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Apple's "The Beat Goes On" event news roundup
Apple came out swinging today, with three entirely new iPod models, a color refresh of the shuffle, the launch of the iTunes WiFi Music Store, iPhone ringtones and a price cut, and a partnership with Starbucks -- if you blinked and missed something, here's a brief recap of what went down at Moscone West:Live Coverage / Hands-on Steve Jobs live -- Apple's "The beat goes on" special event iPod touch first hands-on iPod nano 3G first hands-on iPod classic first hands-on iTunes WiFi Music Store first hands-on iPod / iTunes Meet the new iPod family Apple announces (PRODUCT) RED iPod shuffle, new colors Apple announces new 3rd gen iPod nano Apple's new iPod classic Apple's iPod touch gets official Apple announces iTunes WiFi Music Store Apple and Starbucks join up for iTunes WiFi purchase iPhone Apple adds iPhone ringtones to iTunes iPhone to get iTunes WiFi Music Store, too Apple cuts 8GB iPhone price to $399 Apple killing 4GB iPhone, $299 while supplies last Where the hell is the 3G iPhone for Europe? We might know.
iPod classic first hands-on
And to round out the day's hardware hands-ons we wrapped our mitts around the new iPod classic. It's thin, it's solid, but it's still hard drive based, which for our flash-loving selves will always be kind of a bummer. But if you're the type that carries around 80 (or 160 friggin gigs) of media and you like to use iPods, this is the new king of the hill. (Photographed is the 80GB model, not the thicker 160GB iPod.) Unfortunately, tasks like Cover Flow ran about as (un)smoothly as on the nano, so if you're expecting a fully iPhone-like experience, don't get your hopes up.P.S. -The new shuffles were difficult to find, but we also threw a couple shots of those in the gallery for good measure.%Gallery-6928%
Meet the new iPod family
Apple's been a little busy it seems, since the company just announced three all-new iPods, plus a few new colors and price points for existing products. From smallest to largest we have the PRODUCT (RED) iPod shuffle, which is accompanied by some other new colors, the iPod nano on the left up there, the iPod classic in the middle, and the iPod touch on the right.
Apple announces (PRODUCT) RED iPod shuffle, new colors
Here it is, just like we expected: the 1GB (PRODUCT) RED shuffle. Same $79, available today. Buy it and make little Oprabono cry. Put on your Easter Bunny suit and check all the pastel action in the gallery below. Red, Ah... Lavender, Ew.%Gallery-6922%
Apple rumor-roundup for September 5th event
Check your pulse Apple fanatics, "the beat goes on" September 5th... now just two days away. Unusual for Apple rumors, this event has pretty much all the analysts and so-called insiders in sync with their predictions. Mass disillusion or divine soothsaying, we don't know. Certainly everyone's been expecting this to be a big quarter for product transitions. While we wait, we figured you might as well get up to speed on all the predictions for Wednesday's big show: iPod Touch with flash-memory, WiFi and OS X-based Cover Flow user interface iPod nano "phatty" Wireless iTunes store sales for iPhone and wireless iPod(s) (PRODUCT) Red iPod shuffle iTunes ringtone service Beatles on iTunes -- yes, again While not necessarily rumored for Wednesday, there's always a chance that we'll hear a bit more about Apple's automotive collaborations with Volkswagen and Jaguar. Just sayin's all.
DigiTimes mongers-up new iPods with touchscreen and WiFi for Wednesday
As if you need another source "confirming" the launch of new iPods at Apple's September 5th event, along comes DigiTimes riding their wave of Taiwanese component manufacturing insiders. According to the folks who brought us the Powerbook G5, Apple is due to drop a new Inventec Appliances manufactured, flash-based widescreen "iPod video" with touch-interface (widely rumored to carry the iPod Touch brand) sporting WiFi and an iPhone-like UI when it ships "at the end of this month or early October." Also in the cards is a Foxconn manufactured iPod nano with more storage and iPhone-like UI at the same prices as existing models and higher capacity iPod shuffles from Asustek. So yeah, it falls in line with all the other rumors but that doesn't mean we're buying it.
