Not quite the
video iPod we were hoping for, not by a long shot, but Apple is refreshing their flagship
iPod (with video) models today with a whole lotta' software love, and a couple hardware tweaks for good measure. The screen is now 60% brighter, the battery can last up to 3.5 hours during video playback, and the iPod includes new headphones, but otherwise the specs remain the same. As for software, the iPod is finally getting gapless playback, text-based search and brightness controls, along with a whole slew of games. The 'Pod has Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini Golf, Pac Man, Tetris, Texas Hold 'Em, Vortex, and Zuma bundled, and you can nab new games for $5 each off of iTunes. Maybe the best news is that Apple is dropping the prices and bumping the storage: you can get a spankin' new 30GB iPod for $250, and the new 80 gigger for $350. No word yet on availability.
posted Sep 12th 2006 12:56PM
I smell some dissapoinment
Will the 60gb version still weigh a ton? If it will, then it won't be worth it. Also, first post!
The question is $250 to go to an 8GB nano, or a 60GB 5Ge?
Wahooaoaoaa. Also, is t he 60 thinner?
I have the 5G 60b and now the new version is $250!? The 80gb for 350. Plus, these claim to have a 60% brighter screen with adjustability and a 75% better battery life. The battery life is all I care about.
What's the output resolution? Is it still 480x360, or have they upped it to SDTV yet?
Those price drops seem significant
Judging from the pics you've got on the live coverage, you've got the prices wrong, $250 is for a THIRTY gig iPod.. NOT 60.
available today - 30 and 80 gig, new nano - 2nd gen shuffle availabel in October
Um, I don't think it's a 6G iPod, it's still only a 5G, just with some updates.
Also it's the 30GB model for $249 and the 80GB for $349.
Just look here: http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/09/dsc_0888.jpg
Typo in the post: the lower model remains at 30 GB, and has NOT been bumped to 60GB capacity.
Since Apple didn't introduce a new widescreen model what's the best WS portable video player?
Creative Zen Vision W?
Ouch! Not enough of an update for 5G owners to upgrade, yet it slaps them in the face with a 3.5 hour longer battery life and a lower price tag that chops value off of the 5G iPod. And a 60% brighter screen, not that it even needed it, but just one more kick in the shins. Thanks a bunch Apple!
Bejewelled aka Diamond Mine, the game that Nintendo ripped off to make Zookeeper, is the classic killer app for stylus-enabled PDAs and other devices. Playing it on an iPod? Not so much. Ditto most of the other games here. Shame; want an iPod with better games.
i think you've misstype the title... 6GB? :D
So the 6g is still 320x240 screen resolution, and by soft they play 640x480? that’s not good at all.
We want 640x480 screen resolution!
when will a firmware update be available for existing 5gs? will the firmware update include text search, gapless playback etc?
Will we get gapless on the existing ipod video.
That's it?! Where's my widescreen video iPod?! I guess I'll have to wait til Q1. Hopefully something better will be announced with the new iTV.
Since Samsung announced 32GB and 64GB Flash memory, these will probably be the last harddisk-based iPods.
I'm wondering how well the games will control using just the clickwheel.
umm...can you fast forward and rewind movies on this thing? last time I checked, you couldn't do that with the old versions...
Games. Well, I'm in the game developing industry so this is an interesting, uh, development. But I am thunderstruck that with all the fullscreen products out there, Apple still expects people to squint into this tiny little 2" screen. Perhaps they announced iTV now so the star of Q1 could be the fullscreen vPod, but I have decided to quit holding my breath today. I'm sitting here, defeated, staring at my venerable old 1G iPod, and it's staring back at me, mockingly, like the elephantine, black & white bastard that it is.
$249 = £133. Yes the Aple UK store is selling them for £189; I'd expect a litle mark-up, but nowhere near that much.
The Apple Store say these ship in 1-3 business days
What I want to know is - will the new software be available for 5G iPods as an update? I noticed that Apple's iPod update page now tells you to just download iTunes 7 - there's no getting away from it, is there?
no larger screen on ipod video...
looks like i'll just buy a 10 inch laptop with 7+ hour battery life for a lot more money... =(
Cool not really a reason to replace my current 5G though.
The only "update" on the hardware side is to the screen and earphones. The extended battery life...can all be achieved through a firmware update, unless they put a higher capacity battery in there (which I doubt).
The question I have is will we be able to update the current 5G with the software updates to get gapless playback, text based search, brightness controls, extended battery life...?
