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Apple announcements 9/9/09

wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done?Registered User regular
So, apple did a press shebang today. It sucked. No flashy pictures, but we need a thread to talk about it.

Steve was there, talked about how he had a liver transplant, from someone in his 20's who died in a car accident. Said that the transplant saved his life and that everyone should sign their organ donor cards. Really nice to see Steve

iTunes 9 is out. It has iTunes LP, which is supposed to get you to buy whole albums again. It includes lyrics, high res "cover art" stuff, and more. Kinda neat, will hold judgement. The iTunes store has been re-designed. The people at the event say it looks a lot more like the Zune store now. And there is Facebook and Twitter, but not what you think. The integration is that you can post to facebook and twitter the things you just bought, yea, boring. There's also some new genius stuff I dont' care about.

The best part of iTunes 9 is the new library sharing. replaces/supplements the sharing that was there before. Basically it lest you not only share, but copy/sync your iTunes libraries between up to 5 computers, this includes everything, music, videos, tv, apps, etc. this is fantastic for me, and by far my favorite part of the announcement.

The big iPod announcement is the iPod Nano 5G. 16GB for $179 (or 8GB for $149, but dont' buy that). it has a shinier coating than the 4G, a slightly larger screen (2.2 vs. 2.0), and a video camera. 640x480 h.264 recording, no HD. No stills. It also has FM radio(welcome to 2003 apple), but the FM radio has timeshifting, so you can pause and play the radio like a DVR, but for only 15 seconds. I like the new nano, but that's not the player I use, so I'll be passing.

the Shuffle, the one everyone hates, got new colours, a $59, 2GB version, and a sick looking silver plated one that's 4GB and $99. if I at all cared aobut the shuffle I'd get that because it looks amazing. But I like MP3 players with buttons.

The Classic gets a bump, from 120GB to 160GB at the same $250. Kinda surprised they didnt' kill the classic actually.

The Touch is the biggest surprise. Because it's nothing. 8GB 2G model for $199, the Touch 3G has the same processor as the 3GS, and has 32 and 64GB for $299 and $399. NO CAMERA. That's a huge disappointment.

Now, there were rumors that the Touch was supposed to have a camera, but that there were serious problems in manufacturing that delayed them, so maybe this is a stop gap solution. I mean, there were cases pictured for the iPod touch and iPod nano with holes for the cameras. the nano appeared, the Touch with camera did not.

And that was about it. Pretty ho-hum actually.

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Posts

  • martinimartini Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I'm pretty disappointed about the touch, I've been waiting for the September announcement to buy one to replace my old classic that I killed. Was looking forward to having a camera around all the time to snap just random stuff, it seemed like a good way to take more pictures. Ah well.

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  • variantvariant Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Why the hell would they put the camera on the Nano? No one cares about having a god damn camera on a nano, while everyone was asking for a camera on the ipod touch, fuck you apple.

    variant on
  • Recoil42Recoil42 Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    variant wrote: »
    Why the hell would they put the camera on the Nano? No one cares about having a god damn camera on a nano, while everyone was asking for a camera on the ipod touch, fuck you apple.

    It really makes NO sense. I mean, at least do both. But they're doing it in reverse order. Features should trickle down from the high end models, not up to them. For me it's dumb enough that they put a camera in the nano, but that they did it INSTEAD of the iTouch? Ludicrous.

    And they haven't even put the new faster chip in the iTouch, either, afaik.

    I'm calling it now, actually -- Apple has officially jumped the shark.

    The new nano looks nice, but they haven't made a single real innovation anywhere in any of their devices.
    And I'm still shaking my head at the shuffle. Are these things actually selling?

    Recoil42 on
  • InkSplatInkSplat 100%ed Bad Rats. Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Recoil42 wrote: »
    variant wrote: »
    Why the hell would they put the camera on the Nano? No one cares about having a god damn camera on a nano, while everyone was asking for a camera on the ipod touch, fuck you apple.