(PRODUCT) RED iPod shuffle coming on the 5th?
AppleInsider totally called it last time with the Oprah-launched (PRODUCT) RED iPod nano, so we're inclined to believe that they may have the inside line on Bono's latest attempt to cozy up with the Jobsian Empire, in the form of a signature-red shuffle refresh purportedly being announced at the upcoming "Beat Goes On" event. For those of you tracking these sort of things, this (PRODUCT) RED shuffle claim follows the nano Phatty, iPod Touch, Beatles on iTunes, and portable Coverflow rumors on the list of possible announcements to be made on September 5th at the Moscone Center -- among many others that we probably haven't picked up on. Okay, back to your regular programming, but don't get too comfy, because the next 'inside scoop' could be just minutes away...[Image courtesy of AppleInsider, thanks jungzandvliet]
Creative's latest iPod shuffle speaker, the TravelSound i50
Creative's done quite the about-face from the early days of calling the iPod Shuffle "worse than the worst Chinese player" -- the company's latest DAP speaker dock, the TravelSound i50, is designed to work exclusively with Apple's smallest player, and the clean lines complement the Shuffle's minimalist style in a pleasingly different way. Not much else to see here -- you plug in the Shuffle and it plays your tunes -- but you've got to wonder why Creative isn't lavishing the Zen line with such stylish accessories.[Via epiZENter]
2nd gen iPod Shuffle Watch Style Case
The problem with getting a case for the second gen iPod Shuffle is twofold. One, the thing is so cheap that it makes little sense to spend much more than $10 on a case. Two, that thing is built to last. I'm not sure if you've had a chance to handle a Shuffle as of late but they are solid little iPods so why even bother with a case?That's why iPod Shuffle cases have to be cheap and offer up a unique way for you to interact with your Shuffle. The iPod Shuffle Watch Style Case has both bases covered. It goes for $9.99, is available in a number of colors, and allows you to strap your Shuffle to your wrist because watches are so last decade.[via Shiny Shiny]
Want an iPod shuffle and have way too much money?
There are some who look at Apple's industrial design and think, 'That's perfect! Nothing needs to be done,' and there are some who think, 'it looks nice but it could really use some gems.' That's how this $40,000 iPod Shuffle, called the iDiamond by the makers, was born.I wonder how much a diamond iPhone would cost.[via Engadget]
Blinged out iPod Shuffle doesn't come cheap
For the small price of 248,000 Norwegian Kroner (around $40,000) you can pick up a concentrated mix of gold, diamonds, and... iPod Shuffle. There's not a lot more to this blinged out creation: why anyone would want to place forty gees worth of precious carbon on a $99 gadget, we'll never know.[Thanks, Eirik S.]
Keepin' it real fake, part LXIV: 2G Shuffle goes dark
Some folks just don't know when to call it quits, and yes, we're looking directly at the Chinese knockoff factories responsible for all of these shameful attempts at ripping the iPod. Of course, this isn't the first time the Shuffle (first-gen or second) has been duped, but this iteration certainly raises the opprobrious bar. Pulling the oh-so-prestigious black color scheme over to the Shuffle side of things, this clone was somehow designed in California but "Assombled" in China, but what else would you expect for a mere $14? More comedy, er, pictures, after the jump.
