News

Talk of a 'True Video iPod' Buzzes the Web

Friday, February 10th, 2006 at 4:15 PM - by Staff

Various Internet Web sites were buzzing on Thursday and Friday with the news of a "true video iPod" that Apple is supposedly readying for release. ThinkSecret, relying on its anonymous sources, said that the new device will feature a 3.5-inch LCD that takes up its entire face and requires users to hold it sideways to view video content. It will also drop the physical click wheel for a digital version that will appear when a user touches the screen.

Ryan Katz said that a release is set for late March or early April, adding: "During the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs alluded to a major announcement on or around April 1, Apple's 30th anniversary as a company." He also noted that ThinkSecret maintained last year that the video iPod released in October was simply "a souped-up 4G iPod with video capabilities."

Mr. Katz's report has some basis in an article published last week by Endaget, which detailed a touch screen input patent submitted by Apple's Jonathan Ive. While the site assumed that the patent was for the long-rumored Apple tablet Mac, some think the technology described in it will be used for the new iPod.

Unsurprisingly, this week's news has led to a flurry of Photoshop mock-ups being posted around the Internet. Engadget received a pair that it believes are fakes, for example.


A fake, fake, FAKE -- but oh-so-sweet -- mock-up of a new video iPod

17 comments from the community.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:16 pm

Okay that makes some sense. It would be in letter box format. Time will tell

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:46 pm

Of course it's a fake, there are no fingerprints!

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:12 pm

or scratches! (sorry, that was a bit cutting)

this one I would buy, along with a case (or sock)

j

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Feb 10, 2006 10:18 pm

Our local TV news was covering this story as if it is not a rumor

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Feb 10, 2006 11:36 pm

A "virtual" click wheel smack dab in the middle doesn't bode too well for video 'scrubbing' or scanning FF RW. Cool though

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:03 am

Well this kind of stuff TICKS me off. (Ipod video 30gb owner hear) There should be law about realsing stuff so close to each other like this. Video owners now should get a NICE discount if the already own a ipod video.

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:51 am

Dude, come on back from 1976, the water's warm here in 2006

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Feb 11, 2006 5:45 am

People that think they are entitled to something for free TICK me off. (And so do people who don't know the difference between hear and here.)

So guest, if Apple releases this in April, will your 30 GB iPod video stop working the way it did before it was released? No. You got what you paid for. It was OK then, but technology marches on. I personally would hate it if as soon as I bought something, it never gets improved. Or is only improved after some pre-determined time so that everyone is happy about it. Should they stop selling Video iPods for 1 year prior to releasing a new model so everyone, even those who bought on the last day it was available, would have at least 1 year to enjoy it without having to worry about not having the latest and greatest?

Come on. Stop whining. Enjoy your current and REAL video iPod and wait for version 2 of the touchscreen version (if it is ever released). It will be better and have less bugs or hardware problems.

Disclaimer: I own a very small number of Apple stock. So I want Apple to innovate and stay ahead of the competition.

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:29 am

On the 'True' Video iPod: SWEET concept. I remember having an epiphany moment not long ago, thinking that a form factor like this with a virtual scroll wheel was the way to go, but also thinking that Apple would never do this. Glad to see that I might be proven wrong.

Two things, though:

1) Its gotta be 16:9. Movies are eventually gonna go on this thing, don't make a small screen even smaller by letterboxing 'em. 16:9 is the future for TV as well.

2) Speaking of small screens, I'd hope that the screen is at LEAST as large as the one on the Sony PSP... either 4.3" or 4.5" depending on what article you read. With the alleged form factor in this article, you could do that with a player about as big as the current video iPod. Sweet.

Now if they could only improve the battery life...

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Feb 12, 2006 9:52 am

So the poster who said he was ticked off because he just bought a video iPod and now they MIGHT release a new one would rather that Apple stops being inovative and starts taking forever to come out with someting new (Windows Longhorn, Vista or whatever it is).

I'm happy that Apple keeps inovating. I'm such a MacAddict that I always check the web to see if there is something new.

Yes if I had just bought something and a newer version came out I would be somewhat bummed, but you have to look at what you have and be happy with it because there will always be something new. Technology moves fast and you just have to get use to new stuff coming out and figure how close together you can afford to purchase. And most of all remember at this point this IS JUST A RUMOR.