6.5 hour battery for video on the 80gb version, nice!
Interestingly enough:
The Creative ZEN Vision:M has had some of these updated iPod features for a few months now, like:
1) Letter scrolling to find a song title, artist, album
2) Keyword search
3) Screen brightness adjustments
4) 4 hour plus battery life for video playback
I'm sure the games will appeal to some users as will the gapless playback.
As a Mac owner and ZEN Vision:M user its nice to see that Apple is making strides to create a better music player.
no widescreen ipod!?!?! damm you!
any word on software updates to let the "original" 5g ipod be able to use that search feature?
Still no fullsize-screen :-( When will Apple FINALLY come up with a iPod-Movie-Screen worth the name?
WHAT? NO LARGER SCREEN IPOD VIDEO?
i'm just going to go ahead and buy this tiny vaio which is going to cost me 2500+...
apple, you dissapoint me once again =(
STILL NO STUDENT DISCOUNTS ON THE NEW IPODS!!! I am not happy.
Anyone heard anything about a software upgrade for the 60GB iPOD (bought it 2 weeks ago for £300 -- Bah!)
This page needs some updating. The battery life is 6.5 hours for video, 20 hours for audio on both 30GB and 80GB models, for $249 and $349, respectively.
Glad they left the iPod alone. It is primarily a music player and should always be primarily a music player. Hopefully this will remain the case now that iTV is on the scene.
Apple website seems to indicate that this is a upgraded 5g ipod, not a 6g ipod. At the bottom of http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipod.html it says
"See more of the fifth-generation iPod.
Browse the gallery."
We'll I'm not even an apple fanboy.... but I just bought an 80gb my 60gb was full and I could care less about the video or all the other stuff I just need more space for music...
Apple NL lists it for €289.. $249 = €189.. So in the Netherlands we're being shafted for a whopping €100! Incredible.. I say we boycot the greedy ba$tards.
Wow. I wanted some WS iPod lovin'. Still I'll have to walk into a demo store to see this "60% brighter screen" in person. Then it's the comparison between this and the Gigabeat S.
SJob does deliver one disappointment after the other recently. Oh ah, now 640 x 480 for what ? Every Laptop nowadays has higher res, my TV has 1920 x 1080, IPod has less. So who does he address with 640 x 480 some people who still use VGA CRT's ? Everything is going HD or at least 16:9 and Apple comes out to make a big huuu about 640 x 480. I think this guy lost touch with the world. Or has bad tech advisors (like his fashion advisors).
So the best PMP's are Cowoon A2 and the Creative Zen Vision W. And after today we know Apple doesn't have the punch for another 6 to 9 months to bring something to beat them.
60% brighter sounds just like the old screen did suck. Other companies call 60% brighter a bugfix :)
Shuffle ? what's the point with that one ? As if there are not millions of these tiny mp3 players with crapy or no display at all.
iTV lookout to keep people on board, cause there was just lots of hot air in the pipeline today ?
So my question is if the ipod is hitting the peak of its cycle how is a slight revamp on it going to solve this?
I was kind of hoping aplle would break into a video ipod or something to such an extent. An improvement on the curent ver isnt going to help much, especially since the prices about equivalent of a decent video player.
Why is the premium iPod still made from cheap-looking plastic? My next expensive portable gadget will probably not be something that is like a magnet for scratches...
To those who are commenting on improved battery life please notice that the music playback time has remained the same @ 14/20. I'm curious to know if there is new video hardware in this 5G-b version that improved the video playback battery life while also increasing the supported resolution or this is just firmware updates which 5G-a users should be able to also take advantage of.
I bet it is the latter considering the install base of the 5G-a would be alienated since it doesn't support H.264 higher than 320 x 240 and those movies are only available in 640 x 480.
Unless Apple and Samsung resolve the issues with the new chip for the new video iPod will see no new iPod. Rumors are around that the new Samsung chip is difficult to program and that causes headaches to Apple.
WHY do they have to keep everything so secert ??? I mean i just bought 60GB iPod Video for $399 about 10 days ago. and now they are selling 80GB iPod for $349 ??? It makes me wanna kick my self. HARD .
If i'd known... i.e. IF they had annouced earlier that there's gonna be a new better, cheaper version of iPod, I'd have waited... I am so sad... I HATE Apple
This is NOT 6G -- it is just an updated 5G. By your logic, the color 4G's would be 5G --- after all, the ability to view photos and have a color screen is a MUCH BIGGER update than this one. The title to this post should be corrected.
