Apple music event 1 sept - quick thoughts

Just watched the jobs-note, and here are some quick off-the-cuff thoughts regarding the new product announcements.

Once the reality distortion field disappears and the Apple hype fades off, proper judgment sets in and I must say that the event was nothing fantastic or revolutionary. All the announcements were evolutionary updates to already very good products. And Apple's appetite for smaller thinner iPods continue to drastic levels - it's the whole form over function thing.

Image from Apple

iPod shuffle:
The new 4th gen shuffle looks almost exactly like the 2nd gen, except that it is now smaller. Clearly the button-less design of the 3rd gen wasn't well-received. The new shuffle also gains the voiceover technology from the 3rd gen, plus genius mixes.

The nice thing to note though is how unbelievably cheap the shuffle is - S$78 for 2GB. Nice, but uh - nothing to get wild over.

Image from Apple

iPod nano:
This is perhaps the most interesting release. Apple has repositioned this product slightly, making it solely a music player. The video capabilities and video camera have been removed - Apple has moved it up to the iPod touch (more on that later.) Firstly, the click wheel has disappeared, making way for a 240px 1.5-inch square multi-touch screen with a UI similar to iOS. Because it is so crazily minute now, it also gains a clip like the shuffle. Gone also are notes, calendar, contacts and games that were present in other generations.

Some people will make noise that video function is gone, but I think it isn't that big a loss anyway. Who really did enjoy watching video on the small screen of the previous nanos? Apple is clearly pushing consumers who want video over to the iPod touch, and the nano now just does what it does best - music. The loss of calendaring, notes and contacts is also no biggie - we all have our phones to handle that. To replace the loss functionality, Apple has included an FM radio with live pause, a pedometer, Nike+ and a whopping 24 hour battery life. Pricing is also very attractive, but the storage still caps at 16GB.

Image from Apple

iPod touch:
Uh, nothing much to say here as well. Basically, the iPod touch gains most of the new features of the iPhone 4 to keep it up-to-date. Yes retina display, FaceTime, HD video recording, A4 processor, 3 axis gyro.. yada yada, all the good stuff the iPhone 4 has basically. The concept of the iPod touch remains the same - it is still an iPhone without the phone. And Apple is also marketing its gaming prowess by adding Game Centre, a social gaming network. All in all, the best iPod touch so far.

But I'm sad!!! Because of the addition of TWO cameras, I can't bring it to camp! Bad news for all army people. But I'm happy with my current iPod touch, it's good enough.

iTunes 10 sidepane - Apple likes it grey.

iTunes 10:
Ahh this is where I have to bitch a little. I don't like the new UI changes to iTunes! As usual, to visually separate version 10 from other versions, Apple gave the UI a spit shine. Firstly, there's a new blue-ish iTunes icon (do we really need a new icon apple?) which still looks fine. But launch iTunes and EEKS! Why is everything so dull, muted and grey now! The coloured icons on the left navigation pane have been replaced with greyscale versions, the volume slider has changed again, and on the mac the three window buttons (expand, min and maximise) has been weirdly placed into a vertical column. I just don't get it... it's so clear these changes are done just because it's a new version.

Apart from the UI nonsense, iTunes 10 adds a new social network platform called ping. I see this as playing catch-up to the zune social. I don't care too much about it frankly. Overall, iTunes still remains largely as it is - don't let the new icon fool you it's still the same old program.

To sum it all up, still the same one word - evolutionary. But I don't think that's bad, it just means the iPod line-up is near perfect. (Apple, why don't you focus on the Apple TV and make it something more than "another hobby"?)

iPod touch 2G has bluetooth chip

According to iFixit, they disassembled a new iPod touch 2G and found out it has a Broadcom BCM4325 bluetooth chipset! It supports bluetooth 2.1 + EDR!

Now apple didn't say anything about that! This shocking discovery raises the immediate possibility that bluetooth could feature in the 2.2 software update, but no confirmation from Apple on that. If this is true, bluetooth headphones could be paired up with the iPod touch.

