Today's Apple event contained a number of newsworthy announcements--a new digital-album format, precut ringtones at $1.29--but what's more striking is the way that the company really focused the improvements on the iPod Nano.
The Nano was the only Apple device that got a significant overhaul, with a video camera, FM radio, voice recorder, and pedometer. Somewhat surprisingly, the more expensive and higher-end iPod Touch isn't getting a refresh this time around. It still lacks a video camera and built-in FM radio.
Strategically, this makes sense: on stage, Steve Jobs claimed that the Nano has sold more than 100 million units, making it the most popular MP3 player in the world. It occupies the sweet spot in price, between $100 and $200 (the new 8GB version will be $149, while the new 16GB version will cost $179).
Last year, Apple hardly updated the Nano at all, besides introducing a few new colors. So to keep its firm hold on the midmarket, Apple was smart to add a few checklist features, particularly the video camera, which suddenly makes the Flip look overpriced.
At the low end, the Shuffle got a price cut to $59 for the 2GB version or $79 for the 4GB version, but this seems expensive, compared with SanDisk's Sansa Clip+, which costs $40 for a 2GB or $50 for 4GB, and includes an FM radio, small screen for navigating menus, and expandable memory via a microSD slot. Here, Apple seems to be relying on the iPod brand to carry it.
At the high end, the iPod Touch remains one of the most exciting devices on the market--it's basically redefining portable computing, thanks to its Wi-Fi connection and Apple's massive App Store. But as a pure MP3 player, I still think that there's room for competition.
Microsoft's forthcoming Zune HD might grab some hard-core music fanatics, thanks to its built-in HD radio (more stations), all-you-can-play subscription service, and (in my opinion) better navigation scheme that lets you get to more of your music more quickly. The Zune HD also looks like a better deal on a straight-memory basis--the 16GB version will cost $220 (only $21 more than an 8GB iPod Touch), and the 32GB will cost $290, which is $9 less than the equivalent iPod Touch.
If I were shopping for an MP3 player today and had less than $100 to spend, I'd buy a Clip+. If I had between $100 and $200, the iPod Nano is the obvious choice. If I had more than that, I'd have to weigh whether I'm more interested in a broad range of apps (iPod Touch) or music (which might sway me to the Zune HD).
I'm following Tuesday morning's Apple event, and while HD TV and NBC's return to iTunes are nice, this blog's about music. So here are some instant reactions to the music-related news:
Genius playlists. Select a song, click this feature, and you'll get a playlist from your collection of similar songs, plus iTunes recommendations. This sounds like a promising way to solve the fatigue that a lot of users develop with their own collections after a few months, as well as the jarring transitions that sometimes pop up during a random shuffle session. Of course, so much depends on how well it works--will the algorithm adhere toward the same artists and genres? Will it be reliant on metadata such as composer and year, or can it analyze actual audio characteristics like tempo and key? The latter would be amazingly cool. I'll check it out later Tuesday and post more details then.
Bright colors and a nice oval shape characterize the new line of iPod Nanos.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET Networks)New iPods. The super-thin Nano looks amazingly cool and will probably do well this holiday. And a new 120GB Classic for $249 matches what Microsoft announced for the Zune on Monday. Only it's an iPod, which means it looks way cooler, has a scroll wheel, is far more fashionable...you know the drill. They've put the cover flow and accelerometer from the iPhone in, meaning the Nano will know when you turn it on its side. You can shake it up and it'll shuffle songs. New bright colors, and more recyclable than ever before. (Wow--is it smart to introduce a new product by talking about how you'll have to throw it away someday?) This is all fine and dandy if you don't have an MP3 player already, but I'm not seeing any exciting new features that will make existing iPod owners run out and upgrade.
The iPod Touch is also getting a makeover, super-thin with an integrated speaker, has the App Store (games!) and Genius and Nike+ features built-in. This is really becoming a hybrid entertainment device--more like a PSP than a mere MP3 player. Still, I've always thought this product fits into a weird niche between the iPhone and old-fashioned iPods or other MP3 players. I guess it's for people who want cutting-edge technology (touch screen!) but aren't ready to part with their current phone. BlackBerry fans, maybe. They seem to be targeting it at gamers, but with an entry price of $229 I'm not sure that will work--that's $100 more than the cheapest Nintendo DS Lite, about $60 more than the cheapest Sony PSP, and--heck--$20 more than an Xbox 360 Arcade. Then again, it is the market-leading MP3 player as well as a game device.
That's it? OK, that's it.
Harrumph. I'm happy to hammer Microsoft when it screws up, as it did with some earlier Zunes, but I have to say that this week's Zune announcement was a lot more exciting than the iPod announcement. The hardware's nowhere near as cool--Apple's a great hardware and design company--but I'll be darned if the new Zunes don't do more when it comes to music. They're not all-in-one devices like the Touch is becoming, and Microsoft certainly doesn't have anything that can touch the iPhone, but on a pure MP3 player basis, the Zune's finally looking competitive.
That said, Apple's probably done enough with the new designs to keep the iPod Nano flying off store shelves this holiday. And Zune's got a bad reputation to overcome.
The new the 4GB and 8GB Zunes will come in red, green, pink and black. The larger 80GB model comes in black only.
(Credit: Microsoft)Some people commenting on my most recent post have accused me of being a Microsoft-hater. That's ironic, given my job. (See my bio below.)
To be perfectly clear, I use a 30GB original Zune as my primary music player, after my fourth-generation iPod died about a year and a month out of warranty.
I think my Zune's onscreen interface is great. I love the way I can create on-the-fly playlists and switch to random shuffle from within any song (not possible on the fourth-generation iPod, fixed in the fifth-generation). And I prefer the way it natively plays all the WMA files on my computer. (I have a big library of vinyl ripped using Microsoft's now-discontinued Digital Media Plus Pack for Windows XP.)
But...the Zune client software is poor compared with iTunes. ... Read more
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