMG this might just force me to get a job...
GAH!!! I thought the reverse when I read that. I wonder if there is anyone with life sized posters above their bed. [hits the mental erase button...TOO LATE...OH GOD BSOD TO THE BRAIN!!]
When I was a teen, like 15 years ago, I had an almost life size poster of Samantha Fox half-naked on my ceiling.
Yeah, my parents were open-minded, even if they were not exactly in agreement with the "commercial exploitation of over-sized sexual attributes".
By the way, I'm sure some of you (not me) are jealous of Jobs attributes, at least subconsciously :)
On the 12th Apple is going to announce the new Power Macs, PowerBooks, not a(nother) new iPod.
http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0510oct12.html
Let's assume that there IS an iPod Video coming, and that the BBC WILL provide content.
Unfortunately, that content will likely only be available through the UK iTunes store. As forward looking as the Beeb is, it's only that way in the UK, where license-payers "own" the content. In the US, BBC programming is treated like any other video content, and thus is subject to the same kind of knee-jerk piracy and licensing restrictions.
I hear it's going to cost $9,000 ... have 8 megs of storage, include auto-deletion of anything you watch once ... and only play "Real Video" movie files.
No no, Adam #13, didn't you know? The new Microsoft isn't Apple, it's Google.
Apple is making a PDA with HP technology!! You guys are forgetting that Apple is actually a PC company.
IPOD PDA!! Can't wait!
That partiular picture, if I remember correctly, was passed around as a high-resolution render a few months ago and was a complete hoax. Either that or a mockup from the same design company for a fictional article. Either way, I've seen that same form before and call BS.
Thats toshiba's pocket pc boot up screen!!!!! wtf!? i have had 2 toshiba pocket pc's.. the e740 and e755 .... thats obviously fake!
Here's a good looking rendition:
http://img342.imageshack.us/img342/232/ipodvideo4bn.jpg
I want to believe! I don't know if I can swallow that photo, but I bet the new iPod is coming along with iTunes 5.0.2 and some other kit too.
Apple is too late!!!
Creative, Sony, Palm, etc have already released video devices. Sad. Plus, it looks ugly.
JAmerican
#60 Apple is too late?
They were one of the last to come out with a MP3 player and they still kicked everyones butt. Portable video players havent' really caught on amongst non-techies, but with Apple's marketing and attractive gui's, it will probably become mainstream.
Of course they'll probably add some damn DRM.
[disclaimer: I own no Apple products, just wish I did when I use my crappy RCA mp3 player]
This is becoming freaky. I'm not sure why a video player would make people so obsessed to spend money.
I'm perfectly content with my powerbook. It plays video, music, and more.
In the unlikely event this comes to fruition, then I will say goodbye to my PSP, as I only use my PSP for playing videos cause I hate loading times for games on a handheld.
I have a UX50. It is smaller than a laptop. The same length as an iPod and it plays music, videos (MP4s and MOVs), internet, has a 2GB MS in it, 30MB int. Media, DSP s for saving power, BT, WiFi, camera (video and stills), usable QWERTY thumbboard, rotating screen at 480x320 res. I'm happy with my handheld. What I dislike about Apple is that they slowly update. People aren't buying iPods as much as they used at least from what I see because Apple updates little things here and there. There should have never been a photo iPod, there should have already been a video iPod.
One more thing, why wasn't the crappy or faulty nanos landscape just like this device, the screen would have been larger and less screen real estate would have been lost. Poor design in my opinion.
JAmerican
This is a funny one
Try: http://www.apple.com/movies
next try:
http://www.apple.com/Somethingrotten
or
http://www.apple.com/somethingelse
Think different;-)
Sorry Folks, but the BBC just revealed there VOD platforme and it's under MICROSOFT DRM :((
So no iPod Video this time but surely new PowerBook and/or PowerMac.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/imp/
I think the beeb were speculating just like everyone else. there was alot of it about yesterday, trying to work out what's going on. The BBC will probably just be providing a place for a large press audience to watch the announcements from California.