However, I think this is rather unlikely. To me, it is more a case of inheriting the iPhone 3G's hardware, since both devices technically run on the same electrical parts and circuitry. Thus bluetooth is there, but Apple doesn't plan to 'activiate' it as the iPhone would then lose its bluetooth advantage over the touch.

Update:
As of June 2009, bluetooth has been unlocked on 2G iPod touch with iPod software update 3.0!
(Not applicable for 1G owners)

Sept iPod event - roundup and first thoughts

Just caught the hour-long webcast of this event from the Apple website, and I'll be sharing some of my initial thoughts. Firstly, I would like to say that everything that was rumoured and what I had anticipated came true, including the accelerometer for the nano which I kinda guessed (more on that later).

The keynote was held at San Francisco, and while not as big as Macworld keynotes, it was nonetheless a reasonably major event. Steve came on stage to a rousing applause from the audience, and the first issue he addressed immediately was his health. “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," said the vegan dressed in his usual black turtle neck top and jeans. Now this is a huge sigh of relief to investors, worried that his supposedly deteriorating health would affect Apple. But anyhow, we're glad to hear that... he looked his usual self.

Then he announced some statistics, the usual stuff that makes people go WOW. There are now 3000 iPhone and iPod touch apps, and iTunes Store is the top music distributor in any format in the US, beating Walmart. Impressive.

Now for the product announcements.

iTunes 8
Jobs started with iTunes 8, the next version of the popular music jukebox software for Mac and PC. He introduced HD TV shows which can be purchased online for USD 2.99, and showed some samples. Great quality, but not exciting to me.

iTunes 8 also has a new way of browsing music, where album artwork are displayed in a grid format so you can see all your albums at one go.


Then comes some really lame stuff IMO: the Genius playlist. What Genius does is to "automatically make playlists from songs in your library which go great together". In other words, this is smart shuffle. It takes random songs of a similar type and genre and pulls them together. Sounds really cool, good way to discover your library, but this is a superficial feature which doesn't impress me too much.


There is also a Genius sidebar, which will fetch recommendations of songs from the iTunes store which goes well with the playlist, and allow you to purchase them. Sadly, this is a not available in Singapore.


And that's about it for iTunes 8. I was expecting something more innovative. -.-

What I think:
iTunes 8 is clearly an evolutionary upgrade, and while some changes are nice, such as the new browsing views, the other features are purely lame and unconvincing, as if they had to force some new feature into iTunes since it's the new version. Genius playlist comes across as being good-to-have, nice to tinker around, but trivial and nonessential. However, the way Apple is marketing this... I think it's overrated. I don't know, you may feel differently, but iTunes 8 is not an impressive update at all.

iPod
With the software side out of the way, Jobs now focuses on the hardware, and this is where things get interesting. As usual, some statistics to brag about how dominant Apple is: iPod has a whopping 73.4% US market share as of July, and more than 160 million iPods have been sold to date. (Interesting fact: Microsoft's Zune player has only 2.6% market share.)

Great job Apple, but I share the same sentiments with Paul Thurrott, that the iPod is now at the point of maturity and changes are getting incremental. The long-term challenge is how to sustain that dominance (and perhaps stub out the up and rising Zune).  

iPod classic
This is the most BORING change to the iPod line. The thicker 160GB classic has been phased out, and the only model Apple will offer is a 120GB version at USD 249. No change whatsoever to everything else. Same software, design etc. This is obviously a non-event.

iPod nano

Image from Apple

Images of this 4th generation nano leaked out before the event, and they turned out to be dead accurate. Like I tell my friends, this new nano is reminiscent of a popular China fake of the 2nd gen nano! Haha... but whatever, it's so much nicer than the 'fat' 3rd gen nano. Clearly that form factor didn't work out for Apple. When you place all 4 generations of nanos side by side, the 'fat' one totally looks out of place, like it was never meant to be. But that's the past.

