"Real video iPod" delayed by display problems, studio talks
By Marc Perton 
posted April 13th 2006 2:12PM
posted April 13th 2006 2:12PM
Whew. That's a relief. We were afraid
for a while there that we'd have to go a whole week without any rumors about Apple's alleged plans for a "true video iPod." But
ThinkSecret has come through as usual. According to the site, Apple had been on track to release the widescreen video
iPod in time for the company's 30th birthday
this month, but had to delay the project due to display problems and negotiations with movie studios. ThinkSecret
claims that Apple is committed to a touchscreen controller including a "virtual track wheel," but actually
achieving this has proven to be a challenge for Apple's display manufacturer. Meanwhile Apple is reportedly having a
hard time negotiating content deals with movie studios. According to ThinkSecret, the company wants to stick with the
iTunes model of selling individual flicks, while the studios are looking for a MusicNet-style subscription service.
We've got an idea: as long as Apple is chatting it up with the other
Apple, why not see if the rights to "Help" and "A Hard Days Night" are available? Either
that or they can see if Disney's working on a sequel to "High School
Musical."
meh... all the people that actually take long flights frequently are sure to have a laptop that is 100x better then a portable video player.
The touching screen will never work. Either the screen will not have enough brightness because they will rough the texture to make it scratch/smudge resistant , or it will scratch like the current iPOD which is unacceptable even for a photo viewer.
Anyway I think Appl had an amazing 5-6 years boosted by the amazing design of the iPod , but now they have lost speed. The newer iPods are nothing really new , other manufacturs have cached on , or even surpassed them.
Apple's mistake is that they are talking to the studios. You can't reason with them , they want to have the money , the rights and a blowjob. Apple should open up the iPOD , allow Divx , XViD and the rest and let the MPAA run for it's life.
To those that say there is no market for portable video, replace the word "video" in your posts with "video games" and look at how asinine you sound.
"Apple's mistake is that they are talking to the studios. You can't reason with them , they want to have the money , the rights and a blowjob. Apple should open up the iPOD , allow Divx , XViD and the rest and let the MPAA run for it's life."
that would've been so sweet. its a bitch having to convert everything.
You will not touch the screen to control the new iPod and there will not be controls on the side. The Virtual Click Wheel uses technology from Mighty Mouse to show the controls on the screen while the user manipulates them on the smooth surface at the back.
To activate just twirl your finger on the rear of the device and the Virtual Click Wheel will fade into view on screen where you can easily see your Virtual Fingertip Controlling the iPod (almost as though the ipod is transparent)
The only physical control will be the Hold button
Additionally, because Apple have committed to the dock adapter it is unlikely that they will release an ipod that is larger than the current unit, however a special expanded dock adapter may be developed to allow the new ipod to be mounted in a landscape orientation and furthermore this may allow for larger iPods in the future
As already assumed the new iPod will use the entire front for a screen and will be slightly recessed to avoid scratching
For those of you who say that they have no use for a portable video device, I'd say perhaps you're in the wrong age range? Getting a little old and feeble? Who're watching the YouTube videos? I'm guessing not the old dudes who are playing with their TIVOs.
I'd also imagine that Apple has some spiffy MPAA-happy making DVD ripping software ready to spring along with downloadable videos. Perhaps they'll use iTunes, charge a couple of bucks to rip a customer's DVD, and pass the money along to the poor starving media companies to get them to agree to not sue. Add DRM to the mix, and everyone's happy.
Disney IS working on a sequel to High School Musical.
'Well Willy, have you actually seen any of the UMPCs that have been shown so far? I'm guessing not. They're not "pocket sized." At all. Perhaps you can peruse the last month or two of Engadget stories and you'll see what I mean.'
See what happens when we assume Silver????
You know the saying.
What exactly does the current 7" UMPCs have to do with the 5"ers? NO, the 7"ers aren't pocketable. THEREFORE I mentioned the 5" spec as an alternative device.
'Put a 5" screen on an iPod-sized device and it would be killer. Which is probably exactly what Apple will do (like, um, the mockup photo at the beginning of this article perhaps?)'
Yeah buddy, again, that's why I mentioned the 5" spec. You're the one who made the dumb comments.
The VAPORWARE debate is:
3.5" ipod for $499.
or
5" UMPC for $499.
Now if you want to buy the ipod because it's so PURRRRRDY, then by all means.
SunSeeker, your source being? I presume being apple's (recent?) patents. Well I just tried using the back of my iPod as a clickwheel... It just felt uncomfortable not using my thumb. Gotta say as much as I would like to see a video iPod that control mechanism just screams out not apple.
