If I may tread a very o.k. line , let me say that we do n’t do rumor here . If we get fart of a new iPod or version of iTunes coming down the expressway , we ’re more than well-chosen to let it come without spoiling the surprise . There are other folks out there whose living is ground on digging the filth on upcoming releases and they do n’t need any assistance from us . However , once those rumors float freely in the mainstream , we ’re not above comment on them . That I ’d care to do today .
As you may have read , Think Secret is evoke thatthe release of a novel version of the iPod mini , complete with greater capacity and a color CRT screen , is just around the corner . The article , credit to Ryan Katz , move on to say that this is the first pace in bring colour to all iPod models later in the year . And French internet site Mac4ever reports that a Motorola product manager hint thata Bluetooth iPod is in the works .
Hogwash ?
Who cares ? The play is in the fantasy .
allow ’s start with semblance .
Glance at ads for the latest crop of prison cell earpiece and you ’ll discover that set a color showing on a portable twist is no longer an expensive proposition . The price of dry pint - sized colour LCDs has dropped in late months to the point where they ’re finding their mode onto mid - priced portable euphony players such asiRiver ’s $ 280 H10andSamsung ’s $ 230 YH-820MC . While Apple has been uncoerced to skip such “ superfluous ” iPod lineament as voice transcription and an FM tuner , it ’s within the company ’s nature to make devices that are 2d - to - none in innovation . If it can produce iPods with a color screen without jack up up the price , it will — even if those iPods do n’t display characterization .
This last point has been lost on a few folk who ’ve commented on the color mini rumour . If the mini ca n’t show photos , why vex with color ? actuate down to your local Apple Store , flip-flop on an iPod photo ’s backlighting , and play with the gadget for a few minute . Now equate it to any other black and white iPod with backlighting switched on . If you do n’t take the air aside from the experience feeling like coloring material immensely enhance the look of the iPod , you ’re blind . Color is cool and the integral line of iPod would profit from it .
And now , capacity .
Short and sweet : The many “ mini killers ” released in the past couple of months sport a 5 GB hard cause . The current mini still has a 4 gigabit mental ability . A 5 GB mini is a no - brainer — I was certain such a miniskirt would be among Steve Jobs ’ announcements at last January ’s Macworld Expo . Western Digital has announce that it has developed a 6 GB , 1 - inch difficult drive that will ship in the second tail of this year . Other troupe are probable to be play on driving of this content . Given the history of the iPod miniskirt , iPod shuffle , and Mac miniskirt , Apple seems willing to announce novel production , ship a few of them when promised , and then storm up production to eventually satisfy built - up demand .
If Apple can obtain a way to pack the next mini with a 6 GB hard driveway and leapfrog the competition by 1 gig , all the while keeping the cost at $ 249 , what are the betting odds it wo n’t ?
And at long last , Bluetooth .
At one time a white earbud cablegram was a signaling that you own the hep euphony participant around . No longer . Other society have joined the white cord cotilion in an attempt to cash in on the iPod ’s seal . Hip as it may have been to assume the white cable , hipper still ( and more convenient ) is having no cable at all . And the enigma to forge without a cord may be Bluetooth 2.0+EDR ( Enhanced Data Rate ) , a newfangled interlingual rendition of Bluetooth included with Apple ’s latest PowerBook models that bunk at 3Mbps versus old version of Bluetooth that operate at a maximum of 1Mbps .
That parachuting from 1- to 3Mbps is n’t interesting as a means for transfer music from a computer to an iPod wirelessly — FireWire and USB 2.0 are far faster . This speed step-up benefits a machine ’s battery by transferring flare-up of information more quickly and countenance the legion machine ( and its battery ) to rest more often . Having such engineering science build up into an iPod may allow it to transmit to a set of wireless headphones while maintaining reasonable turn sentence .
According to a MacCentral clause by Seattle Times editorialist Glenn Fleishman , we should n’t expect to see Bluetooth 2.0 peripherals until this summer or precipitate so I ’m not defy my breath that a Bluetooth 2.0+EDR iPod will appear next calendar week . But the fact that Apple is on the forefront of this more efficient form of Bluetooth may hint that good matter are on the way for iPod owners interested in cutting the corduroy .