The new curved nano, the thinnest iPod ever made, is constructed out of aluminium, and even has curved glass. From an aesthetics standpoint, the curve body is beautiful. From a functionality standpoint, maybe less so. The curved glass could be reflective and cause viewing problems. I haven't had my hands on this thing, so that's just my guess.

The nano also sports an accelerometer, same as the iPhone/iPod touch, adding more functionality to it. When turned on its side, the nano will transit into Cover Flow mode. Photos will also rotate accordingly... neat. Also, when you shake the device, it will change track! But the larger picture is that now fun games on the touch which utilise the accelerometer will slowly make its debut on the nano too. There are also some UI tweaks, one obvious one being how the album art fills the screen like the touch.

The mediocre Genius thingy is also available on the nano, where you can create a Genius playlist right on the device itself, and refresh the playlist for new songs too. The pixel dense 2 inch screen is gorgeous, and the long height allows for nice long menus. Battery life is good, at 1 day for music and 4 hours for video. (Do take these numbers with a pinch of salt, it's normally less.)

The nano is available in 9 wonderfully vibrant colours, and retails for USD 149 for 8GB and USD 199 for 16GB.

What I think:
Apple's got a winner here with the nano. It looks slender and compact, while being durable, and also comes across as funky and hip. Youths would want this player. It has a good form factor and the curved body fits snugly in the hands. But best of all, it's environmentally friendly!

iPod touch

Image from Apple

The nano was the climax of the event. After that everything was back to dull and lackluster. There was a new iPod touch, but there's nothing to shout about it. It is much thinner (what's with Apple's obsession for thinness?), and takes on a curved back similar to the iPhone 3G, but still with that awful scratch-able metallic back.

What's really nice is the volume controls and inbuilt speaker, similar to the iPhone, which I feel should have been there since first gen. Jobs reminds us that the speaker is just for "casual listening", but apparently Engadget reports that it's not all that crappy. It would be very useful for playing games, since people do not normally connect the headphones.

Battery life for this device is at 36 hours for music and 6 hours for video (assuming Wi-Fi turned off I suspect).  There are also price cuts, though capacities have remained unchanged.  8GB is going for USD 229, 16GB for 299 and 32GB for 399.  Very attractive prices indeed...

Lastly, software version 2.1 will run on the new touches. Jobs claims that a ton of bugs have been fixed in this release, backup time reduced, performance improved, and there's a slightly updated UI, which again features the Genius playlists functionality. 2.1 will also be available to iPhone owners, which fixes call dropping and battery life issues. For iPod touch users running 1.x versions, the upgrade to 2.1 will cost USD 9.95, while existing 2.0.x owners can install 2.1 free.

What I think:
iPod touch 2G is clearly evolutionary.  It essentially remains unchanged from the first gen, since software can be updated to 2.1.  Perhaps the only reason why someone using the first gen touch would upgrade is for the volume controls and speakers! At least, I would.  But of course I wouldn't... it wouldn't be worth the money.  For the speakers, I already have purchased an external portable speaker that attaches to the iPod via the iPod connector, and for volume controls, you can get the new Apple headphones fitted with volume controls.  Problems solved!

So looking at all the announcements as a whole, I'm rather disappointed.  It all seems very mediocre (except for the nano) and conservative.  But then again, when you are the market leader, and when your products are mature enough, the notion of a total change in the product line is hard to entertain.  

Is Apple prepared for the big holiday season? Not really. But will sales be affected? Not really too, simply because they are Apple and the whole world knows iPods.  

Doubled capacities for nanos and price cuts for touch

Engadget reports some last minute iPod rumours just before the "Let's Rock" Apple media event.

The iPod nano's capacities is set to be upgraded from 4 and 8GB models to 8 and 16GB respectively, while having 9 colour choices, up from the existing 6. However, the iPod touch will not be having any capacity increases, remaining at 8, 16 and 32GB models. Instead, the good news is that prices are expected to fall heavily.

