Sandy McMurray is a long-time technology journalist whose work has appeared in Time, the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Sun, Report on Business, Profit, and other sources. Between 1995 - 2002, Sandy wrote a weekly column about technology for the Toronto Sun, and served as Technology Editor for five Sun Media newspapers. He has been publishing on the Web since 1996. Contact:readme@mac.com
Apple said that net sales of iPods rose $3.2 billion, or 248 percent, during 2005 compared to 2004. The company said it sold 22.5 million iPods in fiscal 2005, an increase of 409 percent from the 4.4 million iPod sold in 2004. Apple has now shipped more than 30 million iPods since the device’s introduction four years ago.
Remember the Neistat Brothers? I'm sure Apple does. The battery problem that affected a relatively small number of iPod owners became a PR nightmare for the company thanks to an attention-grabbing short film.
The company was less sympathetic to accusations that the iPod nano screen scratches too easily. Apple said the fourth-generation iPod screen uses the same material -- buy a protective case or be more careful. Ouch.
Visitors to Matthew Peterson's flawedmusicplayer.com (formerly ipodnanoflaw.com) will find that he seems to be happy with Apple's response.
"The iPod nano is small. You just won't believe how precisely, minutely, mind-bogglingly small it is. I mean, you may think the iPod mini was small, but that's just peanuts compared to the nano. Listen..." And so on.
(with apologies to the late Douglas Adams)
Small has value. The amazing success of the iPod mini showed that people are willing to pay for portability and style. The iPod nano has both of those, in spades.
But small costs money. The full-size 20 GB iPod, which costs just $50 more than the iPod nano, has five times the storage capacity. And it can connect to a TV to display photos -- something the nano can't do.
iPod nano Pros:
- tiny size and weight
- color screen for photos and album art
- new features (clocks, stopwatch, screen lock)
- compatible with 30-pin dock connector (and related accessories)
- holds the line on price at $199 and $249
iPod nano Cons:
- less storage space than iPod mini
(2 GB / 4 GB nano vs. 4 GB / 6 GB mini)
- no video out for photo display on TV
- um, maybe impossibly small = easy to lose?
If you want an iPod that does double duty as a hard drive, or you want all the photo features, move on up to the 20 GB or 60 iPod.
Otherwise -- in the words of pretty much every review I've seen so far -- the iPod nano looks like a slam-dunk.
The first iPods from a company other than Apple will ship on September 15. You can order one now from hp.com/music.
Eschewing the name Hpod, the new iPod players from HP are called Apple iPod from HP. For marketing purposes, HP will use the logo above.
Also announced today: HP will put its mark on the iPod -- literally -- with an invention called HP Printable Tattoos. These will be protective wrappers stamped with album art. You will be able to print your own photos or art on a Printable Tattoo -- using an HP printer, of course.
The Apple iPod from HP will be the current iPod (fourth-generation) in two versions: 20 GB storage for $299, and 40 GB storage for $399.
Apple introduced three all-new, redesigned Cinema Displays today at WWDC. Each display features built-in USB and FireWire ports in a new anodized aluminum enclosure that matches the G5 and PowerBook finish.
Apple has retired its proprietary ADC connectors in all three models, switching to the industry standard DVI connector. The 20-inch and 23-inch models, which are PC-compatible, will sell for $1,299 and $1,999 respectively.
The new 30-inch Cinema Display is a monster. It requires the two DVI video ports provided by a brand new customized NVIDIA video card . It also requires a second mortgage; the 30-inch model will sell for $3,299 (plus $599 for the video card).
One of the reasons I look forward to Macworld each year is the amazing collection of gadgets that turn up here. Since Apple tends to create or adopt technology before it's in Windows, many Mac users are early adopters.
As a result, Macworld is probably second only to CeBIT or CES in terms of the sheer volume of technolust-inspiring gear. If you give extra points for gear that's actually shipping (i.e. stuff that's in the hands of the people on the show floor rather than the people in the booths), Macworld might even place first.
Apple's most-anticipated product of 2004 may not exist. Although rumors have been swirling about an entry-level iPod, which might sell for as little as $99, skeptics have remained, well, skeptical. We won't know for sure until Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes the stage today at Macworld.
The problem is storage. Unlike less expensive MP3 players, which use flash memory for storage, Apple's iPod uses a tiny hard drive to hold up to 10,000 songs. To make a tiny, inexpensive iPod, Apple needs a tiny, inexpensive hard drive.
The first iPods from a company other than Apple will ship on September 15. You can order one now from 
Apple introduced three all-new, redesigned 
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