from cnn.com
Analyst: Apple's 60-gig iPod 'at risk'
Company may phase out 60-gig Video iPod, which retails for $399, in favor of a new model, analyst says.
March 21, 2006: 10:20 AM EST
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Apple may be phasing out its 60-gigabyte Video iPod, according to one analyst who tracks the company.
The company has told its distributors that the 60-gigabyte iPod, which launched in October and retails for $399, is "at risk" until the end of April, meaning that it could be discontinued or replaced, according to Shaw Wu, an analyst for American Technology Research, Apple launched its video iPods in October Apple launched its video iPods in October.
Wu does not own shares of Apple (down $0.94 to $63.05, Research), and his firm does not do banking business with the company.
In a note to clients, Wu said he believes the company is readying a wide-screen video iPod with Bluetooth headphones that could be ready as early as the June quarter. The analyst said his checks indicate that Apple is working on such a product.
Rumors of a wide-screen video iPod have swirled since earlier this year when the Apple rumor site Think Secret reported that Apple was working on a new video iPod.
The new device reportedly has a screen that covers the entire face of the iPod and a "virtual click wheel" that appears only when a user touches the screen. The design resembled a patent that Apple recently filed for a tablet computer.
Officials at Apple were not immediately available for comment.
this is the prototype that has been floating around. i just don't understand how the screen will be protected if the click wheel is built into it virtually. wouldn't it get scratched? personally, i think it's about time they buy my museo concept and use it for the interface. give me a call steve. i'm willing to negotiate.
2 comments:
The video ipod has been a hot rumor for quite some time, and apparently everybody is fixated on the most recent concept for it: a device with a screen taking up the whole device and a digital access wheel. I for one think this is unlikely. First of all, as design officer pointed out, it would get scratched very easily. Second, it removes any tactility from the device. As we saw in the move from 3rd gen ipods to 4th gen, apple added tactile use back into the click wheel, with buttons that once again actually click, providing much needed feedback. This digital clickwheel would have none of that, making it impossible to use without looking at (very annoying for use at night or while excercising).
Its certainly not out of the question, but it definitely seems like a step away from the usability that has made the iPod so popular, and that Apple has been so careful to improve with each update.
i think you touch on something important here, no pun intended. i have one of the first ipods, i think the third generation maybe. it has the non-clicking wheel and i didn't know that the others clicked until i encountered someone in an elevator clicking away on one. i can never tell whether i have a track paused, or if it just has a long intro unless i remove it from my belt clip and look at it.
i have always wondered why they don't address the sides, specifically the right side. it seems a bit more functional to have four separate buttons on the side in a convenient place.
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