4G iPod Released

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The bank accounts of audiophiles and gadget geeks around the country are beginning to bottom out now that Apple, www.apple.com, has released the latest incarnation of its prized iPod, www.ipod.com, digital audio players. As competitive electronics from Dell, www.dell.com, and Sony, www.sony.com, are prepped for market introduction (iPod Killers), Apple has made some good moves with this latest device to combat the onslaught of alternative players.

The iPod currently claims a 50 percent market share in digital music players, and aims to retain as much of that market dominance through innovation and a dedication to product quality. The forth generation iPod (4G) introduced Monday, July 19th tackles some of the larger criticisms made of the device over the last year.

Apple has taken the most heat over the issue of battery life (the lack of it). iPod owners have complained that 8 hours is an optimistic figure, which can rarely be achieved through normal use, and that this limits extended listening. Competitors have been jumping on this weakness – Dell’s DJ claims 20 hours of battery life.

Other complaints stemmed from battery failure. Because the iPod features a non-removable rechargeable battery, there is very little facility for the customer to replace his or her iPod’s battery once it has lost its ability to hold a charge. Previously, Apple had told those inquiring about such problems to consider purchasing a new iPod which was a dissatisfying response to say the least. A few months ago a semi-reasonably priced battery replacement service was offered that seems to have cooled the fire.

Apple claims that the 4G iPods will provide around 12 hours of playback and will fully charge using FireWire, USB2.0 or a standard wall socket in just about 2 hours. The extended battery life is not achieved through the use of a higher capacity battery, but rather, the re-tuning of iPod functionality to maximize battery efficiency. I will be anxious to read the benchmarks.

iPods have always been considered the top of the line solution to the digital music age, and like with your top shelf vodka or whiskey selection, you’re going to pay a premium. Apple has done a smashing job of making sure that there are very few deals (sales/discounts/etc) to be had through rigorous distribution control. Drexel students can get a $30 discount through Apple higher Education purchasing.

To close the gap in terms of its competitors, the price on this latest iPod has been lowered. There had always been three price levels when it came to iPods. There used to be three models in the iPod line of varying capacity. They increased $100 with each step up in storage space starting at $299 for the low-end and ending at $499 for the high-end.

In the new line of iPod’s there are only two models, a 20GB model that can hold 5,000 tracks and a 40GB model that holds 10,000. Their prices are $299 and $399 respectively – both have been reduced by $100. Many are speculating that a 60GB model will be released in the near future, as Toshiba announced that it had received a number of orders from Apple for its 1.8” 60GB hard drives.

The new players will also be smaller than their predecessors. Some of the size reduction will come from a control redesign that was borrowed from the immensely popular line of iPod minis introduced earlier this year. The waiting list of minis is now about 2-4weeks depending on your color selection, and asking for one in an Apple store is usually met with laugh. iPod minis can be ordered for a slightly less $249 and can hold 4GB of music despite being significantly smaller (physically) than the standard iPod.

Dubbed the “click-wheel”, the new iPod’s central and circular control interface, praised for its simple yet useful design has been absorbed directly from its miniature sibling. The 3G iPod featured four touch sensitive play, menu, skip, etc touch buttons below its screen, and above the main touch sensitive control wheel. All of these functions have been incorporated into a single multi-function wheel that is both touch sensitive and mechanical, reducing the clutter and simplifying the entire use of the device.

Player software has also been updated to compliment this new control system. The menu system of the iPod has been copied by many manufacturers as it is both intuitive and quick. This menu structure has been revamped to put the music even closer to the users’ fingertips. Commonly accessed areas like music and playlists are now on the front menu, and the shuffle function previously hidden away in a settings menu is now 1-click away.

The 3G iPod software update included an On-The-Go playlist building feature that made is possible for users to build a playlist right from their player without having to plug into their computer. The limitation, however, was that you could only build one list after each computer sync, and could not delete tracks from your playlist once they were added. 4G software not only provides functionality to let users build a number of playlists, but adds additional control options including the elusive “delete” function.

Another software related enhancement pertains to audio books that are downloaded from Apple’s iTunes music store, www.itunes.com, and moved to the iPod. The speed of audio book tracks can now be sped up to turn a 6 hour audio into a 4 hour listen. Apparently it is able to do this without causing the narrators voice to sound like Alvin, Simon, or even Theodore.

Apple expects to move a large amount of these new units during the “back to school” quarter that is traditionally a high-performance quarter for iPods. Hewlett-Packerd in a partnership with Apple will start shipping their own version of the new iPod (licensed from Apple) in the fall. It will be interesting to see how the market responds and whether Apple can maintain its lead once Microsoft, Sony, and Dell have made their play in the digital music market.

Sony has introduced its own 20GB music player in Japan and has plans to bring the device to the US in late August, early Fall. The Vaio-Pocket VGF-AP1 may not have the catchy name, but does feature a 2.2” color display guaranteed to wow consumers used to the iPods less color-rich display. The Vaio-Pocket follows Dell’s lead by offering superior battery life, though neither company has been able to reduce player size down to that of the iPod. While the iPod has its own issues with interoperability advocates, Sony’s player forces users to convert their digital audio library to a proprietary format (ATRAC) before it can be used with the player. Sony plans other player models to work with its online music store, www.connect.com – I thought it was about time for another one of those.

There is no questioning the epidemic that is iPod culture. Next time you doubt this, go count all the white headphones you see each day you walk across campus. Duke University is experimenting with iPods in the classroom, and is giving 1,800 incoming freshman iPods loaded up with academic calendars and lecture audio. iPod sales have increased steadily since its introduction over 3 years ago, and as long as the iPod keeps reinventing itself, I do not foresee a slump in Apple’s market strength.