Japanese authorities are investigating a recent incident involving an iPod Nano shooting sparks while charging. The Trade and Economy Ministry suspects a defect in the Nano's rechargeable lithium-ion battery and has since ordered Apple Japan to conduct an investigation into the matter, according to the Associated Press.
The Nano sparking incident occurred in January in the Kanagawa prefecture, southwest of Tokyo. About 425,000 of the music players are estimated to have been shipped to Japan, though it is not clear if the specific model under investigation--the MA099J/A--is sold in other countries. The player was assembled in China, but the origin of the battery was unclear.
It has been discontinued since September 2006, according to the ministry. Apple Japan "did not contest the ministry statement," according to the AP, but did not provide further comment.
(Source: Crave Asia)
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
The iPhone has launched, and the iMac has been redesigned, which means it's probably time for new iPods.
Several different reports have surfaced over the past couple of days regarding revamped iPods that Apple may or may not have in the works. Other than adding color to the iPod Shuffle line, Apple hasn't done anything with the traditional iPods this year, and it looks like that's about to change.
It's starting to look like the iPod Nano is set for an overhaul.
(Credit: Apple)AppleInsider believes that Apple will release Mac OS X-based iPods in September, citing unidentified sources. This particular theory has surfaced before, with many believing that Apple will introduce an iPod that looks just like the iPhone, just without the ability to make phone calls.
These new iPods would have features very similiar to the iPhone but would retain the familiar click-wheel interface, according to AppleInsider. The site thinks four models are planned, two new iPod Nano models and two new iPod models, all of which would run some iteration of Mac OS.
It seems to make sense to me that Apple would want to start releasing Mac OS X iPods, given the amount of work it put into tailoring Mac OS for the iPhone and the extras that could possibly come along with Leopard in October. Also, a phone-less iPhone would finally give Apple a real video iPod, with the wider screen and the ability to watch movies or TV in landscape mode.
The exact details may still be up in the air, and the only safe bet seems to be that Apple will release new iPods later this year to refresh an aging lineup in time for the holiday season. Apple sold 21 million iPods in the fourth quarter of last year without making any major changes, and new designs could prompt upgrades.
Although I'm pretty sick of everything iPod, especially because I can't exactly afford to chuck my red BlackBerry Pearl out the window and pick up an iPhone, Apple is allegedly coming out with a new product--what else is new?
Is Apple about to add a new Nano?
(Credit: Apple)Gizmodo is reporting that this time Apple's releasing the revamped iPod Nano next week. The flash-based device is allegedly going to be called the iPod Touch. The price, according to the blog, will range from $300 for the 4GB and $400 for the 8GB.
Honestly, the new iPod Nano (if it looks anything like the projected image) is going to be cute and bubbly, but it definitely won't take the spotlight from its much sexier, sophisticated cousin, the iPhone.
However, rumor has it that a new iPhone-like-six-gen iPod (with the touch-screen interface) is set for release early next year, Gizmodo reports. We'll just have to wait and see.
So that report on Monday from JPMorgan Chase, the one about the supposed iPhone Nano? The financial gurus have decided to rethink that one.
The Unofficial Apple Weblog spotted a new research note from JPMorgan analysts (thanks Gizmodo) that takes a very skeptical look at claims made Monday by their colleague, JPMorgan analyst Kevin Chang in Taiwan. Chang said in his report that Apple was hoping to launch a smaller, cheaper iPhone based on the iPod Nano design later this year. But JPMorgan's Bill Shope, Elizabeth Borbolla, and Vlad Rom threw Chang under the iBus in their own report Tuesday.
JPMorgan analysts in New York and Taiwan might not exchange Christmas cards this year.
(Credit: JPMorgan Chase)"We caution that the potential for a low-end, subsidized phone from Apple seems unlikely in the near term," the New York analysts wrote. Chang wrote that Apple could sell an iPhone Nano for around $300, and widespread reports of that price target sent Apple's stock up $2.06 on Tuesday on a day when the broader market fell.
In hindsight, I wish I'd been more critical of Chang's report, although I was skeptical that Apple would release a crippled version of the iPhone just as people are getting used to the new interface. The latest JPMorgan report notes that "it took Apple over two years to launch its first low-end iPod (the iPod Mini)." The New York analysts think a 3G version of the iPhone is more likely for the second iteration.
We've already learned once this year how iPhone rumors and speculation can affect Apple's stock. JPMorgan said it released the new report at around 6:30 a.m. PDT, when the stock market opens for business in New York. But plenty of news outlets throughout the day Tuesday were still getting around to running the story from Monday based on Chang's report, and probably didn't see the new JPMorgan research note. TUAW didn't post its story until after the market closed at 1 p.m. PDT.
Speculation about iPhone 2.0 is already well underway, and the latest tidbit involves an iPod Nano-like phone supposedly scheduled for later this year.
Kevin Chang with JPMorgan Chase in Taiwan thinks a slimmer iPhone is on the way, based on conversations he had with unnamed sources and an Apple patent filing for a slim device that uses an input method similar to the familiar iPod scroll wheel, Reuters reports. This would allow Apple to ship a cheaper version of the original iPhone, he said.
Could the iPod Nano be the template for iPhone 2.0?
(Credit: Apple)I'm not sure what to make of this one. The iPhone's main selling point is its touch-screen interface; why would Apple come out with a crippled version of that so quickly? Chang notes that a scroll-wheel iPhone would have "rather limited functionality," but that seems to be putting quite a gloss on the pitch. Maybe Apple's bringing back rotary dialing?
Still, a smaller iPhone could help Apple make inroads into places like Europe and Asia where shoppers are accustomed to sleek, powerful phones. But it would seem quite an engineering challenge to get all the necessary components into a device the size of the iPod Nano. Motorola's Razr phones come to mind, but they didn't use the same touchscreen interface and they weren't running Mac OS X, which means they could have gotten away with slimmer and less powerful chips.
This isn't the first reference to iPhone 2.0. Another report surfaced in May claiming that the second-generation iPhone would use a different design on the outer shell of the device. And the European version of the iPhone, which Apple has said will arrive later this year, is almost universally expected to run on the faster 3G networks prevalent across the pond.
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