This may be a little off the topic but here goes. I know you like to poke fun at iTMS offering of "High School Musical" mainly because of the price and the fact that it's a movie made by the Disney Channel for a young audience, but I've been working in a classroom with fifth graders and I can tell you that among both boys and girls of that age, the movie is VERY popular. If you read anything about the movie's history, it has been a huge success for Disney with the soundtrack consistantly being in the top ten of both iTunes and traditional CD sales. So yes, Disney is hard at work making a sequel to it, as well as probably thinking about how they can turn it into a TV series, clothing line, book line, etc. I'n not trying to defend the quality of the movie or anything, just pointing out that there are much less successful "franchises" that could be bashed.
pointless if you ask me. ipod is constantly making players and not giving people time to save up for them. and why the need for that shuffle. crap if you ask me. no screen, no playlists, pointless.
Jagr good point
No thanks Mr. Jobs-Pod...I recorded it for free with my HDTV Wonder`s video inputs and now I can watch it on ANY device I want , when I want without your silly DRM. WAKE UP America ! Stop padding Job`s pockets for video you all ready get either for free(I get 44 OTA HDTV channels with a small UHF antenna) or is part of your satellite/cable package. Also , the native resolution is much better than that crap Apple calls "video".
The content has changed in a Japanese translation.
Jobs is a founder of the religion for some time to come.
Well Willy, I guess we'll all wait for your magical $500 pocket-sized UMPC and chat then.
Perhaps this is a start?
http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/13/averatecs-ahi-umpc-concept-device/
Bwu ha ha ha!
Definetely going to buy when it comes to Turkey.Good job Steve Jobs :)
Wow Silver!!!!
Great comeback!!!!
You do realize that this 'video ipod' is VAPORWARE at this point as well.
Have you seen an acutal production model?
Do you know how big or small the thing is?
No and no.
The 'video ipod' is vaporware, a 5" UMPC is vaporware.
So what's you're point?
Bwu ha ha ha!!!(stupid)
I agree with comment 15 I would much rather get a UMPC if the price was really going to be about $500.
What's funny is Jobs never keeps his word, "We won't make a video ipod" 1.5 years later, video ipod. Doesn't look that great, but it does look slim, and you know it's going to sell like hotcakes
The solution to prevent smudges and scratches on a full-screen iPod with a virtual clickwheel is this: have an actual tactile clickwheel on the back of the device that provides visual feedback on the display as it is used. It would be as if you were looking THROUGH the iPod and seeing the clickwheel, with your finger's contact point highlighted as it moved. This would provide the same convenience as a touchscreen, without the obvious drawbacks. Has anyone else thought of this?
MICROSFT VS APPLE
------------------------------
My faith in apple has disappeared!!
FORGET APPLE AND GET A PC WITH WINDOWS, JUST BUY MORE MEMORY AND MAKE SURE U HAVE A DECENT GRAPHICS CARD, (will still cost less than a mac!!and for the same price as a mac will run better, even for graphics and videos.)
all we pay for is the design!!!
apple have a history of COVERING UP problems with their machines, just look at all the people with problems with the powerbook, macbooks, and ibooks!!!
** GOOGLE Search "logic board" with "G3", "G4" and see all these people with mac problems.**
If this was a car, u would get a letter in the post calling a recall, if it was windows they fix it with an update...apple, well leave it to us to figure it out and if u get the problem sooner than any 3yr extension replacement program, then great, but any time after that....GOOD LUCK
TO END
if u get an apple machine expect only about only 3yrs of bliss at most if you lucky, just look look at all the people with ibooks G3, which have missed and boat and stuck with a null computer that looks pretty and nothing else
Have Apple ever failed to sell an iPod before? People I know turn down superior media players with lower price tags in favour of the iPod range. It is something known as "cool" which you all seem to have forgotten. I recently had an argument advocating the new creative portable video player against someone who had an iPod video. The won the argument with, "but I've got an iPod and you haven't". Whether this truly won the argument or not is irrelevant, the fact that people take branding and image to that level is what means that there is no doubt at all that Apple will sell many millions of this iPod just as they did with all the others, design breakthrough or not and fingerprint smudging or not.
they need to make it like the side kick
when watching movies, the butons scrol is on the back or it can be the base of the ipd
Like many other posts, they need to really do something about how easy it is to scratch those screens. The reason I haven't gotten a ipod video is that most of everyone I know who has one has terribly scratched screens making the video difficult to see.
it might be worth noting that you could have not full length movies. anyone heard of happy tree friends, red vs. blue...? the list goes on and they're all a reasonably short amount of time, about the amount of time i was riding in the car, or sitting board wishing i wasn't in class.
and if there was a user-friendly conversion software included: itunes update =>
and come back later. with a avi input cable, i'm starting to see some possibilities.
(it might be worth noting i wrote this while listen to the ripped audio of eurotrip on my 10 gig 3rd gen ipod)
FYI.....these are all fake. and photoshopped. as you can see...Apple never announces their products until a few weeks prior to release. and i doubt the 6th gen ipod will come out soon.
all photoshopped... watch how he did it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ienqfxo0oAU
As for the click wheel, they should either put one on the bottom of the ipod or just have a four way like the zune.
The movie they should just forget. I will never watch a full movie on my ipod. The screens to small, I would rather watch on my TV. As for watching on movies, they usually show movies anyway.
I mean watching on planes