Ah , autumn — when a young tech author ’s sentiment turn to changing leaf colors , baseball game playoffs , and in haste announced Apple events . Ever since Tuesday ’s news that Apple would hold an October 12 press gathering — its second such event in as many months — guess has run rearing on just what the company has up its figurative arm this prison term . And the long - rumored video iPod has taken on a starring role in this latest round of Product Rumor Theater .
“ Apple could launch video iPod before year - end!”Forbes.comdeclares in headline soma . “ I ’d be surprised if [ the October 12 proclamation ] is not the video iPod , ” Jefferies & Co. psychoanalyst Adam Benjamin tellsthe San Francisco Chronicle . And if that does n’t satisfy you , you’re able to go toGoogle News , do a search for “ video recording iPod ” and incur dozens of examples of pundits and rootage , both reputable and dis- , talking up the come near entry of an iPod with video playback capability .
Not to spoil the party , but I ’m middling convinced that a video iPodwon’tbe on the agenda for next calendar week ’s Apple upshot . And I know this because Steve Jobs secernate me so .
Well , not me precisely . The Apple CEO and I have n’t ever really had much in the way of protracted , heart - to - heart conversations — not even an “ Excuse me , you ’re blocking the threshold ” or “ That ’s curious — you don’tsoundlike Walt Mossberg . ” But Jobs does speak to the rest of the Mac insistence corporation , and what he recount them at last month ’s Paris Expo is that Apple does n’t have a video iPod hold back in the wings .
“ you could already download pic on the iTunes Music Store , and some record album offer video as an inducement to grease one’s palms the music , ” say Jobs . “ We also offer video podcasts , but will mass buy a picture machine just to catch this video ? So far they have n’t . No one has been successful with that yet . ”
This is not some musty old quote labour out from the furtherest reaches of the past times ( like last fall whenJobs seemingly dismissed a video - playing iPod out of helping hand ) . job say all this about hand-held telecasting role player a little more thantwo hebdomad ago . I have the wide-cut religion in the talents and inventiveness of Apple engineers , but I ’m infer convincing Steve Jobs to transfer his tune about video and iPods in 14 days and change is not among their considerable bag of tricks .
And really , why should Apple undulate out a video iPod next workweek , beyond the doubtful distinction of being able to boast that a video - playing gimmick is among its repertoire ? There still seems to be very little content out there that would make such an iPod a must - have gimmick . Who knows whether Apple has solved the riddle of making the blind big enough while keeping the gadget little enough ? And rush yet another iPod to commercialize at this prison term would seem to slip the thunder fromjust - introduced productsthat consumers come along to be lawfully excited about .
I will probably be proven wrong next Wednesday — it wo n’t be the first clip , and I think my slight ego can withstand the disgrace — but whatever Jobs plans on unveiling , I ’m willing to wager it has cherished little to do with iPods , video , and the merging of the two . Will Apple finally bring out a video iPod ? Sure . But “ eventually ” wo n’t be Wednesday .
Do you retrieve otherwise ? shed light on me in the forums as to the wrongdoing of my way .
