Apple introduced some new looks to some old iPods today. As a Mac guy my first instinct was excitement and realization that I might need some cash for new toys, the question at the time was how much cash.
By the time I got home and had some time to think about what new toy I could put in my arsenal I realized the answer is most likely...
None.
The reality is I love my shuffle, it is small durable, dependable, and it still works fine. Seeing my shuffle and the new shuffle are more alike than that piece of chewing gum shuffle that was just for sale I can't justify buying something I already have.
The nano looks neat, but it looks like a love child of the previous generation of nano and my old shuffle. The nano doesn't offer me anything I really need, at least not in a form factor that I can use, my eyes are getting too old to look at a screen that small.
That brings us to the touch, I really, really wanted to like the new touch, heck it is an iphone without the 3G phone. It does have a great screen, and facetime, but when I thought about it no 3G means I can use facetime in my basement with my wife upstairs, provided I buy two.
Nope, what I think I am really looking for is the melding of the iPad and the new touch. A bigger device that can use 3G or 4G, has at least a camera for facetime and can run apps like Skype so it is a phone, without being a phone. I guess I will have to hold out for the next generation iPad and see if what I am looking for develops into a real product.
The reality is I have to save my money for a new iMac so I can't fill my house with a bunch of gadgets that I don't really need, but that is me. If I had to upgrade or didn't have an iPod (really does anyone not have an iPod?) today would have been a day where I would lament about just what do I buy.
Now There are a few things from todays news conference that I have left out, the new Apple TV and iTunes 10. Face it the new Apple TV looks sweet, and it is a brilliant little device that will be amazing, provided the streaming infrastructure can handle the loads.
I have the last generation Apple TV, and I love it. What did't excite me about the new version is the streaming, if the buffer on the device empties out before it can stream any new data (especially with HD content) then it will be all jittery. This is where a hard drive shines, my buffer is big enough for the whole video/TV show/etc. The other aspect that I questioned is renting a TV show. Why would I rent a TV show for $0.99 when I can own it for another buck and view it over and over and over again. Now had there been a subscription for unlimited streaming, then I might have ponied up the $99 for the new Apple TV, I guess I will still have a cable bill for the foreseeable future.
Lastly iTunes 10, I have downloaded it, and it seems lighter and faster, the new artwork with the list of music is nice. Ping, well it is too early to say, but I wonder if they could have come up with a name that doesn't rhyme with a search web site. It is also still a 32 bit app so it has not been ported to Cocoa, but I have not seen any problems so far.
For now I will stay on the sidelines with this product update cycle and keep an eye out for future releases, maybe I will have enough money saved up for some new toys...
Sean
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I like the post. I just don't have much to say about the announcements. The nano is nice I guess.
It looks like I am not the only one who feels this way... here is an article [http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/03/how-apples-newest-ipods-prove-and-disprove-that-it-learns-fro/] with some interesting insight on the new product line.
Great analysis!