Apple yesterday announced that it's officially holding an event a week from now to announce new iOS products. Whether it's a new iPhone or a whole slew of iPods is a different story entirely, but it could very well be that this year we'll be seeing a refresh to everyone's favorite music player. With that in mind, here’s a look at what Cupertino might do to put the spotlight back on the iPod again.
While the iPod lineup is far from dead, Apple clearly sees the writing on the wall: More people are buying iPhones (and, to a lesser degree, iPads) which will has started to mean fewer people need an iPod. Sure, there will always be those among us who long for the sheer quantity of songs available on an iPod classic, or who enjoys the simple convenience and disposable nature of an iPod shuffle or iPod nano -- not to mention those who have no need for a cellular connection and call the iPod touch their friend.
Given that Apple isn’t likely to completely put a stake in the heart of its iPod line on the eve of its 10th anniversary, here are some thoughts on how the company might excite us about the iPod all over again.
Does This Come In White?
Recently leaked spy photos seem to indicate that the iPod touch may get a splash of ivory this year -- not a big surprise, given that the iPhone 4 is (finally!) now available in white, and the iPad 2 debuted with a choice of black or white earlier this year. But many expect that’s where the changes will begin and end for the iPod touch, at least until next year.
That means the same Retina Display, the same front and rear cameras, the same slender form factor, the same 8GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage and the same A4 processor -- not that those are bad things, certainly. Even if the next iPhone gets a groovy new look and some souped-up internals next month, for many a simple white coat of paint may be enough to keep their enthusiasm, at least for now.
The Phoneless iPhone
The iPad has come with a 3G data connectivity option right out of the gate, so it’s not a stretch to imagine that the iPod touch -- or even one of its siblings -- might gain the same superpowers this year or next. After all, the App Store makes it quite simple to turn an iPod touch into a phone, video chat and text messaging powerhouse without the monthly payola to AT&T or Verizon.
Of course, we can see a few potential stumbling blocks with this concept. Carriers aren’t likely to be thrilled with trading voice + data service tied to a two-year commitment for a month-to-month, pay as you go data-only model. Less revenue plus more congested data pipes will not a happy carrier make! Particularly when you add in the forthcoming iCloud to the mix, even though its more data-heavy usage such as backups will still remain a Wi-Fi only affair.
Consolidation
In lieu of additional new features this year, it would seem the aging iPod line might instead return to its roots -- or rather, we might see less types of them in the near future. Having four different models to appease various budgets and tastes has been a good idea over the years, but the iPhone is effectively cannibalizing the line to the point where four might be considered one or two too many.
This is particularly true given that three-quarters of the iPod line doesn’t even utilize iOS, a real oversight on Apple’s part given that the operating system is the “gateway drug” to the App Store and all the goodness that comes with it. Now that the iPod nano is practically the size of an iPod shuffle with a faux iOS-looking user interface, we can definitely see something happening there in the near term.
Classic Schmassic
Okay, we confess: We’ve got a soft spot in our hearts for the iPod classic, which is better known to those of us who picked up the original 5GB model in 2001 as simply “the iPod.” Former CEO Steve Jobs comforted a worried inquirer via email earlier this year claiming Apple had no plans to kill it off, but let’s face it -- it’s due for a change.
We’ve said it before but we’ll say it again: Let’s take what’s great about the iPod classic (namely, the sheer volume of storage made possible by the 160GB hard disk inside) but bring it up to speed. iOS, Wi-Fi, touchscreen -- it could easily become the top of the line device in the lineup with just a few tweaks, while retaining what we hold most dear.
Of course, one way Apple could keep the storage capacity on the iPod classic but make it more durable than the traditional hard drive is to replace it with solid state storage drives, like those making their way into the Mac lineup -- or heck, offer both and let us choose whether or not to pay the premium for SSD.
Case of The iPhone 4 Imposter
Everyone loves the slim look of the iPod touch, but personally what we’d like to see is a new model that takes the exact same look and size of the iPhone 4, guts the cellular calling ability and leaves the rest. Sure, maybe that fragile glass shell isn’t for everyone, but hey, there’s already a wide variety of cool cases that will fit right onto such an offering, right?
We can imagine that an iPhone 4-looking iPod touch would also be a classy status symbol with kids whose parents refuse to buy them a cell phone -- and their friends will never know the difference unless they can get their hands on it.
The Bottomless iPod
We all know that Apple is bringing iCloud into our lives any day now, and with it comes access to our entire music collection from anywhere there’s an internet connection. Unfortunately, that still doesn’t solve the age-old problem of what to do when you’ve bought a smaller iPod, only to realize later that your music collection is simply too expansive for it all to fit.
We’ve all been there, mercilessly cutting down our music library to make it all fit. Third-party solutions to the problem exist, but they’re clunky and not entirely Cupertino-sanctioned. That’s why we think Apple should provide a generic dongle for the iPod (and other iOS devices too) with either a preset amount of additional storage, or better yet the ability to buy SD cards and swap it at any time.
Of course, the real ticket with a gadget like this is that it has to be small and unobtrusive, and it has to integrate right into the existing iPod/Music app somehow. Plug it in, open the music player and like magic, you see the dongle’s music library integrated side-by-side with the one synced from your iTunes library. And hey, make it iCloud-friendly so we can choose to download tracks right to the gizmo instead of using our internal storage and you’ll have a friend for life.
Anything else our dear MacLife.com readers are looking for from the next iPod? Fire off your own thoughts in the comments section!
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
(Some images courtesy of MacRumors and Engadget)
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