Wow, Apple is finally doing gapless playback... I've been waiting for that feature, I could upgrade my 4G just for that.
any idea if its going to be just gapless for aac encoded files or for mp3 as well
I for one am a bit excited as I have received a 30GB iPOD for my birthday 45 days ago! But..I am a longtime Apple user and I know how they do around this time of the year (helps to read engadget too :). I never opened the box anticipating some sort of update. My GF thought I was crazy but who's the wiser? Now I am going to the Fifth avenue NY store this weekend and I will see if they wil exchange for the newest 30GB. I don't think they will refuse but ya never know. It was bought at the old price point and I am not looking for a refund of the difference. Do ya think I have a chance?
Quit whining.
$50 cheaper and gapless playback (finally)? Glad I waited all this time to pick one up.
I've already ordered my 30GB.
Oh great! Now they say it $250 for a 30gb......i was all happy thinkin the 60gb was $250.....THANKS ALOT!
What I don't understand is why Apple refuses to support rentals. It's one thing for Apple to say "people don't want to rent music" (though personally, I LOVE renting music on services like Napster and Yahoo Music). Now Jobs believes that people don't want to rent movies? Hello, does the word Netflix ring a bell? Does he think people are really so eager to BUY $10 movies to watch on their computers and iPods when they could just rent them? Heck, even Amazon Unbox supports THAT. I won't get an iPod until it supports rentals. Fortunately, there are many alternatives...
I'm glad iTunes supports higher resolution video now though. That's how I keep up with Battlestar Galactica.
I just plugged my 60GB 5G into iTunes 7 and it said my software was up-to-date. SO if we can update our current iPods to take advantage of gapless play back it hasn't been released yet.
What is the point of HDMI when the output is only 640x480. Do you know what that's going to look like on my 103in Panasonic LCD TV? http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/09/panasonics-103-incher-up-close-and-personal/
BUNK that! Where's the REAL video iPod that everybody and their brother has been mocking-up for the past 6 months? That's the one we're waiting for! Where the hell is that ONE?
*yawn* it all a remake of the same old same old. Nanos with colours? Been there. Bigger storage space: expected. Games? Trivial. and the ipod shuffle is just the same thing that looks different and different is better. Until Steve ALLOWS us to have the video ipod obviously everyone wants, he's just playing with our wallets. I still haven't bought an iPod because I don't buy what isn't 1) what I want and 2) isn't what it could be. Touchscreens and bluetooth and four inch screens and lets-get-rid-of-all-the-gizmos-and-put-it-all-into-one-device-kind-of-thinking is thinking different and is techonologically possible. Sadly Steve is only catering to one consumer type, those under 25. Sure I want all the media stuff he is currently giving, but as a 30 year old, I also want and need some other stuff too, and small screens and no quickly Apple-smart integration with other aspects of my life just makes the iPod another thing to make me carry around. Sorry Steve, you're just reinventing what you've already done. That sounds to me like: Thinking Same.
Well, I guess I can order that Archos 604 I've been looking at. Widescreen iPod coming to you in 2018.
Updated to itunes 7, and it said my 5G was up to date, but in the process of buying a game/updating/synching, something figured out that there was a new version of the ipod software. It really was clean to update the ipd through itunes.
And playing pac-man on the scroll wheel is a painin the botox, but it beats solitaire
One thing to note, Jobs said that games would work with all 5G iPods... does that mean that the current firmware can handle the games, anyone tried buying one to see? If they don't work, there is a firmware upgrade in the future.
marshall, the firmware is already out (1.2).
It brings:games, bug fixes, brightness control and gapless playback.
Note that the "search" feature is not present.
the latest software update for the iPod is 1.2
My 5G has what it was shipped with. I'd put off updating until now.
Search function doesn't show up at all.
DUDE 80GB for only $$$350 thats the craziest thing i have ever heard.. a brighter, better player premiering for less than the 60GB premired at.. Awesome.. i would buy one but just because the screen is "brighter"; it still cant compare to the Creative Zen vision M's screen which has about a screen with three times more color than a 5gen ipod. and you cant compare the ipod against the amazing video support of the Creative zen vision m;s.. i think i'll hold off on this and see how much a 60GB zen is.. it should be a little less than expected. now that this IPOD is out. but if its more, than i am def. getting this.
