Sept 22 for new iPods? [u]
August 25th 2008
Roughly Drafted is running a catch-all iPod refresh write up that both debunks and adds to the rumorological record. Specifically, writer Daniel Eran Dilger spends much ink picking apart Kevin Rose's iPod predictions.
Here are the salient points:
• Product will launched on Monday, Sept 22
[u] Rose is back with a claim that iTunes 8 / iPod will launch Tuesday, Sept 9. [u]
• 8GB touch will be terminated, 16GB will sell for $199
• 32GB will be largest capacity, no 64GB at launch
• Apple won't release a tall slim iPod nano
-- ...the likelihood of entirely new iPod touch or Nano models being quite low (after all, the Zune isn't going to get a refresh until late next year, and Apple isn't facing any tough competition at the moment)
[u] TUAW reports on the appearance of an iPod nano case that's tall and slim [u] [Continue reading]
• iPod / iPhone 2.1 software-- a forgone conclusion
• iTunes 8 + iTunes Unlimited--Dilger porns scorn and cold water on both possibilities
-- ...there is little rhyme or reason to Apple's iTunes version numbering, and no real correlation between the amount features introduced and the version number increment...
-- I doubt "unlimited iTunes" will fly, as the idea was not leaked but rather simply invented.
Rose said that the iPod classic will go away and that Apple will move entirely to Flash memory for the iPod. Possible? Sure, but the classic is still quite popular and it's hard to beat that much capacity.
My take? although Apple's killed off successful products in the past (ie iPod mini), there's no obvious successor waiting in the wings for the classic. I believe Apple will trim its hard disc-based player offerings to a single high-capacity model, leaving the classic to march stoically on for at least one more product cycle.
Also, should Apple move to cut most iPod prices to shoehorn it in below the iPhone's $199 starting price, that would explain Oppenheimer's warning on margins...
What's your take?
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