We'll see if that's true very soon, but most likely it will be.

FYI, the Apple online store is currently down, perhaps in preparation for the new products :)

New iPods this Sept confirmed

Let's rock!


It's confirmed! There will be an Apple event on 9th September where Jobs will introduce new iPods! He will introduce a taller, rounded nano and a new touch, consistent with the iPhone 3G's design and featuring volume controls at the side (finally). With these new hardware, there should also be an update to iTunes, version 8.0. You know what? I really hope that Apple will drop those scratch-able shiny metallic backs of the iPods and opt for a more durable material.

Also in the pipeline are new MacBooks, but I speculate that will come later at the end of the year instead of 9th sept. These new MacBooks are rumoured to be aluminium, and feature a better GPU and new chips with faster clock speeds. So if you're thinking of getting new iPods/MacBook, hold on for a while!

The must-get free App Store game: Cube Runner!

I'm not the sort of person who would actually recommend playing a game, but for perhaps once in my life, this game is worth checking out. It's called Cube Runner, a free download from the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch version 2.0. Simple, fun, challenging and has much replay value!

The video below shows you what the game is all about:



As you can see, the App Store has transformed the iPod touch into more than just a multimedia player. Increasingly, it is becoming a viable gaming platform too, with it's unique combination of accelerometer and touch-screen interface.

More iPod touch 2.0 screenshots

1) The lyrics function: (To add lyrics in iTunes, right click on track, select 'Get Info' and edit 'Lyrics')


2) Google maps, which is way cool! You can view it in 'satellite' mode as shown, or 'map' mode, and using Wi-Fi triangulation technologies, maps is smart enough to detect my location (my house in Hougang) as pictured below. However, one disadvantage (more so on the iPhone 3G with GPS) is the lack of turn-by-turn navigation.


3) Scientific calculator (when iPod is turned to landscape mode):


4) Tap Tap Revenge is THE best free game app available as of now on the app store. A simple music tapping game, very well executed with wonderful graphics, supports awesome double player mode, has a vast range of difficulty levels and allows you to download additional tracks. However, it's a bit buggy at times... but still fantastic play! (No. 9 top free app on the app store now)


Will continue to post more Software 2.0 reviews in the coming days!

iPod touch is the ultimate iTunes remote control

Today I tested out the remote control third-party application which allows my iPod touch (or iPhone) to remotely control my computer's iTunes library via Wi-Fi. With that, I can play, pause, fast forward and rewind tracks from anywhere around my house.

Here's a video of how it looks like:



However, do note that in order for the pairing to be successful, you need to disable your firewall (for both Mac and PC). Once paired, the performance is rather snappy and is very full-featured, assuming a reasonably fast connection speed. You can even play video files remotely, browse playlists and search for content on your computer.

As a free download from the App Store, this is highly recommended, and you can trust that it's stable as it's written by Apple.

Software update 2.0: The feeling of a new iPod touch

I'm so excited about the iPhone/iPod touch software update 2.0 that I don't quite know where to begin. Ok, I created an iTunes account today (yes it's now in Singapore exclusively for iPod touch/iPhone owners), paid 10 bucks and downloaded the 2.0.2 update for my 16GB iPod touch, previously running 1.1.5.

After a long-drawn and somewhat frightening update process which lasted about an hour, I finally have third-party apps! The initial feeling is beyond description... it's like having a completely new iPod! The improvements are SO significant from 1.1.5 and I think every iPod touch user MUST buy this update.

I'll be playing around with this "new" device and will post more stuff in the coming days. But for now, here's what impressed me:

The first thing was the third party apps. I was surprised at how easy it is to install and run them. They really add functionality to your iPod, and lots of fun too. I recommend trying out "Tap Tap", a free music game, and the Remote Control application which can control your iTunes library. Second, the ability to capture screenshots (.PNG) to transfer to your computer. Third, lyrics on the iPod. This may sound trivial, but it means a lot to me since I've been using it on my old iPod nano. Fourth, the apps from the January software update, which includes mail, notes, stocks, maps, weather. This also includes the customisable home screen and web clip.

