Comments on: The future of the iPod

The device most responsible for Apple's 21st century renaissance gets short shrift these days next to the Mac and the iPhone. What lies in store for the iPod?

[deh1963]

Poll Question

For question 7 of the poll, you didn't include a selection for "Other". I use Ubuntu to manage my IPod.

[Tom Krazit]

Since iTunes is just Mac/Windows

I didn't include a Linux option. But I can add that.

[Vegaman_Dan]

What I want isn't made anymore

I really like the Nano- tall, thin, easy to work with one hand, easy to put in your pocket. At 4Gb, it was large enough to carry whatever I wanted without fearing that if I lost it, I would lose a huge chunk of my library as well.

I have a 4Gb Nano and a 60Gb Video iPod. The video iPod I bought thinking I would play movies and other video on it. I tried it- the screen was simply too small. Holding it in one hand and staring at it put a crick in my neck. It was not a positive experience at all for mobile video. The same issue happens with video on a phone or other small screen. It sits in a pocket most of the time in a jacket I rarely wear. Not very useful. Definitely a waste of $400.

The 4Gb model is great. I really wish Apple still made it. When they went to the fatboy short model, it pretty much ruined the reason I liked it- the case.

If I buy another iPod, it will be only to replace my existing Nano and even then, only if I can find another used model.

The Touch is interesting, but I don't need all my music on a PDA and that is frankly what the Touch is meant to be. I prefer having those things separate.

[dragonbite]

Same here

+1

I use Linux and Banshee to handle my iPod, but when my iPod finally kicks the bucket I'll be looking for a more open MP3 player, or better yet a player that handles Ogg!

[webdog10]

I want iPhone OS

I'd want an iPod Touch because of the potential and features of the iPhone OS.

[cggkevin]

Suggested features

Support for FLAC encoded files. Untie iPod from iTunes.

[GippySD]

What I Want from my iPod

I agree - I see the form factor as the area with maximum promise. I'd love to see more everyday form factors, including a wallet sized pseudo credit card form factor or integration into existing items I'm already carrying around. Not that it would ever happen, but licensing the platform to others to creatively include the full iPod ecosystem in everything from helmets to jewelry would be great. I'd also like to see a super easy way to deal with disposable audio - content from someone else's iPod, giveaways, demos, etc. Either support for disposable memory cards or wireless loading of free content would be great ... basically some way to get content on there that doesn't involve using iTunes or other software.

[emteebee]

What I Want

I want the iPod Touch coupled with a hard drive so there's at least 80 gigs of storage space.

[ivorycruncher]

Oh heck no.....

Hard drives have major reliability issues, including but not limited to shock damage and susceptibility to strong magnetic fields. Granted, they're reliable enough most of the time, but they are big and clunky, and also takes lots of juice to run the motor. Flash memory is where the future lies, as evidenced by the new wave of SSD drives on the market. Flash memory is getting cheaper and cheaper all the time, and as the market matures, I'm sure Apple will be easily able to increase the amount of storage capacity in the iPhone/Touch product lines at a reasonable cost. If implemented properly, flash memory has none of the reliability issues that traditional hard drives have, and it can also be much faster.

[james_bellanca]

What I'd like to see

I originally got an iPhone. Loved it so much, I decided to check
out Macs. Then got an iMac. Then decided I'd like to use the
Nike+ iPod attachment, and wanted a shuffle for the gym, but
since Nike+ only works with the Nano, got a Nano instead. I see
no reason to replace the Nano unless there was some new Nike+
gadget I'd want for working out, or unless they make a Shuffle
version. I would upgrade my iPhone if they added a GPS, or a
front-side camera for video chat. Would also consider a tablet
or smaller-than-a-Mac-but-larger-than-an-iPhone touch
device.

[ronpadz]

What I want in an iPod

Subscription model; integrated blue tooth connection to my car stereo or PC; less smugness

[bengstra]

I want one device so ...

iPhone/iPod combo is all I'd be interested in ... and I do love my
iPhone. Definitely among the top ui experiences I have had to date.
I don't care who builds it ... if it's that well designed it will do well.
That said ... no one else seems to hit the design/functionality sweet
spot as well as Apple. These are competing products, not religions
:-)

[tweakly]

iPod/iPhone features missing

1. wi-fi for synching my music libraries at home/office/car with my ipod (and later my iphone).
2. wi-fi for streaming my music libraries from above locations and online services so i don't
have to keep 20k tunes on my ipod nor do i have to limit myself to those 20k tunes.
3. best idea yet...why, oh why, do mp3 mfgs keep putting just an fm radio in their players??
that's what the music replaces. what they don't do is put an am radio in for listening to talk
radio-after all, most people do not listen to fm radio anymore. they listen to their mp3 players,
satellite radio, cds or AM talk radio.
4. an even better idea, put a TV audio receiver in the mp3 player. i have a $29 Sony pocket radio
that gets am/fm/tv audio and the weather stations. i listen to the national evening news on it
(local stations), and favorite tv shows i'm missing. i take it more places and use it more often
than i do my ipod.

of course, it obviously needs a real GPS system, G3 speed and carriers other than AT&T!

of all the ideas, #4 is the only one that would make me switch from ipod to something else.

[1truBob]

my survey answers may be misleading...

...because I've been a mac user for 17 years, but I've never *owned*
a mac. my employer provides them for me. Also iPhones may
become our standard smartphone within the year.

