AfterDawn: News

Apple expands iPod family

Apple has expanded its iPod family of products. A new iPod mini can now hold 6GB instead of the previous 4GB storage. The company also said that it's gold coloured version of the mini would be dropped. There has also been the addition of the 30GB version of the iPod photo. Previous iPod photo models could store 20GB. All new models also have extended battery life and costs have dropped by an average of £40. The iPod took an early and quick lead in the portable digital music player market.

25 million portable music players were sold in 2004, which includes 10 million iPods. The success has been mostly due to the iTunes music store which currently has about 70% of the digital music download market. Mike McGuire, a research director at analyst Gartner said Apple had done a good job in "sealing off the market from competition" so far. "They have created a very seamless package which I think is the idea of the product - the design, function and the software are very impressive," he said.



However, there is always the threat of competition. "Creative, other Microsoft-partnered devices, Real, Sony and so on, are racketing up the marketing message and advertising," McGuire said. "Creative was very upbeat about how many of its Creative Zen players it had shipped by the end of last year", he said.

Source:
BBC News

Written by: James Delahunty @ 23 Feb 2005 9:36

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• 21 comments

• djscoop

  more damn ipods...it just gets sadder and sadder

  23.2.2005 11:01 #1

• bzboarder

  i have the iPod mini (4GB)... it holds 1000 songs. i dont really see the need to have many more than that on an MP3 player. i have 10GB worth of MP3s on my computers (both ripped and downloaded via P2P) but putting all of those on an MP3 player would just be a hastle, not to mention be a waste of time. why would i need to listen to 2 days worth of music (assuming i dont sleep)?

  23.2.2005 12:03 #2

• MXGzX

  the mini is a ripoff - it's $50 less than a 20gb wtf that's a horrible storage to price ratio!
  
  bzboarder...it doesn't take long at all to put music on your ipod...just so you know I think you are a dumbass lol

  23.2.2005 13:01 #3

• bzboarder

  @ MxGzX, its all gravy, i didnt buy my iPod i won it in a raffle so im not gonna bitch about the ratio (but yeah, if i did buy it i would have gone for the regular one). i just think its retarded to have the new larger iPod (especially the 60GB one)... but to each their own my friend, to each their own.

  23.2.2005 13:35 #4

• punx777

  
  
  i admit ipod IS the best product apple has ever made... but thats not really saying alot is it ;) it is the most expensive and there are hd players that are cheaper and have better battary life..... STOP WASTING YOUR MONEY!

  23.2.2005 16:01 #5

• punx777

  

  23.2.2005 16:03 #6

• daemonzx6

  Haha, iPods are pretty bad, especially considering how overpriced they are.
  I just bought an iAUDIO M3 40GB. I needed the extra space because I have a lot of music, much of it in .flac format, which this player miraculously supports.
  I do agree that the sizes are getting out of hand. The company that makes these, Cowon, actually has stopped production due to lack of demand for the higher capacity, and now only sell 20GB models, one with an increased battery life of 35hrs(!). I bought the last 40GB on amazon.com, a review stated that the only "bad" thing was that it didn't support DRM files. However, I think this is a good thing, as it shows that companies don't have to support DRM to get a large following (which, apparently, Cowon seems to have). I also don't use and will never use the legal download services that use DRM.

  23.2.2005 16:09 #7

• punx777

  i have a rca lyra with a 20 gig hd, i usually use about 4-5 gigs on it, i like the feeling of knowing i will likely never run out of space.... to me 20 gigs is just right.... now, why in gods name would anyone want a 20-60 gig ipod PHOTO???? god, how many tens of thousands of photos could that hold.... i dont even see the point of an ipod photo, to me the screen is not big enough.
  
  anyway, i got some more anti-apple pics and such... first of all i would like you to watch this video.
  http://www.cootey.com/ellen/ellen_feiss.mov i can see how this makes pc users want to buy macs (what the fuck)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  SUPPORT THE CAUSE!!!!! http://www.mac-sucks.com

  23.2.2005 19:45 #8

• djscoop

  that was too funny. they could at least get a hot chick on there, maybe that would help boost sales

