Click on the image to watch video demonstrations of the newest Apple iPods posted on You Tube by Irvine-based iLounge. The videos earned iLounge #24 most watched on YouTube for today (Sept. 6). If using YouTube video views as a ranking system – the new 160gb iPod Classic demo video wins with over 10,000 views as of the time I wrote this post.
**UPDATE: Apple offering $100 rebate to original iPhone owners. Details below…**
People all over are bitter about the $200 price drop announced yesterday for the Apple iPhone.
And if that didn’t hurt enough I’ve received two comments on MySpace and three messages on Facebook kidding me about the price drop.
So after I spent 26 hours waiting in line for the iPhone I have mixed emotions about the price drop. On one hand – however painful it is to learn that I could have saved $200, it would have been more painful to have spent the last few months without my iPhone. Wired News calls the extra I and others paid for the iPhone the “stupid tax.” But, I think the price drop was too much ($100 would have been more reasonable) and too soon (it should have been made closer to Christmas).
UPDATE: Apple decided that certain customers who bought the 8gb iPhone without any rebates will get a $100 rebate. Apple plans to post more information on this next week. Stay tuned to the Gadgetress for any updates on these rebates.
Apple boosted the size of its newly named “iPod Classic” yesterday, which likely means that Toshiba is inside.
Irvine’s Toshiba Storage Device Division introduced a 160-GB hard drive — the highest capacity 1.8-inch storage drive to date (and the size of drives in the classic iPod).
This two-platter drive was built for music devices and portable electronics. The new drive uses 33 percent less power — or 0.002 watts per gigabyte — than the existing 80 GB version.
In addition to the 160-GB drive, Toshiba also added an much slimmer 80 GB drive that is 5 millimeters high.
Now, Toshiba isn’t allowed to say whether Apple is including the technology in the new iPods but I’m sure someone will soon open up the new iPods to see what’s inside.
Consumers should start seeing these new drives show up in gadgets to be released this holiday.
Steve Jobs played Santa again today, announcing the latest creations from Apple, Inc.
Read my previous posts here and here about the announcements. And, a big thanks to Irvine-based iLounge’s live postings.
UPDATES:
10:04 a.m. Mr. Jobs begins by saying “today we get to talk about music.”
10:06 a.m. A new iTunes will launch tonight – ringtones will be added next week. You can buy a song for 99 cents, and then make it a ringtone for another 99 cents. People make the ringtones themselves by choosing the 30 seconds, fades in and out before buying the ringtone.
10:13 a.m. Everything will be refreshed or replaced, Jobs said. Shuffle: refresh; product RED version available, holiday colors are purple, light green, light blue, silver and the product RED. Nanos: bigger and brighter display; full metal design; black, product RED, silver, blue and green.
10:24 a.m. New Nanos will be available in 4gb – $149 and 8gb-$199. Both have 24 audio playing hours and five video playing hours. Both will be available at Apple stores by this weekend.
10:29 a.m. The video iPods are renamed – iPod Classics. Colors: silver and black. Capacity: 160 gigabytes! Has 40 audio playing hours and seven video playing hours. Price is $349. Should be available in stores by this weekend, Jobs said.
10:36 a.m. iPod Touch. Has similar features as the iPhone – but no phone. Includes YouTube and Safari that you can access via wifi. Two models: 8gb – $299, 16gb – $399. Will ship everywhere – first iPod with touchscreen to ship overseas. Has 22 audio playing hours, five video playing hours. Expected to ship out and be available in a few weeks.
10:49 a.m. iPod Touch also includes a new application – iTunes wifi – so that you can buy songs by using wifi. You get song previews – then buy and songs download to the device. Songs then are synced into your desktop computer’s iTunes on the next sync.
10:57 a.m. The new wifi iTunes will also be available on iPhones. Steve also announces a new partnership with Starbucks. When walking by a Starbucks (when are we not) a Starbucks logo appears and you can see what music is playing in that Starbucks. Users can then with one-click download the song playing in the store.
11:08 a.m. iTunes/Starbucks song partnership launches first in October in Seattle and New York – LA to get it in February 2008, all major metros will be completed by 2009 (a little slow of a rollout, if you ask me).
11:10 a.m. Speech ends.
11:11 a.m. Steve’s back. iPhone prices are being lowered. iPhone 8-gb model now $399, starting today. The 4gb model is eliminated – only 8gb model.
11:16 a.m. Event is over after a performance by KT Tunstall.
Now don’t get me wrong, iPhones look uber-cool as is – but wouldn’t they look even better encased in wood?
The Holland-based company Miniot hand makes these iWood cases from endangered woods for the iPhone, iPod Nano and iPod video. My favorite is the Padouk case.
The cases cost about $100 each and you can choose to add a logo, monogram or matching dock made from the same block of wood as the case.
The folks over at Gizmodo like, but don’t recommend buying the case. iLounge gave the case a B+ – raving about the professional style of the case and complete protection, but noted the iWood’s expensive price.
Want to stay up to date on Memphis Scottish society events? Have a hankering for Harry Potter dates?
Well, you can find pretty much any kind of random calendar on iCalShare - one of my favorite sites for wasting time and finding cool calendars to add to my calendar.
The site started in September 2002 and now has 4,561 calendars in 40 different categories. Calendars are all free to download – and you can easily use them in various applications – including iCal, Mozilla Calendar, Novell Evolution, Microsoft Works and Google Calendar.
Have other interesting sites to share? Just e-mail me.
Irvine-based iLounge.com lets everyone know that DLO just launched a new OpenFM application.
This is an online tool people can use to search for the clearest FM station in their area by city and state or zip code. And, it’ll work with iPhones’ web browsers to sweeten the deal.
iLounge notes that the company also offers a standard web-based version of the application (beyond the iPhone version) and plans to releases widgets for Macs and gadgets for PCs in the coming weeks.
Steve’s group just extended an invitation for media to join his Apple crew on Sept. 5 for a “special event.”
Could it be that all of the iPod-update rumors are true? There is an iPod in the invite. Hmm… Stay tuned and we’ll all find out on Sept. 5.
In the time we have leading up to the announcements, please add in comments what you hope happens with the announcements. You can also read here about iLounge’s ideas on the next-gen iPod offerings.
UPDATE:
(AppleInsider notes that “The beat goes on” is the last line of the Beatles’ last press release.) We’ve seen artist-theme iPods in the past – perhaps Beatles’ iPods? – Check out this article that goes with this suggested Beatles iPod image.
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