    It really makes NO sense. I mean, at least do both. But they're doing it in reverse order. Features should trickle down from the high end models, not up to them. For me it's dumb enough that they put a camera in the nano, but that they did it INSTEAD of the iTouch? Ludicrous.

    And they haven't even put the new faster chip in the iTouch, either.

    I'm calling it now, actually -- Apple has officially jumped the shark.

    Uh, I'm pretty sure they did put the faster chip in the Touch 32gb+ versions. Just not the 8gb.

    And as for the camera, as was pointed out possibly in the other thread, the lack of the camera in the touch is a fuck up in manufacturing. There were Apple-brand cases with holes for the camera for the Touch, so it was supposed to be there, but then rumors leaked that there was an issue, and so apparently they put it on hold.

    InkSplat on
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  • Mike DangerMike Danger "Diane..." a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    While I'm not so quick to announce the death of Apple on the basis of the camera (the click wheel, arguably the most recognizable feature of the iPod line, did "trickle up" from the Mini to the Classic), I find it silly that the camera lens is apparently behind the click wheel. One wonders how the design guys justified that one (I am wondering if it's a case of not being able to stuff the camera behind the screen).

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  • Nimble CatNimble Cat Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Lame. Now instead of clicking the + button on iTunes to switch to the mini player I have to use the keyboard command.

    Nimble Cat on
  • variantvariant Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I'm pretty sure the click-wheel trickled up because the mini came after the classic, the next gen ipod classic that came after the mini did have the click wheel.

    The faster processor is there, but only on the 32 and 64 gb models, for some reason however, unlike the iphone which had a 100% boost in speed, the nano has a 50% boost in speed.

    And yes, the speculation is that its behind the wheel because there wasn't enough space behind the screen.

    variant on
  • Lucky CynicLucky Cynic Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Apple literally has made things shinier and come in new colors in hopes of new sales. It's all a big fucking joke.

    Lucky Cynic on
  • InkSplatInkSplat 100%ed Bad Rats. Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Apple literally has made things shinier and come in new colors in hopes of new sales. It's all a big fucking joke.

    You realize that that tactic has been used by Nintendo to great success for years and years now, right? People will pay for shiny colors.

    On top of that, why is it a joke that they don't revolutionize their designs every fucking year? Why is it wrong for them to adjust pricing and only slightly modify their models? I mean, jesus, how often can one company re-invent the wheel, so to speak?

    InkSplat on
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  • Lucky CynicLucky Cynic Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    InkSplat wrote: »
    Apple literally has made things shinier and come in new colors in hopes of new sales. It's all a big fucking joke.

    You realize that that tactic has been used by Nintendo to great success for years and years now, right? People will pay for shiny colors.

    On top of that, why is it a joke that they don't revolutionize their designs every fucking year? Why is it wrong for them to adjust pricing and only slightly modify their models? I mean, jesus, how often can one company re-invent the wheel, so to speak?

    Wanna know why it is so wrong? Because I know 3 people who are irritated right now. One person feels that they need a 64 gig iPod because their 32gig ipod is no longer the highest end item. Another person said they want a new nano to replace the one that they just bought about 2 months ago because this one has a camera. And a third person is mad because they now have the shuffle in better colors.

    The fact of the matter is, people will go crazy for ipods over the smallest things.

    AKA the "Its still a Malibu Stacy Doll! --And she has a new hat!" business model.

    Lucky Cynic on
  • ObsObs __BANNED USERS regular
    edited September 2009
    Apple literally has made things shinier and come in new colors in hopes of new sales. It's all a big fucking joke.

    But a good joke.

    Obs on
  • InkSplatInkSplat 100%ed Bad Rats. Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    InkSplat wrote: »
    Apple literally has made things shinier and come in new colors in hopes of new sales. It's all a big fucking joke.

    You realize that that tactic has been used by Nintendo to great success for years and years now, right? People will pay for shiny colors.

    On top of that, why is it a joke that they don't revolutionize their designs every fucking year? Why is it wrong for them to adjust pricing and only slightly modify their models? I mean, jesus, how often can one company re-invent the wheel, so to speak?