The beeb do very little video in Quicktime at all, apart from those huge video screens in train stations (via Shockwave). But they do use webobjects for the news website content management system.
lets just wait and see ;)
I don't want a video iPod. I want new firmware that'll make the old iPods play video.
"It could be the Beeb are going to provide video output in Quicktime, who knows... The BBC podcasts are VERY popular in iTunes after all."
Not unless QuickTime grows a DRM system that matches that in Windows Media within the next few days. The Interactive Media PLayer (iMP) is Windows Media-only because it's the only platform at present that can make a file that "times out" on a specific date. All iMP content is available for viewing only for seven days after broadcast.
Me, I'm hoping they'll update the Powerbook/Mac instead. I'm in the market for a PB and there have been rumors about screen resolution bumps on the next (last pre-Intel) model. Hey, if they want to drop the video iPod at the same time, that's great too. But pleeeze Steve, gimme my Powerbook.
They're going to announce video sales over itunes, hence the curtain image teaser on their "just one more thing" invitation.
The BBC iMP (I'm taking part in the trial for it) isn't Mac compatible yet so it's possible that they'd use quicktime on the mac version and with the motion gallery moving to QT7 then it's possible at least.
Plus, I like the picture of the worlds biggest broadcaster teaming up with the biggest music download service.
I can't wait for the Video IPOD ... small screen, but who knows what he has in plans to make it that much better that the PSP videos!
If/when it arrives, will it play UMDs? I think so and I've got a bunch of ideas why posted at
www.omniquiti.com
I'd love to hear what you think about my theories on this stuff.
Happy speculating!!
I dunno. Something doesn't seem right about this. Somehow the information was just leaked too - EASILY - not to mention it seems that Apple hasn't made any fuss about the leaked info. Remember the invitation - "...And one more thing..." I think Apple is going to launch something a hell of a lot bigger alongside this viPod -- early Intel Macs, anybody? THAT would be a hell of a surprise!
One more thing... yeah!
Ever since the BBC leak that points to an iPod Video release with BBC content downloadable to it I"ve been thinking about how the rest of the iTunes / iPod ecosystem is going to fit into this.
I do believe October 12 will release "hero" video iPod device with a large screen.
But perhaps more radically I predict that EVERY iPod with a colour screen will become a video iPod. October 12 will see the release of a new version of iTunes and an iPod updater which will unlock that functionality in all colour screen iPods.
Thnik about it - why bother releasing the Nano with that pin sharp screen just for the PhotoIPod functionality that no one really uses. Why did the photo Ipod seem like such a half-baked product that could almost have served as a video device?
If Apple updates the music store on October 12 to allow download of free BBC content and purchased content like music videos and TV programmes it makes sense for the public to already have devices through which the content can be played back. Why limit your market to only the early adopters who can fork out £400 for a new product with a 2 week waiting list? If you've made this much investment then why not get the money coming in immediately!
By enabling video in devices Apple will already have a critical mass of devices which can make use of the content. This mirrors the original Music Store - it only made sense to sell music once a certain number of people had iPods. So why wait for a critical mass of people to buy video iPods. Why not make them all video iPods overnight?
The only reason the functionality has not been unlocked so far is that the rights agreements haven't been in place with the content providers.
The video iPod will be the hero hardware device with a large screen for ease of watching but every colour iPod will have the functionality.
This follows the pattern of podcast software availability across the whole screen based iPod family.
So to summarise:
October 12:
Hero Video Ipod with large screen
Apple Music Store offers free and paid video downloads including material from the BBC archive and IMP project
iPod updater software enables EVERY colour screen iPod video playback
We"ll see....
It's true. My friend works in Milpitas, CA. complaining how "they" have to work on Saturdays to get the iVideo out by Christmas. It's no secret.
I have a black 60gb video ipod on order!!!
very excited
downlaoded itunes 6 too
wonderful
now ive just gotta sell a 20gb ipod with my name engraved in the back! lol