With Apple’s 2008 iPod refresh event taking place in California sometime this month, I thought it would be appropriate to take a few moments to discuss where I think the iPod line is going and more importantly, where it really should be going.
Apple will be refreshing the entire iPod line in some fashion this month. The iPod shuffle, which gets very little attention from the press or from Apple, will continue to be treated in much the same way. Expect only price drops and perhaps some new colors at the event. What else can Apple really do with the shuffle? It’s not going to grow any new features, because these features would require a LCD panel, and as soon as one of those is slapped in, you need a click wheel and to increase the size of the device, and you end up left with an iPod nano. This isn’t to say that the shuffle isn’t an important product for Apple. The shuffle is cheap, which makes it perfect for children and those with smaller budgets who still want to get into the digital music revolution. It’s also a perfect ultra portable second iPod for those of us that own an iPod classic or iPod touch.
The iPod classic will still be around after this round updates, for two key reasons: cost and storage capacity – along with the interface, which is still preferred over the multi-touch interface by a small group of loyalists. Cost and storage capacity go hand-in-hand – you may be able to throw more flash memory into the touch, but with flash at 15 dollars per GB compared to a hard disk solution at about 2 dollars per GB, it’s easy to see why hard disk drives aren’t disappearing anytime soon from at least some of Apple’s portables. I expect prices to either drop with similar capacities, or for prices to stay consistent with increases in respective capacities. Either way, I don’t see many other changes. A plastic back might seem like a possibility, seeing that Apple went that route with the iPhone – but the iPhone really needed that plastic back (for better signal) and environmentalists hate plastics, so I’m thinking the all-metal design is here to stay. What else can be done with the classic? Maybe a few software changes, or a slightly thinner body, but other than that, I expect the classic to be treated similarly to the iPod shuffle. The classic is a necessary evil in Apple’s line until flash prices and densities work themselves out.
The iPod touch will see some sort of minor update, but again, this won’t be mind-blowing, and will be even less impressive then the shift from the iPhone to the iPhone 3G. The best features of the iPhone refresh were in the 2.0 software update, and since the iPod touch has already gotten that, there isn’t much left to upgrade. The smartest possible thing that Apple could add to the iPod touch is physical buttons somewhere – on the front, the side, heck, even on the headphones. As a daily iPod touch user, I cannot begin to express how annoying it is that I cannot control my iPod touch by feeling around for buttons (when it’s in my pocket, for example). The iPhone addressed these issues with a volume rocker on the device and with a button on the headphones. Both of these need to come to the touch. I suspect they will this month.
Likely design of the new iPod nano. Image courtesy idealschina.com
I’ve left the iPod nano for last for a reason. The nano will see the most dramatic update of the line. It’s not much of a surprise - keep in mind that the nano is Apple’s best selling music player. Rumors and photos have been traded all over the Internet of the next design - longer body and longer screen, which is turned to the side to watch video content. Do I believe these rumors? I do. The last nano refresh was leaked weeks ahead of time, so it’s not very shocking to think that it would happen again. This design would solve a major complaint with the current model, in that the body became “fat” instead of it’s previous long and slender appearance. What I can add to the rumors is that prices will be dropping (this will be a theme for all of Apple’s upcoming product launches), and capacities will be increasing. Apple is banking on the fact that component prices will continue to drop, and selling many more units at somewhat lower margins is a good investment long term.
What’s next? The Macbook line is getting long in the tooth. Updates for the entire line in the next 3-4 months (most likely spread out).
Check back later this month when I comment on whatever ends up being announced.
While the tab-based interface isn’t mind blowing, the underpinnings of Chrome are far more impressive. Image courtesy Google