    Wanna know why it is so wrong? Because I know 3 people who are irritated right now. One person feels that they need a 64 gig iPod because their 32gig ipod is no longer the highest end item. Another person said they want a new nano to replace the one that they just bought about 2 months ago because this one has a camera. And a third person is mad because they now have the shuffle in better colors.

    The fact of the matter is, people will go crazy for ipods over the smallest things.

    AKA the "Its still a Malibu Stacy Doll! --And she has a new hat!" business model.

    But why blame Apple for apply a business model that is apparently a very good one? You can't blame them for making money, especially when the "slow" years in terms of advancements probably help fund their R&D department to allow for the bigger ones?

    InkSplat on
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  • ZoolanderZoolander Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    This event was overall a big fail. It's kind of sad that they're marketing FM radio as a big feature in 2009.

    Zoolander on
  • maximumzeromaximumzero I...wait, what? New Orleans, LARegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    iTunes is all rounded-looking now.

    And new playlist icons I see.

    maximumzero on
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  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    The lack of camera in the Touch is severely disappointing. I was planning on trading up from my 3.5 year old Ipod, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should look at jailbreaking/unlocking options...

    Also I hear the camera in the Nano (remember they specifically called it a "Video Camera"?) can't even shoot stills. Utter bullshit.

    KalTorak on
  • ImpersonatorImpersonator Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Can someone explain to me what are the advantages of having an iTouch?

    Nowadays I have a Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone and I'm pretty happy with it but I was thinking about buying one of those new low-cost smartphones from HTC (Tattoo/Click) and Samsung (Galaxy Lite). The thing is that I prefer having a phone that does everything, be it music playback, internet, etc., so I don't really know how great of an idea it'd be to have a dedicated music player since a smartphone can do pretty much everything I want.

    Impersonator on
  • maximumzeromaximumzero I...wait, what? New Orleans, LARegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Can someone explain to me what are the advantages of having an iTouch

    What the hell is an iTouch?

    maximumzero on
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  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Can someone explain to me what are the advantages of having an iTouch?

    Nowadays I have a Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone and I'm pretty happy with it but I was thinking about buying one of those new low-cost smartphones from HTC (Tattoo/Click) and Samsung (Galaxy Lite). The thing is that I prefer having a phone that does everything, be it music playback, internet, etc., so I don't really know how great of an idea it'd be to have a dedicated music player since a smartphone can do pretty much everything I want.

    Do you mean an iPhone? Because iTouch is a misnomer for the iPod Touch.

    KalTorak on
  • Mike DangerMike Danger "Diane..." a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    KalTorak wrote: »
    The lack of camera in the Touch is severely disappointing. I was planning on trading up from my 3.5 year old Ipod, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should look at jailbreaking/unlocking options...

    Also I hear the camera in the Nano (remember they specifically called it a "Video Camera"?) can't even shoot stills. Utter bullshit.

    This is apparently due to the fact that the camera's resolution isn't high enough for stills to look good, but video comes out passble. Gizmodo's clips aren't too bad. (the article also confirms my speculation from earlier--apparently the bits for shooting stills are too thick to put in behind the screen)

    Mike Danger on
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  • ImpersonatorImpersonator Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I have no idea why I wrote iTouch, haha. Yes, I meant an iPod Touch. :P

    Impersonator on
  • RebootReboot Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I'm just wondering how many Nano users actually think they need a camera in their Nano. I always thought using a Nano is mainly for "pure and simple" playing of music and some videos. This added functionality is baffling for the product line.

    The added radio functionality is the main draw for me, except that it feels a bit too little, too late.

    Reboot on
  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    InkSplat wrote: »
    Apple literally has made things shinier and come in new colors in hopes of new sales. It's all a big fucking joke.

    You realize that that tactic has been used by Nintendo to great success for years and years now, right? People will pay for shiny colors.

    On top of that, why is it a joke that they don't revolutionize their designs every fucking year? Why is it wrong for them to adjust pricing and only slightly modify their models? I mean, jesus, how often can one company re-invent the wheel, so to speak?

