This article is obviously a great way to drive traffic to the WashintonPost.com.
So much so, we didn't really want to post that link. You'll
understand after you read the actual article, or read about it on
another Mac-related site.
The one thing that Apple-Project noticed right away was that Mueller is sponsored by Creative, and that he doesn't know the difference between a hardrive-based MP3 player and a flash-based MP3 player.
Given that he's sponsored by Creative, one would think he wouldn't put such an obvious target on the article, but instead pimped the sponsor's product and vaguely referred to the "popular MP3 player that didn't work for him." That would have done damage enough, yet it would have kept the author away from the kind heat that he's getting from such blatant smear job.
In fact, perhaps there's a little irony to be found in the truth. If Neil Mueller would have appealed to Apple Computer to become a sponsor of his expedition (something that's become a cliche in and of itself), they would have suggested the flash-based nano or shuffle. Problem solved.
But as many of us know Apple doesn't open up the corporate doors to just anyone, and likely would have rejected Mueller's request. Maybe, just maybe, that's why there's so much iPod hate coming from the "anti-iPod" climbing set.
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Originally, you were white, but now you're black, blue, silver, pink, and green. You've grown from 5GB to a hefty 80GB.
In late-October 2003 you hung with Mac addicts, but now you hang with legends in sports, celebs, sheikhs, to-be kings, and sitting queens.
You've got skills. Your display used to do one color, black, now it does full color video. At first you could only play music, but now you spin out music, podcasts, TV and movies.
You've come a long way, but you're about to meet the Apple product that will eventually replace you, the iPhone, so enjoy your time at the top, or what's left of it. Party like you own the planet, because you do.
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Appledefects.com has an amusing post, referencing the Guardian UK,
about the shuffle feature on the iPod shuffle. Turns out it's not working well for some shuffle
owners.
The new iPod shuffle
The current iPod shuffle requires podcasts to be dragged to the shuffle (via iTunes), they can't be added to a playlist. Since I used my shuffle (I now rely on my SE W810i) for music and podcasts, it this non-feature sort of relegated my shuffle to very occasional MP3 player. Not what I intended it to be.
Knowing Apple, there are likely to be some new software features. Hope so, anyway. Besides a redesign, the new shuffle includes a dock. That's great as I got tired of turning my Mac around to get to the USB port. Check it out: iPod shuffle
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Sample and subscribe to thousands of free podcasts at the iTunes Music Store.
How absolutely fitting: the first virus on an iPod is a Windows
virus. The only downside to this story is that the virus "left
[Apple's] contract manufacturer carrying the Windows RavMonE.exe
virus" reports AppleInsider.com.
Swell for Windows users: you know thousands of Mac-hata's are
saying something like, "See, I told you Macs suck." Nice.
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Ever wonder how the iPod came about? Who gets credit for the
scroll-wheel? Check out this story in today's Wired online mag. Here's a
little snip:
"In 2000, Steve Jobs' candy-colored iMac was leading the charge for Apple's comeback, but to further spur sales, the company started asking, "What can we do to make more people buy Macintoshes?"Music lovers were trading tunes like crazy on Napster. They were attaching speakers to their computers and ripping CDs. The rush to digital was especially marked in dorm rooms -- a big source of iMac sales -- but Apple had no jukebox software for managing digital music." (Source.)
What struck me most was that while looking for a device to help sell Macintoshes, Apple determined that still and video cameras were already well designed, but the company found weaknesses in portable music players. They were correct in their analysis and the rest is history.
That account of the story rings true to me. I bought an Archos hardrive-based MP3 player when they first shipped. I loved the idea of all my music on one small device at the time, but the player in practice proved to be a study in frustration. Although I still find some huge things that bug me about the iPod, Apple did address most of the problems other companies couldn't seem to get right.
Apple's clearly got plenty of stuff up their sleeves that will ensure that the iPod continues to improve and evolve.
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Eastbay.com $15 off $99 coupon code is: EMEB6T5R. Save on the
Nike+iPod and some running shoes (you don't have to use Nike+
shoes, as most of you know):
Tune
Insert the wireless sensor inside the custom, built-in pocket
beneath the insole of your Nike+ shoe, then plug the receiver into
the Dock connector on your iPod nano.
Run
Now start your workout. As your run or walk, the sensor sends
information to your iPod nano, tracking your time, distance, pace,
and calories burned. If you choose, real-time, spoken feedback can
even alert you to milestones throughout your workout.
Sync
Back at your computer, sync your iPod nano to transfer your workout
data to iTunes and nikeplus.com. There, you can evaluate your
performance history, set goals, and even challenge other runners to
a virtual race.
What's in the Box
- Wireless sensor for Nike+ shoes
- Wireless receiver for iPod nano
- Printed documentation
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Funny how Sony's gone so far off course. I remember when I was
really little standing in line to take a look at the first cassette
Walkman. I wasn't old enough to buy one, not really even old enough
to ask the clerk to check it out, but I remember that thing really
well: back then Sony was the be-all-end-all.
Now then only Sony product I'll buy isn't really all-Sony: I use
Sony Ericsson phones exclusively. I've talked
about them a ton on Apple-Project in the past. They do a million
more things than the iPod, and that should be where Sony goes with
its marketing.
Instead, they're trying to hit the iPod on sound quality. Nice, Sony. There's a minuscule number of iPod owners who give a rat's behind, and an even smaller number who don't like what they're getting from Apple now.
To be fair, the article states that Sony's beefing up their players and their music store, and that's one thing I've heard a few critics of the iTunes Store point out, that they want better quality sampling. Fair enough, Sony's picking up on this, rightly.
But if you look at this over the long-term, Apple was the first-mover in the category, as a result, think of the amount of bandwidth they've saved by keeping the bar just high enough. Apple can improve sound quality by increments as bandwidth becomes less expensive and all the while compression technology is getting better. This is a win-win-win for Apple: most people in the equation are happy.
Enter Sony. They get out of the gate with the claim that they sound better, but Apple will be quick to respond and their customers won't see a benefit in changing platforms. There's two sides to every argument, but my point is: Sony should be killing Apple with their MP3 phones, not on the music quality.
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