Inbox Apple’s iPod mania continues as the product line expands. Top of the line is now $600 for iPod Photo. Is it enough for Mac users? No, say some. Yes, say others.

$600 for a new iPod? That must be a typo, right? No Steve Jobs and rock group U2 introduced new iPods just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Guess what? The $500 and $600 iPod Photo is shipping already. Orders made on the same day as the introduction are already leaving factories in Shanghai, China. Apple stores already have some of the new models in stock.

The big news is both the cost and the synchronization with Apple’s iPhoto. The iPod Photo is the hot topic of conversation and cool to some iPod users.

Mac user “srayconstantine” summed up the middle of the road:

“First, while there may not be an instant market for the new iPod Photo, sometimes the product dictates/drives the market. When a new technology is available, demand grows where once there was nothing. People weren’t clamouring for television before its introduction. My wife couldn’t see the point of digital cameras when they first appeared on the scene. In fact, back in 1969, I couldn’t fathom computers being used for entertainment. I thought they would only be used for, well, computing.”

Besides cost and minimum features, the biggest user complaint appears to be the lack of direct iPod Photo to camera connectivity. Many iPod users long for such simple and direct connections. Although accessories manufacturer Belkin offers a device for the iPod, it’s not a favorite, so says “compudude:”

“...First, the 3rd-party card reader he refers to, by Belkin, is notoriously unreliable. Second, since it runs at USB 1.1 speeds, it’s slower than dirt. Third, since the Belkin reader dumps the photos into the data partition, and doesn’t know anything about the photo capabilities, it is useless as far as the photo portion of the iPod functionality is concerned. Finally, it’s bulky and expensive, when Apple could have built in the ability and let users who need it buy a separate cable by chip type (to avoid adding any bulk).”

Mac and iPod users took issue with Apple’s marketing spin about the need to output digital photos from the iPod to a TV. Apple’s laptops have been capable of doing this for years; a feature seldom discussed, dissed or considered. Until now.

Reader “macaddict” sums up both the situation and the solution:

“Apple blew it by not including direct download from camera or media card capability. People are using their new digital cameras while on vacation and away from home—to have to bring a laptop with them to offload pictures can be a hassle, compared with the possibility of offloading directly to their ipod, sorting/deleting, and then syncing into iPhoto *after* they are back home. $100 extra and you still have to have your computer there as part of the workflow?

So what is the utility here? The 2” screen is too small for friends to view your photo album—that’s what uploading to a web gallery is for. Backing up photos? Give me a break. Get a cheap external harddrive. Slideshow on relative’s TVs? Your laptop does this better, and with more options. Remember, I’ve got my laptop on vacation with me anyway, because the #@&$! photo pod won’t talk to my digital camera without it.”

Apple has more research resources than most Mac or Windows users would imagine. Is it possible the Cupertino Mac and iPod folks know something about the rest of the market that our less experienced eyes and ears don’t know?

How about grandma? One Mac user had this response:

“It has no appeal to me, however, the gremlins of Infinite Loop may be on to something? One, genuine little old lady, grandmother I know, who has had zero interest in an iPod or any other portable music player, took one look at the picture capabiltiy and announced to the whole family that it was at the top of her Christmas list. She has a couple of thousand grandchildren pictures on her iMac, and I am sure she intends to fill that Photo iPod with them. It’s going to be a whole new ball game when soemone asks her: “Do you have any pictures of your grandkids?”

Apple is geared for the holiday shopping season. iMac G5s are rolling in greater numbers. The iBooks are upgraded and selling by the hundreds, and thousands, and more. iPods come in more flavors than ever, and Apple is nearing the 100 store mark so products are more accessible than ever.

We live in interesting times. What’s your thought regarding the iPod, iPod Photo? Apple’s market share for computers continues to fall despite sales increases. Does that matter? Share your thoughts with other Mac readers and click Comments below.

Check out the daily list of our 9 Word mini-Reviews at NoodleMac, and Kate's daily in-depth Mac software reviews at PixoBebo.

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Off Topic #23 & #18 - Want to speed up your Mac? Try Kate MacKenzie’s approach to the $7.99 speed increase. Do you have a back up system for your Mac? Kate’s PixoBebo shows you how to use Time Machine with SuperDuper! for the ultimate Mac back up. And she doesn’t even charge Mac360 readers to visit her site.

• Article by Alexis Kayhill • Published on Saturday, October 30, 2004
• Category: In Box • 1 Reader comment(s) • Email This • Digg This • Shop Now

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