    Wanna know why it is so wrong? Because I know 3 people who are irritated right now. One person feels that they need a 64 gig iPod because their 32gig ipod is no longer the highest end item. Another person said they want a new nano to replace the one that they just bought about 2 months ago because this one has a camera. And a third person is mad because they now have the shuffle in better colors.

    The fact of the matter is, people will go crazy for ipods over the smallest things.

    AKA the "Its still a Malibu Stacy Doll! --And she has a new hat!" business model.

    This is hardly Apples fault that your friends are retarded.

    If they were actually angry they will not buy the product.

    Instead they buy it. That would imply that they are happy with it.

    Blake T on
  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    variant wrote: »
    Why the hell would they put the camera on the Nano? No one cares about having a god damn camera on a nano, while everyone was asking for a camera on the ipod touch, fuck you apple.

    They want you to buy both.

    Daedalus on
  • Recoil42Recoil42 Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    KalTorak wrote: »
    Also I hear the camera in the Nano (remember they specifically called it a "Video Camera"?) can't even shoot stills. Utter bullshit.


    Wait what? Seriously? That's hilarious.


    Also, I love how they compared it to a Flip. Essentially equating it. When the Flip records at 720p, afaik. And how could the image quality from that tiny little pinhole lens possibly even compare to one on a full sized lens? It's just downright misleading.

    When they actually presented it, even, I was downright confused by how bad the message was. "See! We're giving you a $150 product.. FREE!!!"

    Why is a supposedly premium company, making high end products, using the exact same marketing tactic as the crap they hock on tv infomercials? Seriously, I just saw this shit last night. It was called the Magic Bullet Express. WTF, Apple?

    Recoil42 on
  • Lucky CynicLucky Cynic Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Also, recording at 720p doesn't mean shit. You can have a terrible camera that happens to upscale the image to the 720p resolution- the picture will still look fucking awful.

    Lucky Cynic on
  • JasocoJasoco Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Because of this little oversight, I will now be buying a refurbished 16GB 2G model for $199 instead as a holdover. Or maybe an 8GB model to save another $50.

    Seems the only things I'd miss out on are:
    A) The speed increase. Not a big deal as I don't care as much for 3D games on the device.
    B) The microphone headphones and voice activation. Question, can I still use a headphone from an iPhone that has the remote and microphone? Or is the older model just not capable of it?
    C) A pretty plastic box. Instead I'd get a plain cardboard box, but who cares? It's a disposable device anyway.

    I wonder if the local Apple retailer sells them, or will I have to go to Apple.com and get it there. I'll stop by or call tomorrow.

    Jasoco on
  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Jasoco wrote: »
    Because of this little oversight, I will now be buying a refurbished 16GB 2G model for $199 instead as a holdover. Or maybe an 8GB model to save another $50.

    Seems the only things I'd miss out on are:
    A) The speed increase. Not a big deal as I don't care as much for 3D games on the device.
    B) The microphone headphones and voice activation. Question, can I still use a headphone from an iPhone that has the remote and microphone? Or is the older model just not capable of it?
    C) A pretty plastic box. Instead I'd get a plain cardboard box, but who cares? It's a disposable device anyway.

    I wonder if the local Apple retailer sells them, or will I have to go to Apple.com and get it there. I'll stop by or call tomorrow.

    I'm leaning toward this too. Open GL doesn't seem like a big enough deal to spend an extra $50 on.

    As far as I know, the 2G touch is controllable with the iPhone-style click/volume control/mic headphones. I think they moved that into most of their products early on.

    KalTorak on
  • ZackSchillingZackSchilling Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    The speed increase benefits more than just games. Everything from the responsiveness of the screen to rendering times on the browser are improved. It's actually a pretty big deal when you compare the two devices side by side. The old version isn't painful or anything, it should be fine if you only plan to use it for music and movies.

    As a phone, a browser, and entertainment device, the increased speed is a real asset.

