iPhone Gets Cheaper, New iPod Looks Like iPhone

Keeping with tradition, Apple announced a slew of new players at the same time that a big, industry show was taking place. I can’t say this is an entirely bad idea on the company’s part: CEDIA EXPO was a great place for many to get a first glance at these new iPods in the flesh. After all, several iPod docks and compatible devices were on display at the show, ready to be taken for a test run. That being said, I wasn’t surprised to see people with the new models in hand already! Wake up, grab a coffee, and shoot over to the store to buy the latest iPod before heading to the show. Yep, that sounds about right.

Probably the most interesting of the new models is the iPod touch, which incorporates many of the features of the popular (and still not available in Canada) iPhone, including its touch-screen design.

Oddly enough, others might disagree: the player I saw most on the CEDIA show floor was the tiny new nano that adds video to the feature set, along with a wider, 2.5-inch screen. I’m not sure why this model seems to have piqued the interest of tech-geeks more so than the other two (the third being the iPod classic, which is essentially a next-generation iPod with the Cover Flow and built-in accelerometer features of the iPhone). Isn't video still considered the least important feature of such players?

Anyway, slightly off topic, I thought it would be funny to look back to July, when I discussed confusion about an alleged nano that would be modeled after the iPhone. It looks like these reports weren’t entirely untrue, but could be a case of broken telephone: there is now a nano with video, and indeed an iPod that's modeled after the iPhone, but they are two separate devices, neither of which have cellular functionality. Put them together, and, well, the reports were still wrong, but you never know...

Speaking of the iPhone, Apple has reduced the price of the 8GB model by $200 to US$399, and will only sell the 4 GB version “while supplies last”. This is good news for those who haven’t invested in one yet; but bad for existing customers who have already forked over the extra $200 bucks. To ease the pain, Apple says it will give any current iPhone customer a US$100 store credit toward the purchase of any product at Apple’s retail or online store. However, this only includes customers who are “not receiving a rebate or any other consideration”. I’m not sure what this means, nor do I know the intricacies of the U.S. cell phone plans. I just hope for their sake that existing customers get something back: it's not right to be punished for being an early-adopter!

Is a Second-Gen iPhone Already in the Works?

Rumour has it that Apple may already be working on its second-generation iPhone. JP Morgan predicts that the next iPhone will be slimmer and, most important, cheaper: pretty much a “nano” version of the smartphone that has captured the U.S. nation by storm (and has had Canadians salivating in anticipation).

The firm’s source for this information, according to Reuters, is a patent application Apple recently filed. The description was for a multifunctional handheld device equipped with a circular touch pad control.

Would a slimmer, smaller iPhone have the same appeal as the sleek and stylish just-released unit? After all, one of the iPhone’s most significant advantages over other “smartphones” is the oversized, touch-screen display that permits easier scrolling through things like web pages, e-mails, and music collections. A nano-like iPhone would have to forego many of the features and benefits of its larger sister due to size restrictions; but on the flip side, it would appeal to a whole new market that wants more affordability. Right now, the iPhone will cost U.S. customers a pretty penny at a hefty $500 for the 4 GB version and $600 for the 8 GB. Either way, if the iPod is any indication, there’s little doubt that a smaller version would be received just as well as the first-generation iPhone.

Of course Apple isn’t talking, so this rumour is still just that: a rumour. Nevertheless, iPhone Nano does have a nice ring to it…

iPod Sales STILL Growing

It's insane to think that, even after so many years of market domination, the Apple iPod is still growing like wildfire: Apple recently reported an 88% earnings growth, fueled by 36% growth in Macs and 24% growth in iPods when compared to the same quarter last year. In fact, the company reported that it was the most profitable March quarter in its history!

I'm probably one of the few people left on the planet that doesn't own an iPod, and it's not because I don't think its a sleek, sophisticated device. I often stroll through a local retailer and stop to admire the beautiful form factor of the nanos, all lined up in varying colours. If there's even been a sexy gadget, that one's it. I think part of me just doesn't want to follow the pack: it's like an iPod cult, and I want no part of it. After all, is the iPod really the best interface out there? Or is it just conditioning that has made people believe this? I'm not sure. I have used an iPod, and it is blazingly simply, and very, very cool. But I've also used a Toshiba Gigabeat, and a SanDisk Sansa player, and so are they.

As for getting music, the last thing I want to do is fork over my credit card and rack up a ton of $2 purchases for songs. I've heard horror stories of people racking up thousands of bucks over the period of a few months on just downloading music! I'll pass on the unnecessary debt, thank you very much. I'll just rip them from my CDs, or find, er, other means of getting tunes. So really, the whole "seamless integration" thing doesn't matter to me. In terms of video, podcasts on iTunes are free, and up here in Canadia-land, I can't get the TV shows anyway.

I'm not saying the iPod doesn't deserve the market-share leading position it has achieved. But for me, I'll continue to admire the gorgeous nano from afar, and stick to my guns in supporting the underdog.