AfterDawn: News

16GB flash iPod video coming?

Sources in Taiwan's semiconductor business have said that Apple is almost done preparing a flash-based video iPod, one that could be ready for shipment in September.

The new model will have 16GB of flash memory and may be a replacement for the current flash-based iPod Nano. The sources believe the introduction of the players would take place at the Apple Expo event in September.



This news could be problematic due to the recent Samsung power outage that literally disrupted the worldwide production of flash memory.

Samsung, which has since resumed output, said there would be no problems for customers. "We have assured our key flash chip clients that there would be no supply problem," said Samsung's semiconductor head Hwang Chang-gyu.

Source:
Electronista

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 5 Aug 2007 19:58

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• 15 comments

• ottesen07

  what's the diff between flash memory and hard drive memory?

  6.8.2007 11:17 #1

• narmo

  Originally posted by ottesen07: what's the diff between flash memory and hard drive memory?
  flash memory is lighter and doesn't have any moving parts so if it falls it is less likely to break
  a hard drive is heavier and makes the product bigger with moving parts more likely to break
  and flash memory is better expecially if u run or move a lot while u listen to music since it doesn't have any moving parts

  6.8.2007 11:21 #2

• 21Q

  Should I buy this or the new psp?

  6.8.2007 11:31 #3

• Gradical

  thats not the only advantage
  
  a hd drains all your battery away every time its working
  
  flash memory gives you way more battery, if you dont believe it ask it to anyone having a moded psp what takes longer to drain the battery playing a game from the umd or from their memorystick?

  6.8.2007 12:21 #4

• 26r0cK

  new PSP for me :P i love the whole multimedia and now its gonna be slimmer with longer batter life. IMO XD

  6.8.2007 12:39 #5

• vinny13

  Originally posted by 21Q: Should I buy this or the new psp?Well that's an odd question... the PSP is a handheld gaming system and the Ipod is an MP4 player, with maybe pac-man.
  
  8GB on a PSP anyways is $300.00.

  6.8.2007 13:57 #6

• ottesen07

  Originally posted by Gradical: thats not the only advantage
  
  a hd drains all your battery away every time its working
  
  flash memory gives you way more battery, if you dont believe it ask it to anyone having a moded psp what takes longer to drain the battery playing a game from the umd or from their memorystick?i have a modded psp actually, and i do run ISO's

  6.8.2007 14:31 #7

• mgoat

  I would imagine there is a cost advantage to Apple, as prior posts have highlighted flash is solid state,no moving parts, so the unit cost during manufacture may be cheaper for Apple. In addition there may be a cost saving to Apple across the product lifetime, as flash memory is more reliable (my USB key has been through the washing machine twice now) Apple could be foreseeing a reduction in warranty claims (not that they handled them particularly well anyway). We will see if savings are passed to consumers or pocketed by Apple.

  6.8.2007 15:43 #8

• vinny13

  Oh... I just realized... My iPod Video is 27.somethin'GBs, and that's probably 15.6GBs. If I am already needing more space(3-6gbs left, thanks to The Godfather trio), that new iPod is useless to me.

  6.8.2007 16:26 #9

• Pride1

  Hmmm i didn't know these facts about flash memory, again apple is being the innovator, i may buy one of these just for the battery life ^_^

  6.8.2007 21:35 #10

• SProdigy

  I would rather have a flash based iPod that the hdd based one I have now, just because of the moving parts, battery life, etc. Call me biased, but I've had Rios, Creatives, etc. in the past and there's no way I would take one of their 16gb models over ANY iPod. (Well, maybe the shuffle :-) )

  7.8.2007 07:37 #11

• emugamer

  Quote:Originally posted by Gradical: thats not the only advantage
  
  a hd drains all your battery away every time its working
  
  flash memory gives you way more battery, if you dont believe it ask it to anyone having a moded psp what takes longer to drain the battery playing a game from the umd or from their memorystick?i have a modded psp actually, and i do run ISO'sBe careful...."they" are watching....:-P

  7.8.2007 08:11 #12

• DVDdoug

  Originally posted by mgoat: I would imagine there is a cost advantage to Apple, as prior posts have highlighted flash is solid state,no moving parts, so the unit cost during manufacture may be cheaper for Apple. In addition there may be a cost saving to Apple across the product lifetime, as flash memory is more reliable (my USB key has been through the washing machine twice now) Apple could be foreseeing a reduction in warranty claims (not that they handled them particularly well anyway). We will see if savings are passed to consumers or pocketed by Apple.Actually, the per-gigabyte cost is higher for flash. This is why mechanical hard drives are used on computers as well as on high-capacity iPods. (The smallest-cheapest flash chips are cheaper than than the smallest-capacity hard drives, but they also hold much less data.)

  7.8.2007 13:45 #13

• lxfactor

  flash doesnt skip when shaking.
  
  HD does skip if u shake the piece.

  8.8.2007 23:04 #14

• borhan9

  I was thinking of getting my lil sis a multimedia player and this may just be the ticket.

  13.8.2007 13:47 #15