    ZackSchilling on
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  • UnbreakableVowUnbreakableVow Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    *Checks the OP*

    Still no Beatles on iTunes, huh?

    Sucks, would have been the perfect day to it. Ah well.

    UnbreakableVow on
  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I wonder if they just don't want to cannibalize the new CD sales.

    KalTorak on
  • ZackSchillingZackSchilling Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    *Checks the OP*

    Still no Beatles on iTunes, huh?

    Sucks, would have been the perfect day to it. Ah well.

    I cannot believe that Harmonix managed to pull together a Beatles Rock Band before Apple Computer could manage to land a deal with Apple Corps.

    ZackSchilling on
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  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    *Checks the OP*

    Still no Beatles on iTunes, huh?

    Sucks, would have been the perfect day to it. Ah well.

    I cannot believe that Harmonix managed to pull together a Beatles Rock Band before Apple Computer could manage to land a deal with Apple Corps.

    Well, Apple and Apple were fighting with each other pretty recently.

    KalTorak on
  • JasocoJasoco Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Well, the refurbished model would be a holdover. Cheaper model to use while I wait for what I really want.

    Have to decide between an 8GB for $150 and a 16GB for $200. I could get along with either. I wouldn't cram all my music on it and don't plan on carrying my entire movie collection so... I'd prefer 16GB, but saving $50 would be nice.

    Jasoco on
  • Recoil42Recoil42 Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Not a fan of the ZuneHD, Jasoco?

    I ask simply because that's where my money is going after the announcements today (I was already on the fence), and I'm curious why yours is not.

    Recoil42 on
  • JasocoJasoco Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I'm a Mac user. And I want apps. I want a browser that doesn't suck. Not a pretty animated interface. I want something that just works with my computer. I want to use iTunes.

    Jasoco on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2009
    Jesus... 100 fucking megs to download iTunes? What the christ?!

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • The Reverend Dr GalactusThe Reverend Dr Galactus Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    The real reason for a cameraless iPod Touch despite the Nano's upgrade may be that it was planned, but unforeseen engineering problems pushed it off to the next version. I'm still pretty much convinced this was a real prototype sneaked out of Foxconn, but that it's probably not going to be a production model until 2010.

    Either way... I get that it's annoying to a lot of people that Apple produces almost the perfect device for what they want, but I don't really get all the disgust. Either it's a deal killer or not, right? And if a Touch with a camera is so important to you that you're willing to really splurge, you can just pick up an off-contract iPhone on Ebay.

    The Reverend Dr Galactus on
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  • JasocoJasoco Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    The real reason for a cameraless iPod Touch despite the Nano's upgrade may be that it was planned, but unforeseen engineering problems pushed it off to the next version. I'm still pretty much convinced this was a real prototype sneaked out of Foxconn, but that it's probably not going to be a production model until 2010.

    Either way... I get that it's annoying to a lot of people that Apple produces almost the perfect device for what they want, but I don't really get all the disgust. Either it's a deal killer or not, right? And if a Touch with a camera is so important to you that you're willing to really splurge, you can just pick up an off-contract iPhone on Ebay.
    The camera's not so important that I can't wait for it. Which is why I am happy getting a refurbished 2G for now for half the price.

    Jasoco on
  • Ghostly ClockworkGhostly Clockwork Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Jasoco wrote: »
    I'm a Mac user. And I want apps. I want a browser that doesn't suck. Not a pretty animated interface. I want something that just works with my computer. I want to use iTunes.

    Hehee, fair enough! The lack of Mac support for Zune is cutting off a few people sadly...hopefully it'll gain enough market share to make it worthwhile to make a mac version.

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  • The Reverend Dr GalactusThe Reverend Dr Galactus Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Come to think of it, I'm actually happy about the iPod Touch update. Seriously. This must be the first time Apple has come out with a new version of something I have the old version of that didn't instantly confer upon the old hardware even the slightest bit of old-and-bustedness.

    But in more important matters: iTunes 9 grid view. The gray background in 8 was exquisite and the new white BG is garish and grating.

    The Reverend Dr Galactus on
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