iFreePlay "cordless" Shuffle headphones
We recently mentioned a concept from Arriva for iPod Shuffle headphones that integrate the Shuffle into the 'phones themselves. Well Monster Cable (of way-too-expensive-cables fame) has apparently beaten them to the punch with these foldable iFreePlay headphones. As you can see the Shuffle fits into the top of the left can for a "cordless" experience, while still giving access to the controls, etc. While you're certainly not going to be a paragon of fashion walking down the street with these, I could imagine that they might be useful for the gym or a run.The iFreePlay headphones are available now for $49.95.[via MacMerc]
Creative Zen Stone reviewed, dissected
It doesn't take much to figure out who Creative is slinging this Zen Stone at, and Anything But iPod seems to think Creative has scored a direct hit. The player is comfortable in the hand, features a switch to toggle between track-by-track or shuffle all tracks, and to jump to the next folder of music, is similar to the shuffle in size, and best of all: goes for about half the price. It's hard to go wrong with $40 for 1GB of DAP action, especially since Creative allows UMS/MSC access to the player, letting you load files and songs in a cross platform drag-and-drop manner. Most people aren't going to be able to use a screenless player for primary DAP usage, but as a secondary player and fashionable accessory, the Zen Stone should treat you nicely.
Would you wear a Shuffle on your head?
CNET's Crave has the scoop on these "wireless" headphones forthcoming from Arriva. As you can see from the Photoshop mockup, the headphones integrate a 2nd generation iPod Shuffle dock in the middle to achieve the "wireless" effect. I'm guessing you'd be the subject of a few double-takes walking down the street with a Shuffle apparently embedded in the back of your skull, but this looks like it might be useful for exercise, etc. CNET quotes Arriva's founder as saying "Apple knows what we are up to and have not said anything except we can make our headphones in all the Shuffle colors, which we are."Arriva has not yet announced a price or shipping date (though "hopefully by this summer").[via Engadget]
Arriva prepping "wireless" iPod shuffle headphones
While other companies rely on newfangled technologies like Bluetooth to make their headphones wireless, Arriva has taken a slightly different tact, choosing instead to simply increase the proximity of the player to the headphones. That proposition is made somewhat more reasonable by the diminutive size of the 2G iPod shuffle, which Arriva's still-in-development headphones are specially designed to attach to. Given that the company admits to a bit of Photoshop work in the image above, however, we wouldn't bet on them being available anytime soon, although the company is promising to produce 'em in all the shuffle's various colors.
Griffin Technology's Dock Adapter for your 2G iPod Shuffle
Whether or not those first-generation Shuffle docks were fruitless or not isn't exactly up for debate, but at least Griffin Technology's 2G Dock Adapter serves some purpose beyond that of a grossly overpriced extension apparatus. The long-winded Dock Adapter for iPod Shuffle is compatible with all 2G Shuffles, and as predicted, connects your diminutive DAP to any other dock-connecting device. The thin unit allows 2G Shuffles to take part in the iPod speaker system mayhem, and additionally, it touts a flip switch to take it from charging mode to playback mode. Unfortunately, there's no word just yet on a price or future release date, but rest assured it'll be entirely more expensive than it should be whenever it lands.[Via OhGizmo]
The 2006 Engadget Awards: Vote for Portable Media Device of the Year
Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 Portable Media Device of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Sunday, April 15th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: Apple iPod shuffle (2g), Archos 604, Creative Zen Vision:W, iRiver clix, Microsoft Zune, and SanDisk Sansa e200. %Poll-246%
Bone Conduction Shuffle Headband
Apparently in an effort to produce even crappier-sounding music than earbuds, Japanese manufacturer Thanko is preparing to offer this VONIA bone conduction "Sports HeadBand," which is designed to work particularly well with the new iPod shuffle. Electronista is reporting that the headband will not not have to sit directly over your ears in order to transmit those high beat rate tunes directly through your hard noggin, thus leaving you free to hear that dump truck on your morning run. I'm not so sure about this one, but they go on sale in Japan soon for about $84. It's not clear if they're coming Stateside.[Via electronista]
Refurb iPod shuffle for $59
Our friends at the Bargainist let us know that Apple is selling refurb silver current gen iPod shuffles for $59. Your $60 gets you the shuffle (no fancy colors though), a shuffle Dock, earphones, and free shipping. Not a shabby deal at all.If you were waiting around to see if you could get a shuffle for cheap, your ship might have just come in (people still use that phrase, right?).