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A guest said: (hide)

Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:51 am

You guys are such bums ROFL I would luv companies to keep releasing stuff i just feel that owners of the last version/module should get a discount if a newer version is released so close to the previous ones. I mean think about it if there was a law to something like this, companies would have to think twice before they say ok lets put this out now, at this module version to make some money, and release a new one if a few months that fixes all the problems to amke more money off the peeps that bought the pervios one (xbox360 ring a bell, HD-dvd add on) It just would make companies work harder to produce a good product rather than just putting something out there that just keeps updating a previous one. YOU should be able to buy somthing and know that is top of the line for a period of time no matter what, or if somthing better comes out you get a reaaly nice deal if you decide to update.

(the ticked off poster :p)

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A guest said: (hide)

Mon Feb 13, 2006 2:07 pm

not sure how people can complain about their ipod video 30gb being outdated when this is just a rumor. i do have a gripe -- i bought my wife a 60gb ipod photo for $600 (plus state sales tax) from circuitcity.com for christmas 2004, and then i was denied a 20% rebate (which was supposed to be via a $120 circuit city gift card) for some arcane reason, despite sending in all my paperwork within the proper time frame. and i could have bought the 60gb ipod photo at the time for about $550 (including shipping and with no sales tax, but of course i am a good citizen who dutifully pays my use tax to my state for all my online purchases -- yeah hah!). the 60gb ipod photo price went down to about $450 by march, and then the ipod video came out in mid-2005 for about $400 for a 60gb model. ouch! so stop your bitching about future possible obsolescence, when some of us are already obsolete.

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Feb 14, 2006 1:00 am

You guys just don't get it. Its great things are updated, but its not fair under any circumstances, that they do these things so close to previous dates. Their should be a law to protect consumers against these companies doing stuff like this. Wouldn't it be great to no you could buy a piece of technology and no its top of the line for at least a certain amount of time or if not your going to at least get a great discount on the new version. OH well i guess not everyone can comprehend something so simple.

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A guest said: (hide)

Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:34 pm

is 7 months not long enough??(oct-apr)

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A guest said: (hide)

Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:35 pm

Omg...shut up everyone...this isn't even an article about what you're talking about...when you bought your ipod were you happy with it? (of course you were)...Did you like your ipod until they came out with this one? (Duhh you did or you wouldnt be reading into stuff about new ipods)...They are not entitled to slow down production just because you want a descent amount of time to have the best product and want time to use it until the next one comes out...If you wanted to wait for a better ipod to come out...you would of waited and you would of bought the rumored model seven months later...technology means new things and you haveto expect them when you make a purchase. Now thanks for listening and i won't take up any more of your time.

-David

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Mar 26, 2006 8:51 pm

I’m in the military and I work with touch screens all day.. Actually all my computers in my office are touch screen, and most of the equipment I’m using it touch screen..

1. Their are no smudges on the screen after touching, because of the material used.. its like when you touch a clear trash bag can you see your smudges??

2. I clean my screen once a month with a cloth and water.. I have to clean it once a month becuase its dirty and dusty in Iraq and the dirt from my hands does stick on the screen when I have sweaty hands..

2. I used my pen on my screen all the time and it doesn’t scratch easy trust me....

if this product come out i will not hesitate to get it. Touch screens are the way of the future...

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LaurieF said:

member since 15 Jun 2001 with 3545 posts, TMO Forum Mod, send him a message or view his profile

Sun Mar 26, 2006 9:38 pm

Anonymous wrote:
You guys just don't get it. Its great things are updated, but its not fair under any circumstances, that they do these things so close to previous dates. Their should be a law to protect consumers against these companies doing stuff like this. Wouldn't it be great to no you could buy a piece of technology and no its top of the line for at least a certain amount of time or if not your going to at least get a great discount on the new version. OH well i guess not everyone can comprehend something so simple.

Who? you or everyone else? Think about it: who gets to decide when long enough is long enough? And will that fixed period apply to all products? Is the product cycle the same for vaccuum cleaners and MP3 players?

And it's "know", not "no". And "you're", not "your". I'm usually not that pedantic, but it makes what you write hard to read.

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