All in all, this is a very affordable upgrade, and gives your otherwise bland iPod home screen a fresh new look. A word of caution though, the update process is quite time consuming, albeit automated. The restoring of music and videos took the longest time for me. I also noticed that with new applications, the iPod seems slightly more laggy. Well, after I get over the reality distortion field, I'll review this update proper :)

罗志祥 iPod Ad

I did a spoof of one of 罗志祥's song, titled 一支独秀, and turned it into a short Apple iPod advertisement... using GarageBand, iMovie and my voice! Check it out...

Download the movie file here: 

http://www.mediafire.com/?0jzxydumadw

Red iPod touch wallpapers

I have created two red wallpapers exclusively for my iPod touch and I've decided to share it with all those who also own a touch. So here it is for anyone to download, in 480 by 320 size and 300dpi: (click for full res)



Kept the design simple and clean. Transfer this image into your photos and sync it up in iTunes, then set this as wallpaper under the 'settings' option found in the home screen. Enjoy!

iPod number 5

My family is indeed a family of iPods. And guess what, believe this or not, we just got another iPod touch today! Oh yes, the SECOND iPod touch, but this time it's for my sister as a replacement for the aging nano 1G (which has some button issues).

It's an 8GB touch purchased at the Parkway Apple store. There was a 10% discount, and she got a pink silicon cover as well. It was a tough decision for her because on one hand, I was advocating the new nano simply because from a pure music player standpoint, the nano is clearly superior to the touch, but on the other hand, the quiet little voice within her said that having the internet and YouTube with her on the go was too attractive and appealing.

So now she uses the touch as her sole listening device, and there's an unused nano 1G which I've decided to retire and preserve as an antique item.

Here's some photos from the unboxing ceremony...

More iPod touch photos...

Over the weeks, I've come to love the touch quite a lot. Very contented with my purchase, no major regrets as of now. I've updated software to version 1.1.2, which supports multi-language keyboard and the ability to key in events into the calendar (finally man). Nope, this baby has not been jailbroken yet, and will never be, because it's not worth the risk to violate the warranty.

So here's more iPod porn for you...

An iPod touch review

People say that Apple is a drug, once you’ve tasted it, you’ll want more and more. I can’t help but agree that there’s a certain amount of truth to this statement, because I find myself keep wanting the latest products from Apple, especially iPods. What the heck, so I bought an iPod touch 16GB as my main iPod replacement a few days ago from the Orchard “flagship” Apple store. (8GB version is retailing for S$498, the larger 16GB version is going for S$698.) FYI, 6 months before this, I got a 1GB shuffle.

iPod madness
I hope that I’m not iPod mad, but for the record, I have 4 iPods around the house as of now. A 1st generation iPod nano 1GB (which used to be my main iPod), a 1st and 2nd generation iPod shuffle (both 1GB too), and today, the multi-touch 16GB device.


I donated the nano to my sister, the 1st generation shuffle to my mom, leaving me with 2 iPods.

I find it interesting that I’ve never purchased a hard drive based iPod before, and three of the four iPods are all 1GB of storage, which of course doesn’t hold my fast exploding music library. Thus the touch is the first iPod that, alas, holds my entire library (music, podcasts, videos), contacts and photos in a single location. Sweet. And not to mention that it doubles up as a sort of “mini” PDA. The internet feature is absolutely useful, allowing me to connect to most wireless networks, such as wireless@sg, so that I have internet access almost wherever I go. Furthermore, the multi-touch (pinching, tapping and flicking) is truly revolutionary and a joy to use. It makes navigating around easy-peasy!

