Results tagged “iPod” from AppleHound

Documented iTunes 7.7 changes include the ability to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home -- a free download from the App Store.

Now all we need is the iPhone and iPod touch 2.0 firmware!

I have watched the Apple March 6 Event several times now. The first time through it all seemed too good to be true. I mean really -- did Phil Schiller, Apple SVP of World Wide Product Marketing just present that long list of enterprise features? Was Scott Forstall, Apple VP of iPhone Software showing us how quick and easy it is to create great applications for the iPhone using an SDK? Did they just show screenshots of an App Store that allows users to wirelessly load applications? Wow.

Lets explore the announcements in a little more detail...

Have you noticed how Apple news has been increasingly negative in the past month? I try to keep my articles upbeat, but it has been hard to find many positive things to talk about.

Apple continues to reach new highs and some are just now coming to the realization that Apple is a big corporation with the goal of making a profit. The primary focus has shifted from the Mac to other profitable products like the iPod and iPhone. Many of the Apple faithful that stood by this company through the good and bad times now feel as though they have been left behind and forgotten. They don't have that feeling of being a part of something special, a tight-knit family of loyal Mac users sticking up for the little guy.

It wasn't too long ago that Apple could do no wrong. Steve was admired for his ability to mesmerize an audience with new product announcements. Today every public decision Apple makes will be scrutinized. Any action that appears to be made solely on the basis of increasing profits will result in a backlash from the community.

The iPhone 1.1.1 update breaks network hacked phones. The most unique description of this is the dead cow analogy from Leo Leport. The general belief is that it would have been easy for Apple developers to review the checksum of system files prior to updating the phone. Continue with the upgrade if the files match approved values, otherwise notify the user that the upgrade is not possible. Apple chose to go the route of a press release and a warning message prior to the upgrade in iTunes. Users who ignored the warnings are now shopping for a new cell phone.

99 cent ringtones. Surprisingly this has a lot of people upset. The outrage doesn't make sense when you consider what other companies are charging for ringtones (Only $1.99 annual fee per Ringback Tone with a $0.99 monthly subscription). So you want to make ringtones of songs you already own? Well, prior to iPhone 1.1.1 you could do this using the popular Ambrosia Software iToner application. Not anymore. Daring Fireball has a great article covering the whole ringtone subject in more detail.

Apple made several major announcements Wednesday including a completely refreshed line of iPods for the holiday season (and one more little thing).

• iPod shuffle $79. Color changes only including silver, green, blue, purple, and (PRODUCT) RED.
• iPod nano $149 for the 4GB silver only and $199 8GB available in silver, blue, green, black, and (PRODUCT) RED. The user interface has been updated to include more album artwork and Cover Flow. The display is brighter and a very high resolution. The nano is the most popular iPod and this design ensures that it will stay that way.
• iPod classic $249 for the 80GB and $349 for 160GB! The classic is available in The user interface was updated to be the same as the nano including Cover Flow. This iPod is smaller and now features an all-metal enclosure.
• iPod touch $299 for 8GB and $399 for 16GB. Why pay this much for an iPod that has only 8 or 16GB of memory? The key word here is touch. Think iPhone minus the phone. Multi-touch, Safari, YouTube, etc.

The iPod product line is looking very strong for this holiday season! So everyone is talking about these cool new iPods -- right? Well, a little bit.