Daveoc64, yeah I just got done updating... actually, I'm able to do the hovering letter search, its when you scrolling really fast, it pops up and starts scrolling by letter, the real search function i haven't found yet
I eventually got my 60gb 5g iPod updated to 1.2, but like the others, I find myself missing the search, the only function I was actually interested in the first place
So does anyone know where/when I can hook up with one of these in New Zealand? The time has come for me to get an iPod, but I want one of these new ones.
I also wonder what is the deal with 640x480 resolution and dolby _surround_ sound?!
Also, if apple will be releasing true widescreen video iPod next year, what will happen with all this 4:3 material they make us buy now? Even if 640x480 can be used for anamorphic WS, I think it's really time to support true HD in 2006.
It's a shame that if one wants to download hi-quality TV-shows or movies today, one has to go for the torrents... I'm for one, aren't buying any movies/tv-shows before I can get them at least in 720P with 5.1 sounds.
It's 6.5 hours for video playback, not 3.5 hours; see here http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/09/dsc_0860.jpg
A few comments:
1. I just installed iTunes 7 and it crunched on my music for a while setting up my "gapless play back".
2. Here are the specs for the 5G and 5.5G iPod compared:
5G iPod specs:
H.264 video: up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video: up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
5.5G iPod Specs:
H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats;
H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Low-Complexity Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats;
MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Notice: the MP4 bitrate for both is the same and they advertise the higher 1.5Mbps H.264 bitrate for the new iPod
So here is the question: do the new iPods have an enhanced decoder which can play higher resolution video? If so, do the old iPods dynamically downgrade the resolution to 340x240 from a downloaded 640-x480 video when playing back on a TV?
Just bought a 30Gb iPod and I too could kick myself. Of greater interest to me is the iTunes 7 update. New interface, but more importantly new functions that have been eagerly awaited by many. iTunes will now grab any missing artwork needed for your mp3's. Looks like the have also added a 'backup all music function', located in the file menu. New view options also show up now.
What ever happened to Apple announcements blowing us out of the water with stuff better than we expected?
I'm Sad I wanted and excuse to upgrade my iPod Photo, but I'm not seeing one here.
DID I READ THAT RIGHT?? GAPLESS PLAYBACK?!
Oh my god, I never thought I'd ever see the day!!!
Are there gapless playback on the old 5G with firmware 1.2? Itune 7 was saying it preping for it but I still have gapless in my 5G! Is this feature 5.5G exclusive? Then why the heck is my itunes telling me that? Or can someone tell me how to turn it on?
You can also just get a refurbished ipod at the Apple online store. 30 GB ipods are only $199.
Does this mean that the iPod will possibly play other Java Apps? All of these games seem to be the same that I can download on my Motorola v3i....
No wonder Apple was cracking down on the rumor mill - the rumors were much superior to the reality.
No upgrade for me...I'm still waiting for the wide screen model.
i think the 6gen ipod will not be released until macworld o in the first quarter 2007. why? its simple, apple don't want pepole speculating about it right now, so they launch an updated version of it, they sell the last 5gen ipod units this selling season and they are ready to launch a new one after it.
maybe this sound a bit wakko but think about it, why would they give a preview of a new product.. to keep us distracted
why would they resize the video format on itunes store?... i think they are just preparing to get a new ipod with a bigger screen and maybe a cellphone made by apple...
i belive that all of this could be launched at macworld with the "iTV"...
Hmm. Just more temptation
I don't think that apple is going to release any new software to allow the older 5g ipods to have the search tool etc. they would rather we bought the new ipod, plus I read that apple formerly decided to not allow this software update on the older 5g's. Maybe someone who will read this can write ipod software like some of the websites out there like ipodsoft or something can recreate these features for us. I don't know what to think but I'm still going to stick with apple.
Wow.. what is with you people? The iPod is just a toy, not a nesscissity, so I don't understand why people are so eager to buy one when it comes out. My 2nd G Mini still, owrks for playing music, so I still use it and not complain about it.
I have one of the first 5G 60GB iPods, and I just recieved a software update. It included the brightness control.
5G is the 30/60
5.5G being the fun-yun 80's
But they did say something about 32Gb (PCM). It's 500 times faster, and consumes 1/2 the energy required to power them. That and they are very small compared to other memory stick/chip/HDD's "that" size.
"Hello instant on Laptop/computers, good-bye slow problematic HDD's." But maybe they will keep them, they have cheap 720Gb+~ HDD's. And run 4 of those and you'll get PLENTY of room for movie's/Music/Music video's/Ect