It ain’t perfect...
BUT… the touch is not without drawbacks. Firstly, it can’t be used as a mass storage device where you can backup your data files. This is puzzling because most other iPods (like the shuffle) can be enabled for disk use. So don’t purchase this if you’re using this as a “thumbdrive”.

Secondly, the touch cannot display lyrics for music tracks, something which all other iPods with screens can do. I rely on this feature a lot for viewing podcast show notes, so it was infuriating initially, but the multi-touch more than makes up for it.

Thirdly, the metallic back is a fingerprint magnet, as with all other iPods except the shuffle. This was expected. Thankfully, a cleaning cloth was provided, but there was no carrying case. Argh. (The black squarish thingy at the top left is the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi antenna.)


Fourthly, the iTunes Wi-Fi store is an unusable feature since it's not available in Singapore, so you can’t buy tunes from the touch. Lastly, I would really appreciate a song search feature, because scrolling through 700+ songs in search of one can be a painful task at times.

Third-party apps will save the day
However, despite these small quirks here and there, the experience was nevertheless pleasant, even impressive. Setting it up was straightforward (assuming you have the latest version of iTunes and OS X 10.4.10/XP SP2/Vista), but the first sync was painfully long for a big library like mine. When unwrapped, you'll notice it's extremely delicate and fragile, so I would advice getting a carrying case/screen protector/iWrap.

One more thing, I guess the real benefits of the touch will only be evident when third-party apps are available on the touch/iPhone from the iTunes store late next year. For now the functionality may seem limited, and it is somewhat, but the third-party native applications will save the day eventually and justify the cost you paid, I believe. I hope to see a native instant-messaging app, a mail app, a word/spreadsheets apps, some games… and much more.

Busting myths
Contrary to the popular complain that the on-screen keyboard is difficult to type, my answer is that it isn’t, and with a bit of getting used to, practice and trusting the dictionary function, you can actually type acceptably accurately.

Also, the touch uses the standard headphone jack for earphones, unlike the iPhone which uses an unfriendly jack.

Summing it up
I'm very happy with my purchase and have no immediate regrets. In fact, I've never had any problems with iPods before, they are reliable and rock-solid players.

Get the iPod touch if…
- the iPhone is not supported in your country
- you hate AT&T but love the iPhone and will not jailbreak
- you need to be connected online on the go (to check webmail etc.) Oh there’s no built-in Mail app like in the iPhone and bluetooth is excluded too, what a pity!
- you need a player for videos/photos
- you want to enjoy multi-touch
- you want a superior multimedia player that “just works”

Don’t get the iPod touch if…
- you want a player to accompany you during jogging/exercise
- you want a player that’s value for money
- you want to use it as an external HDD
- you drop things easily
- you can’t live without lyrics
- you hate iTunes

And I’ll end off with more photos! (Click to enlarge)

What's in the box...

Gorgeous Cover Flow view when iPod is tilted horizontal...

It's safari!! The full, desktop-like web browsing experience that displays webpages just as it is on a computer!

Pre-installed calculator application with super huge buttons...

Monopoly is not a game

Random thought: Google, Microsoft and Apple are all monopolies in their own rights.

Google, the fast-becoming monopoly of the internet. They dominate over internet searches, ads, gmail, gears (online apps), and soon over desktop search too, now that Microsoft has caved in to Google's harsh request to make Vista's Instant Search accept third party search software. With Vista now, if you install Google Desktop Search, this will run together with Instant Search, meaning decreased system performance as two indexers are running simultaneously.

Microsoft - need I say more? The market share of Windows says it all. Complete monopoly. That's why the EU is always after them, and they are almost always entangled with anti-trust lawsuits.

Apple, the lethal combination of iTunes and iPod has locked away any other form of competition in the music player market. If not for iTunes on Windows, the iPod wouldn't have made it big. In the music player market now (US), iPod ranks first, then the Zune, then all other music players by other companies.

Monopoly, its more than a game. It's being infused into our everyday culture.