[mike.gw]

Mini Touch

I'm willing to bet there will be an entirely touch screen based iPod, like the Touch, but the size of the current Fat Nano, and without wi-fi and Internet based apps.

[mike.gw]

Unify the UI

You have the Shuffle with it's unique UI, the Nano/Classic, and finally the Touch/iPhone. I loved the click-wheel from the original iPod (it actually spun), but the UI from the Touch/iPhone (CoverFlow) is a nice improvement.

With a Mini Touch or Nano Touch, you could have an entire touch screen the size of the current Fat Nano. Without Wi-Fi, we get better battery life and room for more storage. The main screen can be simplified since we won't need the icons for web based apps.

Ditch the HD based Classic models for Flash based units like a 64 GB Touch.

[gamoore2]

The Next Gen iPod

Form Factor similar to iPod Touch.
Stereo Bluetooth is a must
64 to 128 G of static Ram
Headphone jack on the TOP of the device (Not like the iPod Touch)
Working Video Playlists
Streaming from iTunes (a la AppleTV)

[~Canuck~]

What My Future iPod Needs

I see the iPods branching off into a few divisions; the Classic will remain as a big-on-space, low-on-price hard drive player. I see the nano remaining as well, essentially staying as a smaller Classic. The Touch will keep it's place, but gain more space, features, and battery life, and a little brother in the form of a Touch Nano. If the shuffle hangs around, it might gain a tiny screen, or become a $30 iPod. But the key will be how iPods interact with other devices in the future. I see future iPods utilizing WiFi for a lot more than the current generation allows. Streaming video and audio to other nearby iPods, or using an IM client to communicate. I see iPods controlling Apple TVs, Blu-Ray players, and Media Center PCs. Basically, future iPods will need integration with other devices to stay truly relevant.

[sl_la]

Want Replaceable Battery

The biggest thing I want is a battery that you can easily replace yourself. I know that Apple offers a service to do this...but you don't get back your original iPod, you get a refurbed unit.

[lkrupp]

Not...going...to...get...it...

Deal with it. Or don't.

[jelloburn]

Not to say you're lying...

... But I find it hard to believe that if I sent in my 4G Photo that is
riddled with scratches and dings for a battery replacement, that I
would get back a refurbished Photo.

If somebody can confirm this action (besides the poster), I'll
believe it (and will be sending in my iPod). :)

[BigGuns149]

iPod battery IS Replaceable.

I don't know where you have been, but EVERY generation of iPod AFAIK has a user replaceable battery. A number of online vendors sell iPod batteries and even some retailers like Fry's sell iPod batteries. Now I would admit that it isn't easily replaceable, but to say that it isn't user replaceable is a bold faced lie.

[htoomey]

Touch + BlackBerry Replacement Requirements

I want one device to replace my BlackBerry 8830 and iPod Touch 16GB.

Requirements:
- Enterprise Email push (MS Exchange)
- Large storage capacity (my entire media libray is 130GB)
- 3G network
- GSM network so I can use any SIM card I want to
- Large screen like Touch
- Touch UI (way cool)

Nice To Have:
- GPS
- Unlocked already
- Jail Broke already
- Easily replacable LiIon battery
- Takes the 4GB+ Micro-SD memory cards
- A more feature rich document reader (custom eBooks)
- Same cost for phone service as BlackBerry (~#130/mo w/unlimited data)

[john55440]

iPod/iTunes needs...

1.) iPod/iTunes needs a subscription music service, for those who want it. Apple is a master marketer, and could make it popular. A music subscription is the best legal way to discover new-to-you music.

2.) iPod/iTunes needs lossless music downloads, rather than their current compressed lo-fi music.

[noam sayne]

My next iPod

Will be #3, and a Touch model, 32GB. I have already used up over 16GB on my 30GB Classic, so the 16GB model is a no-go. I'm not in any hurry, however.

[Mercury23]

hAte iTunes

Because of iTunes, I will not buy another iPod. If Apple gave me another way to simply transfer songs to my iPod, my whole experience would be infinitely more enjoyable. I do not like QuickTime... I use a separate program for ripping and burning CDs, I do not use the iTunes store so to me, everything but transferring songs is nothing but BLOATWARE.

Apple should release iTunes Light which does nothing but transfer content.

[kenmanleo]

No FM Tuner

If the iPhone or iPod had a FM tuner I would get rid of my phone and mp3 player and buy it tomorrow.

[hal Summers]

same boring gripe

I've heard this gripe about the iPod for years.

Does anyone actually listen to FM on a portable these days? If
so, why? The only good thing on FM is NPR and I get that on
podcasts. Having AM would be more useful because one could
listen to sports.

I have a small portable FM player I bought at Target years ago
and I haven't used it in years. In fact, if I can find it I'll give it to
you so you can put it in a drawer somewhere.

[ggordonliddy]

Worthless without FLAC support, and shiny white is ugly

Why waste your time with a format other than FLAC? Are you going to have all your music encoded in both FLAC (for home listening) and MP3/WMA (for mobile listening)?

And the shiny white garbage has got to go.

[hal Summers]

White?

I don't think there are any white iPods anymore. If you're talking
about the earbuds, I agree, they are junk but so are any included
MP3 buds. Since I got some Ultimate Ears I haven't used my
earbuds at all.

[Gromit801]

When Would I replace my iPod

In answer to the poll question...

When my current one breaks down. It's a 2005 Photo iPod and has
never had a problem. I use it everyday, all day.