  23.2.2005 20:58 #9

• newlaw

  So far Ipod are good portable items to have but it is still ilegal to copy your cds to it. if you copy a cd you break copy right laws which you can be done for. my question to the world of back up systems is this
  If a portable divice is sold to the public it then gives people the opportunity to break copy right laws
  this being so why do the DTI in the uk allow such a divice to be sold on the open market? sold as a mp3 player which are copyed music its not illegal to own one but because of the eu laws it is illegal to copy to it It seem we are all being dupt by the big boys if all people got together the music industry would have to change their way of thinking about how music is sold etc one man stands alone ten men can make a difference and so on do we all have videos do we all have tape to tape disc record systems why is there not a warning to the public that it is illegal to copy tape to tape disc to disc and now to a I pod this is just one more thing that allows people to break copy right not a new idea as recording of discs tapes cds have been on the market for years the copy right laws are to old for a modern world and need to be changed also the public should have more protection and warnings should be inplace to copy music is illegal and . gov should make sure that every house person in there country are well informed or change the copy right laws

  25.2.2005 05:04 #10

• djscoop

  @ newlaw:
  
  "it is still ilegal to copy your cds to it. if you copy a cd you break copy right laws which you can be done for"
  
  WTF? What are you talking about? I don't know what laws you read, but it is perfectly legal to rip the CDs you OWN to portable player devices, or to your home PC to listen to. You are 100% entitled to make backup copies of your CDs and DVDs. Distributing them is against the law. If it was illegal to rip your own CDs, there wouldn't be a marked at all for portable devices...cause no one likes buying music online for 99 cents each with DRM protection. Get your facts straight.

  25.2.2005 12:17 #11

• newlaw

  what is a copy? and if you own the cd then rip it or copy it onto your pc is this not against the copy right even if it is for your own use if you can give me a web site name which says it is ok to copy a cd video or dvd for your own use I would really like to read more
  A pc program has a licence to tick should cds "music" not have the same if you are going to rip and copy should you not be protected to say I have a licence from which I have sighned for own use. this would give more protection to the public what if your cd collection was stolen etc do you then have to delete all your mp3s on a ipod because you have no proof that you owned the origanl as its in a mp3 format in other words copied. please send the link so people can read and understand the law and be able to rest knowing that it is legal to copy cds tape videos dvds etc for own use as I have not been able to find one. Thanks

  26.2.2005 17:23 #12

• newlaw

  regarding this posting
  "it is still ilegal to copy your cds to it. if you copy a cd you break copy right laws you can be done for" this was a typing error when i put "it is" I put it is the wrong way round it should of said is it illegal to copy your cds if you copy a cd do you not break copy right laws you can be done for? also regarding this was also a typing error
  it is illegal to copy to it. It should of read is it illegal to copy to it as I am trying to find out what the law is for copying discs videos cds dvds any link would be help full

  26.2.2005 18:46 #13

• djscoop

  this news article is a few years old, it is still current:
  
  http://news.com.com/2100-1023-801582.html?legacy=cnet
  
  "A 1992 law allows music listeners to make some personal digital copies of their music. In return, recording companies collect royalties on the blank media used for this purpose. For every digital audio tape (DAT), blank audio CD, or minidisc sold, a few cents go to record labels."
  
  that 1992 law, which still stands today, is the AHRA (Audio Home Recording Act). Meaning users are allowed to backup their CDs for personal use only. There has been much debate recently because these new anti-ripping devices are being enbedded in CDs now, which violates this law of users being able to backup their personal CDs.

  26.2.2005 18:51 #14

• djscoop

  IDK about video CDs, but you are also fully entitled to backup your own DVDs as well.

  26.2.2005 18:53 #15

• newlaw

  THANKS FOR THE LINK!
  I think what I am trying to ask is does the public not have a law to protect its self against legal jargen of copy right companys. we are the people the companys are fighting but yet we are the ones buying there products we need protection now!

  27.2.2005 04:57 #16

• djscoop

  as long as the CDs and DVDs you copy are for personal backup use only, you are protected against the legal jargen. its when they find a bunch of downloaded movie and music files on your computer, along with p2p programs when they start getting pissy and sue-happy. But you are 100% entitled and able to do full digital backups of your music.

  27.2.2005 17:04 #17

• newlaw

  Does this law apply in the uk?

  28.2.2005 06:42 #18

• djscoop

  not sure. I think the UK has different laws than the US, but I'm pretty sure they have a similar law allowing personal backups to be made.

  28.2.2005 08:41 #19

• newlaw

  I will try to find out then post my findings here

  1.3.2005 11:40 #20

• newlaw

  what the papers have said this week in the uk download sites are now finding people that have down-loaded music dvd s etc and they are being sent to court for breaking the copy write law some of the people are only children and some parents have settled as they dont want there children to appear in court . What do children know about the law? what protection do they have? what protection do the parents have seems NONE! even children are subject to this what does a 10 year old know about the law what rights have they got some parents dont even know how to use a pc never mind that there may be someone ETC like a child breaking copy right where are the warnings.
  

  dawn mitchell

  7.3.2005 08:08 #21